A-K Valley high school football players to watch for 2024 Week 1

By: Michael Love
Wednesday, August 28, 2024 | 7:50 PM

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Player of the week

Aven Shirley

Kiski Area, jr., WR/DB

Shirley delivered in all phases to complement Landon Kucic’s four rushing touchdowns in Friday’s 42-7 Week Zero rout of Knoch. He returned the opening kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown which sparked Kiski to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter. Cavaliers quarterbacks only threw the ball eight times, completing seven, and Shirley was right there with six catches for 68 yards. He made his presence felt on defense with a team-best seven tackles as Kiski held Knoch to just 27 rushing yards on 16 attempts.

Players to watch

Jake Cummings

Leechburg, sr., TE/LB

Cummings delivered for the Blue Devils in Friday’s rivalry game against Apollo-Ridge. He recorded 11 tackles, one for a loss, tipped a ball that led to an interception, and also picked off a pass. Cummings also had five catches for 80 yards as the Blue Devils topped the Vikings in come-from-behind fashion, 19-14.

Jake Fleischer

Deer Lakes, sr., QB

It was quite the debut for Fleischer as the Lancers’ signal caller. The senior delivered an efficient passing performance, going 9 of 12 for 246 yards and three touchdowns in Deer Lakes’ 28-7 victory over Keystone Oaks. Fleischer also rushed three times for 33 yards. He will look to follow up his first game with another strong performance Friday as the Lancers visit South Park.

Drew Ross

Freeport, jr., QB/DB

The Yellowjackets got off to a strong start in Week Zero against Indiana, and Ross was a big reason for the success. He threw a touchdown pass in the first half to extend Freeport’s lead to double digits and also capped the scoring with a 1-yard plunge in the fourth quarter. Ross accounted for 97 total yards in the 30-7 win.

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: Deer Lakes, Freeport, Kiski Area, Leechburg