Inside The Panthers

Local Pitt Commit Rushes for Five TDs vs. Elwood City

A future Pitt Panthers defensive back rushed for five touchdowns during the WPIAL Class 2A Quarterfinals.
Theo Newhouse|
Beaver Falls' Trey Singleton is tackled by Steel Valley's Da'ron Barksdale during Friday's Class 2A WPIAL championship game at Acrisure Stadium. Beaver Falls Loses To Steel Valley
Beaver Falls' Trey Singleton is tackled by Steel Valley's Da'ron Barksdale during Friday's Class 2A WPIAL championship game at Acrisure Stadium. Beaver Falls Loses To Steel Valley | Sally Maxson/For BCT / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Future Pitt Panthers defensive back Da’Ron Barksdale scored five touchdowns in a 42-6 WPIAL 2A Quarterfinal win against Elwood City.

Barksdale and the Steel Valley Ironmen improved to 8-3 and will take on Western Beaver in the next round. Outside of the 5 touchdowns he also racked up 215 all-purpose yards, 4 tackles and a pass deflection. His most impressive run of the game wasn't a touchdown but resulted in a 70+ yard gain with several broken tackles. On the season he has over 1,700 rushing yards has also found the endzone more than 25 times.

Last year he shared carries with his one-year older brother Donald Barksdale who currently is playing tailback for Youngstown State. Donald also put up serious numbers rushing for 5,270 yards through his high school career.

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Steel Valley's Donald Barksdale heads to the end zone during Friday's Class 2A WPIAL championship game against Beaver Falls at Acrisure Stadium. Beaver Falls Loses To Steel Valley | Sally Maxson/For BCT / USA TODAY NETWORK

Barksdale's Commitment to Pitt

Da’Ron committed to Pitt over the summer in late June, choosing to stay home with the Panthers. Temple, West Virginia, Syracuse, Uconn, UNLV, and Kent St are just some of the schools that also offered the 5’10 3-star DB.

Steel Valley's last WPIAL championship was in 2022 when Donald was a sophomore and Da’Ron was a freshman. Over the past 4 seasons plus this year, the Ironman have a combined 50-11 record. Steel Valley brought home WPIAL championships in 2022, 2018, 2016, 1989, 1988, and 1982.

The star during the the 2018 WPIAL championship team run was current Pitt DB Cruce Brookins. Brookins had 170 rushing yards and 3 TDs in the 34-14 win over Beaver Falls. Brookins missed the most recent game against Stanford with an injury but is expected to suit up against Notre Dame. He has 37 tackles, an interception, and 2 passes defended so far this year.

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Sep 27, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Louisville Cardinals wide receiver Caullin Lacy (5) runs after a. catch against Pittsburgh Panthers defensive back Cruce Brookins (12) during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

On that 2016 Steel Valley team was former Pitt safety Paris Ford. During his senior season he led Steel Valley to a PIAA State Championship title scoring 22 touchdowns, 6 of them being interception returns. At Pitt Ford totaled 147 total tackles, 6 interceptions, and 20 passes defended. He had a brief NFL stint with the Los Angeles Rams and has played for the Birmingham Stallions in the UFL and the Massachusetts Pirates in the IFL through the past few seasons.

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Dec 26, 2019; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers defensive back Paris Ford (12) flexes after a defensive play during the third quarter against the Eastern Michigan Eagles at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-Imagn Images | Raj Mehta-Imagn Images

Barksdale will continue the Steel Valley to Pitt pipeline of elite defensive backs. William Campbell Field, home of the Ironman, sits approximately just 10 miles away from Acrisure Stadium which will host the WPIAL 2A Championship game. Steel Valley aims to knock off Western Beaver in the semifinals for a shot at the title game where they will either face Washington or Seton Lasalle.

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Theo Newhouse
THEO NEWHOUSE

Theo Newhouse-Godine is a current student at Point Park University and a former DII student athlete at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He produces a podcast, Theo’s Tailgate, which highlights and features athletes from the Pittsburgh area. Theo is a lifelong Pittsburgh sports fan from the neighborhood of Highland Park and recently completed an internship with the Pittsburgh Downtown Media Partnership as an investigative journalist.

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