North Journal notebook: North Allegheny, North Hills football players sign letters of intent

By: Bill Hartlep
Sunday, February 7, 2021 | 11:11 AM

Purchase Photo Options

Four senior North Allegheny football players made their future plans official on national signing day Feb. 3.

Defensive back Josh Humphries signed a letter of intent with Division II Mercyhurst, which plays in the PSAC.

Three others will compete in Division III. Wide receiver/linebacker Braden Frank picked Case Western Reserve, and offensive linemen Michael Dorn and Bene Caputo will play at John Carroll.

Division II Clarion also announced the signing of NA running back Percise Colon.

During the early signing period in December, tight end Khalil Dinkins (Penn State) and linebacker Nathan Hoke (BYU) signed with Division I programs.

North Hills senior quarterback Ethan Marker signed with Division II Clarion on Feb. 3.

NA finishes 4-1 at host duals

The No. 6-ranked Tigers (11-1) went 4-1 at the North Allegheny Duals on Jan. 30.

North Allegheny defeated Highlands (52-21), Mars (74-0), Penn-Trafford (54-12) and Upper St. Clair (69-0) and dropped a 30-25 decision to Franklin Regional.

• North Hills went 3-2 at the NA Duals, defeating Chartiers Valley (36-34), Highlands (48-15) and Upper St. Clair (43-24). It lost to Penn-Trafford (60-15) and Franklin Regional (63-9) to move to 8-4 overall.

NA boys stay unbeaten in section

Robby Jones scored 18 points, and No. 2 North Allegheny (9-2, 7-0) rallied from 11 points down after the first quarter for a 56-48 Section 1-6A win over Pine-Richland on Feb. 2. Greg Habib had 15 points, and Khalil Dinkins added 12.

NA girls also stay undefeated

Led by 15 points from Jasmine Timmerson and 14 from Paige Morningstar, No. 1-ranked North Allegheny (10-0, 8-0) beat Butler, 71-35, in Section 1-6A on Feb. 2.

It was the 23rd straight victory for NA.

The Tigers are outscoring opponents by an average of 65.5-38.4 this season.

• The North Hills girls fell to 2-11 overall after a 55-19 loss to McKeesport on Feb. 2. Abbey McElhaney and Olivia Waters each had six points for the Indians.

They got their second win of the season on Jan. 30 with a 40-31 victory over Ambridge. McElhaney had 16 points, including five 3-pointers, in the win. North Hills was 0-8 in Section 1-6A entering last Thursday’s game against Penn-Trafford.

Bill Hartlep is the TribLive sports editor. A Pittsburgh native and Point Park graduate, he joined the Trib in 2004, covering high school sports. He held various editing roles before assuming his current position in 2019. He can be reached at bhartlep@triblive.com.

Tags: North Allegheny, North Hills