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PIAA Playoff Preview: Class 5A

03/08/2017, 8:01am EST
By Josh Verlin

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin) &
Michael Bullock (@thebullp_n)
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Though it’s not quite the “big school” classification that is 6A, there’s no doubt that this new 5A classification has quite a bit of talented programs and players all throughout. One standout program from the southeastern part of the state looks to be the favorite heading into play, but there are several notable contenders from all over Pennsylvania who will vie for spots in Hershey at the end of the month.

Here’s a look at the Class 5A bracket:

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More Previews: Class A | Class 2A | Class 3A | Class 4A | Class 5A | Class 6A

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Colin Gillespie (above) and Archbishop Wood enter the 5A bracket as the prohibitive favorite. (Photo: Mark Jordan/CoBL)

Favorites
Archbishop Wood (23-3)

If we had to pick one solitary favorite heading into the state playoffs, it would be John Mosco’s Vikings, who are currently in the midst of the Warminster school’s best season in program history. Wood’s first Catholic League championship run was spearheaded by senior guard Collin Gillespie (22.3 ppg), who came out of complete anonymity a year ago to become a Villanova commit in January. Tough, talented and with a never-say-quit attitude, Gillespie sets the tone for a group that also features 6-4 senior Matt Cerruti (12 ppg), a D-II target, plus D-I juniors Tyree Pickron (12.6 ppg), Andrew Funk and Seth Pinkney. Fellow senior Keith Otto, a 6-0 Moravian commit, plus 6-6 junior Karrington Wallace, round out Mosco’s top seven.

Northeastern (27-2)
In addition to capturing the York County school’s first District 3 championship, Jon Eyster’s remarkably entertaining Bobcats will lug a nine-game winning streak into states after eruptlng late for a 61-44 victory over Mechanicsburg in the 5A final. Although lacking a true post presence, Northeastern has overcome its lack of size by unleashing a terrific transition attack fueled by its athleticism and its trio of leapers — 6-2 junior Antonio Rizzuto, 5-9 junior Fred Mulbah and 6-2 senior Brandon Coleman. Stir in 5-10 senior slasher Austin Greene, 6-1 freshman perimeter threat Nate Wilson and scrappy 6-2 junior Nate Eyster and you have Northeastern’s regular rotation.

Abington Heights (22-3)
Fresh off yet another District 2 championship, veteran skipper Ken Bianchi appears to have his Comets primed and poised for something really special. With a talented frontcourt featuring 6-5 sophomore George Tinsley (13.3 ppg), 6-5 junior Jackson Danzig (11.1 ppg) and 7-0 senior Seth Maxwell (11.3 ppg), Heights has the length needed to match up with the taller 5A sides and the bulk available to overpower others. Trey Koehler (11.4 ppg), a 6-3 sophomore, is the Comets’ top deep threat with 31 treys. Lead guard Tom Rothenberger (6.5 ppg) rounds out the starting lineup.

Dark Horses
Meadville (22-1)

Splendid from Game 1 through the District 10 title game — Meadville socked away its first district championship since 1989 with a 68-48 victory over Erie Cathedral Prep in the final — Mark McElhinny’s Bulldogs are entering state play on a roll even if they’ve only played five times since Jan. 31. And the catalyst every time Meadville steps on the floor is 6-2 senior Armoni Foster, who became the program’s all-time leading scorer after popping Prep with a double-double (30 points/10 rebounds). Senior guard Simeal Wofford, a 5-10 transfer from Erie’s Strong Vincent, went into the 5A title game averaging 15.0 ppg. The final member of Meadville’s big three — Foster, Wofford and Lindsey shared 67 points in the win over Prep — is 6-6 sophomore Lashon Lindsey (14.1 ppg/9.0 rpg). Lindsey also snared 17 boards vs. Prep. Should Meadville prevail over Chartiers Valley in its state opener, the Bulldogs could run into Moon in next week’s second round.

Moon (20-5)
Expecting to field a youthful group, Moon’s projected fortunes changed significantly when 6-8 Jarrod Simmons returned home after spending three years attending a Massachusetts prep school. Simmons fit in quickly, using his refined defensive skills and his improving offensive game to lead Adam Kaufman’s Tigers to a share of a WPIAL section title and the sprawling circuit’s postseason tournament. While Simmons posted big numbers (31 points/19 boards) in the WPIAL semis, he backed up that effort with 22 points, 21 rebounds and 8 blocks in a 69-62 conquest of Hampton. Wow! Fellow senior Nick Castelveter, a 5-10 guard, added 16 points in the WPIAL title game, while the rest of Moon’s lineup typically includes sophomores Jioni Smith, Connor Ryan and Brady Sunday. Don’t forget that Kaufman guided Montour teams to back-to-back Class AAA state final appearances in 2011 and 2012 against Neumann-Goretti.


A.J. Hoggard (above) looks primed to be the next big thing at Archbishop Carroll. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)

Archbishop Carroll (18-8)
The Patriots are in the state playoffs for the ninth straight year under head coach Paul Romanczuk, making it each year since the Catholic League joined the PIAA for the 2008-09 season. For the first time, they had to qualify in a play-back game, taking out last year’s Class AA runner-ups Mastery Charter North to earn a first-round state game against Great Valley at Spring-Ford HS on Friday night. Romanczuk employs a rotation that goes 10-deep some nights and encompasses all classes, from steady seniors Khari Williams (9.2 ppg) Colin Daly (9.0 ppg) and Jesse McPhearson to junior wing Justin Anderson (team-high 12.4 ppg) and talented freshman A.J. Hoggard (10.8 ppg).

Chester (20-6)
The top team in mighty District 1 heading into the first leg of the playoffs, the Clippers got upended by Upper Merion in the district quarterfinals, and ended up qualifying as the fifth out of seven teams from the Philly ‘burbs. But even though there's no Jameer Nelson or Rondae Hollis-Jefferson to lead this group, it's still Chester, with the huge fanbase and never-give-up mentality that permeates the whole city. Seniors Jordan Camper (6-7) and Jamar Sudan (6-6) lead the way up front, while coaches' son Larry Yarbray Jr. and fellow senior Ahrod Carter lead the backcourt.

Milton Hershey (20-5)
After posting a third-place finish in the District 3 tournament, ensuring an opportunity to play close to their sprawling campus just outside Chocolatetown, Mark Zerbe’s Spartans will tip it up against perennial state hammer Chester at Sam Bowie’s former Lebanon High School haunts. Blessed with a dandy pair of guards in 5-9 junior Don’yae Baylor-Carroll (19.0 ppg/68 treys) and 5-10 senior Keonte Lucas (12.0 ppg/35 treys), Milton Hershey can get after opponents at both ends of the court. Yet Zerbe’s bunch also has a bona fide interior threat in 6-7 senior Chris Sampson (15.4 ppg), a Philadelphia native who also can take his game to the mid-range area. And while the Spartans aren’t all that big across the board, springy 6-3 senior Jarin Lyons is one of those high-rise types capable of playing much, much bigger.

Players to Watch
A.J. Hoggard
, Archbishop Carroll
One of the brightest young prospects in southeastern Pennsylvania is this 6-foot-3 freshman guard, who runs point for the Patriots but has also shown the ability to be a top-level scorer. Hoggard can hit shots off the catch or the bounce, has terrific court vision when attacking the rim and has the size to guard all three perimeter positions and even many forwards at the high school level already.

Eli Brooks, Spring Grove
The Spring Grove community has rallied around the Rockets’ run the last few years, which has been powered by Brooks, the springy 6-1 guard who emerged as one of the best around as a freshman and sophomore, rose to stardom as a junior and capped that off with a commitment to Michigan last offseason. Averaging just under 30 ppg this season, Brooks will carry 2,361 career points into the state tournament, the third-highest total in York County history.

Matt Faw, Upper Merion
Though he missed six weeks in the middle of the season with a broken bone in his foot, Faw looks to be getting back to full health, which means Upper Merion is more of a threat to knock off a team or two than its 16-10 record would indicate. The 6-8 forward with a smooth outside stroke has been getting more aggressive since his return, adding in 23 rebounds in the District 1 5A semis and final.

Armoni Foster, Meadville
Capable of exploding for remarkable numbers each time out — Foster pocketed 46 points in a victory over Cathedral Prep earlier this season — the 6-2 senior rang up a double-double (30 points/10 rebounds) while dishing out five assists in the 5A title game. That 30-point salvo pushed Foster, who went into the 5A final averaging 27.4 ppg, to the top of Meadville’s all-time scoring chart with 1,672 career points.

Taylor Funk, Manheim Central
The leading scorer in Barons history, as of January, is their St. Joe’s-bound senior, who became the first to wear the Manheim Central uniform to score 1,900 points and enters the state tournament just 44 from 2,000
. A 6-foot-8 forward, Funk’s best attribute is his 3-point shooting, though he’s become a much better post scorer who can also put the ball on the floor and knock down the one-dribble pull-up with regularity.

Collin Gillespie, Archbishop Wood
Perhaps nobody else in the state has the willingness to win like Gillespie, who seemingly transformed himself from a Division II prospect to a Villanova commit in the span of six months. An excellent drive-and-kick guard as well as a 3-point threat, Gillespie -- who just crossed the 1,000-point barrier -- likes to spread it around to his teammates early and gets his own scoring going (22.3 ppg) as games progress.

Tyler Norwood, Penncrest
The hero of the District 1 5A championship game, this mighty Lion took his team onto his shoulders and delivered a title with a 26-point performance, including a trio of deep 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to help Penncrest complete the 10-point comeback. A super-confident 5-10 junior guard with a smooth shooting stroke, Norwood is also unafraid to attack the hoop and get to the line.

Jarrod Simmons, Moon
While those outside Pittsburgh might have been stunned by Simmons’ numbers during Moon’s run to a WPIAL championship — he averaged 24 points and 20 rebounds in three victories — just remember the 6-8 senior was averaging a double-double (17 points/15 boards) heading into WPIAL final. Looks like the Penn Quakers are getting a quality big man.

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First-Round Schedule (District-Seed in Parentheses; all games 3/10)

(1-1) Penncrest vs. (3-10) Hershey -- 7:30 PM, Marple Newtown HS
(3-3) Milton Hershey vs. (1-5) Chester -- 8:00 PM, Lebanon HS

(2-1) Abington Heights vs. (3-8) Lampeter-Strasburg -- 7:30 PM, Lackawanna College
(12-2) Martin Luther King vs. (1-4) Bishop Shanahan -- 7:30 PM, South Philadelphia HS

(3-2) Mechanicsburg vs. (1-6) Springfield-Delco -- 8:00 PM, Hershey HS
(12-1) Archbishop Wood vs. (3-9) New Oxford -- 7:30 PM, Philadelphia University

(11-1) East Stroudsburg North vs. (3-7) Manheim Central -- 7:00 PM, Pleasant Valley HS
(2-2) West Scranton vs. (3-4) Spring Grove -- 7:30 PM, Scranton HS

(3-1) Northeastern vs. (1-7) Wissahickon -- 7:30 PM, West York HS
(1-2) Upper Merion vs. (3-5) Greencastle-Antrim -- 7:30 PM, Cheltenham HS

(1-3) Great Valley vs. (12-3) Archbishop Carroll -- 7:30 PM, Spring-Ford HS
(11-2) Pottsville vs. (3-6) Palmyra -- 7:00 PM, Blue Mountain HS

(7-2) Hampton vs. (7-4) Mars -- 6:00 PM, North Allegheny HS
(6-1) Central Mountain vs. (10-2) Cathedral Prep -- 7:30 PM, Bald Eagle Area HS

(7-1) Moon vs. (7-5) Franklin Regional -- 6:00 PM, Plum HS
(10-1) Meadville vs. (7-3) Chartiers Valley -- 7:30 PM, Edinboro University


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