2017 Fabulous 22

The scoop: Rivals.com ranks him a four-star tight end. Also played receiver for East Allegheny and helped team to WPIAL playoffs. Caught 48 passes for 679 yards this season after catching 34 for 475 a year ago. Coach Dom Pecora said he’s big enough and athletic enough to someday play in the NFL. Also plays basketball.

College talk: Banks had close to 20 scholarship offers and made verbal commitment to West Virginia in October. Other two finalists were Temple and Illinois. Was recruited to play tight end.

Most memorable moment this season? When I fell getting out of the shower at preseason camp.

Favorite class? Math.

Thanksgiving food you must have? Macaroni and cheese.

Who would play you in a movie? Terry Crews.

Anyone in the world you could invite to Thanksgiving dinner: Cam Newton.

Career, if not an athlete or coach? Some kind of biologist.

People might be surprised to know that: I watch Anime.

The scoop: Cain led the WPIAL with 1,749 receiving yards on 101 catches, averaging 17.3 yards per catch. He broke WPIAL records for the most yards in a single game (350), most receptions in a game (27), receptions in a season and yards in a season.

College talk: Cain has offers from Morehead State and Seton Hill but is hoping to play at an Ivy League school or Patriot League school.

Most memorable moment this season? Definitely my game against Pine-Richland was probably my most personal memorable moment. As a team, probably our win against Peters Township.

Favorite class? Probably psychology.

Thanksgiving food you must have? Definitely pie. All sorts of pie. My favorite is blueberry.

Who would play you in a movie? I’m not going to lie, I don’t watch a ton of movies. I don’t know a ton of actors… I honestly don’t know.

Anyone in the world you could invite to Thanksgiving dinner: Teddy Bridgewater. He’s kind of someone I look up to because he totally blew out his knee and he just came back and I was pretty inspired by what he does. And he’s such a great guy.

Career, if not an athlete or coach? I think something in either economics or finance is what I’m probably going to study in college, so something along those lines.

People might be surprised to know that: I’m a big golfer. I can’t play golf, because it’s during football season, but I’m a big golf fanatic. I was in Ireland last summer playing golf.

The scoop: A smallish player who has been a big-play artist for the Rams. Averages 10 yards a carry, running for 1,043 yards on 104 carries. Has 27 catches for 431 yards and has scored 27 touchdowns. Has 33 tackles on defense. Has rushed for 1,766 yards and caught 67 passes for 887 yards in two seasons.

College talk: IUP and NCAA Division III power Mount Union are Crawford’s top two choices at the moment.

Most memorable moment this season? Winning the WPIAL at Heinz Field because we’ve worked so hard to get there the last two years and we came up short.

Favorite class? Any social studies class. Right now economics.

Thanksgiving food you must have? Any kind of stuffing, but definitely with gravy, too.

Who would play you in a movie? [Teammate] Jason DeFrancisis. He can impersonate me pretty well.

Anyone in the world you could invite to Thanksgiving dinner: Le’Veon Bell would be pretty sweet.

Career, if not an athlete or coach? Probably a doctor. I mean they make pretty good money.

People might be surprised to know that: I love to hunt.

The scoop: Considered one of best defensive linemen in the WPIAL the past few years. One of only three linemen to start as a freshman at Thomas Jefferson in Bill Cherpak’s 23 years as coach. Helped team win WPIAL Class 4A title for third consecutive season. Has 19 career sacks.

College talk: Committed to Pitt in June. West Virginia, Wisconsin, Louisville and UCLA among other offers.

Most memorable moment this season? After the last second [of the WPIAL championship] at Heinz Field, knowing we won it three times in a row.

Favorite class? History.

Thanksgiving food you must have? Stuffing.

Who would play you in a movie? My brother Logan [a sophomore lineman]. He’s exactly like me, except he likes to talk a little more than me.

Anyone in the world you could invite to Thanksgiving dinner: Aaron Donald. He’s a defensive tackle and I’m a defensive tackle.

Career, if not an athlete or coach? I have to figure that out for myself, so I don’t know.

People might be surprised to know that: I still play the cello in the school orchestra.

The scoop: Gmiter was a key piece of the Black Hawks’ run-stopping defense. Bethel Park limited opponents to 19.1 points per game.

College talk: Gmiter is committed to play at West Virginia.

Most memorable moment this season? Winning the section championship against our rivals, Mt. Lebanon.

Favorite class? Probably psychology.

Thanksgiving food you must have? Stuffing.

Who would play you in a movie? I’ll just say The Rock.

Anyone in the world you could invite to Thanksgiving dinner: I’d invite my grandfather who passed away because I miss him.

Career, if not an athlete or coach? Law enforcement.

People might be surprised to know that: I can sneeze with my eyes open.

The scoop: Green has been a three-year starter for the Vikings and has helped Central Catholic to two WPIAL titles during that time. In his three years as a starter, the Vikings’ defense has limited opponents to less than 20 points per game, on average.

College talk: Green is committed to Pitt.

Most memorable moment this season? The summer workouts, helping our young kids get ready for the season and just preparing them, getting their minds ready.

Favorite class? Can I pick lunch?

Thanksgiving food you must have? A lot of people say it’s nasty, but I’m going to have to say hot sauce.

Who would play you in a movie? Michael B. Jordan.

Anyone in the world you could invite to Thanksgiving dinner: LeBron James, because he’s just a great mentor to everyone and I believe in a room full of people he just inspires everybody.

Career, if not an athlete or coach? I think I’d be a businessman. Work in a little cubicle.

People might be surprised to know that: That I’m terrified of dogs.

The scoop: Led Quakers to first WPIAL football title. Has rushed for 1,076 yards and scored 26 TDs. Completed 112-234 for 1,942 yards and 24 TDs. Three-year starter at linebacker. Leading scorer on basketball team last year that played for WPIAL title.

College talk: Duquesne, Robert Morris, Slippery Rock are showing interest.

Most memorable moment this season? It’s tough to pick one. I’d say when I look back years from now, I’ll always remember the huddle at the end of the WPIAL championship and telling the team to get in victory formation. That was hard to say without getting emotional and not crying.

Favorite class? Physics.

Thanksgiving food you must have? Stuffing and gravy together.

Who would play you in a movie? I saw this on Twitter the other day [laugh]. Whoever the guy is that played “Sunshine” in Remember The Titans.

Anyone in the world you could invite to Thanksgiving dinner: Jerome Bettis. He’ll be able to talk about food and football.

Career, if not an athlete or coach? Engineer.

People might be surprised to know that: I’m an uncle twice already.

The scoop: An all-conference pick since his freshman season. Hard-hitting linebacker who has led Ironmen in tackles as a sophomore and junior. Excellent against the run and makes plays from sideline to sideline.

College talk: With a little more height, Hill would probably be recruited by a number of major colleges. Cincinnati, Robert Morris and Slippery Rock have offered.

Most memorable moment this season? Last week, winning [in the WPIAL semifinals] in overtime.

Favorite class? Chemistry.

Thanksgiving food you must have? Yams.

Who would play you in a movie? Kevin Hart.

Anyone in the world you could invite to Thanksgiving dinner: Ray Lewis. He inspired me since I was a little kid.

Career, if not an athlete or coach? Astronomy or scientist. I really like the stars.

People might be surprised to know that: I can do back flips. A bunch together.

The scoop: Outstanding athlete who played QB, RB and DB this season. Rushed for 1,412 yards on 193 carries and threw for more than 500. Scored 24 touchdowns. Had over 2,000 yards rushing in two years. Four-year varsity player. Also four-year starter in basketball who has more than 1,000 points. Younger brother of Malik Hooker of the Indianapolis Colts.

College talk: Hooker made a verbal commitment this summer to Ohio State, the same place where his brother played.

Most memorable moment this season? When a kid on our team, Tre Epps, would just start clapping. That’s how we knew we were going to win.

Favorite class? Definitely English. I like reading books.

Thanksgiving food you must have? Mac and cheese and ham. Grandmas.

Who would play you in a movie? Chris Tucker.

Anyone in the world you could invite to Thanksgiving dinner: LeBron James.

Career, if not an athlete or coach? Something in the sports medicine field.

People might be surprised to know that: I am very strong and that’s underestimated by a lot of people with me.

The scoop: Jackson tallied 70 catches for 1,464 yards, helping Gateway to a WPIAL championship. He caught 30 passes last year and has 100 catches for 1,975 yards the past two years.

College talk: Jackson has offers from Howard and Robert Morris but has not committed to either school yet.

Most memorable moment this season? It’d be the Armstrong game when I broke the receiving touchdown record in the game.

Favorite class? I would have to say my Spanish class.

Thanksgiving food you must have? Macaroni and cheese. I have to have either my aunt or my mom’s macaroni and cheese.

Who would play you in a movie? I would say Chris Tucker.

Anyone in the world you could invite to Thanksgiving dinner: LeBron. Because he’s wise and he’s been through a lot and I feel like he’d have good things to offer.

Career, if not an athlete or coach? I think I’d want to go into some kind of engineering.

The scoop: Averaged close to a first down every time he carried the ball. Ran for 1,313 yards on 139 carries for an average of 9.4 yards. Those numbers could have been much higher, but the team-focused Jordan shared the load in McKeesport’s flexbone triple-option offensive scheme. Also an excellent DB.

College talk: Jordan has visits with Temple and Toledo on the horizon. Most colleges like him as a defensive back.

Most memorable moment this season? Every day was a memorable moment because it was the last of my high school career.

Favorite class? Algebra and English.

Thanksgiving food you must have? Ham, stuffing, macaroni...everything is good, actually. I don't like turkey, though.

Who would play you in a movie? I’m gonna say I’ll play myself.

Anyone in the world you could invite to Thanksgiving dinner: My cousin because he died when I was younger and that was my closest, closest friend.

Career, if not an athlete or coach? Engineer or somebody who builds.

People might be surprised to know that: I’m a nice and friendly person and easy to get along with.

The scoop: Considered one of best QBs in WPIAL in decades. Is having a season and career for the ages. One of only two players in WPIAL history to throw for at least 7,000 yards and run for more than 2,000. This season, is 191 of 253 (75 percent) for 3,279 yards and 33 TDs. Has rushed for 908 yards. Career: 471-684 for 7,512 yards (fifth-best in WPIAL history) and 65 TDs. Also has rushed for 2,639.

College talk: Made verbal commitment to Notre Dame during spring of sophomore year. Also had offers from a number of schools around the country.

Most memorable moment this season? Winning the WPIAL championship at Heinz Field.

Favorite class? Astronomy.

Thanksgiving food you must have? Mashed potatoes and gravy.

Who would play you in a movie? Will Ferrell.

Anyone in the world you could invite to Thanksgiving dinner: Takeru Kobayashi [legendary competitive eater].

Career, if not an athlete or coach? A traveler. Anywhere around the world.

People might be surprised to know that: I have five siblings, including a 19-year-old brother and a 1-year-old sister.

The scoop: A starter since his sophomore season, Katic is already one of the top junior linemen in the WPIAL. Katic is adept at run or pass blocking. Has 28 tackles on defense.

College talk: Has visited Akron and will check out Naval Academy in spring. More offers should be on the way in the future.

Most memorable moment this season? I think it's obvious, but it has to be winning the WPIAL championship.

Favorite class? I like chemistry and physics.

Thanksgiving food you must have? Stuffing.

Who would play you in a movie? Probably Jonah Hill.

Anyone in the world you could invite to Thanksgiving dinner: My grandpa. He passed away when I was 4. He was in the army and also played college football. I bet he has some great stories.

Career, if not an athlete or coach? I would like to work for my dad. He’s a carpenter and a cabinet maker who has his own business.

People might be surprised to know that: I can almost do a backflip. People don’t expect that from a big guy.

The scoop: Kennedy, whose nickname is Poogie, can boogie all over the field. As the team’s starting quarterback, he completed 77 of 139 passes for 1,264 yards and 23 touchdowns. Now playing receiver for a team that has made the WPIAL Class A final. Has run for additional 923 yards. As a defensive back, he has nine interceptions and has returned four for touchdowns.

College talk: Kennedy said he does not have any offers just yet, but he is hoping a few roll in.

Most memorable moment this season? It would be last Friday beating Clairton.

Favorite class? Definitely English.

Thanksgiving food you must have? My mom's mac-n-cheese. It’s my mother's touch, she just makes it amazing.

Who would play you in a movie? Probably my little cousin [8-year old] Kymone. He looks up to me and he knows a lot about me.

Anyone in the world you could invite to Thanksgiving dinner: Definitely my dad. He passed away.

Career, if not an athlete or coach? I’m not really sure.

People might be surprised to know that: I really love playing soccer.

The scoop: A three-year letterwinner and two-time all-conference selection. Made all-conference on defense as a junior, but first-team on offense this season. Despite playing for a 3-6 team, he was a hot recruit who decided to stay local.

College talk: Was heavily recruited and Kradel made a verbal commitment to Pitt in May and has not wavered. Ohio State, West Virginia, Maryland, Rutgers, Virginia Tech and UCLA were among his other finalists.

Most memorable moment this season? Probably getting a 28-26 win (against Canon-McMillan) on senior night in my last high school game.

Favorite class? Math.

Thanksgiving food you must have? Definitely turkey.

Who would play you in a movie? Let’s go with The Rock.

Anyone in the world you could invite to Thanksgiving dinner: I would probably have to say J.J. Watt. He might eat all the turkey, but that’s cool.

Career, if not an athlete or coach? Probably be a sports agent.

People might be surprised to know that: I’m a big outdoors guy. I love to hunt and do a lot of fishing.

The scoop: Big, imposing lineman who helped Pine-Richland win a WPIAL Class 6A championship. Future is on offense. Also a starter on Pine-Richland’s WPIAL champion basketball team. Father is a former football player at Pitt.

College talk: One of the most heavily-recruited juniors in the WPIAL. Pitt, WVU, Ohio State and Wisconsin among offers.

Most memorable moment this season? Winning the WPIAL was obviously great, but I’d say earlier in the year one of our linemen [Patrick Cunningham] who doesn’t play much got a ‘pick six.’ That was a cool moment.

Favorite class? Social studies.

Thanksgiving food you must have? Definitely mashed potatoes.

Who would play you in a movie? My little cousin [Ryan Lippert] who’s 11 years old right now and looks exactly like me when I was the same age.

Anyone in the world you could invite to Thanksgiving dinner: I’ll just go Antonio Brown because he lives in our school district and he’s a real big character.

Career, if not an athlete or coach? Something in business.

People might be surprised to know that: I’m the best swimming pool basketball player around.

The scoop: A defensive menace at middle linebacker, Lauer was dominant for the Panthers the past few years. He finished as the school's all-time leading tackler with 368, including 254 solo stops and 36 for loss. He averaged 20 tackles a game through the first half of this season and finished with 161 in 10 games, including 105 solo stops. He also had three fumble recoveries and an interception.

College talk: Duquesne and Robert Morris are among his offers.

Most memorable moment this season? My most memorable moment this season was beating McKeesport because no one thought we could win.

Favorite class? Trigonometry because we talk about sports with the teacher a lot.

Thanksgiving food you must have? One food I have to have is stuffing because that’s just about everyone's favorite.

Anyone in the world you could invite to Thanksgiving dinner: Travis Pastrana because he does some crazy stuff that I would want to do.

Career, if not an athlete or coach? A plumber or an electrician.

People might be surprised to know that: I’m an avid outdoorsman.

The scoop: A three-year starter, an all-conference selection and one of the most dominating linemen in WPIAL Class 5A. He helped pave the way offensively for the Warriors, who finished 11-2 and made it all the way to the WPIAL 5A championship game. He also starred as a defensive lineman for a unit that shut out three opponents this season.

College talk: Seton Hill, West Virginia Wesleyan and West Virginia State have made scholarship offers.

Most memorable moment this season? I would have to say playing at Heinz Field [in the WPIAL final] again.

Favorite class? Physics.

Thanksgiving food you must have? Definitely have to say stuffing with sausage.

Who would play you in a movie? I’m gonna have to go with Channing Tatum.

Anyone in the world you could invite to Thanksgiving dinner: Martin Luther King Jr.

Career, if not an athlete or coach? Definitely being a physical therapist and having my own practice.

People might be surprised to know that: Oh, wow I really don’t know. Pass.

The scoop: Coach Joe Rossi calls him one of the best all-around players ever for the Lions. Had 52 receptions for 935 yards - both team highs - and scored 12 touchdowns. He averaged 18 yards per reception. Caught 87 passes in two seasons. Led team in tackles this season with 75 and had five sacks.

College talk: Plack has committed to the University of Delaware, although he will make a visit to Temple and he also has been offered by Connecticut. Pitt also has showed some interest lately.

Most memorable moment this season? I’d say beating Montour. That was the end of the season for the conference title. That was on TV and it was a fun time.

Favorite class? American Cultures. I like history a lot. I find it really interesting, how we came to be.

Thanksgiving food you must have? I just eat eat turkey, that’s it.

Who would play you in a movie? Will Smith. People always say I look like him.

Anyone in the world you could invite to Thanksgiving dinner: Probably Joey Chestnut to see how much he could eat of something that's not hot dogs.

Career, if not an athlete or coach? I want to be a physical therapist.

People might be surprised to know that: I can solve a Rubik’s cube in around a minute and half.

The scoop: Saxton completed 157 of 248 passes for 2,749 and 33 touchdowns this season. In his South Fayette career, Saxton completed 350 of 712 passes for 7,452 yards and 94 touchdowns, making him the sixth leading passer in WPIAL history.

College talk: Saxton is looking into playing at a Division lll school like Case Western, Ithaca or Westminster.

Most memorable moment this season? I’d say it was our New Castle game. That was a really fun game to play in and they gave us our best shot and we knew we were going to have a good game just from the years past. But that was the most fun thing that’s happened to us as a team and as an individual it was just a really fun game to play in.

Favorite class? I’d say calculus. It’s a really tough class but it’s enjoyable.

Thanksgiving food you must have? Stuffing.

Who would play you in a movie? I want to say Leonardo DiCaprio.

Anyone in the world you could invite to Thanksgiving dinner: Probably Kanye West.

Career, if not an athlete or coach? A doctor, probably like an orthopedic surgeon or something like that, hopefully.

People might be surprised to know that: I’m really into music. My sophomore year I got stuck in a class, like a keyboard class. Musical piano. And I kind of liked it. I didn’t schedule it or anything, I kind of got thrown into it because my schedule got messed up. But I really enjoyed it and now I can kind of play the piano I guess.

The scoop: Never played football at any level until last season, and has blossomed into a two-way standout who will play major-college football. Has seven interceptions this season and returned three for touchdowns. Also second on the team in receptions. Has never lost a game in his two years of football at Steel Valley.

College talk: Will decide between Purdue and Kent State and plans to make decision soon. Recruited as a defensive back.

Most memorable moment this season? The game where I deflected a ball, slid on the turf and just gave my coach a funny look. It was the most hilarious thing I ever did.

Favorite class? Math.

Thanksgiving food you must have? Ham, macaroni and cheese, and a little bit of yams.

Who would play you in a movie? Probably Eddie Murphy.

Anyone in the world you could invite to Thanksgiving dinner: Tom Brady. He’s been my idol since I was younger.

Career, if not an athlete or coach? Own a business.

People might be surprised to know that: I can snowboard very well.

The scoop: Walker finished his career at Gateway as the third-leading passer in WPIAL history with 7,768 yards (489 of 827). This season, he completed 230 of 362 passes for 3,609 yards and 28 touchdowns, helping the Gators to a WPIAL 5A championship.

College talk: Walker doesn’t have any concrete offers right now but is in conversations with some.

Most memorable moment this season? There’s a lot of memories we made this year, but it has to be going to Heinz Field. Just the experience. Going down to Pittsburgh and playing in the big stadium like that.

Favorite class? There’s not too many of them, but I’m going to have to go with history. I like learning about old America. It’s interesting learning about what happened to our country.

Thanksgiving food you must have? Mashed potatoes all the way, and gravy, obviously.

Who would play you in a movie? Brad Pitt.

Anyone in the world you could invite to Thanksgiving dinner: Barack Obama. I don’t even know him like that, but I did like him and he’s a great guy and he has great speeches.

Career, if not an athlete or coach? I’d love to be a physical education teacher or a health teacher. I like teaching kids at all levels and it would just be cool to be a physical education teacher.