TURTLE CREEK, Pa. — Pittsburgh Central Catholic senior wide receiver and Class of 2024 Penn State commit Peter Gonzalez had an incredible game in the win against rival Woodland Hills at the Wolvarena Friday night.
He caught two touchdown passes and outmatched the Wolverines secondary throughout the game. His first touchdown was a quick nine-yard score, but his second one saw him beat his defender on the outside, cut towards the middle, catch the deep ball and sprint into the end zone for the score.
“It was a great team win,” Gonzalez said on his team’s performance. “Spread the wealth between the entire team. Guys up front get paid enough time to throw some great balls. All our hard work culminated on that scoreboard tonight, so I’m super proud of us.”
Peter Gonzalez is the son of former Pitt quarterback, Pete Gonzalez, who started for the team in 1997. Pete would lead Pitt to their first bowl game in eight years, throwing for 2,657 yards and 30 touchdowns. His most memorable performance came in a comeback victory over rival West Virginia in double overtime.
Gonzalez chose to go to commit to his father’s rival Penn State in the summer, over ACC schools Virginia Tech and Miami. 247sports rates him as a three-star, No. 25 in Pennsylvania and the No. 113 wide receiver in his class, respectively.
He is one of three WPIAL commits in the Penn State Class of 2024, which includes teammate and three-star linebacker Anthony Speca and Belle Vernon four-star running back Quinton Martin, their highest rated recruit.
Gonzalez has kept good communication with Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin and staff about what they need to see from him as a senior and how he can improve before he goes to college.
“They just wanted me to dominate,” Gonzalez said. “They wanted me to really go out there and show what I can do. It’s been great communication. They’ve been giving great feedback to me and I can’t wait to go further in the season to get more feedback.”
He had a stellar junior season in 2022, earning a spot on the Pa. Football Writers 6A all-state team in 2022. Despite missing the early part of the season with injury, he finished last season with 42 receptions, 735 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns.
Still, Gonzalez has things he is working on to ensure that he is the best wide receiver he can be in 2023.
“I’m just trying to improve my route running,” Gonzalez said. “Getting used to the system, new system. Coach Lehmeier has done a great job getting ready for this. It’s been great and I just want to improve from here.”
Fellow senior in starting quarterback Payton Wehner had a sensational game for Central Catholic, completing 14 of 18 passes for five touchdowns and almost 300 yards passing. Gonzalez said that their relationship has grown over the past few seasons and that they’re continuing to get better every day together.
“It’s been since sophomore year,” Gonzalez said. “Me and him working offseason, during the season. It just culminates to a big senior year I feel. Me and him being very comfortable together is going to lead to big things on this field.”
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