5 Octorara Footballers Make District Watch List

Eastern PA Football writers recognized 5 Octorara football players over the weekend as District 1 "Players to Watch" this Fall.  Not bad for a program entering just its 4th year.

Here are the players singled out by EPF:

Charles Cooper, Senior RB/DB, Octorara Area - A catalyst in all three phases of the game for the Braves, Cooper finished his junior season by amassing 976 all-purpose yards (519 rushing, 144 receiving, 313 kickoff/punt returns) and scored nine total touchdowns (seven rushing, one receiving, one kickoff return). Cooper averaged 6.4 yards per carry on 81 rushes; 9.6 yards per reception on 15 catches and 34.6 yards per kickoff return on nine attempts. Cooper posted one 100-yard rushing performance. Defensively, he added 29 tackles (21 solo), an interception, a forced fumble, two fumble recoveries and a blocked field goal.

Dan Soloman, Senior QB, Octorara Area - Soloman helped lead the Braves to a 5-5 record in just its second varsity season of football by connecting on 87-of-155 passes (56.1 percent) for 1,273 yards and 16 touchdowns against six interceptions, throwing for 100+ yards seven times and finishing five games with multiple touchdown passes. In the last two seasons, Soloman has thrown for 2,387 yards and 22 touchdowns, and once again figures to be a key offensive catalyst for the red and blue. He also scored one rushing touchdown on 32 keepers.

Kadeem Ford, Senior RB/OLB, Octorara Area - One of the Braves’ top returning rushers, Ford posted 300 rushing yards on 70 carries, averaging 4.3 yards per rush. He posted a season-high 133 yards against Kennett. Defensively, Ford recorded four tackles and picked off a pass.

Mike Turner, Senior TE/DE, Octorara Area - A key returning presence along the defensive line for the Braves, Turner recorded 36 tackles (27 solo), four sacks and a forced fumble. He recorded all four sacks in a 35-2 victory over Sun Valley.

Tyler Walton, Senior FB/OLB, Octorara Area - One of the leading returning rushers from Octorara’s 2010 rushing attack which averaged more than 170 yards per game, Walton ran for 331 yards and four touchdowns on 74 carries, averaging 4.5 yards per rush. He did not rush for 100 yards or more in any game, but did post two games with between 70 to 95 rushing yards.

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