Top players from WPIAL Tri-County 2024 Class

<p>For 15 years I coached football in and around Central Pennsylvania. I coached at William Penn (York, PA), Kennard-Dale (as head coach), J.P. McCaskey High School and Lancaster Catholic. At each stop we had some success and some down years, but one thing I always admired was the talent that came out of the WPIAL. The teams, the players and the tradition is nothing like it in the state. Philadelphia area is very similar, but it is also very different. So once I accepted this job I decided I wanted to devote my time to helping research and understand WPIAL football. This is my 1st article on WPIAL and I am so excited to write about some of the best players in WPIAL and the state. Oh, boy is this part of the state loaded with talent. I am going to start with the Tri-County 2024 prospects. This is all 6A schools and includes North Allegheny, Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Mt. Lebanon, Seneca Valley and Cannon-McMillan. So we begin the journey to WPIAL </p>    <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='97978' first='Anthony' last='Speca'] Pittsburgh Central Catholic. </strong>1st Pittsburgh Central Catholic reputation speaks for itself when it comes to prospects playing at the next level. Wow you can see on film why Speca is the 9th rated prospect and top linebacker in the state in our prep redzone rankings. Speca has great read and react ability from his linebacker position. He is a classic middle linebacker who can go sideline to sideline and chase down players. I saw several times on film where the offense tried to trick him with a screen or a reverse and he blew it up every time. What separates Speca though from other linebacker prospects is his play making ability. On film he has striped the ball from offensive players, tipped passes, intercepts the ball and blocked several kicks. Also he has the ability to take on bigger offensive lineman and shed them to make the play. Finally he is excellent at blitzing. Speca is a total package, he is already committed to Penn State. The Nittany Lions are getting an elite prospect. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/aspeca6/status/1615394929680711693?s=20 </div></figure>    <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='147895' first='Cameron' last='Chmura'] North Allegheny</strong>. Chmura is an elite interior defensive tackle. He uses his hands very well to shed blocks and disrupt the offense. The other thing he excels at is using leverage to get under the offensive lineman and with his strength he is able to push the offensive lineman back. He also has a high motor and is able to chase down ball carriers and quarterbacks. He projects as a 3 tech in college who should be able disrupt offenses. The one area he needs to improve is his pass rushing moves. Once he continues to develop this sky the limit for him as a player. He recently got an offer from James Madison and Columbia University. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/CameronChmura/status/1598431009267404800?s=20 </div></figure>    <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='164149' first='Peter' last='Gonzalez'] Pittsburgh Central Catholic</strong>. Gonzalez is an impressive prospect at the wide receiver position. 1st he has great size standing at 6'2. Next he is really good at the 50/50 balls in coverage. He will go up and get the ball. Gonzalez is also deadly after the catch. You can throw the ball on a slant and he can make plenty of yards after the catch. An underrated area for a wide receiver to accel at is catching the ball in traffic. Gonzalez is very good at using his hands and catching the ball in traffic. Gonzalez is really what teams are looking for in a wide receiver. He has size, good hands and can make every catch. He is expected to get plenty of high division 1 looks and recently snagged an offer from Iowa State. </p>    <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='255734' first='Connor' last='Young'] Mt. Lebanon</strong>. Young is a game wrecking defensive end who played up and down the defensive line for Mt. Lebanon. His versatility really stands out on his film. I seen him play defensive tackle, some nose tackle and defensive end. He uses his hands very well and is built like brick house, so offensive lineman cannot move him. Like a lot of good lineman his motor never stops. I saw him chase down a wide receiver screen and make the tackle 20 yards down field. Young is an elite defensive tackle that projects as a interior defensive lineman at the next level. Columbia and Dartmouth both have recently offered Young. I expect more colleges will take a look at him going forward. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/ConnorYoung21/status/1626205533253554180?s=20 </div></figure>    <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='255945' first='Ty' last='Yuhas'] Pittsburgh Central Catholic</strong>. Yuhas is a excellent defensive end prospect that contains the edge very well. For someone who is 6'4" Yuhas has great bend. He can bend his body very well and gain leverage against the offensive lineman. He has an exceptional get off and is twitchy off the ball. It is impressive how good he is at attacking off the line of scrimmage and going through or around offensive lineman. Again a common theme in this article his motor is ridiculous. He is constantly chasing down offensive players. Yuhas is a high Division 1 player who as already committed to the hometown Pitt Panthers. Pitts tradition of good defensive lineman will continue with Yuhas. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/Tyuhas5587/status/1623809011840700416?s=20 </div></figure>    <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='259541' first='Beckham' last='Dee'] Mt. Lebanon</strong>. Dee is a very instinctive linebacker who is a sure tackler from his linebacker position. His ability to read and react to the play and then come up and make a sure tackle is very good. He can also drop and coverage and read the quarterbacks eyes very well. The other thing he does well is he can blitz from his linebacker position. He is is able to come up field, disguise the blitz then blitz and make a play on a ball carrier or the quarterback. Dee isn't the biggest linebacker, but projects as a outside linebacker at the next level. He recently got an offer from Princeton and Columbia. </p>    <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='377047' first='Cole' last='Sullivan'] Pittsburgh Central Catholic</strong>. Wow imagine trying to play Pittsburgh Central Catholic with Sullivan and Speca playing linebacker. Sullivan should be higher on this list because he is a dynamic player at outside linebacker. He just flies up the field and makes plays. The kid is a very twitchy and elite athlete that can do anything at linebacker. He sets the edge very well and no one can run outside on him. He is a sure tackler who really hits offensive players hard. Sullivan also is very good at reading and reacting to the play developing. Finally he is excellent at dropping in coverage and playing the ball. Sullivan is a high Division 1 player who recently got offers from the University of Miami, University of Wisconsin and Utah. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/ColeSull18/status/1626727575698407424?s=20 </div></figure>    <p><strong>Kaedeon Singleton</strong> <strong>Cannon-McMillan</strong>. A super athletic twitchy defensive end. Singleton is dynamic off the edge. He is a really good athletic that explodes off the ball. Do not try to do a bootleg against him to his side or you will not be successful. Even if he initially goes inside he is so athletic he can make up for it by going back outside. As a pass rusher he doesn't have many moves yet, but he is so athletic and fast that it doesn't matter at this point. Singleton is still learning to play football, but he is so athletic that he will have a chance as a Senior to really improve his stock. Also his frame is really good and he is only gonna get stronger. Singleton is a player to watch out for this recruiting cycle. </p>   <p></p>

For 15 years I coached football in and around Central Pennsylvania. I coached at William Penn (York, PA), Kennard-Dale (as head coach), J.P. McCaskey High School and Lancaster Catholic. At each stop we had some success and some down years, but one thing I always admired was the talent that came out of the WPIAL. The teams, the players and the tradition is nothing like it in the state. Philadelphia area is very similar, but it is also very different. So once I accepted this job I decided I wanted to devote my time to helping research and understand WPIAL football. This is my 1st article on WPIAL and I am so excited to write about some of the best players in WPIAL and the state. Oh, boy is this part of the state loaded with talent. I am going to start with the Tri-County 2024 prospects. This is all 6A schools and includes North Allegheny, Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Mt. Lebanon, Seneca Valley and Cannon-McMillan. So we begin the journey to WPIAL