The WPIAL All-Decade Team

by Karlo Zovko

Posted July 22, 2013 3:48 pm

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pryor

 

 

The WPIAL is known to produce top blue-chip talent year in and year out.  But who makes the cut for the best of the best?  Preps.com has compromised a list of the top players from the past decade.  We also created a highlight to really illustrate how great these guys actually were.

QB: Terrelle Pryor (Jeannette):  Where to start with Pryor?  He’s considered to be the most recruited athlete in high school sports ever as he was the #1 player in the nation in football and a top 50 player in the nation in basketball.  There is only one word to describe Terrelle Pryor: Unstoppable.  He did whatever he wanted on the football field and deserved every ounce credit the media gave him.  He was by far the greatest player to ever step foot on a WPIAL football field.

 

Anthony Morelli (Penn Hills):  We threw on another QB on the list as Pryor made it unfair when talking about the greatest WPIAL QB the last decade.  Morelli starred at Penn Hills where he was rated on most sites as the nation’s top pocket passer.  He had crazy accuracy and ridiculous arm strength and was a complete stud in high school.

 

RB: Rushel Shell (Hopewell):  The state’s all-time leading rusher.  Shell put up ridiculous stats week in and week out throughout his high school career.  With all respect to Tony Dorsett, Rushel Shell is the greatest runningback the WPIAL has encountered.

 

Jordan Hall (Jeannette): Pryor’s partner in crime.  He graduated a year after Terrelle but followed in his footsteps to Ohio State.  Hall was crazy quick on the field and had a knack of making people miss.  Hall was also punishing.  Don’t let his moves fool you, Hall could be a bruiser.

 

WR:  Robert Foster (Central Valley):  Foster is probably the biggest freak of nature next to Pryor the WPIAL has seen.  Blessed with ridiculous size and speed, Foster was the major reason Central Valley was so dominant when they opened up their new school.

 

Jon Baldwin (Aliquippa):  Baldwin played great for his Quips.  He lined up at tight end and wide receiver.  He caught anything you threw at him.  When lined up inside the box, he blocked like a tackle with his ridiculous size.

 

Steve Breaston (Woodland Hills): Breaston was silky smooth.  He is the type of runner that “glides” down the field.  He never lost speed when he made his cuts and is one of the shiftiest players the WPIAL has even saw.

 

TE: Rob Gronkowski (Woodland Hills):  Size was Gronk’s major upside in high school (and still to this day) when out in a pattern.  He also possessed crazy athleticism with a player of his frame.  He made the most of it and terrorized opposing defenses blocking and receiving.

 

Offensive Line: Jason Pinkston (Baldwin), Lucas Nix (Thomas Jefferson), A.Q. Shipley (Moon), Stefan Wisniewski (Central Catholic), Patrick Kugler (North Allegheny): All five of these guys were just completely dominant in the trenches for their respective teams.  They lined up and completely mauled whoever had the job of lining up against them.

 

Athletes: Dorin Dickerson (West Allegheny): Dickerson was probably the most versatile player in WPIAL history.  He lined up wherever his team needed him, whether it was QB, RB, WR, TE, S, CB, OLB.  He earned the nickname “Scorin Dorin” as he seemingly scored 4+ times a game.  He made all players in the Triple A classification look foolish as he danced around the field and into the endzone.

 

Tyler Boyd (Clairton): By far the most decorated WPIAL player ever.  Boyd captured four straight state titles for his bears and earned an invitation to the U.S. Army All-American game.  He then dominated in the Big 33 game where he won MVP honors.  To make it simple, Boyd is a winner and a competitor.  He leads the WPIAL in all-time touchdowns scored.  He has the size, speed, and versatility to continue his football career at a superstar level for a long time.

 

Returner: Cam Saddler (Gateway): There was no bigger threat receiving kicks than Saddler.  He was lightening in a bottle, and could score any given time the ball touched his hands.

 

DE: Shane Hayle (Gateway):  Hayle was Gateway’s prized defensive player when he graduated.  He lived up to all the hype he got in the 2007 WPIAL Final game. Though his team came up short, Hayle was a hell of a player that loved disrupting things.

 

Quentin Williams (Central Catholic):  Williams was the heart of the Viking team that took states in 2007.  He played with an edge and was mean and nasty.  Well deserving to make the All-Decade team.

 

DT:  Aaron Donald (Penn Hills): Donald was a big, dominating force that wreaked havoc.  He even made an appearance at the #2 spot on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays against Central Catholic his senior year.

 

John Malecki (Franklin Regional):  Malecki was a force on both sides of the ball.  Defensively, he used his bull rush to get to the QB and boy did it work.   He was one of the better defensive tackles in regards to sacking the QB.

 

OLB: Dorian Bell (Gateway):  Bell was the best linebacker coming out of high school in his class.  He possessed everything you wanted to see in a linebacker and has the ability to rush or cover.  He was a rare breed in high school and one of the most dominant defensive players the WPIAL has seen.

 

Scott McKillop (Kiski):  McKillop was more of a run stuffer for Kiski.  He lived for punishing running backs and it shows on his tape.

 

MLB: Paul Posluszy (Hopewell), Sean Lee (Upper St. Clair):  You cannot decide between which one of the two was greater.  Lee had a greater impact on offense but both went on to “Linebacker U” at Penn State to dominate up there.  Simply put, both were monsters in the WPIAL.

 

CB: Darrelle Revis (Aliquippa):  Is there any argument here? The WPIAL has seen many great corners the last 10 years, but the best corner on the planet resides right from the WPIAL.  Revis was the best player on the best Aliquippa team ever formed.

 

Justin King (Gateway):  King did it all for Gateway.  Offensively, he was one of the most dominant/electric players in the country and even played both ways at Penn State.

 

S: Demetrious Cox (Jeannette):  Cox was a ridiculous and to my thoughts an underrated player in high school.  Though he was a 4 star recruit, he really didn’t get the attention/appreciation he deserved on a national level.  This kid can flat out ball on both sides of the ball.

 

Dom DeCicco (Thomas Jefferson):  DeCicco was a major reason TJ dominated Triple A for so long.  He and his brothers could be considered the most dominate brothers in WPIAL history.

 

Below are Highlights of the Top plays from the players on the list:


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GIVE YOUR ANALYSIS:

The WPIAL All-Decade Team

by Karlo Zovko

Posted 3:48 pm

, , , , , , , , , ,

pryor

 

 

The WPIAL is known to produce top blue-chip talent year in and year out.  But who makes the cut for the best of the best?  Preps.com has compromised a list of the top players from the past decade.  We also created a highlight to really illustrate how great these guys actually were.

QB: Terrelle Pryor (Jeannette):  Where to start with Pryor?  He’s considered to be the most recruited athlete in high school sports ever as he was the #1 player in the nation in football and a top 50 player in the nation in basketball.  There is only one word to describe Terrelle Pryor: Unstoppable.  He did whatever he wanted on the football field and deserved every ounce credit the media gave him.  He was by far the greatest player to ever step foot on a WPIAL football field.

 

Anthony Morelli (Penn Hills):  We threw on another QB on the list as Pryor made it unfair when talking about the greatest WPIAL QB the last decade.  Morelli starred at Penn Hills where he was rated on most sites as the nation’s top pocket passer.  He had crazy accuracy and ridiculous arm strength and was a complete stud in high school.

 

RB: Rushel Shell (Hopewell):  The state’s all-time leading rusher.  Shell put up ridiculous stats week in and week out throughout his high school career.  With all respect to Tony Dorsett, Rushel Shell is the greatest runningback the WPIAL has encountered.

 

Jordan Hall (Jeannette): Pryor’s partner in crime.  He graduated a year after Terrelle but followed in his footsteps to Ohio State.  Hall was crazy quick on the field and had a knack of making people miss.  Hall was also punishing.  Don’t let his moves fool you, Hall could be a bruiser.

 

WR:  Robert Foster (Central Valley):  Foster is probably the biggest freak of nature next to Pryor the WPIAL has seen.  Blessed with ridiculous size and speed, Foster was the major reason Central Valley was so dominant when they opened up their new school.

 

Jon Baldwin (Aliquippa):  Baldwin played great for his Quips.  He lined up at tight end and wide receiver.  He caught anything you threw at him.  When lined up inside the box, he blocked like a tackle with his ridiculous size.

 

Steve Breaston (Woodland Hills): Breaston was silky smooth.  He is the type of runner that “glides” down the field.  He never lost speed when he made his cuts and is one of the shiftiest players the WPIAL has even saw.

 

TE: Rob Gronkowski (Woodland Hills):  Size was Gronk’s major upside in high school (and still to this day) when out in a pattern.  He also possessed crazy athleticism with a player of his frame.  He made the most of it and terrorized opposing defenses blocking and receiving.

 

Offensive Line: Jason Pinkston (Baldwin), Lucas Nix (Thomas Jefferson), A.Q. Shipley (Moon), Stefan Wisniewski (Central Catholic), Patrick Kugler (North Allegheny): All five of these guys were just completely dominant in the trenches for their respective teams.  They lined up and completely mauled whoever had the job of lining up against them.

 

Athletes: Dorin Dickerson (West Allegheny): Dickerson was probably the most versatile player in WPIAL history.  He lined up wherever his team needed him, whether it was QB, RB, WR, TE, S, CB, OLB.  He earned the nickname “Scorin Dorin” as he seemingly scored 4+ times a game.  He made all players in the Triple A classification look foolish as he danced around the field and into the endzone.

 

Tyler Boyd (Clairton): By far the most decorated WPIAL player ever.  Boyd captured four straight state titles for his bears and earned an invitation to the U.S. Army All-American game.  He then dominated in the Big 33 game where he won MVP honors.  To make it simple, Boyd is a winner and a competitor.  He leads the WPIAL in all-time touchdowns scored.  He has the size, speed, and versatility to continue his football career at a superstar level for a long time.

 

Returner: Cam Saddler (Gateway): There was no bigger threat receiving kicks than Saddler.  He was lightening in a bottle, and could score any given time the ball touched his hands.

 

DE: Shane Hayle (Gateway):  Hayle was Gateway’s prized defensive player when he graduated.  He lived up to all the hype he got in the 2007 WPIAL Final game. Though his team came up short, Hayle was a hell of a player that loved disrupting things.

 

Quentin Williams (Central Catholic):  Williams was the heart of the Viking team that took states in 2007.  He played with an edge and was mean and nasty.  Well deserving to make the All-Decade team.

 

DT:  Aaron Donald (Penn Hills): Donald was a big, dominating force that wreaked havoc.  He even made an appearance at the #2 spot on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays against Central Catholic his senior year.

 

John Malecki (Franklin Regional):  Malecki was a force on both sides of the ball.  Defensively, he used his bull rush to get to the QB and boy did it work.   He was one of the better defensive tackles in regards to sacking the QB.

 

OLB: Dorian Bell (Gateway):  Bell was the best linebacker coming out of high school in his class.  He possessed everything you wanted to see in a linebacker and has the ability to rush or cover.  He was a rare breed in high school and one of the most dominant defensive players the WPIAL has seen.

 

Scott McKillop (Kiski):  McKillop was more of a run stuffer for Kiski.  He lived for punishing running backs and it shows on his tape.

 

MLB: Paul Posluszy (Hopewell), Sean Lee (Upper St. Clair):  You cannot decide between which one of the two was greater.  Lee had a greater impact on offense but both went on to “Linebacker U” at Penn State to dominate up there.  Simply put, both were monsters in the WPIAL.

 

CB: Darrelle Revis (Aliquippa):  Is there any argument here? The WPIAL has seen many great corners the last 10 years, but the best corner on the planet resides right from the WPIAL.  Revis was the best player on the best Aliquippa team ever formed.

 

Justin King (Gateway):  King did it all for Gateway.  Offensively, he was one of the most dominant/electric players in the country and even played both ways at Penn State.

 

S: Demetrious Cox (Jeannette):  Cox was a ridiculous and to my thoughts an underrated player in high school.  Though he was a 4 star recruit, he really didn’t get the attention/appreciation he deserved on a national level.  This kid can flat out ball on both sides of the ball.

 

Dom DeCicco (Thomas Jefferson):  DeCicco was a major reason TJ dominated Triple A for so long.  He and his brothers could be considered the most dominate brothers in WPIAL history.

 

Below are Highlights of the Top plays from the players on the list:


Read more recruiting articles by Karlo Zovko


Follow Karlo Zovko on Twitter:  @Kzovko

Email Karlo Zovko:  zovkox@preps.com


TAGS:

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GIVE YOUR ANALYSIS: