Trib HSSN Football Player of the Week for Nov. 1, 2021

By: Don Rebel
Monday, November 1, 2021 | 8:46 PM

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Cadin Olsen has accomplished a lot in his brief scholastic career as the starting quarterback at Armstrong. He has been one of the top passers in the district as a sophomore last year and now in his junior season.

The one thing he hasn’t accomplished is playing in a WPIAL playoff game.

He and his River Hawks teammates not only clinched a playoff spot here in 2021, but with a 42-22 victory over Indiana in the regular season finale, Armstrong secured second place in the 4A Greater Allegheny Conference and will host a first-round game Friday.

“It was big to beat a team that was playing really well,” Armstrong coach Frank Fabian said. “The best part about the win was that we now have a home playoff game. It was one of the goals we talked about after losing to Hampton by one point earlier in the year.”

Since that loss, Armstrong has won five of its last six games behind the junior standout Olsen.

“Cadin was in complete control of the offense,” Fabian said. “He was instrumental in getting us into the right play on offense. There were a number of times he checked out of bad plays and got us into a good one. Indiana did a great job of switching coverages on us, and he seemed comfortable the entire night.”

Olsen completed 14 of 18 passes for 212 yards.

“Cadin has all the physical assists of a traditional quarterback,” Fabian said. “He’s 6-5, 215 pounds and has an arm that can make any throw on the field. With all that said, his biggest strength is the six inches between his ears. He is a really intelligent young man who understands the game at a coach level. He loves the game of football and is always looking for a way to improve.”

One aspect Olsen has improved this senior is becoming a dual-threat quarterback. While he prefers to pass, when he has to take off, he has had success this season. On Friday, he carried the ball 18 times for 108 yards on the ground while scoring four touchdowns.

“One area of improvement would be the run game,” Fabian said. “We have a lot of reads in our run game and he has become very good at pulling the ball and taking what the defense gives us. He now has a maturity about him and comfort level with the offense. He understands why the play is being called.”

While he is third in the WPIAL in passing with 2,019 yards and 23 touchdowns, he also leads the team in rushing with 779 yards and in scoring with 16 touchdowns.

“He is better at running the ball this year, but I would also say our line is much improved from a year ago,” Fabian said. “A lot of the runs Cadin has are not designed quarterback runs, but running plays with an option for the quarterback to pull the ball if the defense gives us the right look. He has being correctly reading the looks defense are giving us.”

On Friday, the sixth-seeded River Hawks will host a WPIAL football playoff game for the first time in five years when they take on Montour.

The Spartans needed to beat Chartiers Valley last week to secure fourth place in the Parkway Conference.

“Montour has played a brutal schedule,” Fabian said. “I think they are a much better football team than their record would indicate. They have played in close games, so they are battle tested. They have a plethora of skill players that possess game-breaking speed. Their offensive and defensive lines have size and are physical at the point of attack. As one would imagine with their head coach (Lou Cerro), they are a well-coached football team.

“It will be a tremendous challenge for our football team.”

Week 9 honorable mention

Sam Miller – Peters Township

Three time defending Class 5A Allegheny 6 Conference champion Peters Township entered Week 8 in big trouble. They were under .500 overall, but more importantly, the Indians were 0-3 and needed to win out to avoid missing the postseason.

Mission accomplished thanks to their senior quarterback, Sam Miller.

A week after beating West Allegheny, Peters Township rolled past South Fayette, 35-7, with Miller connecting on 18 of 26 passes for 289 yards and three touchdown tosses along with a scoring run to lead the 2019 and 2020 5A runners-up back into the playoffs.

Caden DiCaprio – Burrell

A young Leonardo DiCaprio starred in the movie Titanic, released in late 1997. Burrell running back Caden DiCaprio may have felt like he was on a sinking ship in Week 9, poised to go down and miss out on the WPIAL playoffs.

However, the senior running back helped save the day by rushing for 153 yards and two touchdowns, including the game winning 20-yard score in the fourth quarter as the Buccaneers swash-buckled into the postseason with a 19-14 victory over visiting Valley.

Nijhay Burt – Steel Valley

It was a showdown of epic proportions. Two undefeated teams clashing on the final Friday of the regular season with the Allegheny Conference championship and, little did we know, the top seed in the Class 2A playoffs up for grabs.

The district’s leading rusher proved he was ready for prime time. Steel Valley’s Nijhay Burt was like a runaway locomotive. He may have started slow, but he picked up speed as the evening went on until he became a nearly unstoppable force for Serra Catholic.

Burt broke loose for a 75-yard scoring run as he and his teammates never looked back. The senior ended up with 197 yards rushing, two touchdown runs and a scoring reception as the Ironmen defeated the Eagles, 28-7.

2021 HSSN Players of the Week

Week 8 – Bobbie Boyd, McKeesport

Week 7 – Brad Birch, Gateway

Week 6 – Alex Tecza, Mt. Lebanon

Week 5 – Nijhay Burt, Steel Valley

Week 4 – Devin Whitlock, Belle Vernon

Week 3 – Trenton Carter, Carmichaels

Week 2 – Abraham Ibrahim, Chartiers Valley

Week 1 – Graham Hancox, Seneca Valley

Week Zero – Carson Davidson, Blackhawk