PUP high school football game of the week: North Allegheny vs. Central Catholic (Week 5)

Each Wednesday, the PUP high school sports staff will preview the game of the week.

Between the hash marks

Who: North Allegheny (5-0, 2-0) vs. Central Catholic (3-2, 2-0)

Where: Baldwin High School

When: 7 p.m. Friday

The coaches: Art Walker (North Allegheny); Ryan Lehmeier (Central Catholic)

When they last met: In last year’s WPIAL Class 6A championship game at Norwin High School, the two juggernauts put on an epic back-and-forth shootout in which North Allegheny prevailed, 44-41, for its second consecutive WPIAL title.

On deck: North Allegheny will visit Mt. Lebanon next Friday, while Central Catholic will travel to Shaler for a non-conference affair.

This and that: Once again, two of the WPIAL’s premier programs will square off with the No. 1 ranking in Class 6A and a likely No. 1 seed for the WPIAL postseason at stake. Two-time defending champion North Allegheny sits on top of the rankings for now after a 5-0 start, while Central Catholic is ranked No. 2 after rebounding from back-to-back losses to open the season with a three-game winning streak. Although this is technically a home game for Central, the Vikings don’t have a home stadium, so Friday’s game will be played at Baldwin. … These two fierce rivals have met in the past two WPIAL Class 6A championship games, and many believe they will do so again this year. The Tigers hope to become the first team ever to three-peat in Class 6A, while Central is seeking its 11th trip to the WPIAL finals in the past 12 seasons. The Vikings haven’t won a WPIAL title since claiming back-to-back crowns in 2019-20. … North Allegheny’s Art Walker has the vast edge in coaching experience over Central’s Ryan Lehmeier, who is now in his second year as the Vikings’ head coach. Walker holds a career record of 249-70, having won 188 games and five WPIAL titles along with a pair of PIAA championships during his 20-year tenure with the Tigers. He also won a pair of WPIAL championships at Central and led the Vikings to a state title and 16-0 season in 2004 before moving on to North Allegheny. … Sophomore Brady Brinkley and junior Jackson Failla have both split time under center for the Tigers in place of former star quarterback Logan Kushner, with mixed results so far. Brinkley is 27-of-46 passing for 352 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, while Failla is 16-of-36 passing for 255 yards with three TDs and two INTs. Brinkley is also an effective scrambler, with 252 yards rushing and four TDs on 42 carries. … For Central, senior Jy’Aire Walls has made the most of his first and only season as the starting signal caller, completing 44-of-78 attempts for 824 yards with six TDs and two INTs through five games. … Vikings senior Bradley Gompers is a standout linebacker and Duke recruit who has also excelled as a wide receiver this season. Gompers has eight catches for 283 yards — good for an astounding 35.4 yards per reception — but he has been bothered by a hamstring injury in recent weeks. He returned to the field last Friday for Central’s 42-0 win at Hempfield after missing the Vikings’ 59-7 win against Mt. Lebanon on Sept. 13.

Expert picks (records in parentheses)

Steve Rotstein (2-3): North Allegheny 31, Central Catholic 28

Brad Everett (3-2): Central Catholic 28, North Allegheny 23

John Santa (4-1): North Allegheny 38, Central Catholic 28

On the radar

Peters Township at Upper St. Clair, 7 p.m. Friday

Few teams have been more impressive at the midway point of the 2024 season than these two South Hills rivals, and this Allegheny Six Conference clash will certainly carry plenty of weight when it comes time to decide the No. 1 seed for the Class 5A playoffs later down the road. Defending champion and No. 1 Peters Township holds wins against Class 6A foes Canon-McMillan and Mt. Lebanon plus Trinity, West Allegheny and Class 4A No. 5 McKeesport, with all five wins coming by 25 points or more. No. 3 Upper St. Clair has also beaten Canon-McMillan, Mt. Lebanon and McKeesport along with one-sided wins against Franklin Regional and Hampton. The Indians are averaging 37 ppg while allowing just 6 ppg, while the Panthers are scoring 44.2 ppg and allowing 11.2 ppg.

New Castle at Aliquippa, 7 p.m. Friday

Class 4A No. 1 Aliquippa entered Week 4 with a 16-game winning streak overall, having won 27 regular-season games in a row and 29 in a row against WPIAL foes. Each of those streaks then came to an end in a 21-13 non-conference defeat at Penn Hills, and the Quips will surely be fired up to start a new streak when Class 4A No. 4 New Castle comes to town. The undefeated Red Hurricanes are off to a red-hot start after storming back from a 12-point deficit late in the fourth quarter to defeat Knoch last week, 42-32. These are two of the area’s most prestigious programs in terms of WPIAL championships, with Aliquippa holding the most (20) in WPIAL history. New Castle ranks third with 11 WPIAL titles but has not won one since 1998.

Highlands at Deer Lakes, 7 p.m. Friday

After nearly pulling off an upset win at top-ranked Imani Christian last Friday, Class 3A No. 5 Highlands will hit the road for another top-five matchup against another undefeated foe in Class 3A No. 3 Deer Lakes. Fresh off securing their first-ever WPIAL playoff win last fall, the Lancers are now off to the best start in school history after defeating East Allegheny, 47-35, to improve to 5-0 for the first time. Deer Lakes senior Zier Williams ranks No. 8 in the WPIAL with 669 yards rushing to go with 11 TDs. As for Highlands, dual-threat quarterback Menage Lucas went down with an apparent ankle injury in the first half against Imani after a 57-yard touchdown run and did not return. Golden Rams coach Matt Bonislawski said his status for Friday’s contest against the Lancers is still uncertain.

PUP ‘underdog’ to watch

Allderdice (faces Westinghouse at George K. Cupples Stadium at 7 p.m. Thursday)

The top-two teams in the city will collide on the South Side for what could be a City League championship preview on Thursday night. Top-ranked Westinghouse has won the past two City League titles and four of the past five, with the Bulldogs’ only defeat against a City League foe during the past five seasons coming against Allderdice in the 2021 title game. The Dragons are coming off a 42-0 blowout win against Brashear and have now won three games in a row to improve to 4-1 on the season, while Westinghouse has rattled off a four-game winning streak since a season-opening 28-26 loss against WPIAL Class 3A No. 4 Beaver. The Bulldogs rallied from a 17-point halftime deficit to beat Butler, 28-17, last week, but if Westinghouse stumbles to another slow start on Thursday, Allderdice could find a way to ride the sturdy legs of junior running back Nasir Scott to a big-time upset.