Defenses across Pennsylvania made their presence felt this week with big tackle totals, relentless pressure in the backfield and turnovers that turned directly into points.
Tunkhannock’s Brandon Carter led all reported defenders with 21 tackles, while Vaux’s Nasir Franklin was a force behind the line of scrimmage with seven tackles for loss and five sacks.
Cedar Cliff’s Blake Secrest also recorded five sacks, and several defenders took interceptions to the house, led by Shamokin’s Ryan Bickert with a 66-yard pick-six.
Carter Tops 20 Tackles
Tunkhannock’s Brandon Carter led the way with an impressive 21-tackle performance, making him the only reported defender to surpass 20 tackles.
Minersville’s John Lutsky was next with 17 tackles, followed by Cedar Crest’s Kasen Dudek with 16.
Chester’s Demir Hatchett and Delaware Valley’s Dylan Bannon each recorded 15 tackles.
Seven players reached the 14-tackle mark: Annville-Cleona’s Danny Shay, Shenandoah Valley’s David Burrous, Minersville’s Derek Derenzo, Pocono Mountain East’s Evan Garrett, Susquenita’s Hunter Mitchell, Tri-Valley’s Landen Horoschack and Bishop Shanahan’s Nic Cipriano.
Williams Valley’s Trevon Bair also finished with 14 tackles while making an impact behind the line of scrimmage with three tackles for loss.
The 13-tackle group included Williams Valley’s Cole Hubler, St. Joseph’s Prep’s Dariel Jaquez, Northern York’s Gage Whitt, Cedar Crest’s Garrett Starry, Central York’s Josh Bahr, Upper Darby’s Kevin Wingfield, Malvern Prep’s Naim Hammond and Tri-Valley’s Robert Schwartz.
Malvern Prep Places Three Among 12-Tackle Performers
Shikellamy’s Corbin Stahl, Cedar Crest’s Eli Beard, Tri-Valley’s Parker Hatter, Milton Area’s Schuyler Humphrey and Father Judge’s Shia Naoki Lemard each recorded 12 tackles.
Malvern Prep had three players reach that total, with Drew Waterfield, Will Simmons and another strong defensive effort helping lead the way.
Waterfield was particularly disruptive, adding three tackles for loss to his 12 total tackles.
Schuylkill Valley’s Alexander Gehret, Palmyra’s Anthony Pinko, Cedar Cliff’s Blake Secrest, Northern Lebanon’s Brady Ryan, Shenandoah Valley’s Chris Redanauer, Bethlehem Catholic’s Jonathan Ayache, Northern Lehigh’s Mason Rothrock, Mount Carmel Area’s Max Karycki, Upper Darby’s Shamarr Purnell and Shikellamy’s Willie Bender each finished with 11 tackles.
Another large group reached double figures with 10 tackles, including Mount Carmel Area’s Aidan Brokenshire and Jason Klokis, Kutztown’s Aiden Showers, Milton Area’s Brody Locke, Shikellamy’s Jackson Kashuba and Kyler Campbell, Wellsboro’s Kody Enck, Tamaqua Area’s Carter Hartman, Williams Valley’s Cayden Witmer, Gavin Trawitz and Magnus Monger, Central York’s Collen Gardner, Great Valley’s Dean Kosmalski, Archbishop Ryan’s Gavin Kpan and Steve Brunkel, and West Catholic’s Zymir Langerston.
Gehret Does It All for Schuylkill Valley
Schuylkill Valley’s Alexander Gehret put together one of the week’s most complete defensive performances.
Gehret recorded 11 tackles and intercepted two passes. He turned one of those interceptions into points with a 40-yard return for a touchdown.
Pottstown’s Aaron Williams and Elizabethtown’s Rudy Brisbane also recorded two interceptions.
Palmerton Area’s Connor Lawless led the reported fumble recovery category with two.
Franklin and Secrest Record Five Sacks
Vaux’s Nasir Franklin and Cedar Cliff’s Blake Secrest created major problems for opposing offenses.
Both recorded five sacks.
Franklin’s production went even further, as he finished with seven tackles for loss to lead all reported defenders in that category.
Secrest combined his five sacks with 11 total tackles.
Chichester’s Arrian Howard finished with four sacks, while Pequea Valley’s Ben Zellers recorded 3.5.
Palmyra’s Chris Kleinfelter and Loyalsock’s John Day each added three sacks.
Kleinfelter also recorded three tackles for loss.
Franklin Leads Tackles for Loss
Franklin’s seven tackles for loss led an impressive collection of disruptive defensive performances.
William Penn Charter’s Nate Givens, Conwell-Egan’s Sakai Hall and West Catholic’s Zymir Langerston each recorded five tackles for loss.
Langerston also finished with 10 total tackles.
Father Judge’s Amare Simpson, Pennridge’s Blake Landherr, Midd-West’s Jared Devine, Mount Carmel Area’s Max Karycki, Archbishop Ryan’s Nate Thompson and Notre Dame-Green Pond’s Noah Snyder each recorded four tackles for loss.
Karycki combined his four tackles for loss with 11 total tackles.
Minersville’s Derek Derenzo recorded 3.5 tackles for loss as part of his 14-tackle performance.
Mount Carmel Area’s Aidan Brokenshire, Palmerton Area’s Carson Eckhart, Palmyra’s Kleinfelter, Roman Catholic’s Coron Russell, Father Judge’s Dawson Hunter, Malvern Prep’s Waterfield and Lukas Zealot, Shenandoah Valley’s Dylan Getz, Tamaqua Area’s Flynn Coleman, Palmerton Area’s Gaven Meixsell and Mason Heilman, Annville-Cleona’s Jaxon Speece, St. Joseph’s Prep’s John Boggs, Notre Dame-Green Pond’s John Hull, Mifflinburg’s Landon Moser, Lansdale Catholic’s Luke Doheny, Tri-Valley’s Hatter, Parkland’s TJ Lawrence and Williams Valley’s Bair each recorded three tackles for loss.
Bickert Leads the Pick-Six
Shamokin’s Ryan Bickert produced the longest reported interception return for a touchdown, taking a pick 66 yards to the house.
Conwell-Egan’s Jaeden Thenor was just one yard behind with a 65-yard interception return for a touchdown.
North Pocono’s Cole West scored on a 45-yard pick-six.
Schuylkill Valley’s Gehret and Springfield-Delco’s Mike DePetris each returned interceptions 40 yards for touchdowns.
Exeter’s Brady Adams went 34 yards, Jersey Shore’s Hayden Kelley returned a pick 25 yards and Hamburg’s Carlos Rodriguez went 24 yards.
Palmyra’s Sid Harrison scored on a 21-yard interception return, Neshaminy’s Brock Williams went 19 yards and Susquehanna Township’s Tiberious Johnson returned an interception eight yards for a touchdown.
Bowerman Takes Fumble 53 Yards for a Score
Manheim Central’s Nate Bowerman provided another big defensive scoring play with a 53-yard fumble return for a touchdown.
Donegal’s Chris Cornelius returned a fumble 38 yards for a score, while Lackawanna Trail’s Cooper Castellano had a 15-yard fumble-return touchdown.
Manheim Central added another defensive score when Deacon Weaver returned a fumble seven yards for a touchdown.
From Carter’s 21 tackles to Franklin’s dominance in the backfield, defenses around Pennsylvania delivered plenty of standout performances.
Franklin’s combination of seven tackles for loss and five sacks was among the week’s most disruptive efforts, while Secrest’s five sacks and 11 tackles provided another impressive all-around performance. Gehret contributed in several ways with 11 tackles, two interceptions and a pick-six, while Bickert, Thenor and Bowerman were among the defenders who turned takeaways directly into points.
It was a week where the state’s top defenders didn’t simply stop offenses — they consistently changed games with pressure, turnovers and touchdowns.