Trib HSSN high school football player of the week for 2024 Week 2

By: Don Rebel
Sunday, September 8, 2024 | 9:18 PM

Trib HSSN football player of the week – Tyler Eber

School – Thomas Jefferson

Class – Sophomore

Height/weight – 5-foot-11, 172 pounds

Position – Running back, linebacker

What coach says – “He runs hard and hits the hole so fast it makes it very difficult for the defense to get good tackling angles on him,” Thomas Jefferson coach Bill Cherpak said. “He’s not a huge kid, but he runs with power and speed.

“Football is a game of attrition. We have had some injuries in the backfield, but Tyler has been reliable and healthy. Everyone has a lot of confidence in his abilities.

“Tyler is tough and works extremely hard at everything he does. He is a straight-A student in school and, obviously, an excellent football player. He takes pride in everything he does and is willing to put in the work to be the best he can be. He is a polite and personable young man and the type of player every coach loves to have in their program.

“We are excited to watch him grow and excel over the next several years. He is part of the sophomore class that we are very high on. Throughout most of the second half (Friday), we had five to six sophomores on the field.”

#Earned – After earning the lead running back roll in training camp, Eber had a modest workload in the first two wins over Baldwin and Central Valley with a combined 31 carries for 213 yards. Eber was the workhorse, though, in Week 2 against McKeesport, toting the ball 39 times for 186 yards and three touchdowns on runs of 2, 1 and 10 yards. The final score in the fourth quarter capped a big second-half comeback for the Jaguars, who then won the game in overtime on a tush-push score by quarterback Luke Kosko with some help from Eber as TJ edged the Tigers, 34-31.

Background – Eber got a small taste of varsity football last season as a freshman, rushing for 71 yards on only 10 carries. But three of those carries went for touchdowns. He broke his collarbone late in the season, but he rehabbed and was able to join the Thomas Jefferson wrestling team in January. Eber has played football since middle school and has wrestled since eighth grade. His game is predicated on speed, but he is adjusting to the tough yards running between the tackles. He is determined to get stronger and better, hoping to soon get his driver’s license so he can drive to the stadium to work out whenever he wants.

WPIAL Week 2 Honorable Mention

Dominic Detruf, Hempfield

It was a rough offseason for the Spartans junior quarterback, who was coming off a 1,000 yard passing season last year as a sophomore. In July after returning from vacation, Detruf was diagnosed with an acute case of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart. He recovered and rehabbed and returned in Week 1. On Friday, he was 13 of 21 for 255 yards and three first-half touchdown passes as Hempfield came back to knock off host Kiski Area, 31-29.

Tanner Pfeuffer and Ja’Vaughn Moore, Bethel Park

The Black Hawks road show continued to fly high on Friday with the district’s leading passer and rusher for Week 2. Senior quarterback Pfeuffer connected on 17 of 22 passes for 326 yards with four touchdowns, including three to senior wide receiver Mitch Paschl of 19, 24 and 22 yards. Senior running back Moore ran for 255 yards on 19 carries with touchdown runs of 1 and 19 yards as unbeaten Bethel Park raced past Armstrong, 46-7.

Jayden Floyd, Leechburg

The Leechburg quarterback wasn’t able to hurt host Serra Catholic with his arm, but he made them tap out on his ability to run the ball. The senior hit on 5 of 12 passes for 38 yards but did plenty of damage on the ground with 254 yards rushing on 19 carries. Four of those runs ended up in the end zone as Floyd scored on jaunts of 13, 1, 74 and 64 yards as the Blue Devils improved to 3-0 with a victory over the Eagles, 48-21.

2024 HSSN Players of the Week

Week 1 – Donald Barksdale, Steel Valley

Week Zero – Drew Welhorsky, South Fayette

Tags: Thomas Jefferson