Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1430714
D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 1 5 7 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M I f Penn State's top-10 recruiting ranking for the class of 2022 weren't enough to get fans excited, the film and stats those players put up this season surely are. All the attention that's been paid to quar- terback Drew Allar throughout the year hasn't hampered his results. As of Nov. 10, he and his Medina (Ohio) High team- mates were 12-0 and were preparing to face Ohio powerhouse St. Ignatius in the OHSAA Division I regional playoffs. After leading Medina to the Greater Cleveland Conference championship for the first time in school history, Allar was named the league's most valuable player. Throwing for 3,748 yards, 44 touch- downs and four interceptions, he has been truly outstanding all season. He's also rushed for just under 500 yards and nine touchdowns, proving he's an effec- tive runner, too. And Allar isn't the only quarterback for Penn State fans to get excited about. Last year's Pennsylvania Class 6A Player of the Year, Beau Pribula of Central York, also has been excellent, completing 73 percent of his passes for 2,268 yards, 32 touchdowns and just five interceptions. In most of Central York's regular- season games, Pribula was pulled for much of the second half, so those num- bers could have been even bigger. He also continues to show that he can make plays with his feet, having totaled 406 yards rushing and eight touchdowns heading into a matchup with Wilson in the PIAA District III semifinals. Elsewhere, Nick Singleton has had a remarkable season, totaling 1,499 yards rushing on just 123 carries in eight games. That's an average of 12.2 yards per carry, and he also has scored 30 touchdowns. He surpassed 100 career touchdowns in October and was at 104 for his career as of mid-November. More important, he led Governor Mif- flin to an undefeated season and the No. 1 ranking in the PIAA's Class 5A. Due to a forfeiture and a bye week they received because they're the No. 1 seed, the Mus- tangs played just one game between Oct. 15 and the first week of November. They were set to face Warwick in the District III quarterfinals Nov. 12. One other future Nittany Lion whose team was still alive in the state playoffs as of mid-November is defensive end Ken Talley of Northeast High School in Phila- delphia. The Vikings carried a 4-3 record into their game against rival Central in the first round of the Philadelphia city playoffs. Talley totaled 72 tackles, includ- ing 16 tackles for loss and seven sacks in just seven games this season. There are also a handful of players in Penn State's class who enjoyed great senior seasons but weren't able to lead their teams deep into the playoffs. Kaden Saunders of Westerville (Ohio) South was forced to do a little bit of everything for his team in 2021, playing quarterback, wide receiver and cornerback, and also returning kicks. On offense, he totaled 716 yards and 10 touchdowns, which included some of the nicest plays of any committed player this season. He also had 434 yards on special teams, including one punt-return touchdown. Two other future Nittany Lion wide receiver prospects — Omari Evans of Killeen, Texas, and Anthony Ivey of Lan- caster, Pa. — also made big plays. Just like Saunders, Evans was asked to do a little bit of everything for Shoemaker High. He primarily played quarterback, completing 55 percent of his passes for 853 yards, eight touchdowns and four in- terceptions. He also rushed for 818 yards and eight touchdowns, averaging 6.5 yards per carry. As for Ivey, he and his Manheim Town- ship teammates were knocked out of the playoffs by Pribula and Central York in the District III quarterfinals. Ivey totaled 49 receptions for 654 yards and eight touchdowns, helping the Blue Streaks finish their season with a 6-5 record. A four-year letterman, he finished his high school career with 2,043 yards receiving and 21 touchdowns. One other notable performer this fall was defensive lineman Zane Durant, who plays at Lake Nona High in Orlando, Fla. Durant finished his senior season with 15 sacks and 28 tackles for loss. He set a school career record with 24.5 sacks and 57 tackles for loss. Lake Nona finished its season with a 7-3 mark. ■ Penn State Recruits Enjoy Strong Senior Seasons RYA N S N Y D E R | S N Y D E R 4 2 0 8 8 @ G M A I L . C O M Quarterback Drew Allar threw for 3,748 yards and 44 touchdowns to help Medina (Ohio) High win its first 12 games. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER