Still, the biggest unknown tends to be focused on younger players, specifically underclassmen.

In a year of uncertainty, freshman players up and down the Philadelphia Catholic have been a constant this season. Moses Hipps and Chase Coleman were two heralded freshmen coming into Archbishop Carroll and they have not disappointed.

Hipps, the 6-foot-3 point guard, is averaging 11.9 points per game and has recorded two 20-point games. His 27 points against Father Judge was the most by a Patriots freshman since AJ Hoggard (Michigan State) had 25 versus St. Joe’s Prep on 01/22/2017. Coleman, the 6-1 combo guard, has played in every game this season and his best performance was nine points against Roman Catholic.

Archbishop Carroll head coach Francis Bowe thrust Dean Coleman-Newsome into the starting lineup as a freshman last season. While Coleman-Newsome is out for the year with a knee injury, Bowe is finding success with his new freshmen in the starting lineup who are playing huge minutes in year one.

“The future is unbelievably bright,” Bowe said. “We did the same thing with Dean last year. We said, ‘Hey, you’re the starting point guard in the Philadelphia Catholic League. Enjoy 32 minutes of controlling the ball.’ He did a great job for us. Now, these freshmen came in and we threw them in the fire."

“Chase is getting more aggressive. You can tell that confidence is there. Moses has always been steady. The one thing that you don’t see is how they’re students of the game. I’ve done several hours of individual Zoom conferences with them. Not because I called them, but they called me. I think that’s why the confidence is there. They’re trying to get better mentally and that’s so difficult for freshmen.”

Following the Tide’s 65-61 win over the Raiders on Feb. 15, Mishock shared his previous knowledge of the league and what he knew coming in.

“I knew that it was one of the best leagues on the east coast,” Mishock said. “It produces many Division 1 athletes every year.”

Devon Prep head coach Jason Fisher tends to forget Mishock is in his first season of high school basketball but teaches him as if he has been in the program for a few years.

“There are times I have to remember he’s a freshman,” Fisher said. “He has such composure with the ball. The mistakes he has made since the first game are new mistakes, so he’s working on them.”

Last season, Roman Catholic’s Xzayvier Brown was the most notable freshmen to make his presence felt but there are several that will have been integral to their team’s success as the season heads into its final

They downed Lansdale Catholic in the opener by 25 points then suffered a four-point loss to Devon Prep at home. It upended Northeast Philadelphia rival, Father Judge 67-41 on Saturday.

Senior Aaron Lemon-Warren, who was leading the league in scoring before breaking his foot midway through the year, looks back to his old form. The 6-5 forward, who holds offers from Penn State, Richmond and Saint Louis, is avg. 18.5 points and eight rebounds this season. Senior Dominic Vazquez, in year two as the starting point guard, is avg. 10.5 ppg.

Head coach Joe Zeglinski’s group has received contributions from several players.

La Salle is only two years removed from the league title game and, in a season where teams are still trying to find their groove, they could find themselves there again with a group that can hurt the opposition in a lot of different ways.

Sam Brown, the 6-3 junior guard, is one of the best running backs in Pa. and his high-major offers showcase that. On the basketball court, he’s becoming noticed for his scoring prowess and playmaking ability. He is avg. 14.7 ppg, which includes a career-high 28 points against the Patriots. His backcourt mate, 6-3 junior Nix Varano, is avg. 13.3 ppg and has drilled at least three triples in four games this season.

Down low, Horace Simmons (12.3 ppg), the 6-5 sophomore forward, has been a mismatch for bigger players. He had 26 points, including six three-pointers, against the Saints followed by 12 points and nine rebounds versus Cardinal O’Hara.

St. Joe’s Prep senior Jimmy King on torrid pace

The expectations in Jason Harrigan’s first season at St. Joe’s Prep focused on culture establishment and player development. Having lost leading scorer in Trevor Wall (Ursinus) and three more starters along with longtime head coach William “Speedy” Morris, the Hawks were certainly in rebuilding mode. Unfortunately for many teams throughout the Philadelphia Catholic League, they forgot about Jimmy King.

The 6-1 senior guard had 21 points in the season opener against the Patriots and has not looked back. He is avg. 21.3 ppg and has become one of the most skilled scorers in the league. He had 36 points versus Bonner-Prendergast then followed that up with 30 points in a nonconference game against Archbishop Carroll on Feb. 14, becoming the first Hawks player with multiple 30-point games in a single season since former St. Joe’s standout Chris Clover in 2014-15. Clover avg. 20.7 ppg that season and King could very well be at or surpass that number when all is said and done.