Trib HSSN football player of the week for Dec. 7, 2025

By: Don Rebel
Sunday, December 7, 2025 | 8:35 PM

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Trib HSSN football player of the week – Jeff Thompson III

School – Clairton

Class – Senior

Height/weight – 6-foot-1, 170 pounds

Position – Quarterback

#Earned – While the vaunted Clairton ground attack has garnered a lot of deserved attention this season, senior quarterback Jeff Thompson III has quietly enjoyed a strong golden season. His star shined brightest in the postseason in leading the Bears to district and state gold for the first time in 13 years. In the PIAA Class A championship game on Thursday, Thompson completed 13 of his 15 passes for 184 yards and bookend touchdowns. He opened the scoring in the first quarter with a 14-yard touchdown pass to his cousin, Brandon Murphy. He then completed the scoring with a 20-yard jet-sweep push pass to Taris Wooding as Clairton rolled past 2024 state champion Bishop Guilfoyle, 35-3.

Background – Thompson III is not sure of his plans next year, but he hopes to continue his football career at the next level. For the season, JT-3 was highly accurate in the passing game, connecting on 145 of his 188 pass attempts for 2,545 yards and 40 touchdowns, compared to only five interceptions. Jeff’s younger brother, Quintin, is a sophomore and the starting center for the Bears while their father, Jeff Jr., is the defensive coordinator for a Clairton team that registered 10 shutouts and held Greenville and Bishop Guilfoyle to only three points in their two PIAA wins. Thompson has been playing football since he was 4 years old and also played basketball and baseball at Clairton. He missed the hoops season a year ago because of an elbow injury suffered in a 2024 WPIAL football playoff win over Rochester.

What coach says – “His ability to take control of the offense,” Clairton coach Wayne Wade said of Thompson’s strengths. “He understands how to attack the opposing team and he gets us in the right plays.”

“Because of all the talent around him and the way the defense played all year, I think his performance was a little overlooked,” Wade said. “His ability to make all the throws helped loosen up the (opposing) defense.

“He improved with his leadership on the field,” Wade said. “It was his huddle on offense.”

“It is the reason we are state champs,” Wade said when asked about Thompson and the other seniors on the team. “The correct leadership leads to winning.”

WPIAL Week 15 Honorable Mention

Carson Bellinger – Avonworth

Like last week, senior Luca Neal had another big day for the Antelopes with 123 yards rushing on 21 carries and three touchdowns, plus two receptions for 61 yards. But fellow senior Carson Bellinger shined again and got the ball rolling on the first play in the PIAA Class 3A championship game rematch against Northwestern Lehigh. Bellinger connected with Jaden Jones for a 53-yard touchdown that gave the Lopes a lead in a game they never trailed. Bellinger hit on 9 of 11 passes for 248 yards while Jones finished with seven catches for 187 yards as Avonworth completed a perfect season and captured its first PIAA crown with a victory over the 2024 champion Tigers, 31-7.

Chrys Black Jr. – Central Catholic

Despite the efforts of a sensational sophomore running back, Central Catholic once again settled for state silver. The Week 14 Trib HSSN Player of the Week, Vikings running back Chrys Black Jr. did what he could to keep his team close by rushing for 61 yards on 14 carries and adding another 44 yards on three receptions. Plus he scored three times on runs of 17 and 5 yards and a 23-yard scoring reception from Owen Herrick as Central Catholic fell to LaSalle College, 34-20, in the PIAA Class 6A championship game.

2025 HSSN Players of the Week

Week 14 – Chrys Black Jr., Central Catholic

Week 13 – Luca Neal, Avonworth

Week 12 – Marques Council Jr., Aliquippa

Week 11 – Khalil Taylor, Pine-Richland

Week 10 – Tyler Smiley, Ellwood City

Week 9 – Bobby Fadden, Mohawk

Week 8 – Tyler Eber, Thomas Jefferson

Week 7 – Matt Sieg, Fort Cherry

Week 6 – Marino Graham, New Castle

Week 5 – Jonah Williamson, Trinity

Week 4 – David Dennison, Bethel Park

Week 3 – Scoop Smith, Woodland Hills

Week 2 – Joey Felitsky and Logan Schade, North Catholic

Week 1 – James Armstrong, Hopewell

Week Zero – Gabriel Jenkins, Imani Christian

Tags: Clairton