Fall is officially here and the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference football regular season has reached the midway point, which is about the time some media types begin thinking about player-of-the-year and coach-of-the-year candidates.
Much has yet to be decided, of course, but when you look at the top offensive performers in the EPC, the list of candidates should start with Easton’s Cole Ordway, who is leading the league in rushing as a quarterback. His development at the position has coincided with the Red Rovers’ rise the past two seasons. After going 11-2 and winning the EPC Northampton Division last year, Easton is one of the two unbeatens left this season, joining Parkland at 5-0.
Another running quarterback, Bethlehem Catholic’s Cayden Vassa, is also in the mix. His athleticism has earned him a scholarship offer from Lehigh, and his dual-threat ability is a big reason behind the Golden Hawks’ 4-1 start.
And then there is Liberty’s Antonio Fontanez, who is the league’s leading passer, but also has the ability to make plays with his feet.
No one is better at running and passing than Nazareth’s Peyton Falzone, who was the odds-on favorite to win the league’s top awards. But his fractured clavicle has likely sidelined him for the year.
If you’re looking for the most improved player, it might be Whitehall’s Tanner Dogmanits, who has emerged as one of the league’s top passers this season and is coming off an extraordinary performance in the 56-49 win over Northampton.
And, if you’re looking for the area’s best sophomore, you should go north to Pocono Mountain West, where Christian Stiehler is a dynamic force on both sides of the ball.
He’s a candidate for defensive player of the year along with standouts like Nazareth’s Cooper Wenrich and Marquez Wimberly; Liberty’s JJ Pujals, Emmaus’ Robert Edwards III, and Easton’s Sean Kilpatrick.
In terms of coaches of the year, Pocono Mountain West’s Jim McCarroll, Whitehall’s Andy Marino, Liberty’s Shawn Daignault, and Bethlehem Catholic’s Joe Bernard, who all have their teams at 4-1, should be considered along with annual favorites such as Easton’s Matt Senneca and Parkland’s Tim Moncman, and Nazareth’s Tom Falzone.
Fortunately, there’s a lot of football to be played before those decisions must be made.
Here’s a look at the latest EPC stat leaders:
RUSHING
Player; Team; Class; Att; Yds; Avg; TD
Chase Ordway; Easton; Sr.; 63; 738; 11.7; 13
Keyen Johnson; Stroudsburg; Jr.; 108; 720; 6.7; 6
Cayden Vassa; Beth. Cath.; Sr.; 59; 693; 11.7; 10
Lashawn Johnson; Freedom; Jr.; 106; 683; 6.4; 7
Christian Stiehler; PM West; So.; 103; 605; 5.87; 6
Jeziah Gregory; Whitehall; Jr.; 73; 594; 8.1; 11
Chris Martinez, Easton; Sr.; 118; 576; 4.9; 2
Chase Kessler; Northampton; So.; 83; 569; 6.9; 7
Gianni Gonnella; ES South; Sr.; 80; 561; 7.0; 5
Marquez Wimberly; Nazareth; Sr.; 61; 508; 8.3; 7
Amari Green; PM East; Sr.; 67; 499; 7.4; 5
Jay Santos; Emmaus; Jr.; 76; 468; 6.2; 6
Jerek Cooper; Emmaus; Sr.; 41; 408; 10.0; 4
PASSING
Player; Team; Class; Com; Att; Int; Yds; TDs
Antonio Fontanez; Liberty; Sr.; 66; 102; 4; 1,171; 19
Peyton Falzone; Nazareth; Sr.; 64; 96; 2; 1,160; 11
Ceejay Serfass; PM East; Jr.; 66; 113; 6; 1,113; 12
Tanner Dogmanits; Whitehall; Jr.; 63; 91; 3; 1,106; 13
Jackson Mitchell; Stroudsburg; Jr.; 54; 98; 0; 911; 8
Patrick Cahill; ACCHS; Jr.; 52; 89; 2; 756; 7
Jerel Simms; PM West; Sr.; 49; 76; 4; 654; 7
Michael Stofanek; Freedom; Jr.; 42; 80; 5; 618; 4
Gavin Taff; Northampton; Sr.; 46; 71; 0; 617; 6
Julian Pagan; Allen; Jr.; 30; 49; 3; 599; 7
Cayden Vassa; Beth. Cath.; 29; 57; 2; 549; 3
Cole Ordway; Easton; Sr.; 36; 49; 2; 467; 9
Jaxson Haines; Pleas. Vly; Sr.; 39; 56; 2; 464; 3
Finn Coen; Parkland; Jr.; 36; 60; 4; 463; 8
Ivan Laubach; ES South; Sr.; 22; 57; 2; 410; 3
RECEIVING
Player; Team; Class; Rec; Yds; Avg; TD
Justin Williams; PM East; Sr.; 29; 553; 19.1; 6
Carter Vassa; Becahi; Jr.; 27; 366; 13.6; 3
Talon Dogmanits; Whitehall; Sr.; 23; 468; 20.3; 8
Luke DiPietro; Nazareth; So.; 23; 345; 15.0; 2
Connor Triano; PM East; Sr.; 22; 264; 12.0; 6
Tahir Edmondson; ACCHS: So.; 21; 234; 11.1; 3
Zyaire Davis; Liberty; Jr.; 20; 461; 23.1; 6
Brady Behr; PM West; Sr.; 20; 315; 15.8; 4
Keegan Munch; Stroudsburg; Jr.; 20; 315; 15.8; 2
Jeff Pukszyn; Liberty; Sr.; 18; 347; 19.3; 9
Tanner Zelachowski; Nazareth; Sr.; 18; 320; 17.8; 3
Andrew Biddle; Easton; Sr.; 18; 184; 10.2; 2
Bryce Medina; Whitehall; Sr.; 17; 232; 13.6; 1
Matt Leluga; Nazareth; Jr.; 17; 231; 13.6; 4
Jaxon Barlok; Liberty; Sr.; 15; 255; 17.0; 2
SCORING
Player; Team; Class; TD; 2pt; Points
Cole Ordway; Easton; Sr.; 13; 0; 78
Jeziah Gregory; Whitehall; Jr.; 11; 0; 66
Cayden Vassa; Becahi; Sr.; 10; 0; 60
Lashawn Johnson; Freedom; Jr.; 9; 0; 54
Jeff Pukszyn; Liberty; Sr.; 9; 0; 54
Marquez Wimberly; Nazareth; Sr.; 9; 0; 54
Chris Ward; Pleas. Vly; Jr.; 8; 0; 48
Justin Williams; PM East; Sr.; 8; 0; 48
Christian Stieher; PM West; So.; 8; 0; 48
Talon Dogmanits; Whitehall; Sr.; 8; 0; 48
Chase Kessler; Northampton; So.; 7; 1; 44
Connor Triano; PM East; Sr.; 7; 1; 44
TACKLES
Player; Team; Class; Tackles
Cooper Wenrich; Nazareth; Jr.; 63
JJ Pujals; Liberty; Sr.; 45
Christian Stiehler; PM West; So.; 44
Sean Kilpatrick; Easton; Sr.; 42
Justice Edwards; ES North; Sr.; 38
Nick Tuzzio; ES North; Sr.; 35
Liam Spang; Parkland; Sr.; 35
AJ DePasqua; PM West; Sr.; 35
Mekkhi McKenzie; Liberty; Jr.; 35
Brandon Roca; ES North; 33
William Reese; Liberty; Sr.; 33;
Adriaan Deleon; Liberty; Sr.; 33
SACKS
TeShon Gaynair; Allen; Jr.; 6
Benjamin Gil; Whitehall; Jr.; 3
Marquez Wimberly; Nazareth; Sr.; 3
Jonathan Adjin-Tettey; ES South; Sr.; 3
INTERCEPTIONS
Blake Nassry; Parkland; Jr.; 3
Brady Behr; PM West; Sr.; 3
Keegan Hacket; Northampton; Sr.; 3
Kaiden Buscemi; Nazareth; So.; 2
Justice Edwards; ES North; Sr. 2
Amari Green; PM East; Sr.; 2
Ivan Laubach; ES South; Sr.; 2
Justin Williams; PM East; Sr. 2
