Three must-see high school football games for Penn State fans Friday night

High school football made its return in Ohio this past weekend, and now Pennsylvania will get its season underway this upcoming Friday, Aug. 27. Nonconference play is always one of the best times of the year to get a feel for some of the state's top up-and-coming talent, and after a year where all of those matchups were cancelled, the next few weeks all the more enticing.

That's especially true for Penn State fans who want to get an up-close look at some of the school's future players, as well as top remaining targets. The Nittany Lions currently hold commitments from eight players in Pennsylvania, two of whom will actually face each other Friday night.

BWI's Ryan Snyder looks at three really fun matchups to get the season going below.

- If you live in Harrisburg, Pa., you have a few really good choices this upcoming Friday, beginning with future Nittany Lion linebacker Abdul Carter and La Salle College High traveling to Bishop McDevitt. With Carter already committed, he's the one Penn State fans will want to focus in on, and he'll be challenged by a handful of offensive players from McDevitt who will also play at the Division I level, most notably 2023 running back Marquese Williams.

A Rivals250 prospect, Williams has earned 20 scholarship offers so far, including Penn State. A MaxPreps Freshmen All-American in 2019, Williams rushed for over 1,000 yards and 15 touchdowns that season. An ankle injury limited him last year, so this will be our first look at Williams in what feels like forever.

Two other notables at McDevitt that Penn State fans should keep an eye on include 2023 offensive lineman Gabriel Arena and 2025 quarterback Stone Saunders. Both players performed well when they worked out for James Franklin and his staff this summer. Michigan actually offered Saunders before he even played a snap at the high school level. Arena holds two early offers from Toledo and Virginia Tech.

The game is set to start at 6 p.m., so if you have to work late, I'd suggest you head straight over to Rocco Ortenzio Stadium on Bishop McDevitt's campus. I expect it to be a really good crowd. La Salle currently ranks No. 2 in the state according to MaxPreps, and I'm shocked McDevitt isn't ranked after going undefeated, 6-0, last season. It won't take them long to join that top 25. The Crusaders are setup for a really good season.

- Fresh off a PIAA Class 1A state championship with Steel-High at the end of November, future Penn State safety Mehki Flowers surprised many in January when he decided to transfer to Central Dauphin East for his senior year. He made the move pretty quickly and ended up playing a handful of basketball games for the Panthers in February.

That's given Flowers just about seven months to settle in and get to know his new teammates. It also helps that his former defensive coordinator at Steel-High, Lance Deane, has since become the head coach at CD East, so we expect Flowers to have a prominent role right from the start.

Now playing at the highest-level in Pennsylvania, 6A, Flowers and his teammates will be challenged right from the start, as they'll travel to Manheim Township Friday night to face one of his future teammates, Penn State wide receiver commit Anthony Ivey.

Playing in just four games last season, Ivey totaled 546 yards receiving on just 23 receptions, scoring eight touchdowns. Township started its season 0-2 last year before winning five straight to finish the year. They'll be working in a new quarterback - last year's starter Evan Clark will walk-on at Penn State - so I expect head coach Mark Evans to find different ways to get the ball into Ivey's hands.

The game will start at 7 p.m. at Manheim Township Stadium.

- If you live out in Pittsburgh I would highly suggest you check this game out Friday night. A matchup between two of the best programs in the state's biggest cities, Imhotep Charter will travel across the state from Philadelphia to take on Central Catholic. In addition to future Penn State linebacker Keon Wylie, Tep also features the No. 1 player in the state in defensive end Enai White, Rutgers offensive line commit Emir Stinette, Temple defensive end commit Khalif Kemp and Army defensive back commit Jamir Reyes. Oh, and that's just in the Class of 2022.

Penn State has also offered three other players from Imhotep, most notably 2023 safety and Rivals250 prospect Rahmir Stewart. Nittany Lion fans will also get to know 2024 defensive back Kennth Woseley and 2024 defensive end Zahir Mathis in the months ahead. Mathis already holds 10 offers and is just now about to play his first game as a freshman. That should tell ya all you need to know. Woseley was also excellent at PSU's 7-on-7 tournament in June.

Central Catholic isn't as deep in regards to Football Bowl Subdivision talent, but the Vikings do feature future Notre Dame defensive tackle Donovan Hinish, as well as 2024 linebacker Anthony Speca, who holds an offer from Penn State. Central Catholic was also forced to forfeit in the PIAA 6A quarterfinals last year due to COVID-19 concerns, so they'll be coming into this one with a point to prove. This team could've been in the state championship last year, so this game should be one that fans follow closely.

PCC vs. Imhotep is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. and will be played at one of the coolest fields in the state, Wolvarena, in Turtle Creek, Pa. Make the drive if you don't have plans Friday. You'll be happy you did.

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