Jan 12, 2016 6 min read

1 / 7

Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter Canon-McMillan’s #32 Bryan Milligan, picks up yard against Peters Township for the first down on Friday, Sept. 18 at Canon-McMillan Memorial Stadium

CELESTE VAN KIRK

2 / 7

Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter McGuffey’s Marcus Czulewicz picks up yards against Burgettstown during a game at McGuffey High School on Friday, Oct. 16, 2015

CELESTE VAN KIRK

3 / 7

Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter Ringgold’s Brenden Small runs for a first down against Belle Vernon at James Weir Stadium on Friday, Oct. 9, 2015

CELESTE VAN KIRK

4 / 7

Katie Roupe/Observer-Reporter Wash High’s Isaiah Robinson catches a pass for a touchdown during the fourth quarter of the Prexies’ WPIAL quarterfinal game against Freeport.

Katie Roupe

5 / 7

South Fayette’s Ryhan Culberson makes a reception and breaks away from a Steel Valley defender in the WPIAL semifinals. Culberson scored on a 35-yard touchdown pass to give the Lions the lead, 20-13, at halftime.

Eleanor Bailey

6 / 7

Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter Belle Vernon’s Mike Fine is dragged down by Ringgold’s Easton Fine during a game at James Weir Stadium on Friday, Oct. 9, 2015

CELESTE VAN KIRK

7 / 7

Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter Peters Township’s T.J.Kpan picks up yard against Canon-McMillan’s #3 Jordan Camp for the first down on Friday, Sept. 18 at Canon-McMillan’s Memorial Stadium

CELESTE VAN KIRK

[expand]

close

The class of 2016 provided plenty of memories on the football field. From Hunter Hayes to Khalid Blount, the area is losing so many talented players, but as usual, there is another class ready to fill the void.

We’re more than seven months away from the next WPIAL football season, but let’s take a break from basketball to breakdown the top talent returning and there’s plenty of it.

Drew Saxton, South Fayette

The 5-11 pocket passer threw for 1,981 yards and 31 touchdowns to lead the Lions back to Heinz Field. Oh, and he was only a sophomore. South Fayette has him for two more years in 4A, which will definitely be up for grabs. With the weapons he has returning, look for another big year.

Marcus Czulewicz, McGuffey

The area’s top dual-threat quarterback as a junior, Czulewicz gained 1,864 total yards with 24 touchdown. He passed for 1,064 yards and 15 scores, while rushing for a team-high 804 and eight scores to help the Highlanders return to the WPIAL playoffs. The knock on some guys like him is accuracy, but he completed 53.9 percent of his passes.

Skeptical? Go watch the Highlanders’ tape from the second half of the Wash High game.

Josh Hughes, Bentworth

The junior helped the Bearcats break an eight-year playoff drought by passing for 2,010 yards and 25 touchdowns. He did it on a sprained ankle and it was impressive how two of Bentworth’s receivers led the WPIAL in receptions.

Bentworth will likely be in a conference that doesn’t have dominant pass defenses. Like Saxton, Hughes is in for another big season.

Mike Fine, Belle Vernon

Fine threw for only 440 yards and had seven interceptions with only one touchdown pass, but he’s incredibly tough to stop as a runner. Try tackling a 6-1, 225-pound quarterback. Few teams could.

Fine ran for 708 yards and 13 touchdowns to help the Leopards go undefeated in the regular season, win the conference title and reach the WPIAL Class AAA quarterfinals.

He’s also very tough on defense as a middle linebacker. Finished third on the team with 35 solo tackles.

George Martin, Ringgold

His first year as a starting quarterback was interesting. Martin has a big arm and his performance against West Mifflin, particularly in the second half, should make college coaches drool. He also struggled at times, but I’m chalking that up to learning.

He’ll be a senior next fall and has the pure talent to not only be the best quarterback in the area, but one of the best in the WPIAL. Go watch the tape. At times, he looked the part in 2015. Look for him to take a big step forward.

Others to watch: Jaden Altomore of Monessen, Devon Brown of Fort Cherry, Brad McLaughlin of Burgettstown, Dylan Kern of Trinity and T.J. Johnston of Chartiers-Houston

Bryan Milligan, Canon-McMillan

Was there a better player who was talked about so little during the season? Milligan, a 5-10 junior, ran for 1,607 yards (tops in Quad-A and sixth-best in the WPIAL). In the Big Macs’ final four games of the season, which included two wins, Milligan ran for 968 yards and nine touchdowns.

He did it behind an inexperienced line and most of his yards were after contact. The Big Macs’ line will improve and the conference could be weaker, plus he can flat out play.

Brenden Small, Ringgold

I have an interesting question: if Chacar Berry or Small got every carry in the Rams’ offense, what would their stats have looked like? Both are great players running behind a strong line in a system that is run heavy. Well, Berry is graduated and now it’s Small’s turn to shine. He’ll only be a junior and he’s poised for a breakout season and could receive a ton of carries in that system.

TJ Kpan, Peters Township

Kpan will be a senior and if it wasn’t for injuries this season, he would have been generating some serious recruiting buzz. One of the bigger job openings in the area is the one in McMurray, so I’m curious what type of offense the Indians will run.

Whoever gets the job would be smart to hand the ball to Kpan.

Dylan Rush, Mapletown

Rush, a 5-9 sophomore, is a two-year starter and just ran for 1,430 yards with 21 touchdowns. I’m excited to see what he can do over the next two years.

Joey Koroly, Trinity

One of the best overall athletes in the area the past two years, Koroly will only be a junior next fall in an offense that is very good at running the ball. He missed time because of injury as a sophomore, but if the Hillers find replacements on the offense line he certainly has the talent to thrive.

Others to watch: Joe Headlee of Jefferson-Morgan, whoever grabs the starting job for Wash High (Lyle Webb?), Adam Townsend of McGuffey, Jaron Youngblood of Monessen and Nick Cook of Fort Cherry

Isaiah Robinson, Washington

A 6-1 athletic target, Robinson is great when the ball is in the air and should flourish as a senior in an offense that will likely be more balanced in 2016. He showed he’s got serious talent in the second half against Freeport in the WPIAL quarterfinals.

Dan Trimbur, South Fayette

Was there a better receiver in the WPIAL on third down? The 6-4 sure-handed receiver caught 36 passes for 570 yards and 10 touchdowns. Though he did benefit from lining up across from Nick Ponikvar, preventing opponents from doubling him, he can get open and is great in the red zone.

Dalton Holt, Ringgold

Holt, a 6-0 speedster, can line up in the slot or on the outside. He’s also a great blocker and is reliable. Now that Martin has experience, I think Ringgold will be passing more in 2016 and the main target will be Holt.

Plus, try bracketing him. The Rams also have Octavius Vassar and Darius Tyree. This offense has the potential to be great once again and Holt is one of the reasons why.

Others to watch: Greyden Piechnick of Canon-McMillan, Cody Brown of Carmichaels, Teague Nicolella of McGuffey and A.J. Myers of Chartiers-Houston.

Ryhan Culberson, South Fayette

He’s the best receiving tight end I’ve seen in person at the high school level. That’s a bold statement, but he’s that dynamic. Check out the progression he made in the WPIAL playoffs this fall. Led the Lions with 12 touchdowns catches and is fast enough to create separation.

He’s a big matchup problem.