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

By: Michael Love
Wednesday, August 23, 2023 | 6:33 PM

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Derek Burk

Deer Lakes, sr., QB/S

Burk hopes to start out with a strong game Friday at home against Keystone Oaks as the Lancers begin a journey that could ends with a second straight WPIAL playoff trip. Burk finished last season with 1,426 passing yards and nine touchdowns to go along with 504 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. He has his top two receivers back from last year in fellow seniors Wayne Love and Ryan Cochran.

Jake Cummings

Leechburg, jr., HB/TE/LB

A versatile tight end and halfback last season, Cummings was a sound blocker and also rushed for five touchdowns as Leechburg returned to the WPIAL Class A playoffs. He was selected an Eastern Conference first-team all-star on offense. Cummings also provided a challenge for opposing offenses from his linebacker spot, and his exploits earned him a place on the Valley News Dispatch all-star second team.

Landon Johnson

Riverview, sr., RB/LB

Johnson teamed with fellow Raiders senior Carlo Buzzatto to provide a 1-2 punch in the running game last year. He carried 102 times for 764 yards and eight touchdowns. Johnson also is back as a cornerstone at linebacker for an experienced Riverview defense. He made opposing coaches take notice of his defensive prowess, and they voted him to the Eastern Conference first team.

Karter Schrock

Apollo-Ridge, sr., QB/DB

Last season was frustrating for Schrock, who missed almost all of his team’s games because of injury. He dedicated himself in the offseason to getting healthy, and he enters Friday’s Week Zero opener at Leechburg hoping for big things in his comeback. Vikings coach John Skiba looks to Schrock as an important leader for a young Apollo-Ridge team that features just five seniors.

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, Deer Lakes, Leechburg, Riverview