WARREN, Pa. – Oil City’s Ethen Knox put together one of the most remarkable seasons in District 10 history, garnering national headlines along the way.
The Oilers finished the season 7-3, with Knox ranking second in the nation in rushing yards among teams that enter their stats on MaxPreps with 3,705 yards. That, along with his defensive prowess (6 interceptions, 63 tackles) earned the junior the 2022 YDL Sports Network/D9and10Sports.com Jim Kelly District 10 Football Player of the Year award powered by the Allegheny Grille in Foxburg.
Knox had 41 rushing touchdowns, averaging 370.5 yards per game on the ground, and rushed for at least 400 yards in six games, including four in a row from Week 2 through Week 5. That broke a national record for most games with 400-plus yards in a season, a record that was held by current Tennessee Titans star Derrick Henry.
Knox was also a ball hawk on defense, recording six interceptions to go along with 63 tackles. In addition to Player of the Year, Knox is also nabbed Individual Performance of the Year as well.
He is joined by the following major award winners: Meadville’s Khalon Simmons (Offensive Player of the Year) and Brady Walker (Defensive Player of the Year), Sharpsville’s Kalvin McCullough (Rookie of the Year), McDowell’s Cooper Cousins (Offensive Lineman of the Year), Farrell’s Malachi Owens (Defensive Lineman of the Year), Cathedral Prep’s Cole Constable (Special Teams Player of the Year), Grove City’s Sam Mowrey (Coach of the Year), Cathedral Prep’s Jeremiah Conley (Assistant Coach of the Year), the Grove City vs. Slippery Rock regular season game (Game of the Year) and Penny Weichel (Unsung Hero Award).
In addition to the major awards, a first- and second-team All-District Offensive/Defense/Special Teams was also named and can be viewed below.
Jim Kelly’s name is used with the permission of Jim Kelly.
YDL SPORTS NETWORK JIM KELLY ALL-DISTRICT 10 AWARDS
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Ethen Knox, Jr. RB/DB, Oil City
Offense: 385 carries, 3,705 yards, 41 TDs; 1 catch, 64 yards, TD;
Defense: 63 tackles, 6 interceptions, 1 sack
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Khalon Simmons, Sr., RB/QB, Meadville
Simmons had a truly special season in helping the Bulldogs to back-to-back D10 4A titles. He carried 211 times for 2,354 yards, an average of 11.2 ypc and 40 touchdowns. He also took over at quarterback, throwing for 495 yards and five touchdowns. He also had six receptions for 199 yards and four touchdowns for the Bulldogs, who finished 12-2 and went to the PIAA quarterfinals.
Meadville’s Khaon Simmons. Photo by Andy Close.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Brady Walker, Sr., LB, Meadville
Walker was the leader of a Meadville defense that earned four shutouts on the way to their second consecutive D10 Class 4A title. He totaled 95 tackles, including 15 tackles for loss, as well as 11 sacks. He is the second consecutive Meadville player to win the award, joining Griffin Buzzell, who now plays collegiately at Clarion.
Meadville’s Brady Walker. Photo courtesy Meadville Tribune.
OFFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE YEAR: Cooper Cousins, Jr., McDowell
Cousins has established himself as one of the nation’s premier offensive line prospects, with the 4-star recruit holding a commitment to Penn State. This season, he paved the way for a McDowell rushing attack that was by 2,000-yard rusher Artis Simmons. The Trojans averaged 43.2 ppg., going 10-3, dropping a triple-overtime thriller to State College in the PIAA playoffs.
McDowell’s Cooper Cousins.
DEFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE YEAR: Malachi Owens, Sr., Farrell
Owens was a game-wrecker for a Farrell defense that pitched three shutouts on its way to the District 10 Class 2A title and allowed just 13 ppg. He finished the season with 64 tackles, including 13 tackles for loss to go along with nine sacks and three fumble recoveries.
Farrell’s Malachi Owens.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Kalvin McCullough, Fr., CB, Sharpsville
McCullough earned a spot in the starting lineup on a talented Sharpsville squad as a freshman and made the most of it. He notched five interceptions, including a pick six, and a game-sealing INT in the Blue Devils’ regular-season finale against Fort LeBoeuf, as well as 28 tackles for a Sharpsville team that went 9-3 and reached the D10 Class 2A title game.
Sharpsville’s Kalvin McCullough.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Cole Constable, Sr., Cathedral Prep
The Maryland baseball commit is also a standout on the gridiron, earning the special teams award for the second year in a row.
Constable converted 9-of-14 field goals, including a school-record 51-yarder, and was 40-of-42 on extra points.
On kickoffs, 42 of his 71 kicks went for touchbacks, and he also averaged 32.2 yards per punt on 26 punts.
Cathedral Prep’s Cole Constable.
COACH OF THE YEAR: Sam Mowrey, Grove City
Mowrey directed the Eagles to their second consecutive District 10 Class 3A title in 2022, with both title game victories coming against Slippery Rock.
The Eagles got off to a 1-2 start with losses to powerhouses Avonworth and Farrell before winning five of their final six games to finish the regular season 6-3. They then ran the gauntlet in the 3A playoffs, beating Fairview 35-21 and coming from behind to beat Sharon, 22-21 before beating Slippery Rock for a second time, 42-23.
Grove City coach Sam Mowrey.
ASSISTANT COACH OF THE YEAR: Jeremiah Conley, Cathedral Prep
Conley served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Ramblers for first-year head coach Mike Krahe, who replaced the legendary Mike Mischler. The Ramblers scored at least 40 points in a game, including a 41-0 win over rival McDowell on Sept. 30. The Ramblers, after a long layoff, fell 21-14 in the PIAA Class 5A quarterfinals to eventual state champion Pine-Richland.
Cathedral Prep’s Jeremiah Conley. Photo Cathedral Prep athletics.
INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR: Ethen Knox, Jr., Oil City, Sept. 1
Knox showed off all facets of his game in a 55-6 win over Corry. He carried 26 times for his first 400-yard game of the season (402), an average of 15.5 ypc. to go along with a school-record seven touchdowns with a long of 81. Remarkably, he also had a touchdown called back in the game on a penalty.
If that weren’t enough, Knox also had six tackles and an interception on defense, his first of six picks on the campaign.
Oil City’s Ethen Knox. File photo by Jon Sitler.
GAME OF THE YEAR: Grove City 22, Slippery Rock 21, Sept. 23
The first of two meetings between the teams (the second was a Grove City win in the D10 3A title game) produced an instant classic.
Tied at 14 late in the fourth quarter, Slippery Rock went on an 11-play, 79-yard drive, capped by a William Mokel 22-yard touchdown pass to John Sabo that, coupled with Nick Kingerski’s extra points, made it 21-14 with 49 seconds remaining. The touchdown was initially ruled incomplete before officials overturned the call.
Grove City got the ball back at its own 35, and Hunter Hohman rushed to midfield, with a late hit tacking on another 15 yards. Hohman then completed a 22-yard pass to Nate Boyd before hitting Nathan Greer with a 13-yard touchdown with 18 seconds remaining.
Coach Sam Mowrey and the Eagles decided to go for two, with Hohman running in the game-winning conversion.
Hohman finished with 126 yards passing and 67 rushing, while Greer had six receptions for 76 yards.
Mokel threw for 173 yards, 63 of which went to Sabo, while Maddox Allen had 101 yards rushing for the Rockets.
Grove City’s Hunter Hohman.
UNSUNG HERO: Penny Weichel
Penny Weichel has been covering sports in District 10 for quite some time, starting at The Derrick (Oil City) in the early 1970s. She is believed to be one of if not the first female sports editor at a Pennsylvania newspaper.
She began working with current Derrick Sports Editor Ed Brannon in 1992 and later transitioned to the news side, where she worked until her retirement.
Sports has remained in her blood, however, as she founded route8rivarly.com, a website dedicated to covering all things Oil City and Franklin sports.
Originally, she founded ocpafootball.com and franklinpafootball.com, and the information from those sites can be found on the new site as well. Quite simply, it’s the most comprehensive source of information for the history of Franklin and Oil City sports (along with Venango Catholic), with Penny constantly keeping it up to date with the current teams as well.
Penny’s love for local sports and student-athletes knows no bounds, and her knowledge and longevity are matched by few, if any, in District 10.
Penny Weichel
JIM KELLY YDL SPORTS NETWORK MAJOR AWARDS POWERED BY THE ALLEGHENY GRILLE IN FOXBURG
Player of the Year: Ethen Knox, Jr., Oil City
Offensive Player of the Year: Khalon Simmons, Sr., Meadville
Defensive Player of the Year: Brady Walker, Sr., Meadville
Rookie of the Year: Kalvin McCullough, Fr., Sharpsville
Offensive Lineman of the Year: Cooper Cousins, Jr., McDowell
Defensive Lineman of the Year: Malachi Owens, Sr., Farrell
Special Teams Player of the Year: Cole Constable, Sr., Cathedral Prep
Individual Performance of the Year: Ethen Knox (Sept. 1 vs. Corry)
Coach of the Year: Sam Mowrey, Grove City
Assistant Coach of the Year: Jeremiah Conley, OC, Cathedral Prep
Game of the Year: Grove City 22, Slippery Rock 21, Sept. 23
Unsung Hero: Penny Weichel
JIM KELLY YDL SPORTS NETWORK ALL-DISTRICT 10 TEAMS POWERED BY THE ALLEGHENY GRILLE IN FOXBURG
FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
QB – Kabron Smith, Jr., Farrell
RB – Ethen Knox, Jr., Oil City
RB – Artis Simmons, Sr., McDowell
WR – Garen Levis, Sr., Sharpsville
WR – Nathan Greer, Soph., Grove City
WR – John Sabo, Sr., Slippery Rock
TE – Landon Laskey, Sr., General McLane
OL – Ruric Douglas, Sr., Meadville
OL – Cooper Cousins, Jr., McDowell
OL – Nick Krahe, Sr., Harbor Creek
OL – Cam Crocker, Sr., Oil City
OL – Jivani Cooley, Jr., Cathedral Prep
All-Purpose Back – Kylon Wilson, Sr., Farrell
All-Purpose Back – Khalon Simmons, Sr., Meadville
FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
DL – Malachi Owens, Sr., Farrell
DL – Brayden McFetridge, Sr., Oil City
DL – Justin Leuschen, Sr., Fort LeBoeuf
DL – Nate Miller, Sr., Reynolds
LB – Brady Walker, Sr., Meadville
LB – John Koshan, Sr., Cathedral Prep
LB – Hunter Hohman, Jr., Grove City
LB – Caleb Penley, Sr., Eisenhower
DB – Kolton Sutter, Jr., Northwestern
DB – Trey Goodwine, Sr., McDowell
DB – R.J. Roberts, Jr., Cathedral Prep
DB – Jayveerh White, Sr., Sharon
FIRST TEAM SPECIAL TEAMS
Place Kicker – Cole Constable, Sr., Cathedral Prep
Punter – Nate Pfennigwerth, Jr., Franklin
Returner – Wakeem Page, Sr., Cathedral Prep
SECOND TEAM OFFENSE
QB – Caullin Summers, Jr., Sharpsville
RB – Jalen Wagner, Sr., Reynolds
RB – Benji Bauer, Sr., Eisenhower
WR – Ja’son Ellman, Jr., Mercyhurst Prep
WR – Haydin McLaughlin, Sr., Reynolds
WR – Gavin Lutz, Jr., Grove City
TE – Kris Bunk, Jr., Eisenhower
OL – Nate Leksell, Sr., Reynolds
OL – Anthony Jackson, Sr., Farrell
OL – Brody Galcik, Sr., Slippery Rock
OL – Justice Esser, Jr., Meadville
OL – Ben Brzezinski, Sr., Cathedral Prep
OL – Tanner Kightlinger, Soph., Oil City
All-Purpose Back – Ryan Miller, Sr., Seneca
All-Purpose Back – Ben Giliberto, Sr., Maplewood
SECOND TEAM DEFENSE
DL – Rhoan Woodrow, Sr., Meadville
DL – Christian Santiago, Sr., McDowell
DL – Tristan Mazzadra, Jr., Cambridge Springs
DL – Ethyn Allen, Sr., Corry
DL – Austin Perlik, Sr., Sharon
LB – Mitchell Tingley, Jr., Lakeview
LB – Sean Kennedy, Jr., Hickory
LB – Christian Snyder, Sr., Sharpsville
LB – Marion Norris, Jr., Farrell
DB – Jace Walls, Sr., General McLane
DB – Jeremy Frazao, Sr., Fairview
DB – Ray Jackson, Sr., McDowell
DB – Kalvin McCullough, Fr., Sharpsville
DB – Damario Crawford, Sr., Cathedral Prep
SECOND TEAM SPECIAL TEAMS
Place Kicker – Nick Kingerski, Sr., Slippery Rock
Punter – Troy Bachman, Sr., Mercer
Returner – William Acrie, Jr., Hickory
