No first-teamers; Walk left off list
Sometime early in the 2023 season, the first year of the expanded Laurel Highlands super conference, one fact became clear: the East Division was loaded with top-tier talent at the quarterback position, and all of those superstar passers were underclassmen.
That was going to make things very interesting in 2024, especially where postseason honors were concerned because every team had a quarterback who could start at just about any other school, but there’s only so many spots on all-star teams.
Someone was bound to be the odd man out.
Turns out that player was Tyrone’s Ashton Walk who, despite setting passing records by the week and leading his team to the District 6 3A championship game, was not voted on the Laurel Highlands East all-star team on any level.
Tyrone still had a strong presence on the team, with 9 players named to second team and honorable mention spots, headed by senior Seth Hoover, who was the second team running back.
“All in all it was a good year, and we were excited about the fact that we were able to overcome so many obstacles and come within a gnat’s eyelash of winning the (District 6 championship),” said Tyrone coach John Franco.
Walk finished the season with more passing yards than all but one other quarterback in the conference, completing 211 of 325 passes for 3,014 yards and 30 touchdown passes. He had three games with over 300 passing yards and threw for at least 4 touchdowns in a game 4 times.
He was an honorable mention selection after throwing for 2,000 yards as a junior, but in a division dominated by passers, his 3,000 in 2024 wasn’t enough to merit even that position.
None of that is to say the quarterbacks named to the team were unworthy. Bald Eagle Area’s Carson Nagle repeated as the first-team quarterback following a senior season in which he completed 168 of 268 passes for 2,322 yards and 22 touchdowns. That put a capper on a career where the four-year starter threw for more than 10,000 yards to go along with 105 touchdowns.
Second team selection Chase Kissell of Bishop Guilfoyle, who was the odd man out in 2023, threw for the most yards in the division over a 15-1 season that saw the Marauders capture the PIAA 1A championship. He completed 208 of 290 passes for 3,358 yards and 40 touchdowns, including four games with more than 300 yards.
This year’s honorable mention slot went to Central’s Eli Muthler, who last year got the second team nod. Muthler was injured late in the season and played in only nine games, but he still completed 142 of 270 passes for 1,607 yards and 16 touchdowns. He also orchestrated a win over Tyrone in September when he went 16-for-25 for 217 yards and a touchdown in a 13-7 victory.
Walk’s absence from the team is another in a long-line of head-scratchers where post-season teams are concerned for the Golden Eagles. As far back and 1999 and 2000, Scott Gummo was snubbed from any mention on Big 8 all-star teams despite being named all-state both seasons. James Oliver ran for almost 2,000 yards in 2012 and was left off the MAC all-star team.
As recently as last season, receiver Andrew Weaver had more yards than any other receiver in the East save one and led the group in yards per reception but didn’t get as much as an honorable mention position.
While Franco said it was “ridiculous” that Walk didn’t make one of the three teams, he was quick to put him at the top of the list of quarterbacks who have played at Tyrone.
“He really came through when we needed him,” said Franco. “We’ve had a lot of good quarterbacks in my career at Tyrone, but Ashton just went above and beyond and had the best career of anybody we’ve ever had. He really did some outstanding things on offense.”
Hoover rebounded from a tough start to the season to become Tyrone’s second 1,000-yard rusher in as many seasons. Running for 1,194 yards and 13 touchdowns, Hoover had his best games in the second half of the season, when the Eagles won five consecutive games to earn a spot in the 3A championship game. Starting in Week 5, Hoover got loose for four 100-yard games, including a career-high 249 yards against Forest Hills in the 3A semifinals. He also had 249 receiving yards.
“It was good to see Seth stay injury-free, and he had a heck of a year,” said Franco.
Junior Eli Woomer earned two second-team spots as a receiver and a defensive back. He led the Golden Eagles in receptions with 53 and was second on the team with 811 receiving yards. On defense, he had four takeaways and two tackles for loss.
Woomer also was named an honorable mention as a defensive athlete.
The rest of the Eagles’ all-star selection were honorable mentions, as well, led by senior Cian Hockenberry, who made the team as both an offensive and defensive lineman. He led Tyrone’s defense with 17 tackles for loss and 4 sacks.
Trent Adams, who led the Eagles in receiving yards with 867 despite missing all or parts of four games with a shoulder injury, was an honorable mention receiver. First-year player Dante Novak, who also missed significant time with a shoulder injury, was an honorable mention punter, and Kaden Ansmen was an honorable mention as a center.
ORANGE AND BLACK 