2018 PIAA Class 4A High School Football Preview

Written by: David Mika on Tuesday, December 4th, 2018. Follow David Mika on Twitter.

Imhotep Charter (11-2) vs. Cathedral Prep (12-3)

HERSHEY – The past few years the matchup at Hershey has been Cathedral Prep vs. Imhotep Charter. In 2015, Imhotep won the 3A state title and Cathedral Prep has won the last two at the 4A level.

It’s like a boxing match….in this heavy weight bout, Cathedral Prep leads the score card two rounds to one heading into the fourth round. 

Who will take control of this heavy weight battle? We will see Thursday Night.

Let’s take a look at the teams.

Imhotep quarterback, Jalen Sutton-Christian’s game has picked up since the playoffs have begun and the result is a more balanced team than earlier in the year. Jalen’s hot hand and Tyke Smith’s blazing running attack is a tough one-two punch to stop.

Tykee Smith has broken two 90-yard runs the past couple of weeks. This includes a 93-yarder against Bethlehem Catholic last week. 

The Panthers need to mix it up on offense against Cathedral Prep. They need to spread them out at times or run behind that big line and try to sustain long drives. 

Imhotep has size, strength and experience on the offensive line and needs to move the chains against this Cathedral Prep defense. 

Cathedral Prep’s running attack combo of Billy Lucas and Regan Schleicher ran for more than 300 yards rushing last weekend.

Can Imhotep’s defense shut down this explosive offense? Their strength on defense is the secondary. Tykee Smith is the leader. Imhotep needs to keep the receivers in front of them. They need to force them to throw short passes and make plays. The Panthers defensive line needs to pressure Cathedral Prep’s quarterback.

Here are some players to watch out for on the Cathedral Preps team.

Quarterback Connor Schleicher completed 82 of 157 passes for 1,249 yards,16 touchdowns and three interceptions. He rushed for 672 yards and 12 touchdowns. 

Running back, Billy Lucas, rushed for 1,660 yards on 199 carries and 19 touchdowns. Luke Sittinger rushed for 650 yards and six touchdowns. 

Wide receiver, Jack Oedekoven, caught 37 passes for 769 yards and 10 touchdowns. Joseph Scarabino caught 18 passes for 447 yards and nine touchdowns.  

Imhotep Charter Players to Watch:

Quarterback: Jalen Sutton-Christian completed 50 of 86 passes for 735 yards and nine touchdowns. He’s rushed for two touchdowns. 

Running backs: Tykee Smith rushed for 502 yards on 60 carries and nine touchdowns. Carl Jones rushed for 206 yards and three scores. HB Symear Williams rushed for 198 yards on 24 carries and three scores. 

Offensive Lineman: LT Quadir Hughes, LG Lamar Johnson, C Marlon Westcott, RG Jordan Johnson, RT John Whitehead 

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: Yusuf Terry caught 28 passes for 487 yards and five touchdowns. Dshaun Seals caught 12 passes for 184 yards and one score. Karam Cummings caught 11 passes for 146 yards. 

Defensive Line: DE Shaun Small had four sacks, DE Mark Johnson, DT Lamar Johnson had four sacks, NG Jordan Griffin

Linebackers: LB Symear Williams had 16 solo tackles, 36 total tackles and three tackles for loss. OLB Nasier Dean had 16 solo tackles, 28 total tackles and four tackles for loss. LB Saint McLeod had 21 solo tackles, 34 total tackles and three tackles for loss. 

Defensive Backs: CB Shafeek Smith, CB Anthony Gordon, SS Tykee Smith, FS Javon McIntyr.

 

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