WPIAL & City League Football Player Preview: Expectations are the same for Noel Roach III

Penn Hills football player Noel Roach III looks down the field during a football game in 2019.

SOURCE: (TWITTER, @MMRIII_)

One in a series on motivated high school football players in the WPIAL and City League.

Less than two years ago, Penn Hills football player Noel Roach III was only a sophomore in high school and had already won both a WPIAL and PIAA football championship in 2018 as his Penn Hills Indians went 16-0. Now, that it is summertime in the calendar year of 2020, Roach III will be a senior in the fall, and he expects big things once again from his Penn Hills football team. People in the Penn Hills community already know that the Indians football team is expecting to win WPIAL and PIAA titles again and Roach III knows that. He is excited to see everything that Penn Hills can accomplish for the upcoming season.

"I am very excited for my senior season, me and the other seniors really want to go out with a bang! I’ve been waiting for this since my freshman year," said Roach III, who plays both defensive back and wide receiver. "That’s all we think about is bringing another state title to Penn hills. I believe that my team is more than capable of doing it."

When anyone thinks of a good WPIAL football team, there is no question that Penn Hills is one of the top five teams that people will think of. Seven Penn Hills alumnus such as current Los Angeles Rams Defensive Tackle Aaron Donald and former Strong Safety Barry Church played in the NFL and they have both made a big name for themselves during their NFL journeys. With Donald and Church setting the bar high in high school at Penn Hills, that standard had continued to stay the same for over a decade and still is today.

Roach III knowing that he plays for Penn Hills means that the expectations will always be high. Penn Hills had always been known for their football culture for many years. Former NFL Offensive Guard Bill Fralic might have said that the football culture at Penn Hills was strong as well since he graduated from the school as well in 1981.

Even though now that the Indians head coach is Jon LeDonne, the football culture continues to stay strong and Roach III sees that as he enjoys playing under LeDonne.

"Football is more than just a game here at Penn Hills. There is a winning culture here and every year the expectation is to win. It’s also a big family too. Everyone here is close, and you belong to the family even after you graduate," said Roach III, who also plays basketball at Penn Hills. "It's great playing for head coach Jon LeDonne. He is a great coach on the field and a great person off the field. He knows what he’s talking about with the X’s and O’s. He’s a very energetic and respectable coach. He is one of the best coaches out there."

Roach III started playing at the varsity level for Penn Hills as a sophomore in 2018, and ever since then his overall record is 26-2. That's pretty good! This past season, Roach III and his Penn Hills squad losing to McKeesport by a score of 35-20 in the quarterfinals round of the WPIAL 5A playoffs. That was a moment that they all want to forget. However, as Roach III enters his senior season, he'll see that WPIAL 5A will even be tougher for the upcoming season. All him and his Indians are going to do is take it one game at a time.

"We have a lot of tough games and I think we just have to take it one week at a time. We have to prepare for each team we go against and practice hard and watch a lot of film," said Roach III.

Last year, North Hills, Shaler, Fox Chapel, and Kiski Area were all teams that were in Penn Hills section. This upcoming year, those same four teams will still be in the Indians section, and Pine-Richland and Woodland Hills will also be in the section as well.

Even though, Roach III recorded 18 receptions for 313 yards in 2019 as a wide receiver, a lot of the Division I schools recruited Roach III as a defensive back. And, how can you blame the schools? Especially, since Roach III recorded five interceptions in 2019 as two of those interceptions were pick sixes. Back on June 19, 2020, Roach III verbally committed to the University of Akron as he'll play defensive back. Roach III enjoyed the recruiting process as he had received 20 offers from Division I schools. At the end of the day, Roach III chose Akron and he really enjoys the football culture that the school has. He is currently undecided on a major.

"Definitely the culture at Akron was a reason why I chose the school. It is changing and I think we will be good for years to come. Hopefully we will be winning some MAC [Mid-American Conference] championships in the near future. I don’t know exactly what I’m studying but probably something in the realm of architecture," said Roach III.

Roach III will soon be college teammates with his high school teammate Corey Thomas Jr., who graduated from Penn Hills in 2019. They both won WPIAL and PIAA football championships together at Penn Hills in 2018. Thomas Jr. talked to Roach III about what he liked about Akron during his freshman year and Roach III liked what he heard. Also, earlier this month, Central Valley football player Myles Walker, who will also be a rising senior for this upcoming school year, verbally committed to Akron and Roach III is excited to be teammates with him.

"Corey Thomas Jr. has only been at Akron for a year but the things he said definitely caught my eye. He talked about the culture there, the coaches and how things run there. He is also very excited about the future there," said Roach III. "I’m definitely excited to be teammates with Walk. That’s my guy. We played 7 v 7 together at Evolve!"

This whole calendar year has been absolutely abnormal. The way that COVID-19 has affected everyone's lives is shocking. It could be debated that everyone has had a moment happened in their lives that have changed their lives whether it would be a family death, winning the lottery, or even going to jail. For Roach III, the whole time that he had went through quarantine, so he wouldn't get the COVID-19 illness, was a life changing moment for him and his life.

"I felt like this quarantine and the whole year of 2020 has changed me. I feel like me now and me at the beginning of the year are two totally different people and to me that’s crazy," said Roach III.

Roach III's ability to defend passes and be a turnover machine on defense while being able to run very great slant routes as a wide receiver is what makes him special. He is just one of the many rising senior football players in the entire WPIAL that has a lot of experience. Roach III is known as arguably one of the most recruited players on Penn Hills football team, but the team also brings back other key players who will also be seniors, besides Roach III for the upcoming season in Jonah Silverman, Derrick Topeck, Dontae Pollard, Josh Wade, and others.

As every high school athlete is waiting to see whether fall sports will be played or postponed, all Roach III will do is continue to practice and hunt to hoist WPIAL and PIAA title in football at Penn Hills.

Brentaro Yamane: bkyamane@gmail.com and Twitter/Instagram @BYHilton13