Over the last few years, it was hard to miss No. 8. He seemed to be everywhere for Malvern Prep. It took a while, but more than just Inter-Ac League teams began noticing Jackson Ford. The rangy, 6-foot-4½, 240-pound edge rusher was not on the radar of many recruiting pundits and college scouting services his freshman and sophomore years. Perhaps they weren’t following the Friars every game. In those seasons, Ford would manage to do something disruptive on the field. Last year, he exploded for nine sacks and 22 tackles for losses in leading the Friars to their second-straight Inter-Academic League championship and third in four years.

On Friday, Ford received some payback for his arduous work and diligence on the field, when the four-star edge rusher committed to Penn State.

The Nittany Lions may have received a steal in Ford, whose best football may be ahead of him. He has been on a rapid rising arc the last few seasons and is expected to grow another inch.

Ford selected Penn State over Wisconsin, Ohio State and Michigan.

“I felt like the effort Penn State showed in wanting was greater than the other schools,” said Ford, who carries a 3.8 GPA and whose parents and older brother are University of Penn graduates. “My father and older brother were linebackers for Penn. They’re Wharton grads, but you can say I was raised on Penn football growing up. Penn State acted on their words and that’s why I decided on Penn State. Wisconsin and Ohio State were neck-and-neck in second. I thought about following my dad and brother (Jordan) went to Penn, but I began growing larger than my dad and brother and started gaining attention from Power Five schools.

“Penn State did a phenomenal job, and they acted on what they said.”

Ford, who said he would like to major in business and get into real estate, said the recruiting process was an enjoyable experience for him. He will be leaving Malvern early and starting at Penn State in January, a rare move for the Inter-Ac school that has seen current red-shirt freshman guard Peter Jones leave early for Notre Dame a few years ago.

“I think I took it for granted that my recruiting process started late,” Ford said. “But I think I was actually lucky that it started late, and that I caught fire toward the end. I have a good head on my shoulders and a lot of good people around, and I was dealing with a much shorter recruiting process than other guys being looked at by Power Five schools. It was more enjoyable because there was not a lot coming at me.

“Penn State projects me to be an edge rusher and maybe get up to around 260 pounds. I’m really excited about this. I’m happy for the process to be over and I can throw my focus into this season and being there for my team, and do good by my teammates.”

Ford is the third major recruit from the Philadelphia area that has committed to Nittany Lions’ coach James Franklin, joining 6-foot-3, 200-pound Coatesville four-star linebacker Terry Wiggins, and St. Joe’s Prep 6-4, 240-pound three-star defensive tackle Alex Haskell in Penn State’s 2026 class. Ford will also be joining other Philadelphia edge rushers Enai White (Imhotep Charter) and Keon Wylie (Imhotep Charter).

La Salle College High School may have to change its nickname from the “Explorers” to the La Salle “Fighting Irish,” after Joey O’Brien, La Salle’s five-star 6-foot-5, 190-pound defensive back/wide receiver, and 6-foot-8, 285-pound left tackle Grayson McKeogh, committed to Notre Dame.

O’Brien made it official on Friday, choosing the Fighting Irish over Oregon, Clemson and Penn State. McKeogh made his decision on Thursday, choosing Notre Dame over Penn State, Alabama, Boston College, Duke and Texas.

“For me, it came down to education and culture,” O’Brien said about his choice to attend Notre Dame. “I know a lot of those guys committed to Notre Dame, and now that Grayson is going, it’s a group that all knows each other. The money was the same between all the schools. It came down to Notre Dame and Oregon. I value a Notre Dame degree. It will help me later in life. I was sold on Notre Dame’s education and culture.”

O’Brien is projected to play safety and possibly appear in some offensive packages for Irish head coach Marcus Freeman, while McKeogh will be a left tackle.

“It was between Notre Dame, Penn State and Texas for me, and I was always told, ‘When you know, you know,’ and when I was on that Notre Dame campus, and with those guys, I knew,” said McKeogh, a converted basketball player who made possibly the play of the season for La Salle, when his diving interception at the Explorers’ five-yard line in regulation allowed La Salle to beat rival St. Joe’s Prep, 35-34, in a quadruple-overtime thriller. “I felt Notre Dame was the place for me, and those were guys I wanted to spend time around.

“At times, the recruiting was aggravating, between the trips, calls, juggling everything. Other times, it was good.”

Last season, O’Brien caught 68 passes for an Explorers’ single-season school-record 1,029 yards and 12 touchdowns. On defense, where is projected to play as a cornerback, he made 36 tackles and broke up 13 passes, with one interception. O’Brien is the second player from Pennsylvania that Freeman has received a commitment from, joining Cumberland Valley 6-foot-7, 335-pound four-star offensive tackle Tyler Merrill.

O’Brien becomes the fifth player Notre Dame has now received a commitment from in ESPN’s 300 top 105 2026 college football recruits. O’Brien will join 6-4, 220-pound defensive end Rodney Dunham (Charlotte, N.C.; No. 56), Merrill (No. 66), 6-2, 180-pound cornerback Khary Adams (Baltimore, MD; No. 68), and 5-9, 190-pound running back Javian Osborne (Forney, Texas; No. 80). Freeman last year landed St. Joe’s Prep linebacker Anthony Sacca, whose father Tony Sacca was a four-year starting quarterback for the Nittany Lions.

Penn State thought it had a good shot at O’Brien, according to numerous sources. Over this decade, Nittany Lions’ coach James Franklin has been able to keep three of the top eight No. 1-rated players in Pennsylvania by ESPN 300 in state: 2023 offensive guard J’ven Williams (Wyomissing/Penn State), 2024 running back Quinton Martin (Belle Vernon High School/Penn State) and 2027 junior running back Kemon Spell (McKeesport/Penn State).

Of the other five, two have ironically transferred to Penn State after they committed elsewhere: 2020 wide receiver Julian Fleming (Southern Columbia High School/Ohio State, transferred to Penn State), 2022 edge rusher Enai White (Imhotep Charter/Texas A&M, transferred to Penn State). The other three of ESPN’s top-rated players in the state opted to leave: 2021 linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (St. Joe’s Prep/Clemson), 2025 edge rusher Zahir Mathis (Imhotep Charter/Maryland) and current senior 2026 offensive tackle Tyler Merrill (Cumberland Valley/Notre Dame).

La Salle finished 10-1 last season. The Explorers’ lone loss came against three-time defending PIAA Class 6A state champion St. Joe’s Prep, 21-14, in the Catholic League championship. O’Brien was responsible for both scores on 30- and 66-yard touchdown receptions. But it was O’Brien that led the Explorers to a dramatic 35-34 quadruple-overtime victory over The Prep during the regular season, throwing the two-point conversion pass on an improvised play that resembled “The Philly Special.”

O’Brien was selected last season as the Most Valuable Player in the Philadelphia Catholic League Red Division, which produced three of the eight overall state finalists (Prep, Bonner-Prendergast and Roman Catholic) and two state champions (St. Joe’s Prep/Class 6A and Bonner-Prendergast/Class 4A).

La Salle last went to the PIAA state playoffs in 2015, losing to Parkland in the Class 4A quarterfinals. Since the PIAA implemented the Class 6A system in 2016, the Explorers have never been to the state playoffs, a position occupied by their rival, St. Joe’s Prep, which has been to each of the nine Class 6A state title games played, winning seven state 6A titles, including the last three.

La Salle was the first Philadelphia Catholic League team to win a PIAA state football championship, taking its one and only state crown in 2009 under Drew Gordon, the father of current Explorers’ coach Brett Gordon.

Last year’s regular-season victory was La Salle’s first over St. Joe’s Prep in three years, since the Explorers’ 28-21 win at Penn’s Franklin Field on October 2, 2021. Entering the game, Prep’s dominance over its nearest rival was profound. Since the Nov. 21, 2015, Catholic League Red championship (won by La Salle, 29-28), the Hawks were 14-1 vs. La Salle having outscored the Explorers 543-197, winning by an average of 36.2 to 13.1 in that span. La Salle had beaten The Prep twice in the last nine years, Nov. 21, 2015, and on Oct. 2, 2021. Add on Oct. 5, 2024 and it’s three times in the last 10 years. Since their 2021 victory over the Hawks, the Explorers were 0-5 entering last season’s regular-season game against The Prep, outscored 173-44 in that span, losing by an average of 34.6 to 8.8.

La Salle has big expectations this season.

“I don’t think there is an ‘if’ we’re going do this, we’re going to do this,” McKeogh said. “We’re going to (win the state championship) and accept nothing short of that. I feel that confident. I know we haven’t done anything yet. We are the team this year to do it. We will face adversity and we will need guys to step up. I’m ready to take that on. I have a lot more determination, we have a lot more determination. We’re going to be ready. Now that (college recruiting) is over. We’re going to put everything into winning everything.”

Liam Zelman commits to Holy Cross

Today on Twitter, Liam tweeted, “I am honored to announce my commitment to play Division 1 football at College of the Holy Cross! This is a dream come true for my family and me, and I am extremely grateful for this opportunity. Thank you Mom, Dad, Aaron, Sarah, and all of my friends and teammates who have supported me throughout this tough journey. Special thanks to Coach Curran, Coach Dresner and all of the Holy Cross Football staff!”

Other programs who offered him were Bucknell, Elon, Fordham, Georgetown, Lafayette, Maine, Morgan State, New Hampshire and Stone Hill.

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound quarterback had a big season passing for over 1200 yards (1982 All-purpose yards). Liam is a three-year starter heading into his senior year.

He was 1st team All Inter-Ac. He also does track and field and crew.

The college recruiting process provides those twists and turns.

In the end, both have solid college destinations, Henry to Syracuse, and Harris, the gifted 6-1, 180-pound wide receiver/safety, to Temple.

Harris committed to new Temple coach K.C. Keeler last week, and Henry gave his verbal commitment to Syracuse head coach Fran Brown in early May.

Both are settled and now ready to move forward.

This past season on a field filled with star players like Penn State-bound running back Jabree Wallace-Coleman and Maryland-bound defensive end Zahir Mathis, Harris may have been the best player on the field that day, when Imhotep Charter came back to beat Chester, 28-24, despite Harris intercepting three passes, and scoring two touchdowns, one an 83-yard kickoff return and the other a 4-yard TD reception from younger twin brother and Clippers’ quarterback Jalen.

Temple got a steal in Harris, who was being recruited by Eastern Michigan, UConn, Syracuse, East Carolina, UMass Kent State. He is projected to be a free safety.

“Staying home and being part of the rebuild at Temple to get it where it was a few years ago was a deciding factor,” said Harris, who is 27 minutes younger than Jalen and returns as one of the best players in Southeastern Pennsylvania this coming season. “The plan is to play quickly there. I was being recruited mostly for defense, even though Kent State was looking at me as a receiver. I did think about playing both ways, but right now, I want to focus on playing safety at Temple. We have some things to finish this year.

“The recruiting, to be honest about it, was very stressful. I had some sleepless nights. Just getting it out of the way and committing before the season was something that I had to do. I wanted to go into my senior season knowing where I was going, not figuring something out later. This will be it for Jalen and me. It will be hard not playing with him on my team. We were always on the same team together growing up, but right now, our focus is on winning and winning a state championship. We can be undefeated this year.”

Chester went 9-2 last season, winning the Del-Val League and losing to the eventual District 1 Class 5A champion, West Chester Rustin, in the second round of the playoffs. With Daron and Jalen Harris back, along with Henry, 2025 promises to be a big history-making year for the Clippers, who reached the District 1 Class 5A championship two years ago, losing to Strath Haven.

Now that his star player has peace of mind, Clippers’ coach Dennis Shaw can rest a little easy, too.

“We pride ourselves on getting guys into college, and our wins are predicated on where guys go on the next level,” Shaw said. “Daron can be a high school football player now, solidified in knowing where he is going. He doesn’t have to worry about anything else—just football. With Shemaj, coach Fran Brown told him last weekend, he is a pro waiting to happen. Coach Brown told Shemaj his ceiling is the highest of anyone coming into their 2026 class.

“Daron will have an opportunity to play as a freshman at Temple. His game will continue to grow, the same as Shemaj. There is still growth there in both of those guys.”

Henry is projected to be a left tackle but will go both ways this coming season. Henry, who carries a 3.6 GPA, is working on early admittance to Syracuse in January.

“Shemaj has everything together,” Dennis said. “We have big expectations for him.”

As does Henry for himself.

“This feels amazing to get the opportunity to play for coach Fran,” said Henry, who chose Syracuse over UMass and Temple. “I had a great experience when I went to Syracuse. They see me as a left tackle. Committing early is a load off my mind. I can enjoy playing my last high school year with my buddies, before going to Orange Nation. This year, we’re working on being better and being consistent. We’re going to make sure we don’t go out like we did last year. I’m taking summer classes now to get to work early and start towards playing. Syracuse blew everyone out of the water. They build a relationship with me and checked on me every day. It was there.

“I would like to get a little lighter for this season, down to 300 or 315. I know I won’t come off the field. I need to get my body right and in shape, making sure I’m in great condition. We can be pretty great this season the way we’re going. We have stars who are about to shine. And we have Daron and Jalen, who are winners. We have some unfinished business this year. Winning the Del-Val League title is not enough. We want bigger. We have everything to do it, too.”

Joseph Santoliquito is a hall of fame, award-winning sportswriter who has been covering high school football since 1992 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be followed on Twitter @JSantoliquito [twitter.com]. Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball [twitter.com].

Today, Peyton Falzone, the No. 11 quarterback in the nation according to 247Sports, picked Penn State over schools like Rutgers, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia. 

Last season, Falzone completed 146 of 278 passes for 2,135 yards and 23 touchdowns and four interceptions. He rushed for 697 yards and eight touchdowns. 

Falzone, who is 6-foot-5, also runs track and has posted sub-11-second times in the 100-meter dash and long jump of 18-5.5 

Nazareth Area finished 7-4 last season. 

Track & Field:
• 2023 PIAA State Track & Field Champion (100m dash)
• 3-time PIAA State Track & Field Medalist
• 6-time District III Track & Field Medalist
• PIAA District 3 and Mid Penn Conference 100m record holder
• Susquehanna Township School District record holder in the 100m and 200m dash
• 2-time PIAA Track & Field All State Team member
• 3-time Mid-Penn Track & Field All Star

Football:
• Rated a 4-star Wide Receiver (WR) by 247 Sports, On3 Recruiting, ESPN, and Rivals
• Ranked 27th nationally among WRs and 5th in Pennsylvania for the class of 2025
• Holds over 30 Division I Scholarship Offers
• Selected for the US Army High School All-American Bowl Game
• Named MVP at the US Army High School All-American Combine
• Recognized as a US Army High School All-American and Under Armor ‘Up Next’ selection
• 2023 Eastern PA Football All-State and PA Football News All-State selection
• 2023 Mid Penn Conference 1st Team All Star WR and Return Specialist

Football Stats:
• Junior Year: 67 catches, 1,115 yards receiving, 14 total touchdowns
• Sophomore Year: 30 catches, 630 yards receiving, 6 total touchdowns
• Freshman Year: 25 catches, 520 yards receiving, 5 total touchdowns

The Susquehanna Township School District invites the community to join in celebrating Lex Cyrus’s remarkable achievements and supporting him as he takes the next step in his athletic and academic career.

He holds the Pennsylvania record for longest free kick of 54 yards.

He had 60 out of 74 touchbacks (81%) and was 45 of 48 (three blocked) PATs (94%). He averaged 40 yards per punt.

“I chose PSU because of the people and relationships I had up there, it was unlike any other,” said Parker. “Last season they had a great year and hopefully this year they can compete for CFB playoffs.”

Photo’s courtesy of Rick Martin 

The list of area high-level talent continued their college choices. On Saturday, St. Joe Prep linebacker Anthony Sacca selected Notre Dame as his next football destination, and on Thursday in live stream from Spring-Ford High School, Spring-Ford rising-senior quarterback Matt Zollers choose SEC Missouri over Georgia, Penn State and Pitt.

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound quarterback threw for 37 touchdowns last season, against two interceptions, completed 182/290 (63%) for 2,917 yards, and rushed for 431 yards on 67 carries and seven touchdowns.

“Basically, I felt most comfortable at Missouri,” said Zollers, who made his selection Thursday morning. “My No. 1 priority was finding who I connected best with, both players and the coaches, and I just felt best there. I feel like there is great stability there, and I felt there was an instant connection. Going there reinforced that. It was definitely difficult. I was going back-and-forth with my parents. It was with everyone.

“It was pretty difficult (not choosing Penn State). It’s definitely intriguing going to college two hours away, obviously being able to come home pretty easy. I fell back on what I looked for most in a school. Missouri was my best fit.”

The Tigers finished No. 9 in the nation with a 11-2 overall record last season and 6-2 in the rugged SEC. They had wins over four ranked opponents, including a 14-3 victory over depleted Ohio State. The victory was Missouri’s first bowl win since 2015 and the first of Coach Eliah Drinkwitz’s four-year career.

Zollers was very impressed by Tigers’ offensive coordinator/quarterback coach Kirby Moore.

“I don’t think Matt could have made a bad decision, and he was pretty set even a couple months ago, despite what he said, and I spoke to his parents about slowing down and with the help of his parents, he decided to do one more round (of visits),”  Rams’ coach Chad Brubaker said. “But he was set for some time on Missouri. Kirby Moore set offensive records at Fresno State and we run a fairly complicated offense, replicated what college coach’s expectations are. Matt was really about feeling most comfortable about Missouri and where they are headed.”

Georgia seemed to be a strong consideration, and looked as if Penn State was a strong consideration, before Missouri came into the picture.

“Matt and I never had a conversation about the order, but we did speak about when he was leaning heavily towards Missouri, what if Alabama comes calling, what if Notre Dame comes calling, and they both did. Matt remained solid with Missouri.”

Led by Zollers, Spring-Ford finished No. 4 in PIAA District 1 Class 6A, reaching the district quarterfinals before losing to eventual District 1 champion Central Bucks South, 35-19. As a sophomore, Zollers led the Rams to the district quarters, losing to eventual District 1 champ Garnet Valley, 30-27.

Zollers, who is considered by numerous scouting services to be among the best passers in Pennsylvania for the coming season, is on pace to break every significant Spring-Ford career school passing record his senior season.

Joseph Santoliquito is a hall of fame, award-winning sportswriter who has been covering high school football since 1992 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be followed on Twitter @JSantoliquito [twitter.com]

Today on Twitter, Bishop McDevitt’s Stone Saunders announced he committed to Kentucky. 

Among the other schools to offer Saunders includes Georgia, Michigan, Texas A&M, Nebraska, Wisconsin and others.

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Saunders is ranked as high as 205th overall in the 2025 class by ESPN. He’s also a four-star recruit at Rivals, ranked sixth among Pennsylvania prospects.

In 2022, he helped lead the Crusaders to a 13-1 record, winning the 4A PIAA State championship. 

He threw for 3,583 yards and 54 touchdowns.

Why West Point?

“When I started thinking beyond football, I knew a traditional college was not for me and I wanted to do something uncommon and exciting. West Point is the best leadership school in the country, and it is also an elite academic school. Because it is a military academy, it will teach me skills that I may not learn at a traditional school and will push me harder. I have also always been interested in serving my country and I would like to become a pilot. Graduating from West Point will allow me to do that as an officer. After the service, many companies like to hire West Point graduates because of the qualities they have acquired. In addition, the football program at Army is awesome and I feel like I will fit in very well.”

What am I studying at West Point?

“I am undecided at the moment, but I think I might try to study business. The good thing about West Point is what your study at the academy does not correlate to what you can do in the Army and when you get out of the Army, companies will hire you just for the leadership and other qualities you have acquired from West Point.”

What other schools were part of my decision?

“I had offers from Lehigh, Lafayette, Army, Temple, William & Mary, Columbia, Holy Cross, New Hampshire, Air Force, Navy, Colgate, Dartmouth, Rhode Island, Bucknell, and Princeton. What ultimately helped me decide was when I started thinking about life after football and I knew the Army was the best fit for me.”

What am I recruited for?

“Army is adopting a more spread offense so they are recruiting me as a versatile running back that can be a downhill runner and still go out for passes from both the backfield and the slot.”

Favorite football moment?

“My favorite moment in football was catching touchdowns from my brother Ty when I was a sophomore.”

Who is your role model? 

“My role models are both my parents because of all that they have done for me. I could not have gotten into the position I am in if they didn’t sacrifice their time and money into taking me to visits and camps. They both showed me what it means to be disciplined and hardworking and inspired me to be successful so I can give back to them someday.”

Thoughts going into the 2023 season?

“I am very excited for the season. We have a lot of experienced seniors returning since most of our starters last year were juniors. Everyone has worked super hard to get better and we have younger and older guys that have improved and developed and are ready to make an impact on the field.”

Tremba is gearing up for another big season this fall for the Trojans. Here is what his coach said.

“Trey is an all-around explosive athlete on both the field and in the weight room. He rarely leaves the field and should be in consideration for All-League Honors for his play on defense,” said Head Football Coach Tim Moncman.”

“He excels in the classroom with a rigorous Honors Schedule and holds a 4.0 Cumulative GPA. As of the start of the 2023 Track Season, he recorded a 10.97 laser-timed 100 Meter dash in Parkland’s dual meet vs. Easton High School.”

Here are his 2022 statistics: 

2nd Team All-State Offensive Athlete

EPC 1st Team RB

EPC Scoring Leader

1,238 Rushing Yards

428 Receiving Yards

26 Total TDs

6A District Champs