Week 3 Game Preview: Central Catholic Vs. Pine-Richland
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We have a WPIAL powerhouse matchup when Pine Richland (0-2) hosts Pittsburgh Central Catholic (1-1). There was a QB competition for Central Catholic during the summer, but sophomore Payton Wehner Payton Wehner 6'0" | 175 lbs | QB Pittsburgh Central…
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Continue ReadingWe have a WPIAL powerhouse matchup when Pine Richland (0-2) hosts Pittsburgh Central Catholic (1-1). There was a QB competition for Central Catholic during the summer, but sophomore Payton Wehner Payton Wehner 6'0" | 175 lbs | QB Pittsburgh Central Catholic | 2024 State PA won it. Wehner is undersized but has a H/T/Q release with some zip to the ball. Decent arm strength. Right now, he is our 6th ranked QB in the 2024 class and just inside the Top 50. Up in the trenches to protect Wehner is Matt Aulicino Matt Aulicino 6'7" | 240 lbs | OL Pittsburgh Central Catholic | 2022 State PA at tackle. The offensive line is going to have a tough task with Pine-Richland D-lineman senior Jalen Klemm Jalen Klemm 6'6" | 255 lbs | DL Pine-Richland | 2022 State PA . Klemm didn’t emerge until the early offseason. Going into the season, I was expecting senior RB Antonio Pitts Antonio Pitts 5'10" | RB Pittsburgh Central Catholic | 2022 State PA would be in the backfield, but senior athlete Gannon Carothers Gannon Carothers 5'11" | 200 lbs | ATH Pittsburgh Central Catholic | 2022 State PA has been getting most of the workload so far. Senior linebacker and Duke commit Jeremiah Hasley Jeremiah Hasley 6'3" | 225 lbs | LB Pine-Richland | 2022 State PA will be all over the field. Hasley became the leader of the linebacker group when Luke Miller Luke Miller 6'1" | 190 lbs | LB Pine-Richland | 2021 PA left last season to play at Kent State. Sophomore wide receiver Peter Gonzalez Peter Gonzalez 6'3" | 200 lbs | WR Pittsburgh Central Catholic | 2024 State PA transferred to Central Catholic late offseason, was hoping he’d be playing this season but seems to be ineligible. Wehner does have senior speedster in Brandon Jackson Brandon Jackson 5'7" | 160 lbs | WR Pittsburgh Central Catholic | 2022 State PA . Wehner also has senior tight end Josh Altsman. I expect Pine-Richland sophomore DB Nikko Klemm Nikko Klemm 5'11" | 165 lbs | DB Sheldon | 2024 OR to make some plays.
Pine-Richland has senior QB Cole Boyd. Boyd backed up former QB Cole Spencer Cole Spencer 5'10" | 180 lbs | QB Pine-Richland | 2021 PA the last few seasons, who made history as Pine-Richland’s QB. Boyd is undersized who is athletic. He can easily escape the pocket and make plays with his legs. He’s got a H/T/Q release with a decent arm. Up in the trenches to protect Boyd is junior guard Jake Beam Jake Beam 6'4" | 280 lbs | OL Pine-Richland | 2023 State PA and sophomore guard Ryan Cory Ryan Cory 6'4" | 285 lbs | OL Pine-Richland | 2024 State PA . I am interested to see how they handle Central Catholic’s and Notre Dame commit Donovan Hinish Donovan Hinish 6'2" | 270 lbs | DL Pittsburgh Central Catholic | 2022 State PA . In the backfield is senior Brooks Eastburn Brooks Eastburn 5'9" | 170 lbs | RB Pine-Richland | 2022 State PA . Eastburn is a small back with quickness and decent speed. In the WPIAL Championship last season, he had 6 carries for 103 yards and 2 touchdowns. I fully expect Central Catholic sophomore linebacker Anthony Speca Anthony Speca 6'2" | 215 lbs | LB Pittsburgh Central Catholic | 2024 State PA to shut down the run game. Alex Gochis Alex Gochis 6'2" | 195 lbs | WR Pine-Richland | 2022 State PA , and Pine-Richland wide receivers are also going to have a tough task. Central Catholic is loaded back in the secondary. It starts at safety with seniors JD Younger JD Younger 5'11" | 190 lbs | DB Pittsburgh Central Catholic | 2022 State PA and Devin Barren Devin Barren 6'0" | 180 lbs | DB Pittsburgh Central Catholic | 2022 State PA . Younger has been productive over the last couple of years while Barren proved he can be the guy last season. Central Catholic also has freshman CB Xxavier Thomas Xxavier Thomas 5'10" | 160 lbs | DB Pittsburgh Central Catholic | 2025 State PA has made some plays, including his first INT touchdown last week. Expect for him to make more plays in this game. Going to be an exciting game.