A-K Valley football players to watch in 2022 Week 9

By: Michael Love
Wednesday, October 26, 2022 | 5:50 PM

Previous Next

Nick Curci

Apollo-Ridge, sr., RB/LB

The Vikings head into Friday’s Allegheny Conference finale against Burrell with a playoff spot on the line, and Curci hopes to be a difference maker in that clash. He certainly was that last week as Apollo-Ridge upset Serra Catholic in overtime, 43-36. Curci, who didn’t play the week before, carried the ball 51 times and racked up 338 yards and five touchdowns. He went over 1,200 yards for the season and owns 18 rushing scores.

Rondeal Hewlitt

Highlands, sr., WR/DB

Hewlitt has become a favored target of senior quarterback Chandler Thimons in the Highlands offense. Last week against Armstrong, he caught a pair of touchdowns covering 19 and 25 yards. On the season, Hewlitt owns seven catches for 195 yards and three touchdowns, also hauling in a TD from Thimons in a 38-23 victory over Woodland Hills in Week 6.

Parker Lucas

Freeport, sr., WR/DB/K/P

A high ankle sprain suffered in the Week Zero opener against Indiana sidelined Lucas for several weeks. He returned Oct. 7 against East Allegheny and made eight tackles as Freeport defeated the Wildcats, 35-13. The 2021 all-conference performer caught two passes for 48 yards and a touchdown last Friday in the Yellowjackets’ 62-19 win over Valley. He also recorded a sack among his four tackles.

Eryck Moore-Watkins

Plum, sr., RB/DB

The three-year starter again has been an offensive workhorse for the Mustangs with 161 carries for 13 touchdowns and 1,137 total yards. Last week in a 34-21 victory over Hempfield, Moore-Watkins recorded season bests of 29 carries, 192 yards and three touchdowns. It was his fifth 100-plus yardage game and his fourth multi-TD contest. He now is 151 yards away from the Plum record for career rushing yards set by Dave Pucka in 1997.

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: Apollo-Ridge, Freeport, Highlands, Plum