WARREN, Pa. – The Farrell Steelers fell short of their ultimate goal of winning a state championship in Class 2A, but still put together a dominant season, outsourcing their opponents 582-101 on their way to the PIAA semifinals.
Senior Anthony Stallworth was one of the major reasons why, earning the 2021 Jim Kelly Award as D9and10Sports.com District 10 Player of the Year presented by the Allegheny Grille of Foxburg. Stallworth also staked his claim to Offensive MVP honors.
Stallworth put together a dominant season on the ground, rushing for 2,340 yards and 30 touchdowns, averaging 12.7 yards per carry and 195 yards per game. He was over 100 yards in every game this season as the Steelers went 11-1, eclipsing 200 yards six times and 300 yards once.
As a team, the Steelers averaged 48.5 ppg.
Joining Stallworth as major awards winners are Meadville’s Griffin Buzzell (Defensive Player of the Year), McDowell’s Cooper Cousins (Offensive Lineman of the Year), Cathedral Prep’s Jake Pollock (Defensive Lineman of the Year), Grove City’s Hunter Hohman (Rookie of the Year), Farrell’s Amp Pegues (Coach of the Year) and Omar Stewart (Assistant Coach of the Year), Oil City’s Ethen Knox (Performance of the Year), Cathedral Prep’s Cole Constable (Special Teams Player of the Year), Lakeview vs. Franklin (Game of the Year) and Ryan Briggs (Unsung Hero).
The All-District 10 Team was also named.
D9AND10SPORTS.COM ALL-DISTRICT 10 AWARDS
PLAYER OF THE YEAR/OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Anthony Stallworth, Sr., RB, Farrell
Offensive Stats: 183 carries, 2,340 yards, 30 TDs; 8 receptions, 58 yards
Scoring: 30 touchdowns for 208 points
Farrell’s Anthony Stallworth. Photo by Andy Close
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Griffin Buzzell, Sr. LB, Meadville
Buzzell was the anchor of a Meadville defense that went a month’s stretch (four games) without allowing a point. Buzzell, who helped lead the Bulldogs to the PIAA Class 4A quarterfinals, amassed 134 tackles (10.3 per game), 17 of which went for loss, as well as nine sacks and a pair of interceptions. He also rushed for 1,459 yards and 19 TDs on offense.
Griffin Buzzell. Photo courtesy Meadville Tribune.
OFFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE YEAR: Cooper Cousins, Soph., McDowell
Just a sophomore, Cousins is already one of the premier offensive lineman in Western Pennsylvania. He helped lead a McDowell offense that scored over 30 points in all but one of its nine wins this season, paving the way for a trio of talented backs in Artis Simmons, Ray Jackson and Chistian Santiago, all three of whom earned Region 6 All-Star honors. He already has offers from multiple Division I programs.
McDowell’s Cooper Cousins. Photo Cooper Cousins’ Twitter.
DEFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE YEAR: Jake Pollock, Sr., Cathedral Prep
Pollock’s stats don’t jump off the page, but his impact on the success of the Rambler defense this season was massive. He amassed 50 tackles, eight sacks and five tackles for loss for a Prep team that advanced to the PIAA Class 5A quarterfinals. Five times the Ramblers held their opponents to single digits against what was a very difficult schedule.
Cathedral Prep’s Jake Pollock. Photo Cooper Cousins’ Twitter.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Hunter Hohman, Soph., Grove City
Hohman is the next in what has been a great line of Grove City quarterbacks under head coach Sam Mowrey. He attempted one pass as a freshman last season and burst onto the scene as the full-time starting quarterback in 2021, helping lead the Eagles to the D10 3A title. He completed 152-of-242 passes (62.7%) for 2,104 yards, 23 touchdowns and seven interceptions, while also rushing for 460 yards and six touchdowns. He also had four receivers (Gavin Lutz, Joey Hathaway, Zach Rodgers, Anthony Pereira) that caught at least 20 passes. Lutz won the award last season for the Eagles.
Grove City’s Hunter Hohman. Photo by Corey Corbin
COACH OF THE YEAR: Amp Pegues, Farrell
The Steelers made no bones about how they came short of their ultimate goal of winning a state championship, but they nevertheless put together a dominant season. They scored at least 50 points in six games and defensively yielded just 8.4 ppg. The Steelers didn’t win a game by fewer than 27 points until their PIAA first-round win over Westinghouse (24-7). All but one of those games ended in a mercy rule victory.
Farrell coach Amp Pegues. Photo by Andy Close
ASSISTANT COACH OF THE YEAR: Omar Stewart, Farrell
The Steelers’ defensive coordinator had a lot of talent to work with, and he got the most out of them, including his son, Omar Stewart Jr. The Steelers pitched five shutout in the first six games of the season and allowed just 14 points through the first six weeks. Their high point total allowed on the season was 27 in their PIAA semifinal loss to Serra Catholic.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Cole Constable, Jr., Cathedral Prep
Constable handled all of the kicking duties for the Ramblers and did so masterfully. He converted 5-of-8 field goal attempts with a long of 38, while also punting 26 times for an average of 39.3 yards per punt. He was also strong on kickoffs with 57 touchbacks.
Cathedral Prep’s Cole Constable. Photo Cole Constable Twitter.
INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR: Ethen Knox, Soph., Oil City
Knox stepped into the lead back role for the Oilers this season and had a game for the ages against Franklin in the Route 8 rivalry in Week 6. All Knox did the win against Franklin was set the school’s single-game rushing record with an astounding 484 yards on 26 carries. Knox had 349 yards in the first half, which put him well within Christian Cole’s mark of 383. Knox broke the record on the first play of the second half, scampering 80 yards for a touchdown. He scored five touchdowns in the game, also scoring on runs of 87, 44, 13 and 5 yards.
Oil City’s Ethen Knox. Photo by Kelly Malek.
GAME OF THE YEAR: Lakeview 41, Franklin 40, overtime Oct. 30 (Week 10)
It may have been a game between a pair of teams that weren’t going to the playoffs late in the regular season, but Lakeview and Franklin delivered an all-time classic. The Sailors twice watched double-digit leads slip away but ultimately came out on top thanks to the heroics of Gavn Murdock, Calogano Wilkins and others. Murdock’s 2-point conversion run in the first overtime gave Lakeview the victory. Murdock’s touchdown came after Calogano Wilkins rushed for a 16-yard score to get the Sailors within one, 40-39.Franklin’s Carson Wible scored on a short plunge to begin overtime to give the Knights the lead. It was a wild end of regulation just to get the game to overtime. With the game tied at 26-26, Wilkins plunged it in from two yards out to give the Sailors a 33-26 lead after the PAT with just 20 seconds to go. Franklin’s Wyatt Bell nearly returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown, however, giving them a chance. This came on the heels of a Bell punt return for a touchdown earlier in the fourth quarter. The Knights took advantage, as Hunter Marsteller connected with Jackson Ewing on a 28-yard strike that, coupled with the extra point, sent the game to overtime. Murdock finished with 307 yards on the ground.
Lakeview’s Gavin Murdock was instrumental in the Sailors’ 41-40 win over Franklin. Photo courtesy Gavin Murdock.
UNSUNG HERO: Ryan Briggs, Sports Information Director, Grove City College
Briggs has served as the sports information director at Grove City for the last 20 years, and he has done that and so much more for local athletes in Mercer County. The ‘Professor’ has operated professorbriggs.com, a website dedicated to covering high school football, basketball and other sports in Mercer County since 2001. He has worked with Cumulus Broadcasting’s News/Talk 790 and Sports Radio 96.7 on a regular basis as a play-by-play commentator for the stations’ high school sports coverage. Briggs has been covering Mercer County athletics since 1994 and his tireless dedication to the craft has provided Mercer County athletes with countless memories.
Grove City Sports Information Director Ryan Briggs. Photo ProfessorBriggs.com
Jim Kelly D9and10Sports.com All-District 10 Team Powered by the Allegheny Grille of Foxburg
OFFENSE
QB – Ryan Tewell, Northwestern
RB – Anthony Stallworth, Farrell
RB – Khalon Simmons, Meadville
RB – Jalen Wagner, Reynolds
WR – Ja’on Phillips, Sharon
WR – Ben White, Warren
WR – Kylon Wilson, Farrell
TE – Jackson Pryts, Hickory
OL – Cooper Cousins, McDowell
OL – Caden Pustelak, Cathedral Prep
OL – Rhoan Woodrow, Meadville
OL – Tony Pilosi, Slippery Rock
OL – Jaiman Holden, Farrell
APB – Jack Martinec, Cochranton
APB – John Amon, General McLane
DEFENSE
DL – Jake Pollock, Cathedral Prep
DL – Marquell Darnell, Erie
DL – Jacob Soboski, McDowell
DL – Nate Wadsworth, Grove City
LB – Taidon Strickland, Farrell
LB – Ian Smith, Sharpsville
LB – Griffin Buzzell, Meadville
LB – Bryce Wood, McDowell
DB – DeMario Crawford, Cathedral Prep
DB – Trey Goodwine, McDowell
DB – Gavin Lutz, Grove City
DB – Ramarion Whitehead, Hickory
DB – Luke Edwards, Wilmington
DB – Tristin Harris, Fort LeBoeuf
SPECIALISTS
K – Cole Constable, Cathedral Prep
P – Nick Kingerski, Slippery Rock
RET – Wakeem Page, Cathedral Prep
