A-K Valley football players to watch in 2023 Week 9

By: Michael Love
Wednesday, October 25, 2023 | 6:16 PM

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Player of the week

Jayden Floyd

Leechburg, Jr., QB/DB

With his 138 passing yards and 134 rushing yards on 23 carries last week, Floyd became just the 16th player in WPIAL history to pass and rush for 1,000 yards in a single season. He has 1,261 passing yards and eight touchdowns through nine games and has 1,031 rushing yards and an additional 17 ground scores for a Leechburg team which has qualified for the WPIAL playoffs for a third year in a row.

Players to watch

Luke Bombalski

Highlands, Sr., RB/LB

The Golden Rams earned a crucial 17-15 victory over Armstrong last Friday, and Bombalski made his mark with a team-best 20 tackles and a sack on defense and 18 carries for 50 yards. For the season, Bombalski owns 10 rushing touchdowns and 788 yards on a team-leading 127 carries and has tallied 106 defensive stops, 11 sacks and a fumble recovery for a Highlands team fighting for a WPIAL Class 4A playoff spot.

Isaiah Gonzalez

Kiski Area, Sr., WR/DB

In the Cavaliers’ win last week, Gonzalez caught four passes, made TD connections with Carson Heinle for 69 and 21 yards and finished with 109 receiving yards. He also made had an 84-yard interception return for a touchdown. Kiski Area battles Armstrong on Friday with a trip to the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs on the line.

Rio Stotts

Riverview, So., RB/WR/DB

Stotts is a threat in the running and passing game. Stotts got For the season, he owns 453 yards and four touchdowns on 59 carries as a complement to team-leading rusher Carlo Buzzatto. Stotts also is tied with Alex Schultheis with a team-high four receiving scores.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Highlands, Kiski Area, Leechburg, Riverview