Ace Carter's City Player of the Week: Imhotep's whole football team
Ace Carter's City Player of the Week: Imhotep, which won its sixth consecutive Public League football championship
The last time Imhotep didn't win a Public League championship, Will Fuller was a junior at Roman Catholic, Jihad Ward was a senior at Bok and Will Parks was a senior at Germantown and coached by Michael Hawkins.
Last week, Hawkins, now the District 12 sports chairman, presented the Panthers with the 4A Pub championship, their sixth consecutive Pub title.
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Imhotep's dominant 33-0 victory against Bartram – and its long reign of supremacy – is why the Panthers are my final City Player(s) of the Week (Catholic, Public and Inter-Ac leagues) this football season.
Fuller (Houston Texans), Ward (Oakland Raiders) and Parks (Denver Broncos) are looked up to by many current city players.
Senior lineman Arick Lochetto, however, only had to look down the line to find inspiration.
"Coming in as a freshman," he said, "it helped me grow a lot, and showed me I had to change some of my ways, doing things my own way."
Lochetto, a 5-11, 250-pounder, credited former lineman JohnCarlo Valentin, now at ASA junior college, with teaching him the position's nuances.
Freshman defensive back Shafeek Smith has two of the country's best to learn from in his own secondary.
"Seeing Isheem Young and Tykee Smith just motivates me to go harder, be at the top and be the best in the country," said Smith, who has started since Week 1.
Young, a Penn State commit, finished with 121 yards and two touchdowns against previously undefeated Bartram (11-1). He also walked away with the game's MVP award.
Smith, a junior with offers from schools such as Maryland, Missouri and Syracuse, added an interception, forced a fumble, added a sack and scored a rushing touchdown.
Despite its dominance of the Pub, Imhotep has its eyes set on more.
"We're chasing the big thing," Lochetto said. "That chocolate."
The Panthers road to Hershey stops in Germantown, Friday at 6 p.m. when they play Cardinal O'Hara for the 4A District 12 championship.
Last season, Imhotep lost to Erie Cathedral Prep, 27-20, in the PIAA 4A finale.