The 2020 high school football season came to an end last weekend with WPIAL teams capturing 3 of the 6 State Championships. Congratulations to Pine-Richland, Thomas Jefferson, and Central Valley on winning PIAA State Championships! This was the fifth state title for Thomas Jefferson, the second for Pine-Richland, and the first for Central Valley. We were honored this week to have WPIAL Executive Director Amy Scheuneman as our guest on the show as we wrapped up the 2020 season.
Topics on this week’s show include:
- Interview with WPIAL Executive Director Amy Scheuneman
- Looking back at all six classifications
- WPIAL and PIAA Champions
- Players of the Year (check below for a listing and links to their highlights)
- Games of the Year
- Major Storylines
- Final Statewide Rankings
- Teams to Watch in 2021
WPIAL Blitz Awards
On this week’s show we also recognized players in each classification for their accomplishments this season. We awarded one “Player of the Year” for each classification as well as an overall “Player of the Year” and “Team of the Year” for the entire WPIAL. Click on player’s names below for their highlights.
6A Player of the Year: Eddy Tillman (RB-Central Catholic) – HIGHLIGHTS
Tillman led 6A in rushing for the second straight season. Even though he missed a few games in the middle of the year with an injury, Tillman ran for 982 yards and 10 TDs. He capped off the season with a 132-yard 3 TD performance in the WPIAL Championship to complete Central Catholic’s revenge tour.
Honorable Mentions: Khalil Dinkins (WR/DB-North Allegheny), Joey Daniels (QB-Mt Lebanon), Alex Tecza (RB-Mt Lebanon), Nolan Dworek (RB-Seneca Valley), Anderson Cynkar (RB/DB-Central Catholic), Ryan Angott (RB-Canon-McMillan), Mason Kress (RB-North Allegheny), Colton Brain (QB-Baldwin), Brandon Jackson (WR/KR – Central Catholic)
5A Player of the Year: Cole Spencer (QB-Pine-Richland) – HIGHLIGHTS
A three-year starter for the Rams, Cole Spencer graduates as the school’s all-time leader in wins and passing touchdowns. Spencer led the Rams to the State Championship, throwing for 2626 yards and 33 TDs and running for 302 yards and 8 TDs. In the semifinals against Governor Mifflin, he engineered a 22-point second half comeback and took a 54-yard scamper to the end zone for the game-winning touchdown with under 3 minutes to play.
Honorable Mentions: Eli Jochem (WR-Pine-Richland), Luke Miller (LB-Pine-Richland), Miguel Jackson (DE-Pine-Richland), Donovan McMillan (WR/DB-Peters Twp), Breylen Carrington (WR/DB-Peters Twp), Ethan Carr (QB-Penn-Trafford), Ethan Dahlem (QB-Upper St Clair), Derrick Davis (RB/DB-Gateway), Deontae Williams (QB/DB-Woodland Hills)
4A Player of the Year: Devin Whitlock (QB/DB/KR-Belle Vernon) – HIGHLIGHTS
Devin Whitlock took the helm at quarterback for Belle Vernon this season and was an absolute star in all three phases of the game. He threw for 528 yards and 6 TDs and ran for 1082 yards and 15 TDs. On defense, Whitlock intercepted 5 passes and returned 3 of them for touchdowns. On special teams, he had nearly 300 return yards between kick and punt returns and returned two for touchdowns. Overall, Whitlock accounted for 26 touchdowns between passing, rushing, interception returns and special teams.
Honorable Mentions: Jake Pugh (QB-Thomas Jefferson), Preston Zandier (WR/LB-Thomas Jefferson), Ian Hansen (WR/DB-Thomas Jefferson), Vernon Redd (RB/LB-Aliquippa), Vaughn Morris (QB/DB-Aliquippa), Ryan Hubner (QB-Plum), Teddy Ruffner (RB-Mars), Anthony Mackey (QB-Chartiers Valley), Cadin Olsen (QB-Armstrong)
3A Player of the Year: Ameer Dudley (QB-Central Valley) – HIGHLIGHTS
Central Valley captured back-to-back WPIAL titles and won their first State Championship in school history. While the Warriors multi-faceted ground game and defense was dominant all season, QB Ameer Dudley was the catalyst that made it all happen. After throwing for over 1900 yards and 23 TDs as a junior, Dudley threw for 1302 yards and 16 TDs and added 333 yards and 3 TDs on the ground. Dudley had a knack for showing up big time in key moments, including a twisting and weaving run to break open the State Championship game to set up a Central Valley touchdown that put the Warriors in control. Dudley put together a great performance in the PIAA final, accounting for over 150 yards of total offense.
Honorable Mentions: Sean FitzSimmons (DL-Central Valley), Stephon Hall (DB/RB-Central Valley), Myles Walker (WR/DB/KR-Central Valley), Landon Alexander (RB-Central Valley), Chase Whatton (DE/TE-Elizabeth Forward), Nico Mrvos (RB/LB-Elizabeth Forward), Logan Shrubb (QB-Keystone Oaks), Joey Prentice (QB-North Catholic), Antonio Epps (RB-South Allegheny)
2A Player of the Year: Josh Hough (RB-Beaver Falls) – HIGHLIGHTS
Josh Hough was the dominant force in 2A this season. Between Hough and Shileak Livingston, Beaver Falls had the top rushing tandem in the WPIAL with both players finishing with over 1000 yards. Hough, a Syracuse-commit, nearly doubled Livingston’s total by finishing with 2047 yards and 28 TDs. Incredibly, Hough averaged 17 yards per carry this season, leading Beaver Falls to their fifth WPIAL title.
Honorable Mentions: Shileak Livingston (RB-Beaver Falls), Josh Jenkins (QB/WR-Sto-Rox), Jaymont Green-Miller (WR-Sto-Rox), Logan Harmon (RB-Apollo-Ridge), Max Rocco (QB-Serra Catholic), Jayvon Campbell-Holt (WR-Serra Catholic), Aiden Wardzinski (RB-Brentwood), Kyle Brookman (RB-McGuffey), Nyasanu Greene (RB-New Brighton)
1A Player of the Year: Dontae Sanders (RB-Clairton) – HIGHLIGHTS
Dontae Sanders had an absolutely dominant season leading Clairton’s offensive attack that was the WPIAL’s highest-scoring team in the regular season, averaging 54 points per game. Unfortunately, Sanders was injured early in the WPIAL Championship game against Jeannette. Nevertheless, “The Buck Show” finished with 1780 yards and 29 TDs including a 428-yard 6 TD performance in the Quarterfinals against OLSH.
Honorable Mentions: Brad Birch (QB-Jeannete), Roberto Smith (RB/DB-Jeannette), Reis Watkins (RB/LB-Shenango), Jaedan Zuzak (RB-California), Rashawn Reid (RB-Rochester), Denny Robinson (RB-Rochester), Jaymar Pearson (RB-OLSH), Logan Dexter (RB-Springdale), Jeannette WRs (James Sanders, Brett Birch, Toby Cline)
WPIAL Player of the Year: Cole Spencer (QB-Pine-Richland)
Pictured: Cole Spencer turns the corner and runs 54 yards for the game-winning touchdown in the PIAA Semifinal against Governor Mifflin. Pine-Richland won 48-44 after trailing 41-19 in the third quarter.
Cole Spencer was the dominant player in the WPIAL this season. Pine-Richland cruised through the 5A regular season thanks to Spencer’s arm and Pine-Richland’s dynamic passing attack. Spencer broke school records previously held by Ben DiNucci and Phil Jurkovec for wins and touchdown passes. The three-year starter finished his career with over 7,000 passing yards, the 40th player in Pennsylvania history to surpass that mark. Spencer finished his career with 84 passing touchdowns, the 24th player in state history to surpass the 80 TD mark. Though Pine-Richland blew out most of their WPIAL opposition this season, when it mattered most in crunch time, Spencer stepped up big. In the PIAA semifinals against Governor Mifflin, with the Rams trailing 41-19 in the third quarter, he led the comeback, hitting Eli Jochem for two touchdowns to slice into the lead. After tying the game early in the fouth, Governor Mifflin kicked a field goal to retake the lead at 44-41. Undeterred, Spencer did the rest himself, taking a QB keeper around the left end and sprinting down the sidelines for what would be the game-winning score. He finished the semifinal with 252 passing yards and 4 TDs along with 64 rushing yards and a touchdown. In the State Championship, Spencer capped off his career by throwing for 178 yards and a touchdown and adding a 17-yard rushing score. Congratulations to the record-setting Cole Spencer on a great high school career and being named our WPIAL Player of the Year.
WPIAL Team of the Year: Pine-Richland Rams
This was a tough decision as there were a lot of great storylines out there this season. We gave heavy consideration to Central Valley who captured their first State title in school history. Thomas Jefferson won back-to-back State titles with a restocked starting lineup after nearly all of the starters from last year’s championship squad graduated. Aliquippa was also heavily considered after the dominant regular season they put together – an incredible accomplishment for a 1A-sized school being forced up into 4A by the PIAA’s success formula, to be able to maintain the level of success that they did. The Quips absolutely proved they could compete with anyone this season, topping Belle Vernon in the semifinals to reach their 13th straight WPIAL Championship Game where they took eventual state champions Thomas Jefferson to overtime. Other great stories included Plum who captured their first conference title since 1982 and Elizabeth Forward who reached the WPIAL final for the first time in school history.
Ultimately, we awarded our Team of the Year honors to the 5A State Champions Pine-Richland Rams. Pine-Richland was dominant all season, averaging 48.6 points per game and only allowing 12 per game. Against WPIAL opponents, they did not allow more than two scores in any game and scored at least 42 against every team except Upper St Clair (who they beat 34-13) and Peters Twp in the WPIAL final (who they beat 35-0). The Rams earned their 7th WPIAL title in school history, including the two won by Richland High School in 1969 and 1970. Until their thrilling comeback against Governor Mifflin in the PIAA Semifinals, the victories over Upper St Clair and Peters Twp were their only games closer than 42 points. After topping Governor Mifflin 48-44 in an all-time thriller, the Rams cruised past Cathedral Prep 48-7 to capture their second State Championship in school history. After losing to St. Joe’s Prep in the state semis in 2018 and to Central Catholic in the WPIAL final last year, the message all year from this group was to FINISH, which they absolutely accomplished. The Rams were not only the best 5A team in the state this season, but arguably the best team in the WPIAL overall (and potentially one of the top two teams in Pennsylvania, right up there with St. Joe’s Prep). Congratulations to Pine-Richland on an historic season.
We knew in 2017 that the FUTURE WAS BRIGHT with this senior class. Undefeated as freshman. Undefeated as seniors.
They didn’t just talk the talk, they walked the walk.
And they built on everything the players before them started! #RamFamily is more than a hashtag. pic.twitter.com/AzHScEzV6K
— 2020 5A State Champions (@PRRamsFootball) November 28, 2020
