2022 Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star Team: Aliquippa’s Cameron Lindsey
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Friday, July 1, 2022 | 6:55 PM
Aliquippa’s Cameron Lindsey intercepts a pass and returns it for a touchdown during the PIAA Class 4A championship game against Bishop McDevitt on Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021, at Hersheypark Stadium.
Editor’s note: The Tribune-Review and the TribLive High School Sports Network are profiling each member of the 25-player Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star team. The players will be recognized July 15 during HSSN Media Day at Kennywood Park.
Cameron Lindsey’s favorite play from last season came in the state championship on a perfectly read interception that he might not have made earlier in the year.
Bishop McDevitt had two receivers to the right and a third motioned in that direction just before the snap, yet the then-sophomore linebacker wasn’t fooled by the formation.
“If somebody goes to the flat, somebody has to come back inside,” he said.
The 6-foot-1, 203-pound Lindsey defended against a quick pass over the middle, got himself in the right spot and returned an interception 34 yards to the Hersheypark Stadium end zone. The defensive touchdown was an adrenaline boost for the Quips, who later won, 34-27. But the pick six also showed just how high Lindsey’s confidence had risen during his sophomore year, catching up with his elite talent.
If you compare his playoff performances with his first few regular-season games, Lindsey said you’ll see a much different player.
“Starting out the year last year, I still had those little rookie mistakes,” he said. “I was nervous, feeling like I never wanted to do wrong. That was kind of holding me back. I definitely picked up my pace once the playoffs came around.”
His coaches also noticed a difference.
“He was a different player from the start of last season to the end,” Aliquippa coach Mike Warfield said. “I’m impressed with how he accepts criticism, he doesn’t flinch and he’s always working. Once his confidence grew, his play grew.”
Lindsey made 86 tackles with 22 tackles for a loss, two sacks, forced two fumbles, recovered two fumbles, intercepted two passes and scored two defensive touchdowns. His play earned him all-conference and all-state honors.
He accomplished all of that as a first-year starter, so watch out this fall, Lindsay said.
“Coming into this year, I’m a lot more experienced,” he said.
Lindsey received his first college offer a day after the state finals when Penn State extended him a scholarship. He added eight more since, including Pitt and West Virginia. Rivals rated him as a four-star recruit and ranked him 11th overall among Pennsylvania juniors.
“It’s really a dream come true,” Lindsey said. “As a kid, I was just always hoping that I could get a chance to play on the next level and in front of millions of people.”
He and his teammates already had thousands of eyes on them last fall when Aliquippa went 13-1 and won WPIAL and PIAA Class 4A titles. The Quips were so successful it was easy to forget how some of their best players were sophomores or freshmen.
The team’s winning combination was practice and patience.
“Cam started better understanding what was expected of him,” Warfield said. “From the WPIAL championship game to the Jersey Shore game and then the state game, his talent showed.”
Lindsey said Warfield at times sent him clips of NFL linebackers to watch.
“My confidence definitely boosted just from practicing,” Lindsey said, “and from Coach Mike and the other coaches believing in me and trusting me.”
Cameron Lindsey
Aliquippa
Junior
6-foot-1, 203 pounds
LB/RB
Division I offers: Pitt, Penn State, West Virginia, Cincinnati, Kent State, Maryland, Syracuse, Toledo and UMass.
2021 statistics: 86 tackles, two interceptions, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, two defensive touchdowns
Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star team
Aidan Besselman, Upper St. Clair
Rodney Gallagher, Laurel Highlands
Peter Gonzalez, Central Catholic
Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.
Tags: Aliquippa
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