Nick Singleton draws lofty comparison as Gov. Mifflin gets set to face Harrisburg

Calvin Everett has been head coach at Harrisburg for 11 seasons and says he has never had to prepare a team to face a running back such as Nick Singleton.

He coached one, though.

“If there was a person I could put up there with him, in terms of running the ball and being unstoppable, it would be Micah (Parsons),” Everett said of the former Cougars and Penn State star who was a first-round draft pick of the Dallas Cowboys this spring.

Singleton will be at the forefront of Everett’s hastily prepared game plan when the Cougars arrive in Shillington Friday at 7 to play Gov. Mifflin.

The game features two of the best teams in the state: Harrisburg is ranked No. 9 in Class 6A by PennLive.com, Mifflin is No. 1 in Class 5A.

The match-up wasn’t made until Wednesday when Mifflin was informed that Cedar Crest couldn’t keep its scheduled commitment because of a COVID issue.

Harrisburg had been scrambling to find a game since Monday, when it was notified that Mid-Penn Conference Commonwealth rival Central Dauphin couldn’t play this week (also because of COVID).

The dream match-up was finalized in a matter of minutes and created an instant buzz throughout District 3, and beyond.

“The kids were really excited when they found out we were playing Harrisburg,” said Mifflin head coach Jeff Lang. “You could see a little more pep in the step yesterday at practice, that’s for sure.”

Practice time will be short on both sides. The coaching staffS didn’t get their first look at film until Wednesday afternoon and have had to cram four days’ worth of prep time into roughly 36 hours.

“It was a late night last night,” Lang said Thursday afternoon, “and a very early morning.”

No one is complaining, however. Neither side wanted to sit on the sidelines this weekend. And each seems eager for the challenge to face a top opponent.

The Mustangs (3-0) have ripped through three opponents, outscoring them 153-20. They ascended to No. 1 in the state for the first time after burying Cocalico 56-0.

The Cougars (3-0) journey to this point has been a little more precarious. They didn’t come into the season with the same kind of high expectations that Mifflin did.

In their season-opener at Pine-Richland they fell behind 14-0 before coming back for a 26-21 win.

They beat Hazleton 31-21 in Week 2 and edged Manheim Township 20-17 in overtime last week. That game also was thrown together at the 12th hour when each team’s opponent was struck down by COVID issues.

“We have a bunch of young guys, and they just work hard and they’re trying to get better each and every day,” Everett said. “That’s the biggest thing. We’re still in the process of trying to find out who we are and what our identity is, but it’s a process.”

The Cougars have slugged it out in a couple of their wins, using a power running game. Junior running back Mahkai Hopkins (253 yards, two TDs) has plugged away behind a veteran offensive line that includes 285-pound Tyshawn Black and 295-pound Roy Irvin.

“It is different than years past,” defensive end Terrell Reynolds told PennLive.com. “We used to have a lot of explosive plays with guys like Donte (Kent) and Kamere (Day), but we have a good defense and a good running game. So, it’ll be ‘bully ball.’ We’ll run it right down teams’ throats.”

Everett isn’t comfortable with that description of his team.

“I wouldn’t say that’s who we are, (that) we’re just gonna line up and smash the ball down your throat,” he said. “We do some other things. We’re to the point where we’re versatile. If we need to pound it, that can be something that we can implement; if we need to spread things a little bit we can do that also.”

The Cougars are relying on a freshman quarterback, Shawn Lee, the son of Shawn Lee, who played defensive back at Harrisburg and Penn State in the 1990s.

Not many state-ranked teams rely on ninth-graders at quarterback but Everett is happy with the composure that Lee has displayed.

“He’s doing exactly what we need him to do in our offense,” Everett said. “We’re not asking him to do too much; we’re trying to use his strengths and implement those. He has command of what we’re trying to do, he’s under control, which is big for a ninth grader. He’s poised; that’s a good thing right there.”

“He doesn’t play like a freshman,” Lang said. “They’re dropping him back, throwing all over the field. When he’s getting pressure he’s pulling the ball down, scrambling, making yards and doing a lot of stuff.”

The Cougars’ go-to guy is junior Kyle Williams, who has 18 receptions and has rushed for 215 yards. He’ll line up anywhere on offense and handles kick returns.

“Kyle’s a great athlete,” Everett said. “He just does a lot. He’s dynamic, he’s special, he has great vision, he can cut on a dime, he has good burst. I mean, Kyle’s a football player. He’s definitely a Division I talent, no doubt about it.”

The teams haven’t met since 2017, when Mifflin pulled off one of the greatest upsets in District 3 playoff history. It went to Harrisburg and knocked off the No. 1 team in the state 26-14. The Mustangs ended the game with 26 unanswered points in beating the 11-0 Cougars and ending Parsons’ high school career.

The Mustangs had their hands full with Parsons, who was ranked among the nation’s top players.

Now it’s the Cougars who must try to stop Singleton, who’s considered by many the No. 1 running back in the nation.

“Opposing teams had to prepare for Micah the way we have to prepare for Nick,” Everett said. “I mean, the kid is big, he’s strong, he’s fast. (Like) Micah, they have the size, they have the speed, they have the vision, and they’re hard to bring down.”