By Steve Svetovich
Dunmore standout back Danny Pigga capped a stellar senior season by earning Offensive Player of Year honors as selected by the Lackawanna Football Conference coaches.
He earned first team selection at both offensive halfback and defensive cornerback.
The versatile senior also was selected All Regional at halfback and cornerback.
Pigga earned further honors with his selection as MVP by Nepafootball (NPF).
He also received the Mr. 570 Football Award presented by 570 Sports.
Dunmore football coach Kevin McHale’s changes in the Bucks offensive scheme during this past season proved to be highly successful as Pigga excelled at a high level. He rushed for 200 yards and scored two touchdowns in the first game with the new strategy in place.
As a result, his performance continued to improve significantly throughout the rest of the season. Coach McHale and his staff’s decision to change the offense led to an impressive season for the Bucks.
Pigga helped lead Dunmore to a 12-2 record as the Bucks made it to the semifinal game of the state playoffs. Pigga had a game for the ages rushing for 234 yards and five touchdowns in Dunmore’s win over Williams Valley. He added 195 yards rushing and two touchdowns in the Bucks win over Camp Hill.
Pigga finished the football campaign with an astounding 1,752 rushing yards on 149 carries and 15 touchdowns. He averaged a mind boggling 11.7 yards per carry. He added 498 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on 31 receptiions. He averaged 16 yards per catch. Multi talented all over the football field, he added four more touchdowns on punt and kick returns. He finished the season with 26 touchdowns.
“When I heard about the award as Offensive Player of the Year,” he said, “I felt that all the hard work in the off season paid off. All of the reps and Sunday lifts throughout the season pushed me to be the best player I could be.
“The All Regional selection is something I wanted for the past three years. because I never even got an all-star vote before all this.
“I attribute the great improvements of our team this year to our coaches and the great offensive line.”
Pigga came into the 2023 season as a receiver and a special teams player, but finished his senior year as one of the best offensive players in the entire area. He became Dunmore’s primary ball carrier and a dangerous weapon in all phases of the game.
One of the most dangerous kick returners in the Lackawanna Football Conference, he also excelled as a defensive back. He became a major threat as an offensive back and punt and kick returner.
“What stands out about Danny,” said coach McHale, “is his ability to make big plays in so many different ways. Early in his career, he was primarily a receiver. In the past two years he demonstrated big play ability as a running back, defensive back and punt and kick returner. He played extremely hard and invested a lot of his time making himself and his teammates better.”