Trib HSSN high school football player of the week for Nov. 3, 2025

By: Don Rebel
Monday, November 3, 2025 | 9:01 PM

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Trib HSSN football player of the week – Tyler Smiley

School: Ellwood City

Class: Senior

Height/Weight: 6-foot, 175 pounds

Position: Quarterback

#Earned: It has not been smooth sailing for first-year starting quarterback Tyler Smiley; however, after a rough start, his play, and thus the fortunes of Ellwood City, have been on the upswing. Finishing the regular season with three straight wins and claiming second place all to themselves in a crowded Class 2A Midwestern Athletic Conference, Smiley and the Wolverines enjoyed a first-round home game against Keystone Oaks on opening night of the WPIAL Class 2A postseason. Trailing the Golden Eagles 7-0 in the second quarter, Smiley connected with DaiLonn Currie on an 18-yard touchdown pass to tie the game before halftime. Then with Ellwood City leading Keystone Oaks 14-13 heading into the fourth quarter, the Wolverines exploded for 21 unanswered points, including a 44-yard scoring pass from the senior QB Smiley to Dom Hogue. In his first playoff start at quarterback, Smiley completed 24 of 36 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns as the Wolverines eliminated the Golden Eagles to advance to the 2A quarterfinals, 35-13.

Background: Tyler Smiley played some defense but was the backup quarterback at Ellwood City the last couple of years, playing behind his brother, Chris. In three years as the Wolverines QB, Chris Smiley threw for nearly 4,000 yards. Chris is now at Marietta College. Tyler has not made a college decision but plans to study sports management. For the season, Tyler Smiley has completed 127 of his 234 pass attempts for 1,761 yards and 19 touchdowns. He is third on the Wolverines in rushing with 268 yards, and he is fourth on the team in scoring with four touchdowns. Smiley is also a member of the Ellwood City boys basketball team, and he played baseball through middle school. Tyler has two siblings: older brother Chris and younger brother Nico. Ellwood City fans are going to have to wait a while for Nico to line up under center as he has yet to celebrate his first birthday.

What coach says: “Tyler’s mental toughness stood out against Keystone Oaks,” Ellwood City coach Dan Bradley said. “He threw two picks early. One was a good play by KO; the second our wide receiver ran the wrong route. Tyler also threw two perfect deep balls that should’ve been TDs but were dropped. He kept his head and had a great game.”

“Tyler’s progress came when he started to trust his arm and believing in his reads,” Bradley said. “He’s processing things a lot quicker, and that’s leading to better decision making.”

“Tyler and Chris are both very competitive multi-sport athletes,” Bradley said of the Smiley brothers. “They both are quiet leaders that tend to lead by their play but are verbal when they need to be. Chris was a more grip-it-and-rip-it type, and Tyler is very accurate. Both are confident, but Tyler will take more chances running the ball.”

“Friday at Steel Valley, we need to make plays when we have the opportunity,” Bradley said of the upcoming Class 2A quarterfinal against the Ironmen. “Offensively, we have to be better protecting the ball. Defensively, we must contain Da’Ron Barksdale. He’s a great running back who is a patient runner with great speed. He’s just as good at safety as well. He’s one of the most impactful players that I’ve coached against. He’s that good.”

Week 10 honorable mention

Kane Eggerton – Thomas Jefferson

Life as a wide receiver in the Thomas Jefferson offense can be lonely. Oh sure, you are asked to block downfield … a lot … but as far as catching the pigskin, the chances are few and far between. Making the most of those rare opportunities was junior wide receiver Kane Eggerton, who had six receptions for 129 yards and two first-half touchdowns from Jaguars quarterback Harrison Kolling of 19 and 29 yards. He supplied the cherry on the cake with a 98-yard pick-six as well as TJ defeated Mars, 31-14.

Joey Felitsky – North Catholic

He was the Trib HSSN Week 2 Co-Player of the Week and has been honorable mention a couple of times this season, but it is impossible not to give a shout out to the North Catholic senior after one of the best games for a quarterback in WPIAL history. Joey Felitsky was nearly perfect, connecting on 23 of his 24 passing attempts for 433 yards — 31 yards shy of the district postseason record. Plus, he threw six touchdowns to five different receivers and Tom Arth twice as the Trojans rolled past Burrell, 56-14.

Jino Mozzocio – Neshannock

There were a lot more treats than tricks in the Mozzocio family this Halloween. Fred is on his way to the Class 4A semifinals as head coach at New Castle, while Jino, Fred’s first cousin’s son, is on his way to the Class A quarterfinals as starting quarterback at Neshannock. In a first-round road win, senior signal caller Jino Mozzocio completed 6 of 8 passes for 133 yards and a touchdown toss of 64 yards to Ryan Cameron, plus he rushed for 43 yards and scored twice as the Lancers beat Leechburg, 49-14.

2025 HSSN Players of the Week:

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: Ellwood City