Polling the stars: The WPIAL and City League’s top talents talk best teams and players, hot topics and what they would change about high school football

As season previews are pumped out and fans frequent social media to voice their thoughts, there has been plenty of debating when it comes to the hot topics surrounding the 2025 high school football season, which kicks off Friday at stadiums throughout Western Pennsylvania.

The media and the public are responsible for most of those takes, but how do the players themselves feel?

The Pittsburgh Union Progress reached out to 30 of the top players in the WPIAL and City League — among them Fort Cherry’s Matt Sieg, Pine-Richland’s Jay Timmons, North Allegheny’s Lincoln Hoke and Clairton’s Brandon Murphy — to get their answers to questions such as:

• “Best player in the area?”
• “Should transfers be fully eligible immediately?”
• “One thing you would change about high school football?”
• “Best player in WPIAL/City League history?”

The participating players, who hail from schools big and small and play positions from quarterback to kicker, were asked not to vote for themselves, their school or any of their teammates. Some of the results may surprise you and some may not. Thanks to all of the players who took part in the survey!

Best overall team in the WPIAL/City League?

It wasn’t a Class 6A team, but rather a Class 5A squad that was picked as the best. Pine-Richland, which sits at No. 1 in the PUP Class 5A rankings, picked up 14 votes, while Class 6A No. 1 Central Catholic collected 8½. The great thing about those two being on top is that they will get the opportunity to prove who is better on the field as the powers meet next Friday at Carnegie Mellon. Class 5A Peters Township came in third with 2½ votes. Aliquippa, Clairton, Fort Cherry, Montour and Steel Valley had one vote apiece.

Best overall player in the WPIAL/City League?

The area is loaded with skill talent this season, and the highest-rated recruit of them all landed atop the voting. McKeesport’s Kemon Spell, who is ranked by multiple recruiting services as the No. 1 junior running back in the country, claimed 12 votes, topping runner-up Sieg, a fellow Penn State recruit who picked up five votes. Sieg and Timmons were among those who voted for Spell. The only other players garnering multiple votes were Woodland Hills’ Scoop Smith (3½) and Pine-Richland’s Oobi Strader (2).

If you could pick a player from any other WPIAL/City League team and add them to your team, who would it be?

Surprisingly, the top vote-getter didn’t receive a single vote in the previous category. In fact, the top three and five of the top eight did not. Timmons, a wide receiver-defensive back and Florida State recruit, had his name on 3½ of the ballots. Following him were Central Catholic’s Jimmy Kalis (3), Pine-Richland’s Khalil Taylor (2½), Hoke (2), Peters Township’s Reston Lehman (2), Smith (2), Spell (2) and Pine-Richland’s Dajour Webb (2). Fox Chapel kicker Harran Zureikat, a Georgia recruit, gave a surprising answer, listing Belle Vernon’s Tim Schwerha. “He’s one of my best friends and the best long snapper in the country,” Zureikat said.

Favorite stadium other than your own or Acrisure?

The answers here varied greatly, with only six stadiums receiving multiple votes and no stadium collecting more than three. The Wolvarena (Woodland Hills) and Martorelli Stadium (North Hills), both typically mentioned when discussing best venues in the area, each received three votes. Jeannette, North Allegheny, Pine-Richland and West Allegheny had two votes apiece. Other picks included Dormont Stadium, Aliquippa and M&T Bank Stadium (????), home of the Baltimore Ravens.

Should public and private schools be separated?

Pundits and the public seem to be split when it comes to the possibility of the PIAA separating public and private schools. It turns out the players are divided on this hot topic as well. Of the 30 players polled, 14 said they should be separated and 14 said they should not. Two said it depends on how it is done. Timmons voted “no,” adding, “Because then we’ll never know who the real best team is.” Jeannette’s Jayce Powell said, “Yes, [private schools] can recruit while public schools can’t.”

Should any player be able to transfer and have full eligibility at their new school?

This debate has been raging more than ever after several top players were either ruled ineligible for the entire season or just the postseason following their transfer to new schools in recent months. The voting saw 17 players favor full eligibility, while 11 were against the idea. Two said it should be handled on a case-by-case basis. “Yes, completely,” said Washington’s Tristan Reed, a Miami (Ohio) recruit. McKeesport’s Javien Robinson was also in favor of it, and even gave a shoutout to former Southmoreland quarterback Anthony Smith, who was ruled ineligible for the season when he transferred to Seton LaSalle. “Free Anthony Smith,” Robinson said.

One thing you would change about high school football?

Transfer rules. Transfer rules. Transfer rules. That was the most frequent answer here, with 11 players saying that alterations to the transfer rules is what they would most like to see change. After that, the most popular answers were accessory changes (5) — more specifically, allowing knee pads above the knee — and not being flagged for celebrating (4). “Let kids celebrate,” Murphy said. There were some excellent answers here, including “adding spring ball (Bishop Canevin’s Minikon Johnson),” “four classes instead of six (Central Catholic’s Roman Thompson),” and “I wish that football wasn’t so soft sometimes (Montour’s Caden Halajcio).”

Best player in WPIAL/City League history?

As expected considering the ages of the players, there was a lot of recency bias here, with all but three of the votes going to players who graduated in the 2000s. Jeannette’s Terrelle Pryor, who was considered the No. 1 player in the country his senior season, finished first with seven votes. He was followed by Aliquippa’s Darrelle Revis, Hopewell’s Rushel Shell and Penn Hills’ Aaron Donald, all of whom were on three ballots. Two players picked their fathers (Thompson and South Allegheny’s Drew Cook), while Trinity quarterback and Harvard recruit Jonah Williamson gets extra credit for being the only player to choose Washington great Brian Davis.