Players to Watch ’25 (Part 1)
The countdown is underway to another exciting season of high school football in the Eastern Pennsylvania region — our first broadcast will be Friday, August 22nd at 7pm on the Astound TV Network, featuring Wilkes-Barre vs. Whitehall.
So many media outlets are focusing only on the marquee players coming into this fall’s football season. However, there are a number of players flying under some people’s radars that look to be major contributors to their team and stand out athletes in district 11 that are probably not getting as much pre-season attention as they deserve.
Here is part one of our list of the underrated players who could have outstanding seasons to keep an eye on for 2025 campaign:
Emmaus’s Robert Edwards. The Green Hornets two-way all-star was double teamed for nearly every game in 2024 (and played through a bad case of the flu in his final playoff game last year). Despite the heavy concentration and manpower against him versus all opponents last fall, he amassed some amazing numbers: 92 total tackles (68 solo), 23 TFL, 6 sacks, a forced fumble and interception returned for a touchdown. Emmaus is rightly getting a lot of attention on their talented offensive returning core, but don’t overlook the blocking of Edwards (who recently committed to Richmond for next season) up front and the contributions he’ll make on “D.”
Liberty’s Gabe Green. The Hurricanes had a breakthrough season in 2024 under the direction of Head Coach Shaun Daignault, complete with players who have bought into his system and have worked very hard to turn the program around. Among that group include Gabe Green, who shared time in a crowded but talented running back corp. Green is looking to build on his junior season (nearly 1,300 all-purpose yards, 15 TDs) and become a leader to prove Liberty’s resurgence is for real.
Pen Argyl’s Mason Soos & Caiden Faust. The Green Knights were another team that pushed themselves to a new level a year ago–advancing in the district playoffs before losing to a very talented team from Williams Valley. Soos took over the quarterback position for the first team last year (and combined for over 800 yards passing AND 800 yards rushing) and orchestrated an amazing comeback in district over Northern Lehigh was the architect of a talented offense that averaged 200 yards rushing per game. Soos hardly came off the field as he contributed at defensive back and averaged over 36 yards per punt. Faust was even more of a force on both sides of the ball: carrying the ball over 200 times for over 1,100 yards, showing good hands as a receiver AND ranking among the top three in key defensive categories. Look for both of these seniors to take an even more prominent role “up on the hill” this fall.
Parkland’s TJ Lawrence. Lawrence was on this list last year when I called him the best two-way player in the area, and he did nothing in 2024 to reduce that claim. Helping his team to a 6A championship, Lawrence rushed for over 1,200 yards, had over 300 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns on offense. On defense he once again led the team in tackles, was among the team leaders in tackles for a loss and made some clutch plays on both sides of the ball in the post-season. There’s a lot of talent once again on Parkland’s roster, but TJ will once again be a key as they look to defend their titles in 2025.
Whitehall’s Henry Schultz. While his offensive stats from his freshman season last year didn’t break any records, the inside word is that he could have a breakout season this fall in whatever role he earns, thanks to great athletic ability and a strong work ethic. He came on strong defensively last year, finishing with over 40 tackles despite not getting a lot of time early on. Furthermore, he’s meshed well with upperclassmen in three different varsity sports as a ninth grader and progressed as each season went on. Continuing that progression could make him a standout player on a team that’s looking to recapture a district title.
Southern Lehigh’s Colton Sams and Sean Steckert. The rising junior quarterback had a breakout season in 2024, passing for a yard shy of 3,000, 34 touchdowns and threw just 7 interceptions. Steckert compiled 278 rushes for 2,048, 34-TD, had 19 catches for 234, 4-TD and defensively had6-INT (one for a TD).
Despite guiding the team to a 4A championship, Sams and Steckert’s efforts were overshadowed by Colonial League rival Northwestern, who won a PIAA 3A state title. Despite losing some big names to graduation, the Spartans are looking for a repeat performance and these two Spartans will be key in continuing the solid offensive performance that combined for nearly 400 total yards through last season.
Check back to The SportsTalk Shop for more names of special players to watch for this year, along with video highlights of different teams throughout the fall and more notes and honors for teams in the Astound TV Network viewing area.
If you want to “nominate” a player for “part two” of our “players to watch” list, email them to chris.michael@astound.com
Plus, bookmark and come back to “The Shop” over the next couple days as we unveil our annual “Astounding 10 Football Teams” preseason poll — we have developed quite a reputation as having the most comprehensive (and accurate) local high school football poll in the area. See which schools make our list for the upcoming season!
The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound or any other agency, organization, employer or company.
