2023 Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star Team: Bishop Canevin’s Jason Cross

By: Chris Harlan
Wednesday, July 12, 2023 | 2:57 PM

Purchase Photo Options

Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of 25 profiles of the members of the Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star Team.

Jason Cross arrived at Bishop Canevin as an undersized freshman and then missed much of his ninth-grade football season with a broken collarbone from a trampoline mishap.

That’s not a heroic start for a future Division I athlete, but coaches saw then that the kid loved football.

“He came to practice every single day,” coach Rich Johnson said. “That was very impressive. He was hurt. He can’t practice. He still came every single day. He went down and got the water and everything.

“You don’t see that from a 14- or 15-year-old kid. That’s when we said, ‘You know what? He might be special.’ ”

Three years later, they have no doubts.

Cross is a 6-foot-1, 170-pound rising senior committed to play safety for West Virginia. Looking back, his introduction to high school football was bumpy, but Cross says those tough days strengthened his desire to play.

He’ll be a third-year starter this fall.

“I could’ve easily fell behind, but I didn’t,” Cross said. “I love the game. This is all I know. If I was to quit football right now, I don’t know what I would do.”

His team can’t imagine a fall without him.

Cross is a difference maker on both sides of the ball for the Crusaders, who are trying to reach the WPIAL finals for the third year in a row. He played both safety and quarterback a year ago, but coaches will move him around the offense as a rusher and receiver.

On defense, Cross was a stopper in the secondary who intercepted six passes. On offense, he passed for 1,277 yards and 18 touchdowns, rushed for eight scores and added two TDs receiving.

The presence of junior quarterback Kole Olszewski lets Canevin capitalize on Cross’ versatility. Olszewski passed for 1,373 yards and 16 touchdowns a year ago.

“We’re going to use (Cross) everywhere,” Johnson said. “Kole is going to be QB1 this year, but we’re not going to take the ball out of (Cross’) hands. You’ve just got to get a little more creative.”

Cross started his junior year without any college offers, but Johnson credits a run-stuffing tackle in Week Zero for opening recruiters’ eyes. Canevin played Steelton-Highspire at a showcase in Chambersburg.

“If you see the play, he’s 15 yards off the line of scrimmage,” Johnson said. “He reads the play and comes and hits that kid in the backfield. And that kid is a hell of a running back. How he filled that alley reminds you of someone like (2021 Peters Township graduate and Pitt junior) Donovan McMillon.”

Two days after the game, Cross announced his first college offer from Akron. In all, he received nearly two dozen offers, including Syracuse and Michigan State, his finalists along with West Virginia.

With his future decided, Cross has turned his attention to his senior year. He’s eager for another chance at a WPIAL championship after winning the Class A title his sophomore year and finishing as runners-up last season.

“We lost 11 seniors, so I’ve got to step up as a leader,” he said. “As a senior, I’ve got to get my team back there.”

Jason Cross

Bishop Canevin

Senior

6-1/170

QB/RB/WR/S

Committed to: West Virginia

College offers: Akron, Kent State, Penn State, Bowling Green, Toledo, Kentucky, Iowa State, Maryland, Boston College, Temple, Marshall, Miami (Ohio), UConn, Eastern Michigan, Central Michigan, Howard, Virginia Tech, Michigan State, UNLV, Syracuse, Texas A&M, Buffalo

2022 statistics: Passed for 1,277 yards and contributed to 28 touchdowns. He had 18 passing touchdowns, eight rushing and two receiving. Defensively, made 59 tackles, six interceptions and forced one fumble.

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: Bishop Canevin