TribLive HSSN ranks the top 7 wide receivers in WPIAL history — No. 1

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, September 28, 2018 | 6:33 PM

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Did you ever wonder how you would rank the top high school football players in WPIAL history?

So did the staff at the TribLive High School Sports Network.

Trib HSSN will rank the top 7 high school football players in WPIAL history by position based on their performance during their scholastic careers.

We will announce the players in reverse order each day, starting Saturday. The top player will be released each Friday morning.

We encourage you to tell us through social media if you agree, or if we have missed the mark with our rankings.

There are no perfect rankings, but it’s something to discuss and debate each week.

Have fun with them and hopefully your — or your father’s — favorite player made the lists.

Here’s a look at the Trib 7 all-time great wide receivers:

No. 1 — Robert Foster, Central Valley

When the Central Valley School District was formed after five years of tough negotiations between the former Center and Monaca school districts, a unifying force was needed to bring the communities together.

In stepped the football team, led by sophomore Robert Foster.

The Warriors made the WPIAL Class AAA playoffs, but were seeded 14th and not given much of a chance to go far.

But the Central Valley players thought otherwise.

In the semifinals at North Allegheny, the new school faced Thomas Jefferson, playing in its 13th straight semifinal. Foster stole the show and scored four touchdowns in the Warriors’ first 15 plays in a 42-24 victory.

A week later at Heinz Field, Foster scored on a 75-yard punt return and on a 35-yard reception as Central Valley beat Montour, 24-7, becoming the first WPIAL school to win a football title in its initial season since Sto-Rox in 1966.

Central Valley was eliminated in the semifinals the next two seasons. But by then, Foster had established himself as the No. 2 receiver in the nation, according to one scouting service.

He made second-team all-state in 2010, then first team the succeeding two seasons.

Foster made the 2012 all-USA Today team and played in the Under Armour All-American game before deciding to sign with Alabama.

During his time with the Crimson Tide, he only caught 35 passes for 389 yards, with three touchdowns. He also owns two national championship rings.

Foster now plays for the Buffalo Bills.

No. 2 — Gordon Jones, East Allegheny

Gordon “Too Much” Jones was exactly that for East Allegheny opponents.

On Oct. 26, 1974 at Burrell, he scored all four Wildcats touchdowns in a 28-7 victory. The game was on live radio and local cable TV, giving a number of fans a chance to see the East Allegheny standout in action.

A week later, he led the Wildcats to the Keystone Conference title and the school’s first WPIAL playoff berth. Only conference winners qualified for the playoffs at the time, and Jones was conference MVP.

East Allegheny lost a first-round game to Monessen, but Jones was named to both the Associated Press and the United Press International all-state first teams.

He played in the 1975 Big 33 Classic against Ohio.

Jones earned seven letters at East Allegheny in football, basketball and track.

Considered the No. 1 recruit in the Pittsburgh region, Jones signed with Pitt and went on to set Panthers career records in career receptions (133), career receiving yards (2,230) and career touchdown receptions (21) and was selected an All-American in ‘78.

In 1977, Jones set Panthers records with 45 catches, 793 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.

Drafted in the second round in 1979 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he played there through 1982 before signing with the Rams.

Jones played in 61 NFL games.

No. 3 — Julius Dawkins, Monessen

Dawkins first came to prominence as a junior in what amounted to the 1977 Big 10 Conference game between the Greyhounds and Thomas Jefferson.

At the time, only conference champions were admitted to the WPIAL playoffs and both schools played in the regular-season finale.

Monessen won 44-35 before an estimated 10,000 fans at Jaguars Stadium. Media reports had fans parking more than a mile away from the stadium.

Dawkins caught a pair of touchdowns and a two-point conversion in a game that featured a combined 79 points and 824 offensive yards.

The Greyhounds were eliminated in the WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinals by Fox Chapel.

Dawkins also had a standout 1978 season, where he was named Associated Press all-state first team as a receiver.

Dawkins played in the 1979 Big 33 Classic for the PA West all-stars, who defeated PA East, 28-2.

It was on to Pitt for Dawkins, who was hampered with a twice-broken thumb and caught just 16 passes for the Panthers his first two seasons.

But his junior season resulted in 46 receptions for 767 yards and 16 touchdowns for the 11-1 Panthers, who won the Sugar Bowl in dramatic fashion over Georgia.

The 16 TDs were an NCAA record at the time as he was named to the All-American team.

Dawkins caught 29 passes in 1982 for 437 yards and seven touchdowns and made appearances in the Senior Bowl and Hula Bowl all-star games.

He was picked by the Bills in the 12th round of the 1983 draft and played 11 games for Buffalo his rookie season.

Dawkins played 27 games over two NFL seasons.

No. 4 — Dwight Collins, Beaver Falls

Many WPIAL athletes have had great school years, but Dwight Collins was downright dominant in the 1979-80 school year.

In football, he was United Press International first-team all-state and an Associated Press second teamer. Collins was a Parade Magazine All-American and was listed as one of the top 25 players in the nation.

He played in the Big 33 Classic in 1980, the year of two Big 33 games between the PA East and PA West.

In basketball, Collins led Beaver Falls to its second consecutive WPIAL 3A basketball title and was named to the Dapper Dan Classic.

In track, Collins won the PIAA title in the 200 meters.

He won 12 letters at Beaver Falls, four each in football, basketball and track.

The 1978-79 school year wasn’t bad for Collins, either. He was on the Tigers team that lost the WPIAL Class 2A football title game to Knoch. That basketball season, Collins helped Beaver Falls to a Class 3A win over Burrell.

He signed with Pitt as a receiver and made his presence known quickly as a freshman as the Panthers were ranked second in the country with an 11-1 mark.

Collins finished his Pitt career with 133 receptions for 2,264 yards and 24 touchdowns.

He was selected by the Vikings in the 1984 draft and had a brief stay with the Lions the following season.

No. 5 — Cam Saddler, Gateway

Saddler is perhaps best known for one of the most thrilling plays in WPIAL finals history when Gateway played Central Catholic on Nov. 23, 2007.

With the Gators on the Central Catholic 30, quarterback Rob Kalkstein threw to Jonathan Pryor, who lateraled to Saddler for a touchdown with one second left, capping a 15-point comeback in the final 1:02 of regulation.

Central eventually won in overtime, 35-34.

Saddler did it all for the Gators, accumulating 2,299 all-purpose yards his senior season. He scored 31 touchdowns, 24 via rushing, three receiving, two on punt returns and two on kickoff returns.

Saddler was named to the Associated Press Class 4A first team, the Tribune-Review Terrific 25 and was rated eighth-best all-purpose player in the country by Rivals.com.

During his time at Gateway, the Gators compiled a 24-11 mark, appearing all three seasons in the finals.

He played in the 2008 Big 33 Classic against Ohio before starting his Pitt career.

At Pitt, he collected 1,211 yards on kickoff returns and caught 45 passes for four touchdowns.

No. 6 — Derek Moye, Rochester

With his 6-foot-5 frame, Moye’s ability to outleap defenders was a key to a great Rochester run.

Moye made three appearances in WPIAL title games at Heinz Field.

The Rams defeated Clairton in 2004, lost to Duquesne in ’05 and to Clairton in ’06. Rochester compiled a 36-6 record during that span, including a loss to Southern Columbia in the 2004 PIAA title game.

Moye was selected to the Associated Press all-state first team in 2005 in the specialist category and as a wide receiver in ’06.

A great all-around athlete, Moye was the rare high schooler to letter in four different sports. He was all-section in basketball and baseball. In track, Moye recorded an 11.04 in the 100 meters at the 2006 PIAA meet.

A year later, Moye capped his outstanding Rochester career by winning the gold medal in the 200 and 400 meters at the PIAA meet.

He played in the 2007 Big 33 game at Hershey against the Ohio all-stars before heading to Penn State.

A three-year starter with the Nittany Lions, Moye caught 144 career passes (eighth all-time at PSU) for 2,395 yards (sixth) and 18 receiving touchdowns (fourth).

He was signed by the Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2012. He eventually played seven games with the Steelers.

Moye is coaching wide receivers this year at Aliquippa High School.

No. 7 — Jon Baldwin, Aliquippa

While with the Quips, Baldwin became one of the nation’s elite college recruits as a receiver.

After making the Associated Press all-state second team in 2006 in the specialist category, he was a first-team receiver in 2007. Baldwin was selected to the Tribune-Review Terrific 25 team in ’07.

Over his final two seasons, he caught 62 passes for 1,083 yards and 14 touchdowns as Aliquippa compiled a 19-4 overall record. Two of those losses came in the WPIAL playoffs against Jeannette.

In 2006, the Quips lost 18-14 to the Jayhawks in the quarterfinals. The 2007 semifinal was another setback to Jeannette, 70-48, in what remains the highest-scoring playoff game ever and was a game for the ages.

Baldwin caught six passes for 180 yards and scored three touchdowns on two 39-yard plays and a 67-yarder. On the 67-yarder, two Jeannette players tipped the pass before Baldwin came up with it in what turned out to be his final high school game.

He played in the 2008 U.S. Army All-American Bowl and in the Big 33 Classic in Hershey against the Ohio all-stars.

Baldwin was also all-state in basketball where he averaged 21.9 points and 8.6 rebounds during his senior season. He also excelled in track in the 100- and 200-meter events and the 400 relay.

After being ranked as the No. 5 wide receiver in the nation, he signed with Pitt. He played three seasons with the Panthers, including a 2009 sophomore season where he caught 57 passes for 1,111 yards.

Baldwin was selected in the first round by Kansas City in 2011 and played in 33 NFL games with the Chiefs and the 49ers.

George Guido is a freelance writer.