Player of the year
Quinton Martin
Sr., RB/DB, Belle Vernon
As running back Quinton Martin bounced outside and ripped into the secondary for what would end up his final touchdown for Belle Vernon — a 92-yard run in the PIAA championship at Cumberland Valley — the star-studded senior began to wind down.
The special career of a special player was nearing the end zone.
"Right after states, it all hit me,” Martin said. "I did it. But I realized I was on to college and that I was never going to play another down of high school.
"I wanted four state titles. I’m a winner. We were a tough team. Our coaches were hard on us. We knew if we wanted to win more championships, we couldn’t get too comfortable.”
Martin’s final prep season was another memorable one as he helped lead the Leopards to back-to-back WPIAL and PIAA 3A championships, cementing the program’s place as a perennial power.
The area’s most heavily recruited prospect since Jeannette legend Terrelle Pryor, Martin was rated as the No. 1 recruit in Pennsylvania and lived up to the hype.
The Leopards’ leading man racked up 28 touchdowns. He rushed for 1,202 yards and caught 54 passes for 753 yards. He had 15 rushing scores and 11 through the air.
Martin, a five-star Penn State recruit, also repeated as the TribLive Westmoreland Football Player of the Year.
Senior quarterback Tyree Turner of Greensburg Central Catholic, Latrobe junior quarterback John Wetzel and senior running back Da’sjon Craggette of Southmoreland also received consideration.
Belle Vernon finished 13-1, toppling Avonworth in the WPIAL final at Acrisure Stadium for the second straight year, 26-0, before a dominant effort in the state final: a 38-7 triumph against Northwestern Lehigh.
Belle Vernon tore through the playoffs, winning five games by an average score of 40.8 to 7.4.
Martin, a four-year starter, had six 100-yard games, including a season-high 154 in the state final.
"After the WPIAL championship, we were so locked in and focused,” Martin said. "We were so sure we were going to win states.”
While some outsiders expected Martin to have the ball in his hands on every down, the Leopards had enough talent around him to pick and choose when to strike with the 6-foot-3, 200-pound standout.
Upcoming Local Events
The insinuation that Martin wasn’t used enough, or was used as a decoy, makes the Leopards’ coach bristle.
"To the untrained football eye, that simply wasn’t true,” coach Matt Humbert said. "We utilized him in different ways. It was about matchups. He’s had monster games.
"We got him into spots where he could be as explosive as possible.”
Martin had 15 tackles and two interceptions on defense.
He said initial plans are for him to play offense at Penn State, either as a running back or receiver.
Bill Beckner Jr. is a Tribune-Review Staff Writer. You can contact Bill by email at bbeckner@triblive.com or via Twitter .
If Javascript is disabled browser, to place orders please visit the page where our photos are available to purchase.