Trib HSSN football player of the week for Oct. 5, 2025

By: Don Rebel
Sunday, October 5, 2025 | 8:15 PM

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Trib HSSN football player of the week – Marino Graham

School – New Castle

Class – Freshman

Height/weight – 5-foot-10, 150 pounds

Position – Quarterback, defensive back

#Earned – New Castle finished the 2023 season with one win. So some eyebrows were raised a year later when the Red Hurricanes started the season 4-0. However, once they opened Class 4A Parkway Conference play, the season spiraled south and the ‘Canes finished 1-4 in conference play. So would the team change anything after a 3-1 start heading into conference play? Not when you have lucky No. 13 under center. Perhaps the biggest difference between the Parkway Conference struggles a year ago and the ‘Canes sitting in first place after two section games and in control of their own destiny is freshman quarterback Marino Graham. The youngster has electrified the New Castle offense with his left arm and his legs. In the first six games of the season, Graham threw for 716 yards and 10 touchdowns while also leading the team in rushing with 548 yards and seven TDs. The Red Hurricanes entered Week 6 with a 5-1 overall record and a thrilling victory in their conference opener over Aliquippa when Graham scored the game winning touchdown on a 7-yard run with 26 seconds remaining. On Friday at home against Montour, Graham connected on 14 of 21 passes for 165 yards and a touchdown toss of 10 yards to Chase Lemmon. That was only half the story though as the rookie also rushed for 107 yards and scored four touchdowns on runs of 15, 11, 3 and 74 yards as the Red Hurricanes sit alone atop the conference following a 34-14 win over the Spartans.

Background – Having just started his high school career, Graham is a long way from playing at the next level; however he is already starting to turns heads and garner interest. Graham’s father was a big Miami Dolphins fan and named his son after one of the best Dolphins of all-time, quarterback Dan Marino. Marino is also a Dolphins fan and wears No. 13 after his namesake. The ninth grader leads New Castle in passing with 881 yards, leads in rushing with 655 yards and leads the ‘Canes in scoring with 11 touchdowns. Graham will likely be a three-sport starter in high school with football in the fall, basketball in the winter and track in the spring.

What coach says – “His ability to make plays under pressure and his ability to stay poised in the biggest moments,” New Castle coach Fred Mozzocio said about what stood out about Graham’s game against Montour. “His best attribute is rallying his teammates even when things go wrong at times. Marino is special; he is a triple threat on the field. He can beat you with his arm, legs and his mind.

“We knew he would eventually be special player, but I have to be honest we weren’t sure how soon it would happen, but it’s been a pleasure to watch his growth each day,” Mozzocio said. “Believe me, the best is yet to come for this young man.

“Marino is tough as nails I learned that real quick, he never backs down from a challenge and wants the ball in the biggest moments,” Mozzocio said. “He is so humble at the same time and really enjoys seeing his teammates have success as well.

“He is a natural leader, he makes everyone he touches feel special,” Mozzocio said. “He understands at his young age, it is about the team not himself, and his teammates feel that and fight for him.”

WPIAL Week 6 Honorable Mentions

Giovanni Rothrauff – Norwin

It was one of the biggest Hempfield vs. Norwin games in years as the two Westmoreland County rivals are in a fight for a possible 6A playoff berth. With Knights quarterback Tristyn Tavares banged up from last week, the run game for Norwin became a lot more important. Junior running back Giovanni Rothrauff was more than happy to step up as he carried the ball 24 times and gained 178 yards with touchdown runs of 31 and 67 yards, and the Knights edged the Spartans, 33-26.

Cam Walter and Scoop Smith – Woodland Hills

Woodland Hills hit the road in Week 6 for a Class 5A Big East first-place battle with Armstrong. It took the offense a while to get going, but once it did, there was no trapping these hungry Wolverines. Senior quarterback Cam Walter connected on 19 of his 23 passes for 311 yards and three touchdowns, with two of those TDs going to his favorite target. Senior Scoop Smith had 11 receptions for 226 yards and two scores as the Wolverines scored 31 points in the fourth quarter to beat the River Hawks, 50-14.

Brayden McCarthy – Blackhawk

While Blackhawk had struggled in the first half of the season, entering Week 6 with a 2-4 record, junior running back Brayden McCarthy has done his fair share of the heavy lifting, rushing for 888 yards and 11 touchdowns in the first six games. On Friday, Blackhawk evened its Class 4A Parkway Conference record as McCarthy rushed for 246 yards to put him over 1,100 for the season, plus he scored four touchdowns in a 51-20 victory over visiting Ambridge.

Antonio Perkins – Burrell

To reach the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs, teams must finish in the top three of their conference to avoid putting hopes in the hands of the committee. In the Class 3A Allegheny 7 Conference where the top two teams entered Week 6 with perfect records, Burrell could not afford a letdown against winless Valley. Sophomore transfer Antonio Perkins stepped up against his former teammates and rushed for 303 yards and scored four touchdowns as the Buccaneers defeated the Vikings, 41-21.

2025 HSSN Players of the Week

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: New Castle