Another week of Pennsylvania high school football produced outstanding defensive performances, with Schuylkill Haven’s Brayden Shappell recording 20 tackles, West Philadelphia’s D’Juan Cross collecting four sacks, and Salisbury’s Jadiel Gonzalez returning two interceptions for touchdowns.
Shappell led the reported tackle totals, while Cross topped the sack category with four. Gonzalez delivered one of the week’s most impressive defensive scoring performances, returning interceptions 87 and 47 yards for touchdowns.
South Western’s Danny Connelly led the interception category with three, while Twin Valley’s Alain Bazile returned a fumble 85 yards for a touchdown.
Shappell Leads Defenders with 20 Tackles
Schuylkill Haven’s Brayden Shappell delivered the week’s top reported tackling performance, finishing with 20 tackles.
Phoenixville’s Jake Gray followed with 18 tackles, while Minersville’s Derek Derenzo and Montoursville’s Jacob Schon each recorded 17.
Manheim Central’s Jevin Carbonneau established a new personal best with 15 tackles, surpassing his previous high of 14.
Minersville’s John Lutsky and Jose Farrell, Line Mountain’s Kaden Dunkelberg, Jim Thorpe’s Kaden Hess and Schuylkill Haven’s Wyatt Gerber each finished with 14 tackles.
Shappell’s performance led a Schuylkill Haven defense that placed several players among the week’s tackle leaders.
Minersville, Montoursville Have Multiple Tackle Leaders
Minersville had four players reach double figures in tackles.
Derenzo led the way with 17 tackles, followed by Lutsky and Farrell with 14 apiece. Justin Cutler added 11 tackles.
Derenzo also recorded three tackles for loss and returned an interception 46 yards for a touchdown.
Montoursville also had several defensive standouts.
Schon finished with 17 tackles, while Kaden Kleinman recorded 13. Zane Butler added 11 tackles, and Brayden Burkett finished with 10.
Schuylkill Haven’s Shappell led his team with 20 tackles, while Gerber finished with 14. Chase Yoder and Zavier Pomales each recorded 11 tackles.
Yoder also recorded four tackles for loss.
Nazareth, Schuylkill Valley Among Tackling Leaders
Schuylkill Valley’s Alex Gehret, Nazareth Area’s Cooper Wenrich and Jackson Medlar, Tamaqua Area’s Damian Jazowski, Conwell-Egan’s Dane Austerberry, Mount Carmel Area’s Jason Klokis, Elizabethtown’s Luke Heckman, North Schuylkill’s Nelson Berger and Wellsboro’s Reed Richardson each finished with 13 tackles.
Medlar and Jazowski also recorded four tackles for loss.
Roman Catholic’s AJ Wright, Milton Area’s Brody Locke, Line Mountain’s Cade Feger, Spring Grove’s Cameron Hershey, Wilson Area’s Christian Samayoa, Chester’s De’Mir Hatchett, Saucon Valley’s Eli Szlachtianshyn and Hunter Hill, Northwestern Lehigh’s Nick Whitney and Williams Valley’s Trevon Bair each recorded 12 tackles.
Wright also finished with five tackles for loss, tying for the highest reported total of the week.
More Defenders Reach Double Figures
Octorara Area’s Brayden Mastrippolito, Easton Area’s Broddy Thom and Justin Cosover, Bloomsburg’s Christian Ackerman and Wyatt Schrader, Pocono Mountain East’s Dean McCarthy, Central York’s Doug Layer and Josh Bahr, Line Mountain’s Henry Malfara and Luke Malfara, Stroudsburg’s Hostyn Jimenez, Wilson Area’s J’son Johnson and Ryan Bonham, Emmaus’ Legend Vasquez, Lower Dauphin’s Michael Dugan, Upper Perkiomen’s Parker Munio, Perkiomen Valley’s Sebastian Santangelo, Saucon Valley’s Taylor Rohn, Cedar Crest’s Tyler Gingrich, Camp Hill’s Zaidyn Crandall and Jersey Shore’s Zeke Sechrist each recorded 11 tackles.
The 10-tackle group included East Stroudsburg South’s Alex Perez, Line Mountain’s Caden Carson and Garrett Cockeril, Northern Lehigh’s Chase Gall, St. Joseph’s Prep’s Chase Winterborne, Warrior Run’s Carter Little, Williams Valley’s Cole Hubler, Archbishop Wood’s Cole Wiberley, Northampton’s Evan Kleppinger, Archbishop Ryan’s Frank Lorenti, Marple Newtown’s Jack Dreger and Jake Carlson, Shikellamy’s Jackson Kashuba and Willie Bender, Easton Area’s Jayden Foreman, Bethlehem Catholic’s Jonathan Ayache, Mount Carmel Area’s Josh Blessing, Strath Haven’s Kasey Hudson, Camp Hill’s Kristian Albrecht, Nazareth Area’s Luke DePietro and Tucker Wenrich, West Perry’s Quinten Palm, Milton Area’s Schuyler Humphrey, Bloomsburg’s Shane Frey and Zane Thomas, and Academy of the New Church’s Tayron Chapman.
Connelly Picks Off Three Passes
South Western’s Danny Connelly led the reported interception totals with three.
Teammate Blake McMillion added two interceptions, giving South Western two players among the week’s interception leaders.
Shamokin’s Brayden Cavanaugh, Chester’s De’Mir Hatchett, South Williamsport’s Dominik Goode, Salisbury’s Jadiel Gonzalez, Holy Redeemer’s Kevin Arroyo and Jersey Shore’s Khani McCray each recorded two interceptions.
Gonzalez turned both of his interceptions into touchdowns, while Hatchett, Cavanaugh and McMillion also scored on interception returns.
Gonzalez Returns Two Interceptions for Touchdowns
Salisbury’s Jadiel Gonzalez delivered one of the week’s most memorable defensive performances.
Gonzalez returned an interception 87 yards for a touchdown and added another scoring return of 47 yards.
His two interception returns covered a combined 134 yards, making him the only player listed with two interception-return touchdowns of more than 40 yards.
Wilson’s Lavar Alston followed with an 80-yard interception return for a touchdown.
Wyomissing Area’s Brady Focht scored on a 78-yard interception return, while Mifflinburg’s Grady Brubaker went 60 yards.
Chester’s De’Mir Hatchett returned an interception 55 yards for a touchdown, while Lampeter-Strasburg’s Easton Cunningham scored on a 51-yard return.
Blue Mountain’s Sonny Amato returned an interception 48 yards for a score.
Minersville’s Derenzo and Parkland’s Jackson Geroulo each scored on 46-yard interception returns.
Exeter’s Nick Pashley went 40 yards for a touchdown, while Northeastern’s Reese Wooden scored on a 37-yard return.
Penn Wood’s Richard Vahn added a 33-yard interception return for a touchdown.
Cedar Crest’s Tirado Scores Twice
Cedar Crest’s Antonio Tirado also delivered a big defensive scoring performance, returning two interceptions for touchdowns.
Tirado scored on returns of 30 and 29 yards, covering a combined 59 yards.
West Philadelphia’s Cayden Norman and Honesdale’s Gabe Duda each returned interceptions 30 yards for touchdowns.
Pennridge’s Marquan Walker was credited with interception-return touchdowns of 29 and 27 yards.
South Western’s McMillion, Sun Valley’s CJ Patterson and Old Forge’s Elio Castaldi each scored on 28-yard returns.
Conestoga Valley’s Maddox Dentel returned an interception 25 yards for a touchdown, while West York’s Brennan Lightner and South Williamsport’s Garrett Lorson each scored from 24 yards.
Shamokin’s Cavanaugh added a 23-yard interception return for a touchdown.
Exeter’s Brady Adams and Council Rock South’s Rocco Szydlik each scored on 20-yard interception returns.
Penn Manor’s Elijah Valentin also returned an interception 31 yards for a touchdown.
Cross Leads Sack Category with Four
West Philadelphia’s D’Juan Cross delivered the week’s top reported sack performance, recording four sacks.
Cross also finished with four tackles for loss, making him one of the week’s most disruptive defensive players.
Camp Hill’s Bentley Sloat, Dover’s Eli Smyser, Jersey Shore’s Isaac Shirey and Vaux’s Nasir Franklin each recorded three sacks.
Shirey added four tackles for loss, while Smyser finished with three tackles for loss.
Three Players Record Five Tackles for Loss
Roman Catholic’s AJ Wright, Cedar Crest’s CJ Hallman and Jim Thorpe’s Dominic Kiehl shared the lead in tackles for loss with five apiece.
Schuylkill Haven’s Chase Yoder, West Philadelphia’s Cross, Archbishop Wood’s David Robbins, Tamaqua Area’s Damian Jazowski, Jersey Shore’s Shirey, Nazareth Area’s Jackson Medlar, Jim Thorpe’s Kaden Hess, Chambersburg’s Nate Chambers, Dover’s Robmyer Borders and West Catholic’s Tyler Smith each recorded four tackles for loss.
Jersey Shore’s Aiden Patts and Zeke Sechrist, Twin Valley’s Alain Bazile, Penn Manor’s Ayden Dosch, Line Mountain’s Cade Feger, Archbishop Carroll’s Ceasar Richardson, Chester’s Hatchett, Minersville’s Derenzo, Dover’s Smyser, Midd-West’s Jared Devine, Central York’s Josh Bahr, Lower Dauphin’s Michael Dugan, Susquehanna Township’s Titus Brown, Schuylkill Haven’s Triston Davis, Cedar Crest’s Tyler Gingrich, Bloomsburg’s Wyatt Schrader and Roman Catholic’s Victor Ezeukwu each recorded three tackles for loss.
Bazile Goes 85 Yards on Fumble Return
Twin Valley’s Alain Bazile delivered the longest reported fumble return for a touchdown, taking one back 85 yards.
Council Rock South’s Jerry Rogers and Mifflinburg’s Landon Moser each returned fumbles 55 yards for touchdowns.
Wilson’s Sammy Dianna scored on a 46-yard fumble return, while South Williamsport’s Caleb Johnson went 35 yards.
Martin Luther King’s Shymir Wilkerson returned a fumble 30 yards for a touchdown.
Wyomissing Area’s Brady Focht added a 13-yard fumble return for a score.
Waynesboro’s Rian Stull scored on a two-yard fumble return, while Interboro’s Abassal Kemokai also recovered a fumble for a touchdown.
Unionville’s Anderson Griffiths led the reported fumble recovery totals with two.
Focht Scores on Two Defensive Returns
Wyomissing Area’s Brady Focht made an impact in two different defensive scoring categories.
Focht returned an interception 78 yards for a touchdown and also scored on a 13-yard fumble return.
His two defensive touchdowns covered a combined 91 return yards.
Along with Salisbury’s Gonzalez and Cedar Crest’s Tirado, Focht was among the week’s players producing multiple defensive touchdowns.
Blocked Punts Produce Three Touchdowns
Warwick’s Vince Yacoviello delivered the longest reported blocked-punt touchdown return, scoring from 24 yards.
Berks Catholic had two players score following blocked punts.
Jacob Schmehl and Faith Zudie each recorded two-yard blocked-punt returns for touchdowns.
South Western’s Kyron Nock also scored a touchdown on a blocked punt recovery.
Defensive Playmakers Highlight Another Big Week
Another week of Pennsylvania high school football produced impressive defensive performances, highlighted by big tackle totals, multiple interceptions and long returns for touchdowns.
Shappell led the reported tackle category with 20, followed by Gray with 18. Carbonneau established a personal best with 15 tackles, while Connelly led the interception category with three.
Cross recorded four sacks, and Wright, Hallman and Kiehl each finished with five tackles for loss.
Gonzalez returned two interceptions for touchdowns, while Tirado also scored twice on interception returns. Focht added two defensive touchdowns, scoring on both an interception return and a fumble return.
Bazile’s 85-yard fumble return was the longest reported fumble-return touchdown of the week.
From defenders making stops behind the line of scrimmage to players turning turnovers into touchdowns, Pennsylvania’s top defensive performers once again showed how quickly a game can change with one big play.