Sep 10, 2025 3 min read

Name: Aaron Walsh

Grade: Senior

School: Chartiers-Houston

Sport: Football

Walsh’s week: At the end of the third quarter with his team trailing Mapletown 28-13, Chartiers-Houston coach Dan Lis asked his team a simple question. Who was going to step up and make a play?

Walsh, the Bucs’ quarterback, answered emphatically with what he accomplished in the fourth quarter. He scored a pair of touchdowns on runs, including the game-winner, and led the Bucs to 22 unanswered points and an epic 35-28 comeback victory.

“We didn’t expect to be down by that much in that game and coming back and winning it was emotional,” Walsh said. “We felt we had everything going against us in that game.”

Walsh had 198 rushing yards and three touchdowns and threw for 73 yards and a touchdown to Julius Livingston on the Bucs’ opening drive in the first quarter.

All three rushing touchdowns came in the second half. The first one was an 8-yarder in the third quarter.

The two in the fourth came on a 62-yard run, and the go-ahead touchdown was on a five-yarder with 4:48 remaining in the fourth. He also added a two-point conversion on a run.

The two touchdown runs came on the same play where Walsh made the correct read and headed for paydirt.

“We ran a zone-right…it wasn’t a designed run, but I saw the (defensive) end on the back side crashed and kept it and just made a play,” Walsh said. “It was the same for both touchdowns.”

Following coach’s footsteps: Lis was a standout quarterback at Chartiers-Houston before making the transition to wide receiver in college at Washington & Jefferson. Walsh is hoping to do the same and move to receiver in college.

He’s looking at Westminster, Case Western Reserve, Allegheny and Washington & Jefferson as potential schools to continue his football career, while having a focus of study in finance or business.

Walsh said Lis has been a big help in getting him ready to play receiver in college.

“This summer when I was getting ready to go to college camps as a receiver, I did some extra work with him on routes and my footwork,” Walsh said. “Since he went to W&J, he has some connections there and that helps a lot too.”

Four-sport star: Walsh is involved in sports all-year round at Chartiers-Houston. After football he’ll move to basketball where he will be the lone returning starter on a team that made it to the state playoffs last season.

In the spring Walsh doubles up. He’s the center fielder on the baseball team and runs track and field. Last year was the first time he ran track.

He ran the 100- and 200-meter dashes and was on the 400 relay team.

“Being at a small school, it’s encouraged to play as much as you can to help out all the teams,” Walsh said. “In the spring I wanted to work on my speed and I’ve always wanted to run track, so I just went for it and I really liked it.”

Even when he isn’t playing a school-sponsored sport, Walsh likes playing another sport, golf, in his free time. He’s taken up the game over the last couple years and enjoys it.

Compiled by Jerin Steele