Muhls’ Small, Exeter’s Wegman, Zandier slam-dunk 5A All-State picks
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Months before Cameron Small had his first carry for Muhlenberg his coaches knew he was the guy, and that big things were about to happen for him.
“It was easy to see that he was gonna be our feature running back,” said Muhls head coach Rob Flowers. “When we got into spring ball, it was a no-brainer.”
The junior running back went on to set a program rushing record with 2,051 yards and today became the program’s first All-State selection in a decade.
He is joined on the 41-player Pennsylvania Football Writers Class 5A All-State team by running back Jayden Zandier and offensive lineman Logan Wegman, Exeter seniors who established themselves as top-shelf talents a year earlier.
Zandier was an All-State pick as a junior; Wegman was a two-way all-league lineman who committed to play at the U.S. Naval Academy just before this season. No one was surprised to see them land on this prestigious squad, selected by sportswriters across the state.
Zandier had a big junior season, rushing for 1,358 yards and scoring 19 TDs, but he didn’t rest on those accomplishments. He ended up dwarfing those numbers in a season that saw him set program records by rushing for 2,093 yards and scoring 34 touchdowns.
“Jayden put a lot of pressure on himself because he wanted to show what he did (as a junior) wasn’t a fluke,” said Exeter coach Matt Bauer. “He worked tremendously hard in the offseason, got faster, got stronger and really, really, really made the most of every opportunity that he had.”
Zandier didn’t get a lot of touches because the Eagles were often out in front by so much, and because the offense had other dangerous weapons. Still, he averaged 11.4 yards per carry, scored on punt and interception returns and even threw a couple of TD passes.
He ended up with 3,451 career rushing yards and 54 TDs, both program records.
The 6-5, 275-pound Wegman took a huge leap forward as well and was named both Outstanding Lineman and Offensive Lineman of the Year in Section 2 of Lancaster-Lebanon League.
As an offensive tackle he earned 98-percent blocking grade, had 45-plus pancakes and did not allow a sack as the Eagles set a program scoring record. He was just as dominant on defense, where he had 84 tackles, including 13.5 for loss.
Wegman, named the MikeDragoSports.com Lineman of the Year, added 30 pounds to his frame for his senior season and it paid off.
“I don’t think he lost an ounce of speed or agility putting on that 30 pounds,” Bauer said. “All the weight he put on was great weight. He’s one of the strongest and most flexible kids I’ve ever coached, and that definitely translated from the weight room to the field.”
Small, who transferred from Reading High during his sophomore year, showed his new coaching right away that he was all business during offseason workouts.
“He just works really, really hard in the weight room and on the field,” Flowers said.
Small rushed for 100 yards eight times and topped 200 five times. He set a program record in a wild shootout against Exeter and Zandier, rushing for 346 yards. Zandier answered with 312 yards, second-most in program history.
Small averaged 7.7 yards per carry and scored 23 TDs. He also led the Muhls in tackles and was a second-team all-league pick as a defensive back.
Stone Saunders, who set Pennsylvania career records for passing yards and touchdown passes and who led Bishop McDevitt to a PIAA championship, is Player of the Year.
Jeff Weachter is Coach of the Year after leading McDevitt to a 14-2 record and a 34-31 overtime win over Roman Catholic in the state championship game.
McDevitt has seven All-State picks; Roman has five. The only other team with more than two was Mechanicsburg, a District 3 semifinalist knocked out by McDevitt 26-14. Exeter saw its season end against McDevitt in the district final, 48-14.
Saunders finished with 204 career TD passes, 781 completions and 13,719 yards. He threw for 3,577 yards and 48 TDs this season.
One of Roman Catholic’s picks is 6-foot, 240-pound senior defensive tackle Mykell Ford, who played his first two seasons at Gov. Mifflin before transferring.
The only other selections from the Lancaster-Lebanon League are defensive back Isaiah Sensenig and linebacker Justin Corson, both of Conestoga Valley.
CLASS 5A ALL-STATE
Player of the Year: Stone Saunders, Bishop McDevitt
Coach of the Year: Jeff Weachter, Bishop McDevitt
OFFENSE
Quarterback
Semaj Beals, Roman Catholic – 6-1, 180 junior
Stone Saunders, Bishop McDevitt – 6-2, 215 senior
Trey Wingard, DuBois – 6-2, 210 junior
Nolan DiLucia, Peters Township – 6-2, 192 junior
Eli Reider, Mechanicsburg – 6-3, 185 senior
Running Back
Ja’Vaughn Moore, Bethel Park – 5-11, 185 senior
Jayden Zandier, Exeter – 6-2, 185 senior
Nazir Jones-Davis, Bishop McDevitt – 6-0, 180 junior
Chase Hatten, West Chester Rustin – 5-11, 190 senior
Cameron Small, Muhlenberg – 5-9, 182 junior
Clayton Nieves, New Oxford – 5-9, 160 senior
Wide Receiver
Rayshawn Scott, Roman Catholic – 5-10, 175 senior
Josh Smith, Mechanicsburg – 6-1, 175 senior
Dominic Diaz-Ellis, Bishop McDevitt – 6-0, 175 senior
Xzavier Pusateri, East Stroudsburg South – 6-2, 185 senior
Jontai Quick, Bishop McDevitt – 5-9, 150 sophomore
Tight End
Aidan Wescott, Wissahickon – 6-2, 195 senior
Offensive Line
Nate Stohl, Upper St. Clair – 6-3, 270 senior
Logan Wegman, Exeter – 6-5, 275 senior
JJ Torres, Bishop McDevitt – 6-5, 297 senior
Tyler Duell, West Chester East – 6-6, 290 junior
Wyatt Maines, Hollidaysburg – 6-5, 262 senior
Athlete
Charles Capers Jr., East Stroudsburg South – 5-10, 180 senior
Scoop Smith, Woodland Hills – 5-6, 150 junior
DEFENSE
Defensive Line
Lucas Lawler, Bishop McDevitt – 6-3, 235 senior
Justin Corson, Conestoga Valley – 6-4, 215 senior
Clancy Orie, Bethel Park – 6-3, 255 senior
Mykell Ford, Roman Catholic – 6-0, 240 senior
Collin Stare, Mechanicsburg – 6-2, 225 junior
Linebacker
Mickey Vaccarello, Peters Township – 6-3, 210 senior
Maurice Barnes, Bishop McDevitt – 6-2, 215 junior
William Felder, Roman Catholic – 6-1, 205 senior
Nate Romano, Springfield-Delco – 6-2, 220 senior
Naytel Mitchell, Penn Hills – 5-10, 190 senior
Reston Lehman, Peters Township – 6-4, 230 junior
Defensive Back
Jay Timmons, Pine-Richland – 5-11, 175 junior
John Wetzel, Latrobe – 6-0, 185 senior
Christian Palmer, Roman Catholic – 5-10, 180 senior
Isaiah Sensenig, Conestoga Valley – 6-1, 170 senior
Athlete
Daron Harris, Chester – 6-0, 180 junior
Specialist
Grant Argiro, Pine-Richland – 6-2, 195 senior
All-State picks (since 2000)
| EXETER | ||
| 2024 | Jayden Zandier | RB |
| 2024 | Logan Wegman | OL |
| 2023 | Jayden Zandier | RB |
| 2022 | Joey Schlaffer | ATH |
| 2022 | Kyle Lash | DL |
| 2022 | Lucas Palange | OL |
| 2022 | Anthony Caccese | OL |
| 2021 | JR Strauss | LB |
| 2021 | Eric Nangle | RB |
| 2021 | Joey Schlaffer | TE |
| 2021 | Kyle Helm | OL |
| 2021 | Ty Yocum | LB |
| 2020 | JR Strauss | LB |
| 2019 | Alex Javier | WR |
| 2019 | Sean Henry | SPEC |
| 2018 | Matt Feeney | LB |
| 2016 | Gabe Schappell | TE |
| 2015 | Michal Menet | OL |
| 2014 | Michal Menet | OL |
| 2013 | Michael Menet | OL |
| 2010 | Taylor Bertolet | PK |
| 2005 | Matt Bertolet | P |
| 2004 | Mike Bartolomucci | LB |
| MUHLENBERG | ||
| 2024 | Cameron Small | RB |
| 2014 | Brock Stoudt | LB |
| 2012 | Zach Duffy | OL |
| 2008 | Nate Daniels | SPEC |
| 2007 | Vaughn Carraway | DB |
| 2005 | Brandon Fox | DB |