Trib HSSN Head of the Class 2025: Football players of the year in each classification

By: Don Rebel
Sunday, December 14, 2025 | 12:35 PM

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Back in the day, when a student did well in the classroom, he or she was moved to the front of the class.

Like a gold star on the forehead, the tradition continues as Trib HSSN is once again moving that prized student to the head of the class.

There were plenty of players who stood out for their performances on the gridiron around the WPIAL and City League in 2025, and some of those players will be recognized with the soon-to-be released Trib Terrific 25.

However these seven players were a cut above the rest and deserve a classroom salute.

While offensive stats garner a lot of attention, some of our super seven made this list based on what they did defensively as much as offensively.

The following have reached the HSSN Head of the Class for this past season and are our Trib Players of the Year in each of the six WPIAL classifications and City League.

Class 6A

Player of the Year: Roman Thompson, Central Catholic

Whether it was pounding the ball into the end zone or pounding opposing quarterbacks and running backs, the Central Catholic junior was the leader of the Vikings’ Roman empire. Roman Thompson was the teams No. 2 leading rusher for most of the season before ending up on top with 882 yards on the ground on 117 carries for an average of 7.54 yards per tote. He also had a team-high 29 touchdowns, which was fifth best in the WPIAL. The junior did even more damage on the defensive side of the ball with 113 tackles, including 65 solo, 12 tackles for loss and four and a half sacks along with a forced fumble and a fumble recovery to help Central Catholic repeat as WPIAL Class 6A champion and earn state silver as the PIAA runner-up.

Class 5A

Player of the Year: Khalil Taylor, Pine-Richland

If Khalil Taylor was spotted driving the Pine-Richland bus this past season, it would have not been a surprise since he did just about everything else in his first season in a Rams uniform. Following a strong two years at Seton LaSalle, a family tragedy led the junior to move from his mother’s home in Pittsburgh to his father’s house in the Pine-Richland School District. He fit right in with the talented defending Class 5A champions in all phases. On offense, he averaged more than 17 yards for his 33 catches and led the tram with 25 touchdowns. On defense, he had three interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns. And on special teams, he returned three kickoffs and three punts for scores.

Class 4A

Player of the Year: Kemon Spell, McKeesport

Kemon Spell was so dominant this season, that he missed three games and most of another with an injury and still did enough in the other 10 McKeesport games to earn Trib HSSN Player of the Year accolades. K-E-M-O-N spelled big time trouble for opposing teams as he played a big role in the Tigers winning the Class 4A Big Six Conference crown and a earning berth in the WPIAL title game. He averaged nearly 13 yards per tote, as the junior gained 1,755 yards on 136 carries and scored 32 touchdowns, second most in the WPIAL. On defense, Spell had three interceptions, and on special teams, he returned four kickoffs for 192 yards and a TD and seven punts for 177 yards and two scores.

Class 3A

Player of the Year: Luca Neal, Avonworth

There isn’t much Luca Neal can’t do on the football field following another season of catching, running and once actually tossing the pigskin (incomplete), plus he hit anybody holding the football who was wearing an opposing team’s jersey. The senior represented a talented and physical Antelopes team well. On offense, he led the team in receiving with 48 receptions for 1,028 yards for an average of more than 21 yards per catch. He was the Lopes’ second leading rusher with 74 carries for 787 yards for an average of 10.6 yards per carry, and he tied for the team lead in scoring with 24 touchdowns. On defense, Neal had 37 tackles (23 solo), six tackles for loss, a fumble recovery and two interceptions, one returned for a score. He was a big part of an Avonworth team that won double gold and was the only team in the state to finish without a loss this season.

Class 2A

Player of the Year: Da’Ron Barksdale, Steel Valley

Maybe some year, a Steel Valley football player will not win the Trib HSSN Class 2A Player of the Year. It won’t be this season, as Da’Ron Barksdale kept that honor in his household and the Ironmen family for a fifth straight season. Older brother Donald Barksdale claimed POY in 2024 and 2023, following Cruce Brookins in 2022 and Nijhay Burt in 2021. Da’Ron Barksdale shined on both offense and defense as Steel Valley earned a share of the Class 2A Allegheny Conference crown and reached the WPIAL finals. On offense, the Pitt commit finished with 285 carries for 2,117 yards and 32 rushing touchdowns and 36 total TDs, including five in a playoff win over Ellwood City. Barksdale had three games this season in which he rushed for more than 200 yards. On defense, he had six interceptions.

Class A

Player of the Year: Matt Sieg, Fort Cherry

Matt Sieg capped off one of the best high school careers in WPIAL history with another amazing season, this despite an injury to his arm that limited him to only three passing attempts after Week 3. But the injury did not slow him from running the football or defending from his defensive back spot. For the season, he completed 16 of 26 passes for 403 yards and eight touchdowns. He rushed for 1,774 yards on 163 carries and scored 27 touchdowns. His career numbers are incredible, as he finished first in WPIAL history in career yards with 12,592 and first in the WPIAL in career touchdowns with 139 (131 rushing 8 kickoff, punt or interception returns for scores). He is the all-time passing, rushing and scoring leader in Fort Cherry history and finished as the No. 2 rusher in WPIAL history behind Hopewell’s Rushel Shell with 7,958 yards.

City League

Player of the Year: Zion Hauser, University Prep

What Zion Hauser lacked in size, the senior made up for in explosiveness on the football field. Standing at 5-foot-8, Hauser was a slot wide receiver and defensive back for a University Prep team that broke Westinghouse’s stranglehold on the City League. University Prep beat the Bulldogs once for the regular season title and then in the District 8 title game. In the Wildcats’ triumph in the 2025 City League finals, Hauser caught two first-half touchdown passes from Daimere Adair for 34 and 41 yards. As a junior, he was a first-team wide receiver with more than 1,000 total yards and 10 touchdowns.

Tags: Avonworth, Central Catholic, Fort Cherry, McKeesport, Pine-Richland, Steel Valley, University Prep