Central Valley’s Sean FitzSimmons named Trib HSSN Football Player of the Year

By: Chris Harlan
Sunday, January 2, 2022 | 2:05 AM

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Central Valley faced a fourth-and-1 at its own 18-yard line with less than 5 minutes left in the state championship. The Warriors held a 7-0 lead, so nobody would’ve criticized coach Mark Lyons if he’d decided to punt and play defense.

Sean FitzSimmons offered a riskier idea.

“Sean said: ‘Listen. Run it behind me. Let’s go for it,’” said Lyons, who was quickly convinced. “I’m going to listen to that guy. We’ve been on his shoulders for a long time. When he tells us something, I’m going to trust him.”

It worked, again.

FitzSimmons didn’t throw any passes, run the ball or make any catches this season. He didn’t score any touchdowns or kick any extra points. Yet, the 6-foot-3, 280-pound senior lineman was arguably the most impactful player in the WPIAL this season.

His dominance at the line of scrimmage — making blocks and also avoiding them — let Central Valley (15-0) celebrate a third consecutive WPIAL title and repeat as state champion. As a result, FitzSimmons was chosen as the 2021 Trib HSSN Football Player of the Year.

Central Valley finished the season on a 27-game winning streak, which ranks as the longest active in the state.

The Pitt recruit made a team-high 123 tackles from his defensive line spot, including 58 solo stops and 49 tackles for a loss. He had a team-high 21 sacks and forced five fumbles including one in the state championship.

On the offensive side, his overwhelming blocks made room for a WPIAL-leading, 2,300-yard rusher.

FitzSimmons’ dominance was on display Dec. 11 when Central Valley defeated Wyomissing, 7-0, in the PIAA Class 3A final in Hershey. The shutout win was the Warriors’ sixth this season, and they held five other opponents to a touchdown or less.

“What else could I say about Sean? Pitt is getting a special one,” Lyons said. “I don’t want to talk about him going to Pitt because I don’t want to face the reality that he’s not going to wear a (Central Valley) jersey and helmet anymore. I can’t say enough about the young man. He’s carried himself with the utmost respect. He’s a tremendous young man, and he elevated everybody’s game.”

FitzSimmons wears a Tampa Bay Buccaneers headband under his helmet, a memento he kept when former Central Valley stars Jordan Whitehead and Robert Foster hosted a youth camp at the high school a few years ago. Central Valley hasn’t been around long — 12 years — but the school’s football team already has produced two NFL players.

FitzSimmons desires to be the third.

“Time will tell, but Sean wants to be mentioned with them,” Lyons said. “This is something that’s been burning in him — to be good. If I’m a young kid in our program or in our school district, I’m going to watch him and figure out what he’s doing, even how he eats his lunch. He does it the right way.”

FitzSimmons helped Central Valley become the first WPIAL team to reach the state finals three years in a row since Clairton went to five straight in 2008-12.

In the state finals, Wyomissing’s best scoring chance — a fourth-quarter drive that reached Central Valley’s 4-yard line — ended there with a fourth-down strip-sack by FitzSimmons. Central Valley took possession leading 7-0 with less than 7 minutes left. Three plays later, Central Valley faced that fourth-and-1 dilemma inside its own 20.

Again, FitzSimmons came through. The fourth-down gamble let the Warriors hold onto the ball until there were only 20 seconds left.

“For sure, I wanted to go for it,” FitzSimmons said. “We went QB sneak and got the first down. That was big-time momentum.”

Team stats credit FitzSimmons with 448 career tackles, 52 sacks and 124 tackles for a loss in four years. In the past three seasons, Central Valley went 40-2 with three WPIAL titles, three appearances in the state finals and two state championships.

In terms of high school careers, FitzSimmons already topped the two alums in the NFL. Each won only one WPIAL title. But just being mentioned with Whitehead (a 2015 grad) and Foster (2013) makes him smile.

“It feels great,” FitzSimmons said. “If I have the career those guys have, I’m happy. They both made it to the NFL. If I can do that, it’s a dream come true.”

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2021 HSSN Postseason Awards

Trib 25 Football All-Stars

Coaches of the Year by Classification

Players of the Year by Classification