4 of 6 Finalists for Willie Thrower Award played on Big 56 Teams
Photo Credit: North Allegheny Sports Network
Of the six finalists for the Willie Thrower Award of the 2024 season, four of them played for Big 56 schools. Peters Township’s Nolan DiLucia, North Allegheny’s Logan Kushner, Penn Hills’ Julian Duggar and Central Catholic’s Payton Wehner are all finalists.
Willie Thrower is a New Kensington High School graduate, he was the NFL’s first black quarterback and led New Kensington to two WPIAL championships. He has a statue outside of Valley High School.
Logan Kushner (North Allegheny) – 1,877 passing yards, 1,475 rushing yards, 48 total TD, won back-to-back WPIAL championships
Nolan DiLucia (Peters Township) – 3,036 passing yards (1st in WPIAL), 30 TDs, led Peters Township to first WPIAL title in program history
Julian Dugger (Penn Hills) – 1,646 passing yards, 20 TDs, 776 rushing yards, 11 TDs, 5,000 career yards, Pitt commit
Payton Wehner (Central Catholic) – 2,940 passing yards, 36 TDs, 6,956 career passing yards (13th in WPIAL history), St. Francis commit