PHILADELPHIA, PA — Subtleties to the naked eye can sometimes go unnoticed gazing down on a football field. Imhotep Charter’s Devon Johnson has produced so many winning teams through the years that it is sometimes overlooked just how good he and his staff are when it comes to in-game adjustments.
In the season opener Saturday night against defending New Jersey Group 2 state champion Camden, for instance, passing routes were shortened to offset Camden’s pass rush, and gap adjustments were tightened to close the inside running lanes, anchoring down on double teams.
It translated into a 29-8 Imhotep victory, lifted by sterling performances by senior safety Malik Drayton and national-level rising sophomore defensive star Tristan Alexander, listed at 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, though is actually 6-foot-4, 235 pounds, an inch taller and almost as large right now as Micah Parsons and Abdul Carter, who are both 6-3, 250 pounds.
Drayton had a career-best three interceptions, equaling the number of picks he had all last season, and Alexander simply played the role of game wrecker with eight tackles, including two sacks for minus-9 yards.
Alexander was lined up at the edge, played inside linebacker, outside linebacker, was the team’s long snapper, and played some tight end. He attacked from the right, left, and middle of the field. At times, it looked like he split into two to absorb a block and make tackle.
In only his second varsity start, Alexander was far from subtle. In fact, every time No. 11 was on the field, Camden—and everyone else watching—knew. He was either pressuring the quarterback from the middle or the edge, and when Camden tried running away from him, Alexander tracked the ballcarrier down from the backside.
Drayton made a game-deciding play on Camden’s first possession. On a fourth-and-goal from the Imhotep 10, Drayton stepped in front of a Camden receiver two yards deep in the end zone for an interception and returned it 76 yards to the Camden 26.
It was the first of four total turnovers the Panthers forced.
“That first interception I saw the quarterback’s eyes and I jumped on the pass,” said Drayton, who is getting college attention from Howard and Kutztown. “At halftime, I trusted our offense would come around.”
Quarterback Joey McLeish threw for 150 yards and a touchdown, junior tailback Yazid McCorkle scored twice, and nine different players received touches for Imhotep, which decided to shorten its passing routes in the second half, allowing McLeish to get the ball out faster.
“Tristan does a lot for us, and this is his first year really starting. He transformed his body, adding 20 pounds, and the crazy part is he did not play very well in the first half,” Johnson said. “He is super talented, and super athletic. The main thing is keeping Tristan hungry. I challenged him at halftime to do what he was capable of doing. He was overplaying things in the first half, and he was overhyped. Once he slowed down, he was making plays.
“Drayton played corner last year, and he challenged himself. We moved to him safety. He told me he wanted double digit picks this year—and he had three tonight. He is a dynamic player and we’re expecting big things from him. The difference we saw in him tonight was coming up and making tackles.”
Imhotep is a PIAA Class 5A team again. The Panthers finished 8-5 last year, an uncharacteristic finish for the Panthers, losing to a La Salle team for the ages, 34-16, in the PIAA District 12 Class 6A championship.
Three of the Panthers’ five losses were to state champions La Salle and DeMatha Catholic (Maryland state champions) and Malvern Prep (three-time Inter-Ac champions).
In 2023, Imhotep won the PIAA Class 5A state title.
This version of the Panthers looked just as good as that team.
“That’s the goal to get back and win (the state championship),” said Alexander, who just turned 15. “I was okay coming into this game. I put the work in. There was no need to be nervous. I watched a lot of film and was prepared. I was excited in the first half, and the coaches told me to play my game and slow things down.
“I may have over thought some things in the first half, but I adjusted.”
Johnson and his staff adjusted.
Now, it will be up to the rest of the state to adjust to the Panthers, who seem primed to make another deep PIAA Class 5A playoff run possibly into December.
The signs are there.
Scoring Summary
Camden 0 8 0 0-8
Imhotep 7 0 15 7-29
1st Quarter
IC – Brian Culmer 27 pass from Joey McLeish (McLeish kick), :25
Cam. – Yusuf Williams 20 pass from Greg Wyche (Jayden Boyce run), 9:05
3rd Quarter
IC – Kassan Chappelle 2 run (McLeish kick), 6:11
IC – Yazid McCorkle 40 run (McLeish kick), :52
4th Quarter
IC – McCorkle 7 run (McLeish kick), 9:58
Joseph Santoliquito is an award-winning sportswriter who has been covering high school football since 1992 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball.