The 2024-2025 Parkland Trojans football team blew expectations away by winning a district championship and many of their talented athletes received honors. The amount of players recognized shows why Parkland is a powerhouse in the Lehigh Valley.
Six Trojans earned a place on the Morning Call’s first team all-area team; OL Evan Saylor, Athlete T.J Lawrence, OLB Marcel Burden, CB Preston Mertz, S Leo Dauberman, and Athlete Donmenic Matrich. Additionally, five players received second-team all-area honors; OL Mason Marcks, OL Matt Dorsey, DL Reid Andrush, DB Blake Nassry, and DB Nassim Adams.
Senior captain, Leo Dauberman, was named second-team All-State Safety on the PA Football News 6A Coaches-Select. Dauberman fought through injuries most of the season to push this team to success. On the offensive side of the ball, the captain led the team with 37 receptions and 547 receiving yards. He also rushed for 161 yards and found the endzone a total of nine times. Defensively he had two inceptions, two fumble recoveries, and 42 total tackles. It will be challenging for the Trojans to replace Dauberman’s talent on both sides of the ball and his passionate leadership.
Sophomore running back and linebacker, TJ Lawrence, earned PA Football Writers All-State Running Back. “Honestly, I was pretty surprised to earn these awards as a sophomore because it is pretty rare for underclassmen to get these kinds of awards, but the work I put in the offseason and the help from my coaches helped me get these honors,” said Lawrence. The sensational sophomore had 210 carries for 1,151 yards and a total of 11 touchdowns. He averaged 5.5 yards per rush and 82.2 yards per game. Lawrence’s tough, bulldozing running style helped the Trojans clinch the district title, but he was as much of a threat on defense. Lawrence led the team with 78 total tackles, 7 tackles for loss, two sacks, and an interpretation.
Parkland is excited to see how the sophomore will continue to excel in the next two seasons. The recognition has instilled confidence in him and continues to fuel his hunger for more success. Lawrence said, “I think that this [honor] shows me that I can be a great player in the future and that I need to work harder if I want to play at a higher level.” Despite the individual success, he said his goals for next season are for the team to win an EPC and district tile and make a deeper state playoff run.
Parkland’s team and individual success are the result of everyone’s hard work and dedication to the program. Before the season, fans had their doubts and the district champions shut them all down. With all of the Trojans’ young talent, the sky is the limit for next season.
