WEXFORD, Pa. — After the Leopards defeated Hickory in Friday night’s semifinal matchup, Belle Vernon Area High School will head back to the PIAA Class-3A Championship game for the second consecutive season. Last year, the Leopards narrowly defeated Neumann-Goretti, 9-8, in the state title game.
“I feel like our squad is very humble,” Quinton Martin said to PSN after the game. “I feel like the key to our success is that we are very focused.”
While programs lose star players every year, for the Leopards, this season marks the end of the storied careers of Penn State commit Quinton Martin and Eastern Michigan commit Braden Laux.
For the past few years, Martin and Laux helped the Leopards win two WPIAL titles and one state championship, with the possibility of adding a second after next week’s finals. Friday night was no different as the duo combined for four of the Leopards’ six touchdowns.
“I just feel like we were the more physical team,” Martin said. “I don’t want to take away anything from Hickory, but I feel like we came off of the ball explosive and we just ran the ball down their throat.”
Laux is the starting quarterback for the Leopards but committed to Eastern Michigan as a tight end prospect back in April. Laux said his decision was based on the family feeling of Eastern Michigan and the strong connections that he made with the coaching staff.
“The coach came down to this game actually,” Laux started. “They treat you like family [at Eastern Michigan.] They really have a family-like mentality up there, like everybody has each other’s back.”
Like Laux, Martin committed to Penn State in the summer for the same exact reasons, the family feeling and the relationships that he formed within the program. The five-star prospect grinned from ear-to-ear while talking about his connection with the Nittany Lions staff.
“It’s home,” said Martin. “It’s always been my dream school ever since I was a little boy… Every coach up there I have an amazing connection with, and I always had since my freshman year. I feel like the reason I picked there is because I don’t know where else I would go.”
With one more game in their high school careers, Martin and Laux are going to take everything in during the week but will be ready to put everything on the line for the final time next weekend.
“It would mean a hundred times more,” said Martin. “Not only cause it is our second one, but it is my senior year. Me, Braden Laux, Tanner Moody, Colton Lee, Adam LaCarte, our team is very senior filled. It would mean a lot to not only me but the team, so I am looking forward to the game next week.”
“To end our high school football career off on a state win again, nobody would forget it,” Laux added.
The Leopards will travel to Chapman Field in Cumberland Valley to play Northwestern Lehigh in the PIAA Class-3A State Championship on Dec. 9, 2023.
Penn State getting a good one