2022 Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star Team: Armstrong’s Cadin Olsen

By: Michael Love
Saturday, July 9, 2022 | 5:54 PM

Purchase Photo Options

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.

Cadin Olsen passed for more yards in 2021 than every quarterback in the WPIAL except for two: Beaver Falls’ Jaren Brickner and Gateway’s Brad Birch.

But his 2,501 yards were not far behind the top of the list.

Olsen added 28 passing touchdowns and used his feet to account for 830 yards and 18 more scores.

Those totals helped the senior dual threat, who enters his third season as Armstrong’s starting quarterback, lead the River Hawks to a 5-2 mark in the Greater Allegheny Conference, an 8-4 overall record, a WPIAL Class 4A first-round victory over Montour and a spot in the quarterfinals against McKeesport.

While grateful for past accomplishments, Olsen said he is laser focused on the 2022 season and what Armstrong hopes to accomplish in and out of conference play.

“I am pretty excited. It’s my senior season, and I want to leave it all out there for my team,” Olsen said. “After what we were able to do last year, and with what we have coming back and coming up, I think we have a really good chance to have another successful season. We fought hard in the playoff game against McKeesport (35-21), and it was a tough loss. It won’t be easy this year as we have a tough schedule with North Catholic and Aliquippa as well as our conference schedule. We have to be ready to go and at our best every week.”

Olsen earned all-conference, Trib HSSN All-WPIAL and PA Writers All-State laurels for his junior season.

This past April, he added the Willie Thrower Award from the Willie Thrower Memorial Foundation, which honored him as the top high school quarterback in Southwestern Pennsylvania based on a vote by numerous coaches and media members.

He was selected from a pool of finalists that included Birch, Brickner, Mt. Lebanon’s Joey Daniels and Belle Vernon’s Devin Whitlock.

“It was an awesome experience for me and my family, and I was proud to represent Armstrong in that way,” Olsen said. “The other four finalists are terrific quarterbacks and awesome people. They were all well deserving of the award.”

Olsen also knows where he will be after high school as he made a verbal commitment last week to play at Penn.

He said making the decision wasn’t something that was planned well in advance, but the time was right. Olsen said Penn is a great opportunity to further his athletic and academic pursuits.

“It was something I just couldn’t pass up. All the pieces fit for me,” said Olsen, who received an offer from the Quakers on March 30 and showed his talents last month at a camp on the Penn campus.

“I am pretty excited about the chance to continue to work with (quarterbacks) coach Dan Swanstrom. With the things he’s done in the past, Penn is in good hands for seasons to come. He knows how to win and how to develop quarterbacks. We’ve developed a really nice connection. The program as a whole is in good hands overall with coach (Ray) Priore leading the way.

“I am just looking forward to my senior year at Armstrong, and I am happy and relieved to have this decision off my shoulders so I can focus on winning.”

Cadin Olsen

Armstrong

Senior

6-foot-4, 225 pounds

QB

Committed to: Penn

2020 statistics: 189 of 290, 2,501 yards, 28 TD, 11 INT; 150 rushes, 830 yards, 16 TD.

Highlights: Hudl

Trib HSSN Preseason Football All-Star team

Tyree Alualu, North Allegheny

Aidan Besselman, Upper St. Clair

Brad Birch, Gateway

Bobbie Boyd, McKeesport

Jaren Brickner, Beaver Falls

Cruce Brookins, Steel Valley

Kade Capristo, Mt. Lebanon

Julian Dugger, Penn Hills

Joe Enick, Penn-Trafford

Peyton Faulkner, Avonworth

Davoun Fuse, Washington

Rodney Gallagher, Laurel Highlands

Peter Gonzalez, Central Catholic

Tiqwai Hayes, Aliquippa

Luke Lawson, Seneca Valley

Cameron Lindsey, Aliquippa

Braylan Lovelace, Leechburg

Quinton Martin, Belle Vernon

Jordan Mayer, Thomas Jefferson

Dre Miller-Ross, Sto-Rox

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Armstrong