The WPIAL champions have all been crowned following a great day of football at Acrisure Stadium Friday.
While it takes a team to win a title, four players put up championship worthy individual performances to bring home the gold.
Throughout the season, KDKA Radio will put together a watch list of some of the best players in the region. At the end of the year, the top performer from each WPIAL classification, and one member of the Pittsburgh City League, will receive the prestigious KDKA Super 7 Award.
Here are the new additions to the KDKA Super 7 Watch List for Week 13:
Braylon Thomas, Union
In one of the most stunning upsets in WPIAL championship game history, Thomas and the Scotties took him the Class 1A title with a route of top seed Bishop Canevin.
Thomas ran for 112 yards and two scores, and passed for another 80 yards, and union’s defense scored twice on defense in the 26-0 triumph.
The Scotties, which entered the WPIAL playoffs as the 10-seed in the 1A bracket, pulled upsets over the top two seeds in the field.
Thomas has passed for nearly 1,000 yards and rushed for over 1,100 yards this season, accounting for 25 touchdowns along the way.
Union next plays Port Allegany Friday in the PIAA 1A semifinals.
Donald Barksdale, Steel Valley
Steel Valley ran away with a sixth WPIAL title Friday. Literally.
The Ironmen passed for 0 yards, but ripped off several big runs and forced four turnovers in their 34-14 win over Beaver Falls.
With Steel Valley leading 13-8 in the first quarter, Barksdale came up with a 53-yard interception return for a touchdown. He later scored on a 56-yard run, and racked up 86 rushing yards in the game.
Barksdale has scored 14 touchdowns this season.
Steel Valley, now 12-0 on the year, plays City League champion Westinghouse Friday night in the PIAA 2A semifinals.
Quinton Martin, Belle Vernon
One of the WPIAL’s most highly recruited players in years had a game to remember forever Friday.
Martin, a junior, scored three touchdowns in three different ways in the Leopards’ 24-7 win over Avonworth.
He scored on a 45-yard run, a 51-yard punt return and a 31-yard reception as Belle Vernon claimed its first championship in 27 years.
Martin has rushed for nearly 1,200 yards and 22 touchdowns, pulled in 403 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns, and has returned an interception and two punts for scores.
He is the 29th ranked recruit in the country for the 2024 class and has offers from most major college programs.
Belle Vernon meets Martinsburg Central in the PIAA Semifinals Friday.
Tiqwai Hayes, Aliquippa
Only a sophomore, Hayes has established himself as one of the best underclassmen the WPIAL has seen in some time.
On Friday, he carried the Quips to a record 19th WPIAL title, as they blew out rival Central Valley, 34-7, at Acrisure Stadium.
Hayes ran for 112 yards on 26 carries, and scored three short touchdown runs in the win.
This season, Hayes has run for nearly 1,700 yards and scored 28 touchdowns. He has offers from several Power 5 programs, including Pitt, Penn State, West Virginia and Michigan.
The Quips will next play Allentown Central Catholic in the PIIAA 4A Semifinals Friday.
The high school football season continues Friday, as KDKA Radio will once again provide award-winning broadcast coverage of the region’s biggest game of the week. This week, you can hear a PIAA semifinal Friday on 100.1 FM and 1020 AM KDKA Radio. Follow @KDKARadio on Twitter for updates throughout the night.