Penn State recruits to watch in Friday's PIAA state championship games
Penn State will have no shortage of recruits playing in this weekend’s PIAA state championship games at Cumberland Valley High School in Mechanicsburg, Pa. In addition to four players who already committed to play for head coach James Franklin and his staff, all six classifications have at least one player who holds a scholarship offer from the Nittany Lions participating.
Thursday’s 1A and 4A games both ended up being blowouts, as Steel-Hight defeated Fort Cherry 42-8 to claim is second consecutive Class 1A championship, while Aliquippa dominated Dallas, 60-14, to take home this year’s 4A championship. Future Penn State running back Tiqwai Hayes starred for Aliquippa, totaling 18 carries for 222 yards and three touchdowns. The Quips totaled 574 yards of offense while limiting Dallas to just 184. Class of 2026 recruit Matt Sieg totaled 153 yards rushing and a touchdown in the 1A game.
On Friday, we’ll see both the Class 2A and Class 5A games take place, beginning with a 2A matchup between Southern Columbia and Westinghouse at 1 p.m. ET. The 5A game between Peters Township and Imhotep Charter will then start at 7:00 p.m.
For those who live in Pennsylvania, the games will air on the Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN). You can also subscribe to view the games online.
Below are the players Penn State fans need to know heading into Friday’s games.
Friday – Dec. 8
Class 2A – 1:00 pm ET – Southern Columbia (14-1) vs. Westinghouse (13-0)
Southern Columbia vs. Westinghouse is the only rematch from last year in the six PIAA state championship games for 2023. Southern Columbia ended up winning that game 37-22. They totaled 331 yards rushing and 401 yards of total offense last year while limiting Westinghouse to 290.
The Tigers will be going for their seventh consecutive state championship and the school’s eighth in nine years. Southern Columbia did lose to Mt. Carmel in the regular season (42-30) but was able to avenge that loss with an impressive 43-0 win in the playoffs. The average score of their games this season has been 40-9.
For Penn State fans, the player to watch is Class of 2026 cornerback Kyshawn Robinson from Westinghouse. Teams have done their best to avoid the sophomore defensive back this season, but he has totaled seven pass breakups, three interceptions and two forced fumbles.
Robinson earned an offer from the Nittany Lions in June and is now up to 19 offers total. Some of the more notable schools include Colorado, Florida, Florida State, Maryland, Pitt, South Carolina, USC and West Virginia. He’s taken two visits to Penn State so far, most recently attending the win over West Virginia to start the season.
Westinghouse has also looked strong throughout its season. Since defeating Taylor Allerdice to win the Pittsburgh City League, the Bulldogs have won by an average score of 38-18 in their five playoff games, including a 36-20 win over Farrell in the quarterfinals and a 28-8 win over Beaver Falls in the semis last weekend.
Class 5A – 7:00 pm ET – Peters Twp. (15-0) vs. Imhotep Charter (14-0)
Imhotep will be playing in the PIAA state championship game for the seventh time since 2015. Since Philadelphia schools didn’t participate in the fall of 2020, it’s their seventh appearance in eight seasons. Yet, despite all those chances, the Panthers haven’t won it all since that 2015 season, losing to Cathedral Prep three times (2016-2018), Penn-Trafford in double overtime in 2021, followed by Pine-Richland in 2022. Needless to say, they’re due for a win.
Peters Township doesn’t have the future college talent that Imhotep does, but the Indians also haven’t been challenged much this year, winning by an average score of 38-8. Peters Township has two notable players who hold FBS offers currently in 2025 LB Mickey Vaccarello and 2026 TE Reston Lehman. Vaccarello camped at Penn State this summer.
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Of course, Imhotep is home to two future Nittany Lions in 2024 WR Tyseer Denmark and CB Kenny Woseley. Denmark hasn’t played during the playoffs and won’t play Friday night. He finished his season with 28 receptions for 330 yards and four touchdowns. Woseley is up to 26 tackles and six interceptions in 13 games.
Even without Denmark, the Panthers are loaded with talent, as they also have 2024 OL Zafir Stewart (committed to Illinois) and DT Jahsear Whittington (Pitt). In the 2025 class, RB Jabree Wallace-Coleman is committed to Georgia, while both CB Saimire Locks and DE Zahir Mathis hold offers from the Lions.
Penn State has also offered five underclassmen at Imhotep. The 2026 class includes LB Charles Belser, RB Sy’eer Coleman, OL Jesse Moody, while the 2027 class has LB Zykee Scott and WR Kareem Haqq.
Haqq has played a big role in replacing Denmark. He’s now up to 20 receptions, 413 yards and six touchdowns on the season. Keep an eye on the freshman. Both Pitt and Penn State offered last Saturday.
