Finalists announced for 6th annual Bill Fralic Memorial Award for WPIAL’s top 2-way lineman

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Friday, November 15, 2024 | 5:21 PM

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The six finalists for the sixth annual Bill Fralic Memorial Award are competing to be named the best two-way senior football lineman in the WPIAL, and they still have work to do.

All of them still are competing in the WPIAL playoffs.

There is a finalist from each of the six classifications. They are: Jack Yatchenko of North Allegheny (Class 6A), Nate Stohl of Upper St. Clair (5A), Shepherd Turk of Thomas Jefferson (4A), Chris Climes of Elizabeth Forward (3A), Parker Cunningham of South Park (2A) and Braiden Sudor of Bishop Canevin (A).

This is the first time five finalists are Division I commits.

Yatchenko (6-foot-2, 275 pounds) is a Princeton commit and a three-time all-conference offensive lineman.

He will block for North Allegheny (10-1) at 6 p.m. Saturday when the Tigers play Central Catholic (9-2) in the WPIAL 6A championship at Norwin.

Stohl (6-3, 265), who had nearly 20 Division I scholarship offers, also is headed to Princeton, marking the first time two Fralic finalists were committed to the same college program.

The defensive end has 48 tackles, including 14 for loss, and four sacks.

Upper St. Clair (11-0) plays Peters Township (11-0) in the WPIAL 5A semifinals Friday night at Bethel Park.

Turk (6-5, 275), a Pitt commit, is a staunch offensive tackle and down lineman who had a dozen D-1 offers.

He will lead Thomas Jefferson (12-0) against McKeesport (8-4) at noon Saturday in the WPIAL 4A championship at Norwin.

Climes (6-2, 270) is a three-star prospect who has committed to Buffalo. The disruptive defensive tackle has an amazing 34 tackles for loss and 16 sacks.

In the WPIAL 3A semifinals, Elizabeth Forward (8-3) plays Central Valley (6-5) at 7 p.m. Friday at Montour.

Cunningham (6-4, 290) is headed to James Madison, which recently moved to Division I-FBS. The interior offensive guard had more than 20 D-1 offers.

It will be South Park (10-1) against Ellwood City (10-0) in the WPIAL 2A semifinals at 7 p.m. Friday at North Allegheny.

Sudor (6-0, 240) has 32 tackles as an athletic defensive tackle. He and Bishop Canevin (9-2) will take on Clairton (12-0) at 7 p.m. Friday in the WPIAL Class A semifinals at Peters Township.

Fralic is a legend at Penn Hills and Pitt. He was a dominant blocker and pass rusher, the originator of the pancake block, who went on to play 12 years in the NFL.

Durable and strong, Fralic is considered by many to be the best linemen to play in the WPIAL. He died in 2018 at age 56 following a long bout with cancer.

The winner will be announced at a pancake breakfast Dec. 7 at Longue Vue Club in Verona. The event is sold out for the sixth straight time.

This year’s guest speaker will be former Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert.

Last year, an exhibit was put together to honor Fralic at the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum at Heinz History Center, the permanent home of the award.

Past winners include Logan Danielson of Thomas Jefferson (2019), Miguel Jackson of Pine-Richland (2020), Sean FitzSimmons of Central Valley (2021), Joe Enick of Penn-Trafford (2022) and Courtney Dunn of McKeesport (2023).

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Bishop Canevin, North Allegheny, South Fayette, South Park, Thomas Jefferson, Upper St. Clair