WVC stars speak on Coaches All-State nominations

Tagged under: District 2

Mason Eddinger | December 31, 2022

The Wyoming Valley Conference was well represented in the PA Football News Coaches All-State Team. The Conference brought in 5 players on the first team across 4 schools. The PA Football News Coaches All-State team is especially prestigious as it is voted on by the Coaches themselves. Being nominated on this list shows extreme mutual respect between player and coach. I caught up with these players to hear their reactions to this honor.

The first player at All-state Center was Ethan Speece for Wyoming Area. Ethan was the captain of an offensive line that had one of the best running attacks in North East Pennsylvania. He said, “It’s a humbling and tremendous honor to be nominated by the coaches from across the state. I would like to thank my head coach, Randy Spencer, and my offensive line coach, Mike Fanti, for helping me develop into the player I am today.”

Flipping to the other side of the line of scrimmage, was Magnus Bibla for Crestwood. Bibla was a crucial piece for a Crestwood team that made it to the 4A semifinals. Bibla said this about being nominated, “Humbled and honored. Being selected for this level by experienced eyes that understand the talent is a huge accomplishment.”

Sticking on the Defensive side of the ball is OLB Spencer Kisbaugh from Berwick. Kishbaugh was a 2 way player this year but got the All-State honors for his Defensive role. He said, “Yeah it feels great to know there is mutual respect between the coaches and I. After a lot of the games this year I shared a conversation with each coach and it was nothing but respect. It just feels great to know all the hard work is paying off.”

In the 6A class, the pair of All-State Nominations were both from the Hazleton Cougars.

The first of the pair is RB Matthew Buchman.  He was their bell-cow RB that helped them to an 8-3 record. He had this to say about being nominated, “It is a blessing and an honor to be nominated by both the writers and coaches from around the state. It is really something special to know that the coaches feel I am an All-state caliber player. There are numerous amazing players around the state, so to be up there with some of the best is truly a special achievement to me.”

The second of the pair is DB Matthew Cusatis. He was a key part of a lockdown Hazleton Defense. He had this to say about being nominated, “It’s a great feeling! Being nominated by the people who have the greatest knowledge of high school football means a lot, especially from 300 coaches.”

To all the nominees, congratulations. And to the people that missed out and have another year left, go prove to those coaches why they were wrong to not put you on the team.

Follow me on Twitter @Mason_PFN

Follow PA Football News on Twitter @PaFootballNews