AKIL YOUNG – USO
Offensive MVP
Even though Perry pulled of the major surprise of the season in City League play by defeating favorite USO during the regular season as well as in the championship game, the coaches gave most of the slots on the 2012 All-City Football Team to USO.
When the season began it was predicted that USO (University Prep, Sci-Tech, Obama Academy) would easily win the city with Allderdice giving them their stiffest competition with perennial power Perry expected to battle Brashear for the third spot in the city.
The New Pittsburgh Courier All-City Football Team reflects this thinking. In a combination of coaches and Courier personnel 21 of the 52 slots on the team went to USO with Perry finishing a distant second with 10 spots.
With the City League dwindling down in numbers with all the school closings one would expect the strong to stay strong, which made it surprise that more didn’t pick Perry to challenge USO especially with the closing of Oliver and its students going to Perry. Yet USO, Allderdice and Brashear were expected to finish ahead of them.
Brashear was ranked high because they had the students from Langley joining a team which has always been highly competitive. Allderdice had a very strong nucleus of seniors returning and of course USO had marched through all its opponents last season to win the City League title in its first year in existence.
This season behind the high powered offense led by sensational Quarterback Akil Young who was without a doubt the Offensive Most Valuable Player and a wide variety of receivers in Marcus Johnson, Myles Catlin, Clay Moorefield, Noah Stewart and Nicholas Stallworth gave the city an aerial attack we have never seen in its history. For the first time in Courier All-City selection history there were very few outstanding running backs in comparison to receivers. It was clearly a passing dominated game in the City. Only three running backs received any recognition. Joe Kalsak from Carrick, Pat Fergueson from Allderdice and Curtis Edmonds from Perry who finished second behind Young in the MVP voting.
Quarterback Ahmed Turner from Perry, was clearly the second best quarterback in the city as he and Young stood heads and shoulders over the rest.
Receivers and defensive backs dominated the selections with nine receivers and 13 defensive backs making the team. The transition from running to passing is the cause for the change. In the past it was running backs on offense and they generally played linebackers on defense, which has led to a drop in linebackers, now many are defensive backs.
The offensive and defensive lines as usual most coaches knew very little about other than on their own teams.
The competition for Defensive Most Valuable Player was between two Perry players, Shakeem Cox and Robert Willie, with Willie winning out. Willie comes from a long line of outstanding linebackers from Perry. He should be very successful at the next level.
Other strong competition was for the Coach of the Year which was between last years’ Coach of the Year Louis Berry from USO, and William Gallagher from Perry. Of course Gallagher was the winner based on his win over USO during the season, and his leading the Commodores to the City League title. He’s no stranger to this award, having won it previously.
The big tragedy of the season was the shooting death of Ne’ Ondre Harbour an outstanding defensive lineman from USO.
Congratulations to all the young men who were selected to this team. It took a lot of hard work and dedication. It doesn’t matter if your team was 5-0 or 0-5, we honor you for your efforts.