By:
Giustino Racchini
Wednesday, July 23, 2025 | 12:59 PM
Christopher Horner | TribLive
McKeesport’s Kemon Spell carries during the second quarter against Peters Township on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, at Peters.
After a slow start and a strong finish to the 2024 football season, a lot was left on the table for the McKeesport football team.
Thomas Jefferson beat the Tigers in the WPIAL 4A championship game, and that feeling hasn’t left Kemon Spell’s mind.
“Last year we lost our first three games and went on a run to the WPIAL championship,” Spell said. “We lost to TJ in the title game, and we’re trying to get back.”
The Tigers’ success last season was due in part to the stellar play of the No. 1 player in the Class of 2027 for the state of Pennsylvania, according to 247 Sports. Spell is also the top-ranked running back in the country for his class, a feat that still doesn’t feel real to him.
“To be honest, it is still insane to me how I was able to get all my marks,” said Spell, a four-star recruit. “I’m not gonna stop though until I’m No. 1 in everything, and this offseason I’ve been working silently for a big season hopefully ahead.”
Last year in only his second season, Spell broke out in a big way. He had 1,681 rushing yards on 157 attempts, adding 24 touchdowns on the ground. McKeesport finished the year 8-5 (6-0 in Class 4A Greater Allegheny Conference), with seven straight wins before falling in the WPIAL title game.
Last summer before his breakout sophomore season, Spell was already receiving interest from programs such as Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State. All three schools are powerhouses in the Big Ten, and Kemon decided to commit to Penn State last summer after attending a camp.
“I went up to PSU multiple times before and after I got an offer and the love they showed me got better,” Spell said. “I was up at camp with Tikey (Hayes) and he told me to tell them I was gonna commit.”
The support shown by coach James Franklin and the coaching staff at Penn State was a big reason why Spell said he wanted to commit to Penn State.
Spell, now a junior, said the Tigers’ coaching staff has decided to make a change with leadership styles.
“The coaches have been doing this thing this year where they put us into groups,” Spell said. “It is something that will hold us accountable in making sure everyone in our group shows up to practice and also keeps up with schoolwork.”
It was a talking point all season to address leadership concerns around the locker room. It was one of the main reasons, Spell feels, that they were not able to win a WPIAL championship last season.
“Being a leader is what I have tried to focus on this season,” Spell said. “When we were in a dog fight with a team last year we didn’t have the leaders to pick the team up. So this offseason we talked about working on that issue.”
Kemon Spell
McKeesport
Junior
5-foot-9, 205 pounds
RB/SS
Stars: 4
Committed to: Penn State
Division 1 offers: Akron, Florida State, Marshall, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Pitt, Tennessee, UCLA, UNLV, West Virginia, Wisconsin
2024 statistics: 157 carries, 1,681 yards, 24 TDs
Highlights: Hudl
Tags: McKeesport