West Mifflin sophomore sensation Armand Hill rewriting record books while powering Titans’ playoff push

With West Mifflin moving up from Class 3A to Class 4A, many wondered whether the Titans’ terrific tailback Armand Hill might find tougher sledding on the ground in his follow-up campaign after bursting onto the scene as a history-making freshman last fall.

Consider those questions answered.

In a 48-21 win against Knoch last week, Hill authored another performance for the ages to help keep West Mifflin’s playoff hopes alive, carrying the ball 28 times for 344 yards and four touchdowns in the lopsided victory. For most running backs, that would surely be remembered as a once-in-a-lifetime outing, but Hill isn’t like most running backs.

In fact, Friday’s game marked the third 300-yard game of Hill’s abbreviated career — but it was nowhere close to his career high. That would be 495 yards, which he set in a 42-7 win over Hopewell on Oct. 20, 2023, good enough for the No. 2 single-game tally in WPIAL history. Of course, that came on the heels of Hill’s 313-yard effort against Quaker Valley in his first career start the week before.

So, how do these jaw-dropping numbers and astonishing highlight-reel runs come so naturally to him?

“I was always a running back,” Hill said. “My granddad used to tell me I was going to play big-time football.”

Keep in mind, Hill has played in only 21 games so far in his career — and he didn’t even take over as the Titans’ starter in the backfield until more than halfway through his freshman season.

“The thing about Armand is, he’s not a flashy guy,” said West Mifflin coach Rod Steele. “He’s not a loud spoken guy. He’s a humble kid. He’ll give credit to all his teammates before himself. He’s a quiet kid. He’s not long winded. He’s a one- or two-answer guy. He’s not one to sit there and talk about his play.

“He’s a great student and a great kid. He’s who you want on your team as a teammate.”

A slender sophomore with soft hands, sublime cuts, superb vision and scintillating speed, the 5-foot 10, 173-pound Hill certainly isn’t the most physical runner in the area — but he might be the most electric. Every time he touches the ball, Hill is a threat to turn nothing into something and make an ordinary play into something extraordinary. It has happened so many times now, in fact, Steele has simply come to expect it and almost take it for granted.

With his prolific performance on Friday, Hill is now up to 1,452 yards rushing with 19 touchdowns on 179 carries in 2024. As a freshman, he ran for 1,526 yards and 20 TDs, giving him 2,978 yards rushing for his career. That means Hill needs just 22 yards in the regular-season finale at Hampton on Friday night to become one of a select few WPIAL players to rush for more than 3,000 yards before the end of his sophomore season.

“He’s a kid who works on his game,” Steele said. “He has natural ability. He sees a lot of things and does a lot of things that coaches just can’t coach. He has a natural instinct for the game. He has great vision, great balance. He’s a tough runner.

“He has all the intangibles that great backs have, and that’s why he’s special. It doesn’t surprise me that he’s doing what he’s doing.”

Hill currently holds nearly a dozen FBS scholarship offers, including Pitt, Penn State, West Virginia, Michigan and Syracuse, and he is also an exceptional cornerback who has started on defense since the beginning of his freshman season. Steele anticipates more offers to come in the near future as Hill continues to rewrite the record books, but for now, he’s just enjoying the show along with everybody else while watching from the best seat in the house.

“If I take him out and put his backup in, he doesn’t say a word,” Steele said. “And he’s a lockdown corner, too. He’s pretty special.”

In his first taste of the playoffs last season, Hill rushed for 202 yards in only three quarters in an eventual 42-21 defeat against Elizabeth Forward. Hill started cramping in both legs toward the end of the third quarter, and team doctors advised him to sit the remainder of the game. And although it was a painful experience both mentally and physically, Hill proved that he is capable of shining under the bright lights come playoff time.

“I feel like I’m good under pressure,” Hill said. “I like big games.”

Going into the season finale, the Titans (4-5, 2-2) must take down the Talbots on senior night to keep its playoff hopes alive. With only eight playoff berths available in Class 4A this year, qualifying for the postseason will be harder than ever before — and in the end, West Mifflin’s fate will lie in the hands of the WPIAL’s playoff steering committee.

When it’s all said and done, Steele believes his team’s resume and quality of competition will speak for itself. And if that’s not good enough, perhaps the presence of the WPIAL’s most mesmerizing talent might be enough to secure the Titans’ ticket to the big dance.

Of course, another 300-yard game on Friday certainly wouldn’t hurt — and knowing Hill and his flair for the dramatic, it wouldn’t be wise to bet against it.

“I think when you give him the ball, it’s just a matter of time,” Steele said. “Any given carry. Just watch the play and see what happens. He’s just a special kid who does special things with the ball in his hands.”