Coaches don’t often stop in the middle of a season to reflect on their journey, but on a calm Saturday morning after becoming the 12th coach in WPIAL history to reach the prestigious 250-win plateau in Class 6A No. 2 North Allegheny’s 28-21 win at Mt. Lebanon on Friday night, Art Walker was kind enough to take a trip down memory lane.
Make no mistake about it, though — the Tigers are on to Canon-McMillan.
“I got a congratulation message [Saturday] morning from the players, and I said, ‘Thanks, but No. 251 is going to be even better,’” Walker said. “You’re always looking forward to the next one.”
The way it played out was straight out of a Hollywood script — the son of legendary former Mt. Lebanon and Shady Side Academy coach Art Walker Sr., Walker joined the 250-win club in the house his father built. Walker Sr. coached 21 seasons with the Blue Devils from 1967-87 and won five WPIAL titles, then brought Shady Side its first and only WPIAL title in his final season in 1998. He retired with a career record of 207-73-6 and was inducted into the WPIAL Hall of Fame in 2010.
Walker, 54, admitted he never could have imagined matching or surpassing his father’s win total — and to hit the milestone with both of his parents on hand at Mt. Lebanon made the accomplishment that much sweeter.
“That was special, because I grew up on that field,” Walker said. “People used to tell me, ‘You’re in your dad’s shadow.’ I never looked at that negatively. To be mentioned in the same conversation as him is an honor, and to be in his shadow is a pretty cool place to be. I have no problem being there, and it will always be that way.
“To me, he’s the guy. He’s my hero. Sharing this with him, him being at the game — to me, that means the most.”
Beginning his head coaching career at Central Catholic, Walker won two WPIAL titles and one state title in seven seasons with the Vikings while amassing a record of 63-21 from 1998-2004. After finishing 16-0 in 2004, he shocked the WPIAL football world when he left for North Allegheny, citing a desire to teach and coach in the same district.
Now, two decades later, Walker has steered the Tigers to 187 wins, five WPIAL titles and two PIAA championships — including back-to-back WPIAL Class 6A crowns in 2022 and 2023. And while he may have surpassed his father in both wins and WPIAL titles — Walker is one of four coaches in WPIAL history to win seven WPIAL championships — he was quick to point out that his mother, Beverly, technically has the most victories in the family.
“My mom has been to more football games than anybody,” Walker said. “She’s been to every single one of his and almost every one of mine. She probably has the most wins in the house. She’s the leader.”
With a career record of 250-71, Walker is believed to have reached 250 wins faster than any WPIAL coach other than Thomas Jefferson’s Bill Cherpak. Walker and Cherpak are the only active coaches in the group. And with North Allegheny still playing like a well-oiled machine year in and year out, it’s hard not to envision Walker joining Cherpak in the 300-win club in the near future.
So with his legacy as one of the greatest coaches in WPIAL history already cemented and nothing left to prove, what keeps Walker coming back for more?
“It’s the anticipation of the start of the season,” Walker said. “It’s exceeding expectations from the standpoint of watching players develop and become better every single year. Watching that senior that gets an opportunity to be a starter and makes the most of it and maybe plays in college.
“The competitiveness — that’s still there. As long as that drive and anticipation of Friday nights is still burning, then I’m doing it.”
This season was expected to be one of Walker’s biggest challenges, with North Allegheny replacing a three-year starter at quarterback in Logan Kushner plus a trio of multi-talented PUP All-Stars in Tyree Alualu, Khiryn Boyd and Cameron Chmura. Kushner enjoyed one of the most productive careers of any QB in school history, while Alualu was a workhorse running back who excelled as a punishing linebacker on defense. Boyd was a two-time PUP All-Star who shined as a receiver, defensive back and kick returner, and Chmura was a staple of the Tigers’ stout offensive and defensive lines.
Early on this season, North Allegheny deployed a two-quarterback system in an effort to fill the void left by Kushner. Junior Jackson Failla showed signs of potential, completing 16-of-36 passes for 255 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions. But sophomore Brady Brinkley pulled away as the team’s No. 1 QB in recent weeks, and he showcased his talents with a 63-yard TD run to help seal the Tigers’ win over Mt. Lebanon on Friday.
“We were going back-and-forth and evaluating and doing all we could to create and give opportunities,” Walker said. “Then we got to the point where there was a collective belief that Brady Brinkley was ahead. … We thought, for the team, the consistency of one quarterback playing more and being the guy was going to be more positive for our offense moving forward.
“He definitely has the ability to extend plays and make plays with his legs. He’s progressed the last few weeks, especially learning and understanding pocket presence and things like that. As a sophomore quarterback, I think he really handles himself in a very mature way.”
Although Walker is ready to move on and prepare for North Allegheny’s trip to Canon-McMillan, he knows Friday’s win was more than just another regular-season game for the Tigers’ faithful. And while he insists he wasn’t aware of his impending milestone until last week, Walker did admit that win No. 250 was a moment he’ll cherish forever — not because of himself.
“It’s a collective thing,” Walker said. “All the players, all the coaches, all the families who have had a part in it. … I started my career at Central and had seven years there, but the majority of my career has been at North Allegheny. It’s something I’m proud of, to represent our program and to have the majority of those wins coming at NA.
“To me, it’s more of a thank you to them, as well.”
Tasso Whipple passes another Penn-Trafford great
After surpassing 2020 grad Caleb Lisbon for No. 6 in school history with a 163-yard effort in a 34-10 win over Plum last week, Penn-Trafford senior Tasso Whipple leapfrogged another former Warriors great with a monster 249-yard outburst in a 32-13 win Friday at Gateway.
Now at 2,941 yards for his career, Whipple surpassed 2022 grad Cade Yacamelli for the No. 5 spot on Penn-Trafford’s all-time rushing leaderboard on Friday night. Whipple now has 1,161 yards rushing and eight TDs through seven games for the Warriors (5-2, 2-1), and with Franklin Regional coming to town on Friday for a pivotal Big East Conference collision, the old-school, bruising back with the no-nonsense style has his sights set on joining the 3,000-yard club — and of course, getting his name on the wall in his coach John Ruane’s office.
As for Yacamelli, now a junior at Wisconsin, the former Penn-Trafford star showcased his speed on a 30-yard touchdown run for the Badgers in a 52-6 win over Purdue on Saturday. He finished his high school career with 2,755 career yards, with most of those coming in his decorated senior season in 2021, when he led the Warriors to their first and only WPIAL and PIAA championships.
Donald Barksdale hits 4,000-yard milestone
Coming off a spectacular junior season in which he rushed for 2,061 yards with 37 TDs, Steel Valley senior Donald Barksdale started off a bit slow by his usual lofty standards in 2024. Part of that, of course, can be attributed to a grueling schedule that included games against Class 1A No. 2 Clairton, Class 1A No. 3 Bishop Canevin and Class 2A No. 2 South Park, along with the fact that he sat out the second half of the season opener against the Bears with an injury.
Now, with both he and his brother, Da’Ron, back to full health and defenses no longer able to single him out, Barksdale is back to racking up yardage at a rapid pace. After rushing for 259 yards and a pair of TDs in a 49-0 win at Shady Side Academy last week, Barksdale ran for 165 yards with three scores in a 55-10 win against Apollo-Ridge on Friday while becoming the WPIAL’s newest member of the exclusive 4,000-yard club.
With both Barksdale brothers heating up for the playoff chase — Da’Ron also scored twice against Shady Side and three times against Apollo-Ridge — the Class 2A No. 5 Ironmen (4-3, 2-1) are starting to get hot after a 1-3 start. On the season, Donald Barksdale is now up to 1,086 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns, and he now has 4,114 yards rushing to go with 68 total TDs for his career.
PUP bites
• With talented sophomore running back Jance Henry out indefinitely due to injury, Central Valley turned to Mason Dixon as its workhorse, and Dixon responded with the game of his life in the Warriors’ thrilling 46-38 win Friday at North Catholic. The senior rushed for a career-high 284 yards and four TDs to power Class 3A No. 4 Central Valley to a much-needed victory in the Western Hills Conference clash, giving him a team-leading 691 yards rushing and 12 TDs on the year. As a junior, Dixon rushed for 819 yards and 12 TDs while splitting time in the backfield with Henry, and the Warriors will likely lean on him heavily in the weeks to come in order to keep their championship hopes alive.
• Not to be outdone, Mars senior Eric Kasperowicz Jr. delivered a career-best performance on the ground in a 42-7 win at Knoch, rushing for 296 yards and four TDs to lift the Planets to a crucial win in place of standout quarterback Luke Goodworth, who is out for the season with a shoulder injury. A former quarterback who shifted to running back when Goodworth won the starting job last season, Kasperowicz Jr. is back to splitting time under center with Nate Walker, and he now has 762 yards rushing and 10 TDs on the year. He is the son of coach Eric Kasperowicz, now in his third year at Mars after winning four WPIAL titles and two state titles in eight seasons at Pine-Richland.
• North Catholic may have lost to Central Valley, but the Trojans sure did put up some eye-popping numbers in the defeat. Quarterback Joey Felitsky completed 33-of-47 passes for 381 yards and four TDs, and five different receivers caught at least four passes. Ryker Kennedy led the way with a whopping 15 receptions for 121 yards and a touchdown, followed by Will Waskiewicz (7 catches for 44 yards and a TD), Tom Arth (5 catches for 96 yards and a TD), Jack White (5 catches for 38 yards) and Logan Schade (4 catches for 69 yards and a TD).
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
