A-K Valley football players to watch in 2023 Week 10

By: Michael Love
Wednesday, November 1, 2023 | 5:52 PM

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Player of the week

Ethan Alwine

Knoch, Sr., RB/LB

The Knights finished the regular season and Allegheny 6 Conference slate with a dominant 40-0 victory over Valley last Friday. Alwine, who has shown his prowess all season as a dual threat in both the Knoch run and pass games, put it on display against the Vikings.

He factored into six of the Knights’ seven touchdowns in the win.

Alwine tallied scoring runs of 23 and 2 yards in the first quarter as Knoch started to take control. He then caught a 66-yard pass from Codi Mullen in the second quarter as the Knights led 21-0 at the break. Alwine added additional TD receptions of 33 and 21 from Mullen and produced a 10-yard scoring run as Knoch put the game away in the second half.

Alwine hopes to have another standout performance Friday as the No. 5 Knights open the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs at home against No. 12 South Park.

Players to watch

Aiden Burford

Highlands, Jr., WR/DB

The Golden Rams offense rolled against Hampton last Friday in a win that clinched a WPIAL Class 4A playoff spot. Among a number of standouts, Burford put six points on the board with a touchdown reception. Aaron Randolph threw just nine times, completing five. Burford caught three for 58 yards and the score. Defensively, he picked off a pass and recorded six tackles.

Esau King-Buchak

Burrell, Sr., RB/DL

The Bucs veteran defender has had his share of top performances this year in helping his team reach the WPIAL Class 2A playoffs. He recorded nine tackles in last Friday’s setback to Apollo-Ridge and tallied eight against Derry two weeks ago. King-Buchak is second on the team with 48 tackles. He intercepted a pass in the win over Yough and recovered a fumble against Serra Catholic.

Terry “Bart” Martin

Kiski Area, Sr., WR/DB

The Cavaliers’ passing game has impacted a balanced offense this season, and Martin is a top contributor to that effort. He finished the regular season second in receiving yards with 468 on 26 receptions, an 18.0 yards-per-catch average. He has four receiving touchdowns for a Kiski Area team that topped Armstrong last Friday to clinch a spot in the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs.

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: Burrell, Highlands, Kiski Area, Knoch