Trib HSSN football player of the week for Oct. 27, 2024

Trib HSSN football player of the week: DevonTe Dean

School: Carlynton

Class: Senior

Height/Weight: 6-0, 180

Position: Quarterback, free safety

What coach says: “This young man is the toughest player I have ever coached,” Carlynton coach John Tortorea said. “He cares more about his team and the school than he does any individual stats or honors.

“He carries himself very well but plays very angry. There definitely is a switch that goes on when that helmet gets snapped up. He has a very high football IQ, which has propelled his game to another level.

“He is known as a great defensive player, but he has worked extremely hard to improve his offensive play. He has learned how to blend his aggressiveness and awareness on defensive to playing quarterback. Last year as a free safety he had over 150 tackles. He plays QB like he is playing defense.

“Friday night, he wasn’t going to let anyone stop him from getting his guys into the dance. He is playing with a chip on his shoulder, and he is the heart and soul of our team. It is very satisfying to watch these young men have success. They earned and deserve all the positive attention they are getting because they have had a rough road for a long time.”

#Earned: It was a must-win regular-season finale for a team that is not used to playing in those kind of pressure situations, but Carlynton did just that against Charleroi in a battle of the Cougars. Dean was in charge Friday in Carnegie, connecting on 7 of 10 passes for 174 yards with touchdown tosses of 36 and 38 yards to junior wide receiver Damien Holloway. He also rushed for 236 yards on 24 carries and scored four touchdowns on runs of 6, 2, 52 and 5 yards. However the biggest play of the game came in the third quarter after Charleroi had scored to cut the Carlynton lead to 34-27. Dean returned the ensuing kickoff 85 yards for a backbreaking score as Carlynton scored the final 20 points of the game to pull away from Charleroi, 54-27. The win secured fourth place in the 2A Century Conference standings, which led to the Cougars earning a wild card berth to the upcoming WPIAL Class 2A playoffs.

Background: For the season, Dean has hit completed 83 of 160 passes for 1,383 yards and 15 touchdowns, and he is second on the team in rushing behind senior John Sciulli with 858 yards and 12 touchdowns. As a junior, Dean threw for 1,089 yards and 10 touchdowns and rushed for 326 yards and three scores. Carlynton has six wins this season, more than Dean’s first three years at Carlynton, when the Cougars finished a combined 4-26 in 2021, ’22 and ’23. The playoff berth for Carlynton ended the longest postseason drought among current WPIAL teams at 22 years. Dean is a three-sport star at Carlynton, playing quarterback and safety in football, he’s a guard in basketball and he is on the track and field team in the spring. He is usually a sprinter, but last spring, he was recovering from a foot injury, so he began throwing the javelin and almost qualified for the WPIAL championships. He hopes to do both events this spring. Yes, the “T” in his name is capitalized.

WPIAL Week 9 Honorable Mention

Jonah Williamson, Trinity

It was a win-and-in game in the 4A Big Six Conference with the winner of Belle Vernon at Trinity securing second place and a WPIAL playoff berth while the loser would be forced to sit on the bubble for a wild-card spot. The Hillers junior quarterback shined, connecting on 4 of 8 passes for 144 yards, includingtouchdown tosses to sophomore Owen Gardner and senior Caden Vogel. He also rushed for 143 yards on 16 carries and scored a TD as the Hillers clinched with a win over the wild-card Leopards, 31-21.

Joey Felitsky, North Catholic

This wasn’t a win-and-in game in the Western Hills Conference, but the winner of Hopewell at North Catholic would finish in fourth place and be looking good for a Class 3A wild card. Heading into the final week of the regular season, North Catholic junior Felitsky was the league’s second-leading passer. He sits alone at No. 1 now heading into the postseason after a monster game in which he completed 25 of 31 passes for 370 yards and three touchdowns as the Trojans beat the Vikings, 55-43, which did, indeed, lead to a playoff wild card berth.

Jeff Thompson, Clairton

Trying to finish a perfect regular season, Clairton didn’t have to throw the ball much in attacking visiting Brentwood, but when they did, splash plays occurred. Junior quarterback Thompson averaged a mind-numbing 33 yards per completion after connecting on 10 of 14 passes for 332 yards and four touchdowns (14, 71, 37 and 52 yards) as the Bears crushed the wild-card playoff bound Spartans, 69-7. Thompson now has thrown for just under 1,700 yards and 24 touchdowns this season as No. 2-seed Clairton is 10-0.

2024 HSSN Players of the Week

Week 8: Brady Brinkley, North Allegheny

Week 7: Kymon’e Brown, Jeannette

Week 6: Tasso Whipple, Penn-Trafford

Week 5: Julian Dahlem, Upper St. Clair

Week 4: Matt Sieg, Fort Cherry

Week 3: Trey Hopper, Montour

Week 2: Tyler Eber, Thomas Jefferson

Week 1: Donald Barksdale, Steel Valley

Week Zero: Drew Welhorsky, South Fayette

Tags: Carlynton