The 12 to Watch in 2012: Tavon Parker and three others who just missed the list
Our "12 to Watch in 2012" preseason football series wrapped up today, with a look at Dallastown quarterback Andrew Henry. Here are all the picks:
Previous playersRB Alex Cooley, Eastern York
RB/OLB Marquis Fells, Central York
QB James Dougherty, York Catholic
C/DT Brody Kern, West YorkQB Dustin Crouse, Littlestown
RB Dillon Thomas, South WesternWR/RB Jaime Nixon-Alark, York SuburbanDB Dan Hare, Kennard-Dale RB Jason Milton, Red LionQB Brett Smith, Delone Catholic
RB/CB Oakley Fissel, Biglerville
As with any lists, there are bound to be snubs. In this case, there were several players who I considered including who there simply wasn't enough room for. Choosing just 12 players was incredibly tough.
Here are four of the players who I debated over including the most:
QB Tavon Parker, Sr., William Penn -- After a five-year hiatus from competitive football, Parker returned as a junior and won the Bearcats starting job. He went on to complete 88-of-160 passes for 1,158 yards, seven touchdowns and eight interceptions. He threw for 332 of those yards during an immaculate outing Week 2 against J.P. McCaskey. If his offensive line can keep him upright, Parker has the skill and weapons to put up some big numbers.
WR Derek Wilson, Sr., William Penn -- An incredible athlete who can out-leap pretty much anybody, Wilson earned Division I all-star honors last year for the Bearcats. He tallied 35 receptions for 583 yards, good for a 16.6 per-catch average. Wilson's season-high output came in the form of a 152-yard and two-touchdown performance during a Week 4 loss to Dover.
TE Zach Moyer, Sr., Northeastern -- Last year, Moyer was one of two non-seniors from the YAIAA selected to the EasternPAFootball.com's Big School All-State team. He led the Bobcats in receiving yards (466), touchdown catches (5) and yards per catch (19.4). He could be primed for an even bigger year this time.
QB Michael Moore, Sr., Bermudian Springs -- The Eagles need to be represented on here somewhere, and Moore's contributions as a passer last year (1,031 yards, 9 TDs, 4 INTs) were underrated. And you can bet Berm will find another 1,000-yard back to replace last year's workhorses, Adam Berryman and Tyler Fitzkee. Two more Eagles to watch: Austin Hartzell (LB) and Zach Stroup (RB/LB).
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Now it's your turn. Who else did I miss? Email me at jclayton@ydr.com or tweet me @johnsclayton.