Five garner All-State honors in football
Gavin Moul of Bethel Park was named to the Pennsylvania Football Writers’ Class 5A All-State Team
Ryan Petras also excels at football at Bethel Park. Last fall, he earned first-team honors on the PA Football Coaches Select All-State Football Team and co-Offensive Player of the Year in the conference. He gained 1,437 all-purpose yards and scored 17 touchdowns and helped the Hawks to a conference championship and the semifinals in the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs.
Aidan Besselman of Upper St. Clair earned first-team honors on the PA Football Coaches Select All-State Football Team.
Aidan Besselman of Upper St. Clair earned first-team honors on the PA Football Coaches Select All-State Football Team.
Aidan Currie of Bethel Park earned second-team honors on the PA Football Coaches Select All-State Football Team.
Dinari Clacks of Bethel Park earned second-team honors on the PA Football Coaches Select All-State Football Team.
Five area athletes earned All-State honors for football in two different polls.
Gavin Moul of Bethel Park headlined the Pennsylvania Football Writers’ Class 5A team while Aidan Besselman from Upper St. Clair and Moul’s teammates: Ryan Petras, Aidan Currie and Dinari Clacks gained spots on the PA Football Coaches Select team.
A 6-1, 225-pound senior, Moul has been dubbed the ‘best defensive player in a decade’ at BP. A four-year starter, he was named the 2022 Allegheny Six Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year.
“Gavin was the best linebacker in Western Pennsylvania,” said BP coach Brian DeLallo. “He was a physical and emotional leader that could play any position on the field.
“He’s also the most intense competitor that I have ever coached. While we had a lot of very good players, our best football player was Gavin.”
A three-time all-conference linebacker, Moul chalked up 50 tackles, 45 of them unassisted last fall. He also racked up five sacks and 16 tackles for loss (TFL) while leading the Black Hawks to an undefeated conference championship and a 10-2 overall record.
On offense, Moul picked up 649 rushing yards, caught 18 passes and scored eight touchdowns.
He will continue his playing career at the University of Delaware.
“I will miss Gavin,” said DeLallo. “He led a group of seniors that have set a great example for those that will follow.
“I expect great things from him at Delaware and I also expect to be telling all the FBS schools who passed on him, ‘I told you so.’ Gavin’s a great fit at Delaware. I can’t wait to watch him play.”
BP has two more seasons to watch Petras play. A sophomore, he was named to the first team in the coaches poll along with Besselman.
Both Petras and Besselman were co-offensive Players of the Year in the Allegheny Six Conference.
On the state coaches’ team, Petras gained his spot as the offensive athlete. Besselman earned his position at wide receiver.
According to the scouting report submitted on his behalf, Petras was dubbed an explosive athlete as evidenced by his six touchdowns of 40 yards or longer.
“He was smart enough and athletic enough to play tailback while also playing some at slot receiver and outside receiver,” DeLallo said.
Offensively, Petras picked up 1,437 all-purpose yards and scored 17 touchdowns in 10 games before breaking his collarbone, preventing him from participating in the playoffs. He had 578 yards rushing on 89 carries for a 6.5-yard average and 578 yards receiving on 44 catches for a 13.1-yard average. He added 309 yards on 10 returns before teams stopped kicking to him. Petras also started in the BP secondary.
According to Mike Junko, Petras was the toughest player USC faced. “He’s a great young player with a bright future,” predicted the Panthers’ coach.
His future though may be on the diamond because Petras is a standout outfielder. He was a starter on BP’ s state championship baseball club in 2022.
Although he is an All-American lacrosse player, Bessleman has his sights set on football and will play for the Princeton Tigers.
During his career at USC, Besselman compiled over 2,000 yards receiving. He was a three-time all-conference performer that exhibited ‘elite’ speed and ‘elite’ air combat skills. This fall, his 41 receptions for 817 yards and 10 scores helped the Panthers advance to the WPIAL championship game. USC finished 10-3 overall after falling to Pine-Richland, 34-3. In that district final contest, Besselman pulled in four passes for a team-high 74 yards.
“Aidan really has grown as a receiver,” Junko said. “He really improved his route running and became more than just a speed guy for us.”
Currie and Clacks were standout players on defense for BP. Both were named to the coaches’ second team.
A 6-2, 215-pound senior, Currie was an all-conference linebacker for a defensive unit that allowed 15.9 points per game. He racked up 56 tackles, three sacks, seven TFL and had one fumble recovery.
“Aidan’s versatility made our defense work,” said DeLallo. “He could line up at outside linebacker on our odd front and defensive end on the even front. He was a physical run-stopper who was also good against the pass. Aidan played his best games against big-time competition.”
According to DeLallo and the other 300 coaches voting in the poll, Clacks was deemed the best strong safety in Western Pennsylvania.
“He played with great effort, technique and intelligence,” DeLallo said. “Teams were unable to run the ball on the perimeter against him, which is a huge part of why our team went 10-2. At times he played all five secondary positions on defense.”