It was a great year on the gridirons of Western Pennsylvania. Now that the dust has settled, it's almost time to hand out some individual awards.
On New Year's Day, voting will be live for the KDKA Radio Super 7 Players of the Year, which will be awarded to the top player from each WPIAL classification and Pittsburgh City League.
Here are the three finalists, listed in alphabetical order, from each class.
WPIAL CLASS 6A
Khiryn Boyd, North Allegheny - The Tigers' senior made numerous plays on both sides of the ball, as NA won the WPIAL 6A title. He caught 42 passes for 742 yards, ran for 291 yards and scored 12 touchdowns. He also grabbed six interceptions.
Cole Sullivan, Central Catholic - Sullivan burst onto the scene this year, leading the Vikings with 117 tackles despite dealing with a hand injury. On offense, he caught 13 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown.
Payton Wehner, Central Catholic - The junior passed for 2,504 yards (second-best in the WPIAL) and 17 touchdowns, while running for 375 more yards and four scores, helping the Vikings to an appearance in the WPIAL 6A championship game.
WPIAL CLASS 5A
Aidan Besselmen, Upper St. Clair - The senior grabbed 41 passes for 817 yards and 12 touchdowns. He had three interceptions on defense, helping the Panthers to a 10-3 record and appearance in the 5A championship game.
Gavin Moul, Bethel Park - The bruising senior tailback scored eight touchdowns and racked up over 800 yards of offense. On defense, the Delaware commit made 45 tackles for the Black Hawks, which finished 10-2.
Ryan Palmieri, Pine-Richland - Palmieri switched from running back to quarterback midway through the regular season, and ended up leading the Rams to a state title. He rushed for 1,929 yards and 24 scores, and passed for 1,104 yards and ten touchdowns. He also had a key pick-6 in the PIAA title game.
WPIAL CLASS 4A
Bobbie Boyd, McKeesport - Boyd ran for over 1,100 yards and scored 15 touchdowns for the Tigers, which went 11-2. He also stood out on defense, hauling in seven interceptions.
Tiqwai Hayes, Aliquippa - Just a sophomore, Hayes ran for 1,981 yards and scored 33 touchdowns, helping the Quips to the PIAA 4A title game. Hayes already has 3,727 rushing yards in his career.
Cadin Olsen, Armstrong - Olsen ended up passing for 7,819 yards in his career, the seventh-most in WPIAL history. This season, he passed for 3,210 yards and added 461 rushing yards. Overall, he accounted for 50 touchdowns.
WPIAL CLASS 3A
Peyton Faulkner, Avonworth - The Kent State recruit led the Antelopes in receiving with 356 yards and five touchdowns, while earning all-state honors as a tight end. He also was a standout on defense, as Avonwroth finished 11-2 and reached the WPIAL 3A championship game.
Quinton Martin, Belle Vernon - One of the highest-rated recruits in WPIAL history, Martin accounted for over 1,700 yards and scored 28 touchdowns on offense. He also returned two punts and an interception for scores, as Belle Vernon won the 3A state title.
Zion White, Elizabeth Forward - White, a senior, passed for 1,681 yards and 26 touchdowns, and ran for four more scores this season as a the Warriors went 9-2 and reached the Class 3A quarterfinals.
WPIAL CLASS 2A
Jaren Brickner, Beaver Falls - Brickner, a senior, led the Tigers in both passing and rushing, throwing for 1,869 yards and 16 touchdowns while rushing for 705 yards and 14 more trips to the end zone. His efforts lifted Beaver Falls to the WPIAL 2A title game.
Cruce Brookins, Steel Valley - Brookins helped take Steel Valley to a WPIAL title this season by rushing for 1,625 yards and 34 touchdowns, while passing for over 700 more yards and seven more scores.
Josh Jenkins, StoRox - Jenkins finished third in the WPIAL in passing with 2,504 yards. He passed for 31 touchdowns and rushed for three more scores. Sto-Rox went 9-3 and reached the WPIAL 2A semifinals.
WPIAL CLASS 1A
Xavier Nelson, Bishop Canevin - One of the WPIAL's best wideouts this year, Nelson racked up over 2,000 all-purpose yards, including 1,290 through the air. He scored 18 receiving touchdowns, as the Crusaders made it to Acrisure Stadium.
Landan Stevenson, Mapletown - The WPIAL's leading rusher, Stevenson raced his way to 2,342 yards and 45 touchdowns, also a WPIAL-best mark. Stevenson finished his career just seven yards shy of 6,000 in his career and scored 102 touchdowns, the fifth-most in WPIAL history.
Braylon Thomas, Union - Thomas passed for 1,3100 yards and 11 touchdown and rushed for 1,649 yards and 22 more scores, as the Scotties pulled off one of the more surprising runs to a WPIAL title ever, doing so as the 10-seed.
PITTSBURGH CITY LEAGUE
Keyshawn Morsillo, Westinghouse - Morsillo led the way for one of the region's best stories, as the Bulldogs reached the PIAA 2A title game. The senior passed for 2,544 yards and 41 touchdowns, and rushed for 810 yards and 18 more scores in the incredible season.
Sincere Smith, Westinghouse - An all-state selection and Morsillo's favorite target, Smith averaged over 30 yards per catch for the Bulldogs, which fell to power Southern Columbia in the state championship game.
Shawn Solomon, Brashear - The senior ran for 1,034 yards and 11 touchdowns on 188 carries for the Bulls this season.
