Kittanning Leader Times 2012 High School Football All-Stars

Player of the year

Kevin Barnes

Kittanning, senior QB/LB, 6-foot-1, 185 pounds

Enabled by a newly installed shotgun spread offense, Kittanning senior quarterback Kevin Barnes burst onto the Armstrong football scene and established himself as one of the area's premier dual threats.

Barnes earned an all-Allegheny Conference first-team nod after he completed 104 of 173 pass attempts for 1,195 yards and 12 touchdowns and rushed for a team-high 940 yards and six touchdowns.

He also became an all-conference first-teamer on defense, where he often was assigned to stop short throws and sweeps to the wide side of the field. He made 64 tackles, had two sacks and forced two fumbles.

His two-way productivity earned him the Leader Times' Player of the Year distinction.

It also caught the attention of several Western Pennsylvania college programs, including Division II teams Clarion, Edinboro and Indiana (Pa.) and Division III teams Waynesburg, Marietta (Ohio) and Allegheny.

Barnes ranks Edinboro, Waynesburg and Marietta as his top three choices, but he plans to wait until he learns more about each school's level of interest to make a decision.

When you look at your stats now, what's your reaction?

I wish I had more rushing yards. I wanted that (1,000 yards) the whole year. … I wanted 1,000 in both, but I also wanted our team to win more. If I'd had more rushing yards, it probably would've helped.

I'm kind of surprised by the passing. But the rushing, I've been doing it for a while. I felt like I was able to.

Do you think your physical running style surprises defenders?

I'm not sure it surprises them. They've been watching tape of our games before, but I like extra yards, so why not go for them.

Actually, I've had people tell me that on defense. They want me to hit harder. But I just think I need to tackle them, get them on the ground. No point in hitting harder.

On the topic of defense, you got all-conference on both sides of the ball. Were you surprised by the defensive honor?

I was surprised by all-conference linebacker. I wasn't quite sure why I was getting it, but I wasn't going to turn it down.

If you were a player-coach and you had your choice of an offense, which system do you install?

I like the spread a lot. I like what we did this year. We were able to get the ball around, see bigger holes, more spaces. We had a fast team, so that worked.

Do you have a highlight tape? How long is it? And do you have music for it?

Yes, I have one on Hudl. It's 12 minutes. I put the 300-violin orchestra on it, then “Heart of a Champion,” then some other song I don't even know.

How many times have you watched it?

Probably 15. I've shown a few people it and watched it all the way through. But by myself, I've probably watched it 10.

Was football your No. 1 sport before the season?

Last year, I would say it was basketball. I started in football and basketball last year. But in basketball I got more playing time than I did in football. In football, I only played on the defensive side. This year, it switched to football because I felt I had a pretty good season and I felt it was my better sport.

Dalton Bly

Karns City, LB

Senior, 5-10, 160

Highlights: Ball-hawking linebacker earned first-team all-Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference Large School division honors after averaging almost 11 tackles per game.

Jonah Casella

Apollo-Ridge, RB/DB

Sophomore, 5-9, 145

Highlights: Speedster gained 275 yards on 30 carries, finished second on the team in rushing. Also was second on the team in tackles with 59.

Blake Davis

Kittanning, K

Senior, 5-10, 150

Highlights: First-time all-Allegheny Conference kicker made 29 extra points and ranked among WPIAL leaders with five field goals. His longest field goal sailed 39 yards.

Tony DeVivo

Freeport, TE/DE

Senior, 6-2, 210

Highlights: First-team all-Allegheny Conference defender had a team-high eight sacks and made 69 tackles. Also led team in receptions (9) and receiving yards (198).

Wyatt Everetts

Karns City, RB/DB

Junior, 5-7, 147

Highlights: Big-play threat led the Gremlins in rushing yards (723) and receiving yards (333). Also named first-team all-Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference Large School division as a safety.

Ben Gemballa

Apollo-Ridge, FB/LB

Junior, 5-10, 175

Highlights: First-team all-Eastern Conference linebacker led the Vikings with 78 tackles, including 43 solo stops. Also had two sacks, a fumble recovery and a blocked punt.

Sterling Henry

Kittanning, WR/DB

Senior, 6-3, 185

Highlights: First-team all-Allegheny Conference cornerback ranked among the WPIAL regular-season leaders with five interceptions. Also caught 36 passes for 266 yards.

Zac Horner

West Shamokin, FB/LB

Sophomore, 5-8, 165

Highlights: Wing-T workhorse rushed his way through the middle of defenses for team-high 785 yards and five touchdowns on 135 carries. Named second-team all-Eastern Conference on offense and defense.

Tyler Kepple

Karns City, QB

Junior, 5-10, 153

Highlights: Versatile first-team all-Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference Large School division selection passed for 1,279 yards and rushed for 513. Threw 13 touchdowns and ran for five.

Dustin Koedel

Freeport, RB/DB/P/KR

Senior, 6-0, 170

Highlights: Do-it-all performer scored six touchdowns (three rushing, three receiving). Also made 48 tackles, averaged 35.2 yards per punt and 28.9 yards per kick return.

Brendan Lynch

Freeport, QB/DB

Senior, 5-11, 175

Highlights: Dual-threat threw for 628 yards and rushed for Armstrong area-high 1,186 yards and 13 TDs. Named first-team all-Allegheny Conference on both sides of the ball.

Vince Mead

Kittanning, TE/DE

Senior, 6-4, 220

Highlights: Big blocker on the edge and target over the middle caught 34 passes for 196 yards and earned first-team all-Allegheny Conference recognition on offense.

Zach Moore

Karns City, FB/DL/K

Junior, 5-10, 175

Highlights: Versatile three-way starter was named first-team all-Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference Large School division as a defensive lineman. Also rushed for 575 yards and seven TDs.

Justin Retzer

Ford City, WR/DB

Senior, 5-10, 180

Highlights: Wideout came on strong near end of season and finished with 31 receptions for 343 yards and three TDs to earn a second-team all-Allegheny Conference nod.

Jake Scoccimerra

Ford City, OL/DE

Senior, 6-0, 200

Highlights: First-team all-Allegheny Conference defensive end filled in at several different positions on both sides for injury-plagued Ford City.

Alex Smith

Apollo-Ridge, WR/DB

Sophomore, 6-1, 160

Highlights: The other half of the Vikings' big-play receiver tandem had 23 catches for 534 yards and seven touchdowns. Named second-team all-Allegheny Conference as a receiver.

Alec Stivers

Freeport, LB

Senior, 5-11, 150

Highlights: Defensive specialist led team in tackles (99) and forced fumbles (5) to earn first-team all-Allegheny Conference honor. Also finished with five sacks and two INTs.

Andy Stover

West Shamokin, OL/DL

Senior, 6-0, 202

Highlights: Quiet leader, a second-team all-Eastern Conference selection as a defensive lineman, was among the Wolves' most athletic players.

Tre Tipton

Apollo-Ridge, WR/DB

Sophomore, 6-1, 155

Highlights: Explosive playmaker had 39 receptions for 786 yards and 11 touchdowns. ... All-Class A Eastern Conference first-teamer on offense and defense.

Brian Welsh

Freeport, OL/DL

Senior, 6-2, 240

Highlights: Two-way Allegheny Conference first-teamer also earned conference's lineman of the year honor. … Finished with 72 tackles, including six sacks.

Devan Willyard

Ford City, RB/DB

Senior, 5-11, 170

Highlights: An all-Allegheny Conference first-teamer at both positions, he rushed for 818 yards and 10 touchdowns on 115 carries. Also caught 31 passes for 343 yards.

Andrew Wingard

West Shamokin, RB/DB

Sophomore, 5-9, 170

Highlights: Speedster on the edge rushed for 776 yards and scored team-high eight touchdowns. Second-team all-Eastern Conference selection also averaged more than 24 yards per kick return.

Josh Wisniewski

Freeport, RB/LB

Senior, 6-3, 215

Highlights: Big hitter in the middle made 97 tackles, including three sacks, to earn first-team all-Allegheny Conference honors. Also had an INT and two forced fumbles.

Jesse Zelonka

Apollo-Ridge, QB

Junior, 5-11, 155

Highlights: Dual-threat QB passed for 1,457 yards and 19 touchdowns while also rushing for 671 yards and eight scores. ... Named to Class A Eastern Conference second team.

Honorable mention

Jordan Cominos Soph., OL/DL, Leechburg

Brady Cornman Jr., WR/DB, West Shamokin

Jake Dougherty Soph., QB/LB, Redbank Valley

DEVIN DUNMIRE Sr., OL/DL, Leechburg

David Grafton Jr., OL/DL, Kittanning

Jake Iellimo Sr., OL/DE, Leechburg

Brandon Krumpe Sr., TE/DE, Karns City

Collin Mennor Sr., OL/DL, Karns City

Dakota Mohney Jr., WR/DB, Karns City

Mike Olkowski Jr., OL/DL, Karns City

Mitch Pirhalla Sr., WR/DB, Kittanning

Tristan Rhoades Soph., RB/DB, Karns City

Nathan Rummel Jr., OL/DL, Freeport

Damon Smith Sr., RB/DB, Freeport

Colton Toy Sr., OL/DL, Kittanning

LONNY WELLS

Jr., RB/LB Apollo-Ridge