Fridays Stock Watch: PIAA Championship Edition

PA PREPS will take a look at players who stock has risen or should rise within the upcoming months.

Today's edition comes just a week after the PIAA Championships in Hershey. There were several players who had phenomenal performances.

We've included both seniors and underclassmen for this particular edition.

Ben DiNucci -2015- Pine Richland - Quarterback - DiNucci completed 32 out of 46 passes for 383 yards and four touchdowns in the Class AAAA championship game. He also rushed ten times for 83 yards. DiNucci already gave a verbal commitment to Penn, but has also heard from Temple as well. DiNucci shined in a game against the best team in the state. When you do that, your stock has no choice but to go up.

D'Andre Swift -2017- St. Joseph's Prep- Running Back- Swift ran 23 times for 226 yards and three rushing scores. Swift also added another score on a catch-and-run play that covered 48 yards. His performance left onlookers not believing that he is just a sophomore. He's already considered one of the top underclassmen running backs in the state.

Hunter Hayes- 2016- South Fayette- Running Back - in a weekend full of great performances by running backs, Hayes certainly had an effort worth mentioning as one of the best. Hayes carried the rock 27 times for 263 yards and scored two touchdowns. Hayes also made 8.5 tackles on defense. Hayes and his smooth but tough running style was the perfect complement to their high-powered passing attack.

Jake Strain - 2015 - St. Joseph's Prep - Defensive End- Strain has been a wrecking machine for the past several weeks and last week's game was no exception. Strain racked up 11 total tackles and was a disruptive force against Pine Richland in the Class AAA championship game.

Jarrett McClenton - 2015- Archbishop Wood-Running Back- for the second year in a row, McClenton spearheaded Wood's offense as they won their second consecutive Class AAA state championship last weekend. McClenton finished with 230 yards rushing off of 27 carries. He scored four touchdowns on two 12-yard touchdown runs, one 15-yard touchdown run, and a 51-yard touchdown run. The Villanova commit displayed his impressive speed and vision throughout the night. Yes, Archbishop Wood's offensive line is great, but McClenton has been great in his own right as well.

Lamont Wade -2017-Clairton-Running Back- Along with fellow super sophomore D'Andre Swift of St. Joseph's Prep, Wade earned a lot of respect statewide for his performance last weekend. Wade carried the ball 35 times for 212 yards and one rushing touchdown (64 yards). Wade also caught four passes for 86 yards and one touchdown (61 yards). Wade scored both touchdowns in dramatic fashion, with the receiving touchdown coming over two defenders. Wade also broke the WPIAL single-season rushing record that was held by Rushel Shell. Wade finished with 2,760 yards rushing and 47 total touchdowns.

Mike Merhaut -2015- Pine Richland -Wide Receiver - Merhaut may have had one of the top all-around performances from last weekend. On offense, Merhaut caught 14 passes for 113 yards and one receiving touchdown. On defense, Mehaut collected 17.5 tackles (17 solo). He proved to be a tough cover throughout the game.