Three earn all-state football honors
Three athletes in The Almanac readership area were named to the Pennsylvania Football Writers All-State Team for Class 5A.
Among the 41 players selected Peters Township placed a pair on the list while Bethel Park had the other representative.
The Indians captured a WPIAL title and reached the PIAA championship game before falling to Imhotep Charter, 38-13, in the finals and finishing 15-1 overall.
Nolan DiLucia garnered distinction at quarterback. The 6-2, 185-pound sophomore led the WPIAL in passing, completing 229 of 379 attempts for 3,131 yards and 30 touchdowns.
DiLucia, who also is an outfielder on the baseball team, ranked third on the team in rushing with 489 yards on 110 carries for a 4.45 average. He tacked on eight more scores.
Mickey Vaccarello collected honors at linebacker. The 6-2, 205-pound junior had a team-high 13 sacks and 29 tackles for loss. He was credited with a safety and 61 solo tackles as well as 39 quarterback hurries and four pass deflections.
On offense, he doubled as an H-back and a tight end. He hauled in16 receptions and had two more touchdowns – one via a pass and the other on the run.
A major Division I prospect, Vaccarello has five scholarship offers from Boston College, Maryland, Syracuse and Miami (Ohio). Vaccarello, who owns a 4.83 GPA and excels in basketball, has also visited Notre Dame.
Clancy Orie gained distinction at defensive end for the Blackhawks, who finished 4-7 overall.
Defensively, he recorded 65 tackles, 51 of them solo. He added eight TFL and five sacks.
Offensively, the 6-3, 235-pound junior was credited with 18 quarterback hurries. He blocked two passes and had another deflection.
A Division I recruit, having visited UNLV, Delaware, Villanova, Lafayette, Harvard, Pitt and Penn State among others, Orie maintains a 4.4 GPA.