‘Emotional leader’ Gavin Moul caps Bethel Park career with Big 33 appearance

By: Ray Fisher
Saturday, March 25, 2023 | 11:01 AM

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Gavin Moul’s high school football career is not over just yet.

The Bethel Park senior was chosen to play on the Pennsylvania squad in this year’s Big 33 Football Classic.

The prestigious all-star game will take place at 7 p.m. May 28, at Bishop McDevitt’s Rocco Ortenzio Stadium in Harrisburg. The game matches players from Pennsylvania against a team from Maryland.

“Any time you have a player selected for the Big 33 game, it’s a tremendous honor for your program,” said Brian DeLallo, who stepped down at Bethel Park’s football coach after the 2022 season. “It is even more special because that player is Gavin Moul. He has been our emotional leader for much of his career. He also has set such a wonderful example for our younger players with the way he prepares physically, mentally, offseason, in-season.

“Gavin was really emblematic of an entire senior class that was a joy to coach. Classes like those guys don’t come around very often. We will really miss those guys.”

Moul, a 6-foot-1, 225-pound fullback/linebacker, was one of three players named to play the inside linebacker position for Pennsylvania.

“Being selected is an absolute honor,” Moul said, “especially being able to represent Bethel Park. My career at Bethel has been the best time of my life, not because of my personal accomplishments but because of the memories I’ve made with my lifelong friends and all the relationships I’ve made along the way.

“There are many memories I’ve made throughout the last four years, but the best of the best were our overtime win against Mt. Lebo and our rivalry win against USC in the regular season. These two games were both greatly fought team wins; our energy was relentless on both sides of the ball.”

Moul developed a reputation as a hard hitter and tough tackler as a four-year starter for Bethel Park. He competed for the Black Hawks at running back and linebacker all four years of high school.

“Our defense fed off his hustle and love of contact,” DeLallo said.

Moul will continue his football career at Delaware, a member of the FCS Colonial Athletic Association. He plans to major in exercise science.

“There are many things about Delaware that led to my decision,” Moul said, “but the main reason was it felt like home away from home and the coaching staff is a great group of people — like coach (Manny) Rojas, my recruiting coordinator (and Delaware’s defensive coordinator) — that really make it feel like home.

“I considered all the colleges that offered me, some more than others, but I knew where I truly wanted to go the whole time.”

Bethel Park won the Class 5A Allegheny Six Conference championship with a 5-0 record last fall, advanced to the semifinal round of the WPIAL playoffs and finished with a 10-2 overall record.

Seven Bethel Park players were named first-team all-conference — four on offense and three on defense.

Senior running back Austin Caye, the team’s leading rusher, and sophomore wide receiver/running back Ryan Petras, who was voted co-offensive player of the year in the conference, were at-large selections and were joined on offense by senior guard Braedon Del Duca and senior tight end Ian Currie.

Three seniors, Moul, OLB Aidan Currie and DB Dinari Clacks, were the picks defensively.

Moul, who has a 4.0 GPA and also competes in track, was selected to the Class 5A all-state football team at the linebacker position by a panel of Pennsylvania Football Writers.

Pennsylvania’s Big 33 roster also includes Aliquippa’s Neco Eberhardt, Armstrong’s Cadin Olsen, Gateway’s Dallas Harper and Racari El, McKeesport’s Jahmil Perryman, North Allegheny’s Campbell Melzer, Pine-Richland’s Isaiah Kerns and Max Heckert, Steel Valley’s Cruce Brookins, Upper St. Clair’s Aidan Besselman, Westinghouse’s Sincere Smith and Woodland Hills’ Kellen McDonough.

Pennsylvania has won three in a row in the series, including a 28-7 decision last year.

Currie, a 6-2, 215-pound senior halfback/tight end, also is scheduled to participate in an all-star football contest this spring.

Currie was selected to play for the West squad in the PSFCA East-West Large School Game at 5 p.m. May 21 at Bishop McDevitt. The small school game kicks off at noon the same day.

“Aidan has committed to PennWest California,” DeLallo said. “I can echo the same things I said about Gavin when speaking about Aidan. He’s a fierce competitor, an inspiring leader and a great teammate. I know the coaches at Cal U. are very excited about getting Aidan and (Bethel Park senior WR) Jack Reilly into their program.

“We were hoping Aidan would have been selected for the Big 33 as well. You don’t see many public schools get multiple players into that game in one year. Nonetheless, being selected for the East-West all-star game is a great honor.”

The Big 33 and the East-West game are organized by the Pennsylvania Scholastic Football Coaches Association.

Tags: Bethel Park