PERKASIE — Khyan Billups grew up in the Frankford projects. He carries the memories with him everywhere he goes. He was once in the middle of a shooting in Frankfort Park. He was nine. He knew enough to hit the ground. It may explain why he runs with an attitude. He’s not the biggest tailback. The St. Joseph’s Prep junior is not the fastest. Though every time he breaks free, which is often, it takes three or four defenders to take him down.
When Hawks’ Ohio State-bound tailback Isaiah West was lost for the season with an injury, it was up to Billups to take on the bulk of the backfield touches.
He carried quite a bit of the load as sophomore quarterback Charlie Foulke gradually matured and began feeling comfortable with the offense.
Right now, the Hawks look unstoppable. With Billups churning up yards rushing, and Foulke dissecting defenses with pinpoint passing, the Prep appears primed to threepeat as PIAA Class 6A state champions.
The Hawks took another step in that process Friday night at Pennridge High School by pounding District 11 champion Parkland, 46-7, behind a game-high 166 yards rushing and two third-quarter touchdowns by Billups and Foulke’s three touchdown passes.
Prep (9-2) now advances to the PIAA Class 6A state semifinals, where it will meet District 1 champion Downingtown West, a 35-16 winner over North Penn, on Saturday at a site to be determined.
In the last two weeks, in combined Prep victories of 88-7, Billups has rushed for 280 yards on 38 carries, averaging 7.3 yards a carry, and five touchdowns. His emergence has alleviated the stress on Foulke.
“It’s Khyan’s heart that is bigger than many that carries him,” Hawks’ coach Tim Roken said. “He did a great job earlier this year working with Isaiah in the beginning of the year. He is running with great patience right now, and he trusts his offensive line to allows things to open. It will take more than one defender to take him down.
“We have a next-man-up mentality, and our coaching staff does a great job building our depth. Again, Khyan is running with great patience and we are getting better each week. This was a good victory and we have to clean up some mistakes.”
Prep controlled the game from start to finish.
After fumbling the ball away on their opening possession, and being forced to punt on their second drive, the Hawks scored on five of their next six drives.
St. Joe’s outgained Parkland 467 to 125, forcing the Trojans into becoming a one-dimensional team, holding them to minus-17 yards rushing, which was aided considerably by four Prep sacks that amounted to negative-32 yards.
The only glaring issue St. Joe’s had was being flagged 14 times for 150 yards. The Hawks surrendered more yards in penalties than their defense gave up.
“We will address that and have to definitely clean that up,” Roken said. “At this stage of the season, every team is good and we can’t afford to hurt ourselves like that.”
Billups helped offset those setbacks.
Last week against Imhotep Charter, the Panthers’ Penn State-bound Jabree Wallace-Coleman was brought often to Billups. It irritated him to the point he was compelled to prove himself.
But it is an attitude he has always had.
“That comes from how I grew up and what I experienced,” Billups said. “I grew with nothing, in poverty. I remember being in the middle of shootings when I was a little kid, around nine, playing in a park. I remember just dropping to the ground. Those kinds of memories stay with you, it builds up some attitude. It comes out the way I run.
“With Isaiah being out, the mindset was to be ready. We are coming together as a team at the right time. We will fix the mistakes we had, and I know 150 yards in penalties is unacceptable.”
Parkland ended a highly successful season. Trojans’ coach Tim Moncman was hoping to spread out the Prep defense and throw short passes, running when they could. But seeing the Hawks on film is a little different than playing them in person. The speed gap proved to be striking.
“I thought our scheme was good and I thought our defense played pretty well,” Moncman said. “You know the truth where these (St. Joe’s Prep) kids come from. If I could take a Lehigh Valley all-star team, we would look the same. What else do you want me to say, they come from everywhere. It’s plain and simple. I don’t complain about it. But that is the explanation.”
Parkland senior Leo Daubermann was brilliant in his last high school game. He had an interception, was all over the field, and caught a team-high five passes for 54 yards.
When the game was well decided, it was still hard to miss No. 14 in white.
“Prep is big and fast at every position, and they have depth that we never saw,” said Daubermann, who intends to play football and run track in college. “The first quarter we played well, and Prep was not ready for that. I thought our short passing game could find some holes, but we could not run the ball against their defensive line and fast linebackers.
“Losing like this is tough. I will remember everyone here. Parkland molds great men and they make them amazing people. That’s what I’ll remember the most about playing for Parkland.”
Scoring Summary
Parkland (11-3) – 0 0 0 7-7
St. Joe’s Prep (9-2) 0 20 14 12-46
2nd Quarter
SJP – Rameir Hardy 17 pass from Charlie Foulke (kick failed), 10:36
SJP – Jett Harrison 33 pass from Foulke (Leo Ricci kick), 7:01
SJP – Hardy 21 pass from Foulke (Ricci kick), 1:21
3rd Quarter
SJP – Khyan Billups 4 run (Ricci kick), 5:57
SJP – Billups 33 run (Ricci kick), 2:53
4th Quarter
SJP – Alijah Turner 44 pass from Tre Henning (kick failed), 5:47
P – TJ Lawrence 1 run (Doug Bell kick), 3:05
SJP – Jamir Rowe 96 kickoff return (kick failed), 2:48
Joseph Santoliquito is an award-winning sportswriter who has been covering high school football since 1992 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be followed on Twitter @JSantoliquito.
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