Trib HSSN high school football player of the week for Nov. 17, 2025

By: Don Rebel
Monday, November 17, 2025 | 6:42 PM

Purchase Photo Options

Trib HSSN football player of the week – Marques Council Jr.

School: Aliquippa

Class: Senior

Height/Weight: 6-foot, 185 pounds

Position: Quarterback

#Earned: Following a dramatic come-from-behind victory over Penn Hills in Week 4 in which Marquis Council Jr. hit Ray Miller with a 28-yard touchdown pass on the final play of the game, the senior quarterback missed the Parkway Conference opener in a loss to New Castle with a leg injury. He returned the next week against West Allegheny, but left with what diagnosed as a torn meniscus. The word at that time was Council Jr. might be done for the year. However, he was a surprise return in the Class 4A quarterfinals at Trinity, a game in which he connected with Josh Lay on a perfect 38-yard scoring strike in the final minute of play to lead the Quips past the Hillers, 21-14. Two weeks later in the WPIAL Class 4A championship game, he played a huge part as No. 7 Aliquippa stunned top-seed McKeesport on Saturday, 21-12. Council connected on 9 of his 14 passes for 123 yards and two touchdown tosses, a second quarter 3-yard pass to Lay and a game-clinching 24-yard fourth-quarter strike to QaLil Goode. The Quips quarterback also rushed for 47 yards, with most of those coming on a sensational first-quarter 24-yard scoring run that put Aliquippa up to stay on its way to a district-leading 21st WPIAL football championship.

Background: Council will take his combined athletic skills and his success academically to continue his football career at Yale. His father, Marques Council, was a member of the 2000 Aliquippa championship team who played his college ball at Toledo. While his dad was a big influence on his football career, he said both his mom and dad pushed him for his success in the classroom. For the season, Council has connected on 69 of 130 passes for 1,201 yards and 12 touchdowns. He is third on the team in rushing behind J.J. Work and Akiva Woods with 227 yards on only 29 carries for an average of nearly 8 yards per tote. His is tied for fourth place for the Quips in scoring with three touchdowns. In his first full year as the starting quarterback in 2024, Council threw for 1,477 yards and 16 touchdowns. He played baseball for a year when he was younger and ran some track before settling in on football and basketball through high school. He started for the Quips basketball team that finished as district runner-up after falling to South Allegheny in the 3A title game. In the championship game against South Allegheny, Council was held to two points and three rebounds, the same stat line he had the year before as a reserve when Aliquippa crushed Greensburg Central Catholic to win the district Class 2A crown.

What coach says: “His presence (really stood out),” Aliquippa coach Mike Warfield said of Council’s performance in the 4A finals. “He was confident and made precise decisions.”

“He hasn’t missed a beat,” Warfield said of his play in the postseason after missing three weeks due to injury. “On his first day back, his arm looked incredibly fresh. “Like next level with the ball jumping out of his hand. Marques being back allowed coach (Darrien) Fields to have an open playbook with no limitations.”

“Marques is extremely athletic,” Warfield said. “He can run and throw with the best. However, since I’ve been here, I’ve kind of held our QBs back from running out of concern of injury. As you’ve seen, a quarterback injury can almost derail a season. However, at this point, everything is on the table. There is no tomorrow.”

“Don’t take anything for granted,” Warfield said of Council and his teammates on offense as they prepare for Oil City. “Preparation, preparation, preparation … and don’t waste a day.”

Week 12 honorable mention

Jayden Alexander, Central Catholic

Junior running back Roman Thompson enjoyed the most success running the ball for Central Catholic in the Class 6A championship game against North Allegheny, gaining 95 yards on only seven carries and scoring three touchdowns. But it was his fellow 11th-grade running back that set the tone and then delivered the dagger. Alexander took the opening kickoff and raced 96 yards for the first score and scored the final Vikings points on a 58-yard run as Central rolled past NA to repeat in 6A, 42-7.

David Davis, Imani Christian

It was a busy couple of days for Davis, a senior. After opening up his commitment to Penn State after James Franklin was fired last month, Davis committed to North Carolina on Thursday and then blew up Central Valley on Friday. In the WPIAL Class 3A semifinals, Davis carried the ball seven times for 243 yards, a jaw-dropping 34.7 yards per carry. He scored three touchdowns on runs of 75, 83 and 73 yards as the Saints remained undefeated with a 48-0 whitewash of the Warriors.

Da’Ron Barksdale, Steel Valley

Barksdale was a freshman special teams player when Steel Valley rolled past Beaver Falls to win the 2023 WPIAL Class 2A championship. He was injured and did not play in the title game a year later when the Ironmen fell to the Tigers in a rematch. He played second fiddle to his brother Donald in those seasons, but now has been his time to shine. Against Western Beaver in the 2A semifinals, he ran for 266 yards and scored five touchdowns, including a 55-yard punt return in a 34-7 Steel Valley victory.

Deon Lovelace-Pompey, Clairton

A second quarter 72-yard pick-six gave Bishop Canevin a 14-8 lead with the smell of upset in the air at Fox Chapel. That is when Lovelace-Pompey, a senior running back, took over. For the game, Lovelace-Pompey carried the ball 15 times for 134 yards, a very healthy 8.93 yards per carry. His first touchdown was a 14-yard score that tied the game. Score No. 2 was a 5-yard run and his final scoring jaunt covered 38 yards as the Bears pulled away from the Crusaders in a Class A semi, 42-22.

2025 Trib HSSN players of the week

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 “Booboo” Armstrong, Hopewell

Week Zero – Gabriel Jenkins, Imani Christian

Tags: Aliquippa