Trib HSSN football players to watch in Week 3
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Thursday, September 24, 2020 | 4:50 PM
Seneca Valley quarterback Dustin Horn throws during work outs Wednesday, July 29, 2020 at Seneca Valley High School.
Gateway’s Patrick Body picks up a first down past Peters Twp.’s Corban Hondru during the WPIAL Class 5A championship game Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019, at Norwin High School.
Mt. Pleasant’s Asher O’Connor (1) looks to gain some yardage while South Allegheny’s Antonio Epps (4) and Eric Anderson (15) try to slow him down during the first quarter Sept. 11, 2020, at Mt. Pleasant.
Thomas Jefferson quarterback Jake Pugh throws a pass during practice on Wednesday Aug. 19, 2020, in Jefferson.
Here are four WPIAL football players to watch for during Week 3:
Patrick Body
Gateway, jr., WR/DB
Fresh off earning his first Power 5 offer from Pitt last week, Body had seven catches for 127 yards and two scores in Friday’s 55-14 nonconference win over Bethel Park. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound defensive back and wide receiver also has offers from Akron, Ball State, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Old Dominion, Temple, Toledo and UMass. No. 2 Gateway plays a nonconference game at No. 1 Pine-Richland this Friday.
Antonio Epps
South Allegheny, sr., RB/CB
Epps entered the season as one of the area’s top returning running backs. Last Friday night, he put his talent on display, running for 271 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries and also returning a kickoff 75 yards for a score in a 28-21 loss to Southmoreland. The Gladiators will head to Yough for a Class 3A Interstate Conference game Friday.
Dustin Horn
Seneca Valley, sr., QB/S
Horn shined in last week’s Class 6A victory over Hempfield, throwing for 211 yards and four scores on 11 of 14 passing. It was the Raiders’ season opener after a covid-19 case delayed their season. The Raiders will look to stay unbeaten against Norwin this week.
Jake Pugh
Thomas Jefferson, sr., QB
The top-ranked Jaguars host No. 2 Belle Vernon in a Class 4A Big Eight Conference game Friday, and TJ will put its offense in Pugh’s hands. The senior threw for 239 yards and four touchdowns last week in a win over Trinity. He has 461 passing yards and nine TD passes this season.
Bill Hartlep is the TribLive sports editor. A Pittsburgh native and Point Park graduate, he joined the Trib in 2004, covering high school sports. He held various editing roles before assuming his current position in 2019. He can be reached at bhartlep@triblive.com.
Tags: Gateway, Seneca Valley, South Allegheny, Thomas Jefferson
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