Where are the 2010 MSA Sports Elite Eleven Headed for College?

By: Bruce Markey
Wednesday, February 2, 2011 | 12:00 AM

Wednesday is national letter of intent day as the top senior football players across the country and in Western Pa make their verbal agreements official by signing on the dotted line. So where are the 2010 MSA Sports Elite Eleven WPIAL football players going to play their college football?

Keep in mind only eight of the eleven players selected this past fall were seniors. Rushel Shell of Hopewell, Luke Hagy of Mount Lebanon and Julian Durden of Montour will have their day in the sun in February of 2012.

CHRISTIAN BRUMBAUGH, SOUTH FAYETTE

QB 6-4, 200 Sr. – GOING TO WILLIAM & MARY

No one in the history of the WPIAL has thrown the football like Brumbaugh.

He set the WPIAL record for career passing yardage. With 7,163, breaking the record of 6,741 set by 2004 Sto-Rox graduate Adam DiMichele.

But Brumbaugh has a number of other records also. He has a WPIAL record for single-season passing yardage with 3,726, which beat the mark of 3,310 set by Seton-LaSalle's Bill Stull in 2004.

But Brumbaugh's impact hasn't been felt only in the WPIAL.

Brumbaugh set a state record for touchdown passes in a season with 51. He also set a PIAA playoff record for touchdown passes with six in a Semifinals victory over Forest Hills. His 380 yards passing in a PIAA Quarterfinals against Brockway was a playoff record, but has since been broken.

"We could see he had the ability to be pretty special when he was in eighth grade," said South Fayette coach Joe Rossi. "That's why we put in this [spread] offense when he became the full-time starter his sophomore year."

Overall this season, Brumbaugh has completed 237 of 367 passes (67 percent) for 3,726 yards. He has been intercepted only eight times.

ALEX PAPSON, NORTH ALLEGHENY

RB 5-8, 160 Sr. – GOING TO GANNON

Even though his season was cut short by a dislocated collarbone, Papson still had a year to remember.

He rushed for 2,550 on 315 attempts this season before sustaining the injury in the WPIAL Class AAAA championship against Woodland Hills. Papson had 123 yards in that game before the injury. He rushed for more than 200 yards six times and more than 300 yards twice.

Papson, a member of the varsity since his freshman year, finished as one of only six running backs in WPIAL history to rush for more than 4,000 yards. He had 4,533 on 606 carries and finished as the 20th-leading rusher all-time in the WPIAL.

DESIMON GREEN, CLAIRTON

QB-DE 6-5, 230 Sr. – GOING TO TEXAS TECH

Clairton's team has a Greenish tint to it this year.

Desimon Green has been a standout at both quarterback and defensive back, helping the Bears win a third consecutive WPIAL Class A title and back-to-back PIAA Class A championships after the Bears came back to beat Taylor Riverside on Friday.

Green has more than 2,400 yards offense. He has completed 72 of 120 passes for 1,756 yards and 27 touchdowns. He also has rushed for 688 yards on 98 carries and scored 13 touchdowns. In addition, he has done well at defensive end.

Green made a verbal commitment to Pitt last summer, but re-opened his recruiting after the Panthers made a coaching change. He made his surprise choice of Texas Tech Wednesday over Pitt.

DELRECE WILLIAMS, STEEL VALLEY

RB 5-11, 185 Sr. – UNDECIDED

Williams beat out Hopewell's Rushel Shell to win the WPIAL regular-season rushing title. He finished with 2,149 yards and added 239 in a first-round WPIAL playoff game to finish with 2,388 yards on 246 attempts. That's a 9.71 yards-per-carry average.

But Williams also had a radar for the end zone, leading the WPIAL in scoring during the regular season. He finished with 34 touchdowns.

LAFAYETTE PITTS, WOODLAND HILLS

RB 6-0, 188 Sr. – GOING TO PITT

Woodland Hills lived life in the Pitts this year, and it was pretty good.

After starting the season slowly because of a knee injury, Pitts came on strong and helped Woodland Hills reach the WPIAL Class AAAA title game. He finished with 1,758 yards on 222 carries. He was so valuable on offense that Woodland Hills stopped playing him at defensive back in order to save him for offense.

Pitts made a verbal commitment to Pitt last summer. Changed his mind when the Panthers made a coaching change. He then made a verbal commitment to Rutgers in late January before coming back and signing with the University of Pittsburgh.

DELVON SIMMONS, MCKEESPORT

OG-DT, 6-5, 262 Sr. GOING TO NORTH CAROLINA

This Tiger earned his stripes as one of the best defensive linemen in the state. He is the only player from the WPIAL to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in January. The game included the top players in the country.

This should tell you how good he was: He led the team in tackles from his defensive lineman position.

Simmons has numerous scholarship offers and finally made his decision Wednesday morning, selecting the Tar Heels despite not making an official visit to North Carolina.

ROB KUGLER, NORTH ALLEGHENY

TE-DE, 6-3, 245 Sr. – GOING TO PURDUE

Kugler transferred from Buffalo to North Allegheny last spring when his father became the Steelers offensive line coach. North Allegheny benefited greatly.

Kugler became one of North Allegheny's top players. He did well in the postseason ni leading the Tigers to a WPIAL and PIAA championship, despite a knee injury suffered in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs.

Kugler got his college decision out of the way in the spring when he made a verbal commitment to Purdue. West Virginia was one of the other schools that had offered a
scholarship.

AUSTIN MIELE

RB-DB, 6-1, 195 Sr. – GOING TO ST. FRANCIS (Pa)

The man from Mars was out of this world as a senior.

Miele had a big senior season, finishing with 1,703 yards rushing for a Mars team that made it to the WPIAL Class AAA semifinals. He set a WPIAL playoff record with 448 yards rushing in a first-round win against Hollidaysburg. He was only 7 yards shy of the WPIAL rushing record (playoffs or regular season).

Miele rushed for more than 1,000 yards three years in a row and finished with more than 4,000 yards.

Tags: Clairton, McKeesport, Woodland Hills