2022 Valley News Dispatch Football All-Stars

By: Michael Love
Saturday, December 17, 2022 | 8:21 PM

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Here’s a look at the Valley News Dispatch’s 2022 football all-stars:

First team

Devin Beattie

Burrell, RB/DB, jr.

Beattie broke out as a workhorse this year with 1,441 yards and 18 touchdowns on 222 carries as the Bucs earned a trip to the WPIAL playoffs in Class 2A. He rushed for more than 100 yards seven times and had a season-best 304 yards and six touchdowns against Imani Christian. Beattie was selected to the Allegheny Conference second team.

Tyler Bender

Highlands, OL/DL, sr.

Bender recorded 72 tackles, a team best, and produced 11 of the team’s 64 sacks. Bender also picked off a pass. The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder, a second-team Valley News Dispatch all-star last year, was voted to the Greater Allegheny Conference first-team defense as a down lineman.

Jacob Bollinger

Freeport, OL/DE/LB, sr.

Bollinger made 63 stops on defense, including 16 for a loss with six sacks, an interception and two fumble recoveries. He also helped a Freeport offense produce more than 320 yards a game. He earned Allegheny 6 Conference all-star selection at both offensive guard and defensive end and was voted the conference’s most valuable defensive lineman.

Zach Clark

Freeport, RB/LB/DB, sr.

A first-team Allegheny 6 Conference pick at halfback, Clark finished second on the team in rushing with more than 500 yards and five touchdowns. He had a season-best 102 yards on the ground against South Allegheny and scored twice in the playoff triumph over West Mifflin. Defensively, he made 93 tackles, recorded three sacks and three interceptions, and was a second-team all-conference selection at inside linebacker. He finished with eight total scores including two receiving TDs and one more on a fumble return.

Antonio Cook

Burrell, RB/LB, sr.

Cook wore the number zero on his jersey, but he was anything but a zero for the Bucs defense this season. He finished with 78 tackles from his outside linebacker position over 10 games. He produced his highest tackle totals with a combined 34 in the final three games against Derry, Apollo-Ridge and Neshannock. Cook also rushed for 162 yards, including a game-high 125 in the win over Jeannette. Cook was selected to the Allegheny Conference first team at outside linebacker.

Nick Cristillo

Deer Lakes, TE/LB, sr.

Cristillo was usually at the center of attention making plays for a unit which helped the team earn a WPIAL playoff spot for the first time since 2015 and the third time in the program’s 53-year history. Cristillo added three interceptions and two fumble recoveries. He was selected to the Allegheny 6 Conference first team at inside linebacker.

Dom Dininno

Kiski Area, WR/DB, sr.

The first-team Greater Allegheny Conference selection at wideout had 601 receiving yards and 11 total touchdowns. He collected 1,305 all-purpose yards (rushing, receiving, returns). DiNinno got in the rushing act in a big way against Indiana with 166 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries while also returning a kickoff 76 yards for a score.

Tyler Foley

Leechburg, WR/C, sr.

The Blue Devils veteran led the team in both receptions (38) and receiving yards (601) to go along with seven touchdowns. He also carried the ball for two TDs and added a pair of defensive scores. He was an Eastern Conference second-team pick at wide receiver and a first-team honoree at cornerback.

Isaiah Gonzalez

Kiski Area, WR/DB, jr.

Gonzalez’s height at 6-2 and his athletic ability at defensive back made throwing his way a challenge throughout the 2022 season. He made opposing coaches take notice, and they voted him to the Greater Allegheny Conference first team. Gonzalez also was a receiving threat on offense. He caught 15 passes for 197 yards and two scores against Mars.

Landon Harmon

Apollo-Ridge, RB/DE, sr.

The 5-10, 220-pound defender made plays all over the field for the Vikings to help produce a late-season surge to the WPIAL playoffs. He finished with 47 tackles, three sacks and a fumble recovery. The Allegheny Conference coaches voted him to the first-team defense at defensive end. Harmon added 193 yards and four TDs on 42 carries.

Logan Kline

Leechburg, WR/S, sr.

Kline joined Tyler Foley in forming a formidable 1-2 receiving punch in the potent Blue Devils offense. He caught 36 passes for 565 yards and a team-leading eight touchdowns. He also found the end zone once in the run game and once on defense. Kline was voted to the Eastern Conference first team at wide receiver.

Nate Kondas

Plum, OL/DL, jr.

A Big East Conference second-team selection on offense at center and on defense at tackle, he anchored an offensive line which helped the Mustangs average 228 yards rushing a game. Kondas also clogged up running lanes in the trenches for opposing running backs. He finished with 24 tackles and two sacks.

Ben Lane

Freeport, HB/DB, sr.

The versatile athlete led the team in rushing with more than 1,100 yards and 21 touchdowns. He eclipsed the 100-yard mark four times and ran for multiple touchdowns on seven occasions, including four scores in the 42-6 victory over West Mifflin in the WPIAL quarterfinals. He added 72 tackles and two interceptions for a defense which surrendered an average of just 15.2 points over 12 games. Lane was voted the Allegheny 6 Conference Most Valuable Offensive Player and also picked up a first-team nod at defensive back.

Daniel Long

Highlands, DE, sr.

Long made the most of his final season in a Golden Rams uniform. Like Bender, Long wrecked havoc in the backfield and recorded a team-high 17 sacks among his 61 tackles. He also recovered a pair of fumbles, picked off a pass and returned one of the turnovers for a touchdown. Coaches in the Greater Allegheny Conference voted him to the first-team defense.

Braylan Lovelace

Leechburg, RB/LB, sr.

The Pitt commit was a major center of focus in the game plan of opposing defenses, and Lovelace more often than not made a big impact on his team’s games. He reached the 1,300-yard rushing mark for the season — finishing with 1,305 yards – in the WPIAL first-round playoff loss to Mapletown. He also surpassed 4,000 career yards. Lovelace finished with 24 ground touchdowns and added two more through the air. He was selected the Eastern Conference Offensive Player of the Year and earned first-team recognition at linebacker.

Eryck Moore-Watkins

Plum, RB/DB, sr.

Moore-Watkins became Plum’s all-time leader for career rushing yards (3,392). He carried the ball 22 times for 356 yards and six touchdowns in the season finale victory over Indiana and finished the season with 1,493 yards and 19 scores. He also caught 12 passes for 122 yards and two TDs and was selected to the Big East Conference first team.

Jake Mull

Apollo-Ridge, WR/DB, sr.

Mull didn’t let an early-season injury slow him down in all three phases of the game for the Vikings in their run to the WPIAL Class 2A playoffs. He paced the receiving corps with 863 yards and eight touchdowns on 36 receptions, an average of 24 yards a catch. Defensively, he made 35 stops and picked off a pair of passes. He also kicked off, punted and booted field goals and extra points, finishing with 10 total touchdowns. Mull was a first-team all-conference pick at wide receiver and defensive back and was an honorable mention selection punter.

Colton Otterman

Freeport, HB/OLB, jr.

One of a number of impact players on the Freeport defense, Otterman overcame an injury which caused him to miss time in the midseason. He finished with more than 90 tackles in 10 games, including a season-best 12 twice in Allegheny 6 Conference victories over East Allegheny and Knoch. He had 21 tackles for a loss, including 12 sacks. Otterman also picked off three passes and returned one of them for a touchdown and was voted to the conference first-team defense.

Aaran Randolph

Highlands, WR/DB, jr.

Randolph broke out in a big way in Highlands’ 54-22 victory over Mars with offensive touchdowns three different ways. He rushed for 178 yards and four scores, completed a pass for a 56-yard TD and caught a TD pass. For the season, Randolph rushed 73 times for 699 yards and 11 touchdowns while hauling in 10 passes for 136 yards and two scores and throwing for 214 yards and three TDs. Defensively, Randolph made 34 tackles and picked off three passes. He earned All-Greater Allegheny Conference first-team honors as an all-purpose player.

Nick Rossi

Deer Lakes, OL/DE, jr.

Rossi was a difference maker on both sides of the ball for the Lancers in their run to the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs. He was an experienced presence along the offensive line, opening holes for quarterback Derek Burk and the other runners while also protecting Burk in the pass game. On defense, he was a consistent run stopper who also forced three fumbles and recovered one other. Rossi earned Allegheny 6 Conference first-team honors at end and was a second-team pick at tackle.

Landan Signorella

Highlands, WR/DB, sr.

The Golden Rams veteran was a difference maker on both sides of the ball in the team’s run to a runner-up finish in the Greater Allegheny Conference and a WPIAL-playoff appearance for the second year in a row. The first-team all-conference pick at tight end was a dependable blocker and also caught 16 passes for 285 yards and five touchdowns. Defensively, he recorded 65 tackles, made three sacks, picked off a pass and recovered three fumbles.

Chandler Thimons

Highlands, QB/LB, sr.

The fuel to a Highlands’ offensive machine which averaged 32.4 points over 11 games for a 9-2 overall record, Thimons again showed his dual-threat talents. Also a VND first-team pick last year, Thimons completed 63 of 125 passes for 964 yards and 12 touchdowns while rushing for 747 yards and eight scores on 131 attempts. The first-team Greater Allegheny Conference all-star at quarterback also had 64 tackles and recovered a fumble.

Kaden Thomas

Plum, WR/LB, sr.

A first-team Big East Conference selection at outside linebacker, Thomas recorded a team-best 118 tackles (66 solo). He made 10 tackles for a loss and sacked the quarterback nine times. He intercepted two passes, forced a fumble and contributed four blocked punts. Thomas also was voted second-team offense at tight end after hauling in 21 passes for 217 yards and four scores.

SECOND TEAM

Demetrius Ballard, Valley, OL/DL, jr.

Dom Beyer, Plum, RB/LB, jr.

Luke Bombalski, Highlands, RB/LB, jr.

Noah Bradley, Springdale, RB/LB, jr.

Tristan Brothers, Burrell, RB/LB, jr.

Derek Burk, Deer Lakes, QB/S, jr.

Carlo Buzzatto, Riverview, RB/LB, jr.

Ryan Cochran, Deer Lakes, WR/S, jr.

Jake Cummings, Leechburg, HB/TE/LB

Jayden Floyd, Leechburg, QB, so.

Connor Flemm, Kiski Area, RB/LB, sr.

Michael Fryer, Apollo-Ridge, RB/LB, sr.

Cooper Gourley, Apollo-Ridge, OL/DE, sr.

Landon Johnson, Riverview, RB/LB/S

Montrell Johnson, Highlands, RB/DB, so.

Noah Leslie, Highlands, OL/DL, sr.

Brandan Lucas, Leechburg, OL/DL, sr.

Cam Martin Burrell, OL/LB, sr.

Braden Mika, Kiski Area, OL/DL, sr.

Liam McElligott, Riverview, OL/DE, sr.

Brady Paga, Freeport, OL/DL, jr.

Ian Quinn, Burrell, OL/DL, sr.

Brady Stivenson, Freeport, WR/DB, sr.

Brady Sullivan, Freeport, RB/LB/DB, jr.

Jack Tongel, Plum, WR/LB, jr.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Apollo-Ridge, Burrell, Deer Lakes, Freeport, Highlands, Kiski Area, Leechburg, Plum, Riverview