RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesAs the high school football offseason quickly winds down, with heat acclimation camps beginning on Monday, Aug. 10, the Beaver County Times begins to wrap up its early preseason coverage, revealing the poll winners from the top returning players by position, voted on by you, the fans.
From athletes who led the Beaver Valley in their respective positions and others who are committed to play at the Division I level, the group that won the polls is stacked with talent.
Here is a look at the athletes selected, along with the winner of the best head coach in the Beaver Valley.
Quarterback: James Armstrong, Hopewell
The Penn State commit and the Beaver Valley’s leading passer was selected as the area’s top returning quarterback, taking home 52 percent of the vote. The junior completed 60 percent of his passes for 2,215 yards, while rushing for 739 and finishing with 38 total touchdowns.
Running back: Brayden McCarthy, Blackhawk
McCarthy was one of the Beaver Valley’s top running backs a season ago when he ran for 1,352 yards and 15 touchdowns, averaging 8.8 yards per carry. The senior recently committed to Sacred Heart University back in July. McCarthy took home a tight race with Western Beaver’s Wyatt Sparbanie, collecting 29 percent of the vote.
Wide receiver: Tre Cameron, Hopewell
Cameron took the top receiver poll by a landslide, receiving 93 percent of the vote. The junior wideout put together an impressive year last season, posting 28 receptions for 586 yards and six touchdowns.
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Offensive/Defensive line: Mylez Greene, Aliquippa
Greene took home both offensive and defensive line polls, winning with 60 percent of the vote on offense and 51 percent for defense. The senior was a focal point on the Quips line that helped the program win their 21st WPIAL championship. On defense, Greene posted 57 total tackles, with five going for a loss.
Linebacker: Heath Lewis, New Brighton
Lewis was New Brighton’s leading tackler and was also a Midwestern all-conference unanimous selection for defense in 2025. Lewis collected 30 percent of the vote, edging out Western Beaver’s Caden Seymour.
Defensive back: Derrick Beck, Beaver Falls
Beck tallied 60 percent of the vote to take home the top returning defensive back poll. The senior broke out last year for the Tigers, racking up four interceptions, a pass breakup, 42 total tackles and a tackle for a loss.
Coach: Dan Bradley, Ambridge
Throughout Dan Bradley’s high school football coaching career, he has brought programs back to playoff and championship contention, leading a winless OLSH program to trips to the WPIAL championship game in 2018 and again in 2021. At Ellwood City, Bradley led the program to three-straight WPIAL playoff appearances and its first undefeated regular season since World War II in 2024. Now at Ambridge in his second stint, Bradley will look to bring the Bridgers back to relevance after it has not had a winning season in 21 years. During his two seasons at Ambridge, Bradley compiled a record of 15-20.
Bradley collected 23 percent of the vote, narrowly edging out West Allegheny head coach Bob Palko, who is also back for a second stint.
Ethan Morrison is the sports reporter for the Beaver County Times. Contact him at [email protected] and follow him at EthanMorrison26 on X.
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Beaver Valley high school football preseason position poll winners
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