Burrell graduate Alex Arledge is set to become a Vulcan.
Arledge on Thursday night announced his college choice will be Cal (Pa.) at a gathering of family and friends at The Lab tavern in New Kensington.
After spending the past fall at East Coast Prep in Great Barrington, Mass., Arledge will be enrolling at Cal (Pa.) on Jan. 15.
Cal was one of 11 schools that offered Arledge at full scholarship.
“It was definitely a tough choice,” Arledge said. “I visited a bunch of great schools since I got back from East Coast. I felt like Cal U’s the best fit because they have an engineering program that I’m interested in.”
In just two seasons with the Bucs after transferring from Central Catholic, Arledge set a number of passing marks at Burrell, including career yards at 3,619 and single-season passing with 2,462 in 2019 when he was named Valley News Dispatch Offensive Player of the Year. He also had 37 touchdowns passes in two seasons combined under coach Shawn Liotta.
“I think it’s a great move for Alex,” Liotta said. “I think he’ll excel there. I always thought he’s just a big-time talent, and as good a player as he is on the field, he’s a better young man off the field.”
Arledge passed for nearly 800 yards and eight touchdowns for the Firebirds this past season.
Cal (Pa.) plays in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.
“Football-wise, they’re one of the best schools in the PSAC. They’re competing for a championship. They were 9-1 last year and a very good program,” Arledge said. “I’m getting the best of both worlds there.”
Arledge expects to be an understudy to returning senior Noah Mitchell, who passed for 2,937 yards and 25 touchdowns in 2021.
Said Arledge: “(Noah) has a lot of experience under his belt, and I think it’ll be very beneficial to me watching him for a season and just to learn more and use a year to grow and get into the offense.”
Arledge also considered Walsh College in Ohio. Among the other schools that were recruiting Arledge were IUP, Bluefield State, Wheeling Jesuit and McPherson.
Cal (Pa.) had been looking at Arledge for some time.
“I’ll say this about Cal U, they liked him from the beginning,” Liotta said. “They came to our practices during the covid. Their offensive coordinator, Chad Salsbury, came and watched him, and they loved him. I’m glad they’ve been able to connect, and it’ll be good for both parties.”
Arledge said he particularly liked the structure at East Coast Prep, where he played against college junior varsity teams like Ithaca, Wagner and Bryant. Plus he was able to take some college-level courses and the SATs.
Arledge had flags and logos of all 11 schools that recruited him on a cake, but no one knew his choice until he pulled a Cal (Pa.) hat out of a box.
His mother, Jennifer, had an idea, calling it “a mother’s intuition.”
