A month after squaring off in the WPIAL finals, Peters Township’s Nolan DiLucia and Pine-Richland’s Aaron “Oobi” Strader will share the honor of being all-state quarterbacks.
DiLucia, a senior, and Strader, a junior, were among 11 WPIAL athletes recognized when the all-state team for Class 5A was announced Tuesday. The team was chosen by a statewide vote of sportswriters.
Peters Township and Pine-Richland were both well represented with four players each. Joining DiLucia were teammates Lucas Shanafelt (tight end), Reston Lehman (defensive line) and James Spratt (linebacker). Pine-Richland’s Khalil Taylor (wide receiver), John Curran (offensive line) and Jay Timmons (defensive back) joined Strader as all-state players.
Also honored from the WPIAL were Gateway’s Roberson Louis-Jeune (offensive line), Woodland Hills’ Scoop Smith (offensive athlete) and Fox Chapel’s Harran Zureikat (kicker).
Roman Catholic quarterback Semaj Beals and coach Rick Prete earned the top individual awards after the Philadelphia Catholic League team went 11-3 and won the PIAA title with 28-6 victory over Bishop McDevitt. Beals, an Akron recruit, passed for 3,375 yards and 48 touchdowns, including three in the finals.
DiLucia and Strader also posted impressive numbers this season.
A Villanova recruit, DiLucia passed for 2,782 yards and 22 touchdowns while leading the Indians to the WPIAL title. He finished his high school career as the second-leading passer in WPIAL history with 8,819 career yards.
Strader passed for 2,217 yards and 34 touchdowns for the WPIAL runner-up Rams. He was joined on the all-state team by two of his top receivers in Taylor and Timmons, though the Ohio State-bound Timmons was honored for his defense. Taylor caught 33 passes for 571 yards and 16 touchdowns. Timmons had 35 receptions for 637 yards and 10 TDs.
Curran, an anchor on the Pine-Richland offensive line, was a Pitt recruit.
Peters Township’s Spratt, Lehman and Shanafelt teamed together as linebackers on a defense that held opponents to 9.5 points per game.
Spratt made a team-high 75 tackles. Lehman, a Pitt recruit, had nine sacks, 20 tackles for loss, two interceptions and five forced fumbles. Shanafelt, honored at tight end, had 26 catches for 479 yards and four touchdowns.
Smith, a Miami (Ohio) recruit, was a big-play threat who rolled up more than 1,300 yards from scrimmage and scored 21 times.
Zureikat, a Georgia recruit, broke a WPIAL record when he made a 57-yard field goal in early October. His kick was 2 yards longer that the previous mark set in 2002.
Louis-Jeune was a two-way standout on the line for Gateway, earning Big East all-conference honors at defensive tackle.
The Class A, 3A and 5A all-state teams were released Tuesday. The three other classifications will be announced Wednesday.
Pa. Class 5A All-State Team
Player of the Year: Semaj Beals, Roman Catholic
Coach of the Year: Rick Prete, Roman Catholic
OFFENSE
Quarterback
Semaj Beals, Roman Catholic, 6-1, 180, sr.
Nolan DiLucia, Peters Township, 6-2, 220, sr.
Aaron “Oobi” Strader, Pine-Richland, 6-0, 170, jr.
Trey Wingard, DuBois, 6-2, 220, sr.
Running back
Leo Brown, Exeter, 5-10, 180, sr.
Carter Muth, Hollidaysburg, 5-8, 164, jr.
Nazir Jones-Davis, Bishop McDevitt, 6-0, 195, sr.
Cameron Small, Muhlenberg, 5-11, 185, sr.
Johnny Garcia, Solanco, 5-9, 205, sr.
Wide receiver
Ashdan Roberts, Roman Catholic, 5-10, 180, sr.
Khalil Taylor, Pine-Richland, 6-0, 180, jr.
Eyan Stead, Roman Catholic, 5-10, 175, sr.
Jaxson Hanzely, DuBois, 6-1, 185, sr.
Gavin Anders, Abington Heights, 6-1, 185, sr.
Tight end
Lucas Shanafelt, Peters Township, 6-4, 235, sr.
Offensive line
John Curran, Pine-Richland, 6-4, 295, sr.
Ja’kye Logan, Bishop McDevitt, 6-3, 290, sr.
Joel Ummarino, Exeter, 6-3, 260, sr.
Roberson Louis-Jeune, Gateway, 6-0, 280, sr.
Jimmy DeWire, Mechanicsburg, 6-2, 270, sr.
Athlete
Scoop Smith, Woodland Hills, 5-6, 150, sr.
Cole DeLattre, Hollidaysburg, 6-3, 185, sr.
Quinlin Shearer, Red Land, 6-4, 213, sr.
DEFENSE
Defensive line
Reston Lehman, Peters Township, 6-4, 230, sr.
David Czapp, Spring Grove, 6-2, 260, sr.
Vinny Bagonis, Warwick, 6-2, 215, sr.
Collin Stare, Mechanicsburg, 6-2, 245, sr.
Chris Thompson, Bishop McDevitt, 5-10, 250, sr.
Linebacker
R.J. Duffy, Bishop McDevitt, 6-3, 205, sr.
James Spratt, Peters Township, 6-1, 205, sr.
Josh Banks, Hollidaysburg, 6-1, 201, sr.
Coron Russell, Roman Catholic, 6-3, 205, fr.
Hunter Strohm, Lower Dauphin, 6-2, 210, sr.
Defensive back
Jay Timmons, Pine-Richland, 5-10, 185, sr.
Tyler Reinhart, Bishop McDevitt, 6-1, 190, sr.
Gabe Forren, Solanco, 5-8, 150, sr.
Jayden Ware, Exeter, 6-2, 165, sr.
Justus Gaskin, Roman Catholic, 5-9, 175, sr.
Defensive athlete
Lucas LoPresto, Pittston Area, 5-10, 175, sr.
Brody Holmes, New Oxford, 6-2, 175, sr.
Specialist
Harran Zureikat, Fox Chapel, 6-2, 185, sr.