Stefanik’s versatility key to upset chances
With the District 11 Class 6A football championship at stake Friday, Nazareth coach Tom Falzone called a play that took the ball from his all-league quarterback and placed it with Nathan Stefanik instead.
Stefanik’s title-clinching two-point pass to Jaiden Cabrera gave future opponents another wrinkle to consider when he touches the ball.
Nazareth will again look for ways to involve Stefanik, its most versatile skill-position player, when it faces its toughest challenge yet. The Blue Eagles play District 12 champion and state power St. Joe’s Prep in a PIAA 6A quarterfinal Friday (7 p.m., Bethlehem
Area School District Stadium).
The Hawks feature superior size to Nazareth. Their roster is littered with Division I prospects, led by three juniors — wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (Ohio State), quarterback Kyle McCord (Ohio State) and linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (Clemson). Trotter has been sidelined the past few weeks with an injury, while McCord missed the Hawks’ District 12 championship game against Northeast with a sore knee.
Nazareth will try to scheme its way past St. Joe’s Prep’s talent with a cohesive defense and an offense led by quarterback Anthony Harris that will look to confuse the Hawks with its formational variety. Stefanik will be vital to the Blue Eagles’ chances on both sides of the football.
“He’s definitely a crucial part in our offense,” Harris said. “Just having the connection with him ever since I’ve been playing as a young kid with him, it’s been able to help carry throughout this season.”
Added Falzone: “He is a tremendous overall athlete. He is able to do just about anything on the football field you ask. He can run it. He can throw it now. We all know he can catch it. On the defensive side, he flies around. He makes tackles. He gets picks. He does it all.”
So, what has Stefanik done to date?
■ He picked off 10 passes in the Blue Eagles’ first seven games. Those 10 interceptions are a single-season school record.
■ He ran for three touchdowns in a Week 10 win over Easton that gave the Blue Eagles the EPC South championship, their first league title since they won the Lehigh Valley Conference in 2011. He also caught a 33-yard touchdown pass, threw a 45-yard pass and blocked an extra point.
■ He became Nazareth’s all-time leader in catches last week, pushing his career total to 194. That moved him ahead of Penn State wide receiver Jahan Dotson (187).
■ He has two defensive touchdowns and another on a punt return.
■ He has set Nazareth’s career record for solo tackles with 148.
Stefanik can claim another spot in Nazareth history Friday. He needs two catches to surpass Adam Bridgeforth’s single-season school record of 82.
More than anything, Stefanik would like to extend Nazareth’s season at least one more week. His football career is coming to a close, and he plans to follow his brother Travis by wrestling in college. Travis, who starred at quarterback for Nazareth, is now a sophomore at Princeton.
Watching Travis excel as a two-way player at Nazareth — he also played safety — inspired Nathan. Like Travis, Nathan has used his wrestling skills to excel as a tackler.
Nathan Stefanik’s tackling abilities will be tested by the Hawks. Limiting explosive plays is priority No. 1 for the Blue Eagles.
“We need to make them work for everything,” Stefanik said. “We need to try to keep it close.”
Stefanik and his teammates know the odds they face Friday. No Lehigh Valley team has knocked off St. Joe’s Prep’s since it emerged as a state power over the past half-dozen years. This may be the most talented team the Hawks have fielded over that span.
The Blue Eagles aren’t intimidated. They are in bonus territory after winning EPC South and District 11 6A titles.
“It’s amazing to see all the work we put in to accomplish our goals,” Stefanik said. “It’s guys we’ve been working with for years now, and we accomplished all the goals we wanted.”