North Allegheny, Central Catholic doubted if anyone would celebrate WPIAL 6A title

By: Chris Harlan
Friday, November 6, 2020 | 12:07 AM

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Seven times, North Allegheny coach Art Walker has taken a football team to the WPIAL finals. Central Catholic’s Terry Totten has the Vikings in the championship game for the eighth time.

Combined, they’ve won 10 titles.

As their teams prepare to meet Friday night in the Class 6A championship, both coaches say they appreciate this year’s accomplishment maybe more than any other. At times this fall, both had serious doubts about how long the WPIAL season could last in the midst of the covid-19 pandemic.

But here they are.

No. 1 seed North Allegheny (6-0) faces No. 3 Central Catholic (5-2) at 7 p.m. Friday at North Hills’ Martorelli Stadium.

“I’m surprised that we’ve come to this point to be honest with you,” Totten said. “I didn’t think it was going to happen. I’m grateful for the seniors that got to play and have that experience. But I was doubtful.

”Right up until kickoff each week, you’re kind of holding your breath. I’m in disbelief that it ever happened.”

Both teams lost regular-season games when opponents shut down over covid-19 cases, so a sense of uncertainty hung over the schedule.

“There was a lot of thought that we weren’t getting out of September and that this thing was going to be shut down,” Walker said. “I think the kids should get so much credit.”

The pandemic did force the WPIAL to find a new stadium for the game. Rather than Heinz Field, the game was moved to North Hills’ stadium.

“To me, that’s such a minor thing because of all the other obstacles we’ve had to overcome,” Walker said. “We’re just very excited to be playing in this game regardless of the venue.”

The championship game is a rematch from Week 3 that North Allegheny won 35-21 at Graham Field in Wilkinsburg on Sept. 25. The Tigers used two touchdowns from senior Khalil Dinkins and a 100-yard rushing game from senior J.R. Burton to beat the Vikings.

Central Catholic was ranked No. 1 at the time, but North Allegheny built a 28-7 lead by the third quarter.

“I don’t think we played particularly well in that first game,” Totten said. “They’re a good football team with a very good defense. It should be one of those games where a break tilts it or maybe a special teams play.”

Both teams have made lineup changes since Sept. 25.

Among them, North Allegheny linebacker Nathan Hoke, a BYU recruit, is healthy after missing that game with a hand injury. The Tigers also rotated three quarterbacks in the win but have since settled on senior Greg Phillips.

Central Catholic changed starting quarterbacks the following week, turning the offense over to senior Adam Obrin. Obrin played in the second half against NA.

“Maybe finding out who you are this year didn’t happen until later because of the lack of camp,” Totten said, “but everybody was in the same boat.”

Central Catholic, North Allegheny and Pine-Richland dominated the WPIAL’s largest classification in the past decade. Combined, they won all 10 titles. Central Catholic won four and North Allegheny three, but rarely have the two powers met in the playoffs.

It’s happened only five times. Central Catholic leads the postseason series 3-2, including a 31-17 win in 2015.

The teams had never met in a championship.

North Allegheny is coming off a 21-7 victory over Seneca Valley. Central Catholic defeated Mt. Lebanon, 35-0, in the other semifinal.

Central Catholic has the higher-scoring offense, averaging 35.9 points per game. North Allegheny’s defense is allowing 9.7 points a week.

“We’re going to be smart and rely on our defense,” Walker said. “Our defense has been so good all year. That’s been the constant for our team this year.”

The teams scored in some unusual ways in Week 3.

Dinkins returned an interception 40 yards for a touchdown, and NA offensive lineman Ben Withrow recovered a fumble in the end zone for another. Central Catholic’s Brandon Jackson returned a first-quarter kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown.

The teams were tied 7-7 before NA scored the next three touchdowns. Three interceptions hurt Central Catholic.

“We were pretty uninspired, didn’t tackle particularly well and had a lot of turnovers,” Totten said. “I’d like to think we’re better, but it remains to be seen if we’ve closed the gap.”

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: Central Catholic, North Allegheny