Sports

The Ohio State University recruit and Jeannette graduate was the first football player in the state to rush for more than 4,000 yards and pass for more than 4,000 yards in a career. As a senior, he rushed for 1,899 yards and passed for 1,889 yards, accounting for 58 touchdowns.

As a senior in basketball, he averaged 21.9 points per game. For his career, he scored 2,285 points, ranking 10th in the WPIAL, and grabbed more than 1,000 rebounds.

He led Jeannette to two consecutive WPIAL Class AA football titles, and the school's first PIAA Class AA football crown and WPIAL and PIAA Class AA basketball titles.

Because of that and more, Pryor is the Tribune-Review's Male Athlete of the Year for the third straight time.

"I couldn't ask for a better way to end my high school career," Pryor said before leaving for Ohio State last month. "It was pretty special."

Pryor left behind some incredible memories.

There was the night he rushed for 331 yards and five touchdowns -- and threw for two TDs -- as Jeannette outlasted Aliquippa, 70-48, in the highest scoring WPIAL playoff game.

He followed that with a spectacular performance against Beaver Falls, when he rushed for 166 yards on 12 carries, scored on runs of 14 and 61 yards and completed 5-of-6 passes for 81 yards and two scores.

In the state finals, he finished his career by running over Dunmore, accounting for five touchdowns -- three rushing, one passing and one receiving.

During the basketball season, there was his triple-double against Beaver Falls in the WPIAL championship game -- 39 points, 24 rebounds and 11 blocks.

He also had 23 points, eight rebounds, five blocks, four assists and four steals against Philadelphia Strawberry Mansion in the state title game.

Pryor, who reported to Ohio State on June 14, is hoping for more success with the Buckeyes, for whom he will focus on football. He is already taking a couple of classes and working out for the upcoming season.

"Terrelle is going to be OK at Ohio State," Jeannette football coach Ray Reitz said. "He's an amazing athlete."

Reitz and others also praised Pryor as a person.

Pryor showed his soft side by doing things many fans don't know, such as:

• Visiting a Jeannette teacher who was home recovering from an illness

• Sitting with Jeannette's Cameron Baradziej in a funeral home following the death of his teammate's grandmother

• Going to the home of an ailing Jeannette fan and presenting him with an autographed football from the team.

"Terrelle didn't have to sit in the funeral home," said Joel Baradziej, Cameron's dad. "But he did. He asked if I minded if he'd stay. Terrelle has done a lot of good things that go unnoticed."

Jeannette basketball coach Jim Nesser said Pryor sacrificed a lot to help the basketball team win gold medals.

"He didn't want to miss any of our games when he played in the Army All-American (football) game," Nesser said. "He didn't make recruiting trips because he wanted to practice or play in a game. Terrelle had a lot on his plate, and I thought he handled things well."

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