Westmoreland high school notebook: Belle Vernon’s Martin gets 5-star rating

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Thursday, March 10, 2022 | 8:12 PM

Belle Vernon sophomore Quinton Martin is now a five-star recruit, at least according to one reputable recruiting website.

247Sports.com has upgraded the Leopards football standout to the highest rating a prospect can receive.

Being recruited as an “athlete” by many schools who are not sure if he will fit in better on offense or defense, the 6-foot-3, 180-pound Martin is 247Sports’ No. 14 overall prospect in the country for the Class of 2024.

They list him as the No. 2 overall “athlete” — No. 1 in Pennsylvania.

Martin, who also is blossoming into a talented basketball player, has Power Five football offers from Pitt, Penn State, West Virginia, Texas, Wisconsin, Maryland, Michigan, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Kentucky, Boston College, and Cincinnati.

He played running back and defensive back this season as he helped Belle Vernon reach the WPIAL Class 4A championship. He rushed for 902 yards and 12 touchdowns and caught 10 passes for 164 yards and two scores.

On defense, he had 18 tackles and an interception. Teams often threw away from his side of the field.

Local playoff sites

Though no Westmoreland basketball teams will be in action at local venues, a pair of area schools will host PIAA playoff games. Norwin and Hempfield will host second-round games Friday night.

Hempfield will host a doubleheader.

The Bellwood-Antis and West Middlesex girls will play a Class 2A game at 6 p.m., followed by Penn Cambria and Montour boys in Class 4A at 7:30.

At Norwin, Highlands and the WPIAL 5A champion Laurel Highlands boys will play in 5A starting at 7 p.m.

Tickets can only be purchased online at piaa.org. No tickets are sold at the games.

Rodgers to IMG

Hempfield freshman baseball player Grayson Rodgers was accepted to the IMG Academy of Bradenton, Fla.

Rodgers, a left-handed pitcher and first baseman, will play for Hempfield this season before heading to IMG in the fall.

Rodgers played for numerous travel teams, including the Rockhounds in Mt. Pleasant. He won the 2021 James Coccioletti Sportsmanship Award.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Belle Vernon, Hempfield, Highlands, Laurel Highlands, Montour, Norwin