WPIAL Defensive Players of the Year

Another season has come and gone for high school football in Pennsylvania. We have the WPIAL defensive players of the year from each class (6).   WPIAL CLASS 1A Jerome Mullins Jerome Mullins 6'1" | 165 lbs | DB Chester | 2023 State PA (SOPH) Cornerback – Rochester High School Jerome had a pretty impressive season as a sophomore. In his first year as a starter he recorded 37 total tackles, 26 solo, 3 interceptions, and 1 fumble recovery. Jerome was part of their WPIAL playoff run but lost in the semifinals.  He is on this list because he is a really good player and is expected to continue to make an impact for the next couple years.   WPIAL CLASS 2A Shileak Livingston (SR) Linebacker 6’0 220 – Beaver Falls Shileak had a good season and was part of the reason they were WPIAL champions. He had 70 total tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles on the season. The 1 forced fumble he caused was In the WPIAL championship game. Not only did Shileak play a part on defense, but he took some of the workload off Josh Hough Josh Hough 6'1" | 245 lbs | RB Beaver Falls | 2021 State PA at running back as well with over 1,200 yards rushing and 21 touchdowns. Shileak has a few offers at the D2 level.   WPIAL CLASS 3A Sean FitzSimmons Sean FitzSimmons 6'3" | 275 lbs | DL Central Valley | 2022 State PA (JR) Defensive Tackle 6’3 275 – Central Valley High School Sean continued his dominance from last year into this season and helped his team to a state title. He is a force to be reckoned with on the inside. He had 112 total tackles, 51 solo, 36 tackles for loss, 18 sacks, and 48 QB hurries. Sean already holds a couple of Power 5 offers in Pitt and Wake Forest. Reason to believe he is the top defensive lineman from the WPIAL in the 2022 class. From his sophomore and junior seasons combined he has recorded 245 total tackles, 103 solo, 62 tackles for loss, 27 sacks, and 100 QB hurries. Can’t wait to see what he does next year.   WPIAL CLASS 4A Cole Weightman Cole Weightman 6'3" | 215 lbs | LB Belle Vernon | 2022 State PA (JR) Linebacker 6’3 210 – Belle Vernon High School After having an impressive sophomore year, Cole did not disappoint in his junior campaign. He recorded a total of 129 tackles, 29 tackles for loss, and 4 sacks during the regular season. It’s surprising he still has no offers, even though he was extremely productive. It’s unfortunate they lost in the 2^nd round of the playoffs, but with young guys emerging this season like Devin Whitlock Devin Whitlock 5'8" | 165 lbs | ATH Belle Vernon | 2022 State PA and Quinton Martin Quinton Martin 6'3" | 200 lbs | ATH Belle Vernon | 2024 State PA , expect them to go far in the playoffs next season. Leading the way for them will be Cole who is the heart and soul of that defense.   WPIAL CLASS 5A Luke Miller Luke Miller 6'1" | 190 lbs | LB Pine-Richland | 2021 PA (SR) Linebacker 6’2 210 – Pine-Richland High School Luke was a big factor this season and helping them win the state title. He was also part of a record-setting season for Pine-Richland. His QB broke the record for most victories in a career (32), and his defensive teammate broke the career sack record (33), and a couple others. Luke also broke a record with the most tackles in a single game with 23 in the PIAA semifinals against Governor Mifflin. This season he recorded 102 total tackles, 19 tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks. He also recorded an interception. In the state finals against Cathedral Prep he had 16 tackles and a forced fumble. From his junior and senior year combined, he recorded 214 total tackles, 35 tackles for loss, and 9.5 sacks. Kent State is getting a really good linebacker and it will be interesting to see what he does at the next level.   WPIAL CLASS 6A JD Younger JD Younger 5'11" | 190 lbs | DB Greensburg Central Catholic | 2022 State PA (JR) Safety 5’11 190 – Pittsburgh Central Catholic High School JD continues to impress with a really good junior campaign. He has been productive and consistent in the back end of the defense as a 2^nd year starter. This season he recorded 30 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 1 interception, and 1 forced fumble in 8 games. He has been a big reason why Central Catholic has been WPIAL 6A champions twice as a starter. JD would have loved to add to those stats, but unfortunately, they had to forfeit the PIAA playoffs due to Covid. From his sophomore and junior year combined he’s recorded, 63 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 4 pass breakups, 1 interception, and 1 forced fumble. JD has performed extremely well at the highest level in PA. He is going to come out firing his senior season since they missed out on another title this year.