High school football starts tonight. Here’s the player voters think will have the best season
Voters decided which Centre County high school football player will have the best season in 2022 and a Bald Eagle player led the way.
Bald Eagle quarterback Carson Nagle won the poll with 44% (121 votes) of the vote. State College tight end/defensive end Stephen Scourtis finished second with 18% of the vote (50 votes) and his teammate, J.W. Scott, had 48 votes for 18% of the vote.
Nagle had a strong beginning to his career, going 168-for-289 (58.1%) on passes for 1,897 yards, 16 touchdowns and 14 interceptions as a freshman. He will begin his sophomore campaign on Friday at home against Troy at 7 p.m.
Here’s a look at the players who were part of the unscientific, just-for-fun poll:
QB/DB Ben Gustkey, Philipsburg-Osceola
Gustkey went 39-for-109 (35.8%) on passes for 615 yards, eight touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 2021. He also had a rushing touchdown. In 10 games, he made 37 total tackles (23 solo), an interception and three pass deflections as a defensive back.
WR/OLB Cam Watkins, Bald Eagle Area
The junior had a breakout year as an offensive and defensive player in 2021. Watkins led the team with 38 receptions for 495 yards and seven touchdowns as a receiver and led the team with 10.5 sacks in 11 games and three quarterback hurries.
QB Carson Nagle, Bald Eagle Area
Nagle is now a sophomore and ready to expand on his air attack from his freshman season. Last year, he went 168-for-289 (58.1%) through the air for 1,897 yards, 16 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
LB/DE JW Scott, State College
Scott is returning to a power-packed defense as a senior. The edge rusher made 139 total tackles (87 solo) to lead the team, five tackles for loss and three sacks last season.
QB Jackson Romig, Penns Valley
Romig was highly-efficient in 2021, going 85-for-120 (70.8%) on passes for 1,261 passing yards, 20 touchdown passes and four interceptions. He is now heading into a pivotal junior season.
RB/LB Jakodi Jones, Philipsburg-Osceola
Jones was set to be an important part of P-O’s offense last season, but he suffered a season-ending injury. The senior will return to the backfield this season and to jump-start the Mounties offense.
WR/DB Miles Brooks, Penns Valley
Brooks hauled in 46 passes for 703 yards and seven touchdowns in 2021. The expectation from Penns Valley head coach Martin Tobias is for Brooks to take on an even larger role.
TE/DE Stephen Scourtis, State College
The Harvard commit had 102 total tackles (59 solo) and had a team-high 18 tackles for loss. Scourtis will have an increased role on the offensive side of the ball after adding 13 receptions for 131 yards last season as a tight end.
QB/SEC Trevor Johnson, Bellefonte
Johnson, a junior, stepped into the starting quarterback role in the midst of the 2021 season. He went 28-for-66 (42.4%) on passes for 397 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions last year.
LB Tyler Rice, Bellefonte
The senior linebacker will settle in as a defensive leader in 2022. As a junior, he had 75 total tackles (34 solo) in 2021.
This story was originally published August 23, 2022 at 2:28 PM.
