One of Penn State football’s Class of 2025 commits will miss Friday’s game with an injury.
Friday evening, KDKA’s Donny Football reported that Tikey Hayes of Aliquippa High School wouldn’t play that night’s game against Mars.
It’s not yet clear how long Hayes will be out. But the injury doesn’t appear to be season ending.
Hayes’ injury came off a big game against Avonworth, going for 187 yards on 13 carries and scoring three touchdowns, with each score coming in the second quarter.
Nittany Sports Now spoke with Hayes earlier this week, and he told NSN about what he’s done to improve his game over this offseason.
Patience has been key.
“I feel like I’m more patient and obviously faster,” he said. “As a freshman, I was getting tracked down a lot but now I’m leaving kids in the dust, hitting the holes when I should be and not too soon instead of letting my blocks develop. So I definitely think I’m more patient and faster.”
Hayes is a 6-foot-1 athlete who comes from a legendary high school as far as football is concerned. Aliquippa has produced three NFL Hall of Famers: Mike Ditka, Ty Law and, most recently, Darrelle Revis. No other high school has produced as many players with gold jackets. Another Hall of Famer, 1976 Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett is from Aliquippa and played at Hopewell High School, which is in the same county.
This also holds true for legendary Penn State linebacker Paul Posluszny, who played at Hopewell in the early 2000s.
When Hayes does return, he’s a good beat to wreak havoc on opposing WPIAL defenses.
