5 WPIAL quarterbacks named as finalists for Willie Thrower Award
By:
Tuesday, January 21, 2025 | 11:45 AM
The WPIAL’s leading passer, two district champions and a quarterback with more than 6,000 career yards were among the finalists revealed Tuesday for the Willie Thrower Award.
The annual award honors the top high school quarterback in Southwestern Pennsylvania. This year’s finalists are Peters Township’s Nolan DiLucia, North Catholic’s Joey Felitsky, Bethel Park’s Tanner Pfeuffer, Fort Cherry’s Matt Sieg and Central Catholic’s Jy’Aire Walls.
The five will be honored at a luncheon March 29 at the Knead Café ballroom in New Kensington where the winner will be announced. The finalists were chosen by a panel of coaches and media members.
Felitsky led all WPIAL passers with 2,992 yards this season. Pfeuffer, Walls and DiLucia finished second, third and fourth overall in passing yards.
Sieg, a dual-threat quarterback for Fort Cherry (14-1), won a second straight WPIAL Class A title. The junior and Penn State commit passed for 1,345 yards and 20 touchdowns while rushing for 1,832 yards and 32 scores.
Sieg was named the 2024 TribLive HSSN Football Player of the Year.
Felitsky, a junior, completed 238 of 355 passes for 2,992 yards and 23 touchdowns. He led North Catholic (5-7) to the WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinals.
Pfeuffer completed 156 of 260 passes for 2,655 yards and 31 touchdowns. The senior helped Bethel Park (10-3) reach the WPIAL 5A semifinals. A three-year starter, Pfeuffer finished his career with more than 6,000 career passing yards.
Walls, a senior, led Central Catholic (12-3) to a WPIAL 6A title and a state runner-up finish as a first-year starter. He completed 140 of 247 passes for 2,608 yards and 28 touchdowns.
DiLucia, a junior, led Peters Township (11-2) to the WPIAL 5A finals for the second year in a row. He completed 171 of 269 passes for 2,525 yards and 23 touchdowns.
The award is named after New Kensington native Willie Thrower, a two-time WPIAL champion (1946-47) who became the first Black quarterback to take a snap in an NFL game. The award winner receives a 29-pound replica of the Willie Thrower statue standing inside Valley’s football stadium.
Central Catholic’s Payton Wehner won the Thrower Award last year.
This is the fifth year for the award. The previous winners were Armstrong’s Caden Olsen (2022, ’21) and Pine-Richland’s Cole Spencer (2020).
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: Bethel Park, Central Catholic, Fort Cherry, North Catholic, Peters Township
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