Finalists announced for Bill Fralic football lineman award

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Monday, November 17, 2025 | 2:31 PM

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Six finalists, one for each classification, were announced Monday for the seventh Bill Fralic Memorial Award for the WPIAL’s top two-way interior football lineman.

The winner of the award, named after the late legendary Penn Hills, Pitt and NFL lineman, will be announced at a pancake breakfast at 10 a.m. Dec. 6 at Longue Vue Club in Verona.

The finalists are:

Class 6A: Lincoln Hoke, North Allegheny

Class 5A: Roberson Louis-Jeune, Gateway

Class 4A: Jayden Shaffer, New Castle

Class 3A: Dylan Pitzer, Derry

Class 2A: Connor Bogdanski, Apollo-Ridge

Class A: Avaughn Pompey, Clairton

The 6-foot-2, 270-pound Hoke, a senior Pitt commit, helped power North Allegheny to the 6A championship game, registering a team-high 80 tackles, 12 for loss, and seven sacks. The standout tackle is the son for former Pittsburgh Steeler Chris Hoke.

Louis-Jeune (6-0, 280), another senior, played center and defensive tackle for the Gators. He has Division II interest from PSAC schools.

Shaffer (6-3, 240), the Parkway Conference Defensive Lineman of the Year last season, had 44 tackles, seven for loss, and three sacks this year.

Pitzer, one of the biggest Fralic finalists at 6-7, 275, played offensive tackle and defensive end for Derry. The senior nicknamed “Pickle” was the Interstate Conference Defensive Lineman of the Year.

Bogdanski (6-3, 330) was a two-way tackle for the Vikings. He had 26 tackles, four for loss, and one sack this season.

A senior tackle, Pompey is another massive presence at 6-3, 325. He also is garnering Division II college interest. He has 33 tackles and a sack heading into the WPIAL championship this weekend.

The award began in 2019.

Past winners are Logan Danielson of Thomas Jefferson (2019), Miguel Jackson of Pine-Richland (2020), Sean FitzSimmons of Central Valley (2021), Joe Enick of Penn-Trafford (2022), Courtney Dunn of McKeesport (2023) and Nate Stohl of Upper St. Clair (2024).

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

Tags: Apollo-Ridge, Clairton, Derry Area, Gateway, New Castle, North Allegheny