It’s always easy to root for an underdog, and everybody loves a Cinderella story — but neither one of these teams will be wearing a glass slipper on Saturday night.
For the third year in a row, two of Western Pennsylvania’s most prestigious programs will square off in the “Granddaddy of ’em All,” as No. 1 Central Catholic collides with No. 2 North Allegheny at Norwin High School at 6 p.m. in the WPIAL Class 6A championship game. The Tigers vanquished the Vikings in each of the previous two title games, winning by a score of 35-21 in the 2022 final before outlasting Central in a memorable 44-41 thriller last fall.
Both times, North Allegheny quarterback Logan Kushner came up clutch with both his arm and his legs to lead the Tigers to victory. But Kushner is gone now, and so are a handful of blue-chip players on both squads that have since graduated after putting together decorated careers. Still, nobody else in the area reloads year in and year out like these two football powerhouses — and there are no shortage of new faces ready to make their mark on the big stage and cement their legacy forever on Saturday night.
“We have guys who were on the field last year, and so do they. But every season and every team in high school football is different,” said North Allegheny coach Art Walker, one of only four coaches to win seven WPIAL titles and the area’s newest member of the 250-win club. “Every year is different. Last year is not going to win us a game. It’s got to be this year’s guys and this year’s team and this year’s approach and preparation.”
In their first matchup earlier this season, the Vikings prevailed in a neutral-site game played at Baldwin, 27-14, to all but wrap up the Quad-County Conference title and No. 1 seed for the postseason. That outcome likely won’t mean much to either team going into Saturday’s game, though. Last year, Central steamrolled the Tigers by a score of 50-22 during the regular season, only for North Allegheny to get the last laugh in the title game.
“Any time you go through an experience and have a whole year to reflect on it, that’s just growth,” said second-year Vikings coach Ryan Lehmeier. “I hope I’ve grown, and I believe I have. But as far as changing anything about what we do or how we go about our business or practice or what I’m going to eat for breakfast that day — we’re going to be about us. We believe in what we do and how we do it.
“It’s still a football game. That’s the biggest thing for our kids. It’s just another game.”
Stepping in for three-year starter and 2023 Willie Thrower Award winner Payton Wehner, senior quarterback Jy’Aire Walls has performed like a seasoned veteran all year long for Central. After back-to-back losses against St. Frances Academy (Md.) and Class 5A No. 1 Pine-Richland to open up the season, Walls has cleaned up his mistakes and played at an extremely high level during the Vikings’ current nine-game winning streak. For the season, Walls (6-2, 195) has passed for 2,079 yards with 22 touchdowns to seven interceptions.
“He essentially got hurt in the first quarter against St. Frances, and he played the next seven quarters and didn’t flinch,” Lehmeier said. “I’m a firm believer that if you have a tough quarterback, you have a tough football team. He’s done such a great job of leading the team. His moxie, his resolve, his resilience, his ability to assess the situation — good, bad or ugly — that’s what the great ones do.
“It’s about the next play, and I think he has a really good approach and mindset for playing the position.”
For the Tigers, sophomore Brady Brinkley has emerged from an early season competition with junior Jackson Failla as the team’s unquestioned starter under center, and Brinkley is proving to be dangerous as both a passer and runner in his first year as a varsity quarterback. Brinkley has passed for 1,197 yards and 10 TDs with seven interceptions, and he also ranks second on the team with 509 yards rushing on 89 carries along with seven TDs on the ground.
“I think he’s excellent,” Lehmeier said. “I was able to see Logan Kushner as a sophomore, junior and senior, and I think that you can see a lot of similarities with [Brinkley], as far as the ability to move and throw off-platform and run the ball.”
After an injury to starting tailback Liam Flaherty, junior Luke Rohan and senior Dylan Brokos have combined to fill the void alongside Brinkley in North Allegheny’s backfield. Rohan has a team-high 687 yards rushing and eight TDs on 127 carries, while Brokos has carried the ball 79 times for 403 yards and six scores.
On the other side, Central senior Elijah Faulkner is a certified workhorse capable of taking over a game at any time — just like the time he ran for 229 yards and four scores in the 50-22 win over the Tigers during the 2023 regular season. For the season, Faulkner has a 909 yards rushing and 14 TDs on 178 carries, giving him 2,856 yards for his career while putting him on the brink of back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons.
“They’re big up front, and they want to run the ball,” Walker said. “Faulkner is a heck of a back. They’ve been doing it for multiple years. If they can run the ball on you, it puts them in a situation where they can do more.
“We have to do our best to limit big plays and not let him get big chunks of yardage.”
Although the Vikings graduated three top-notch wideouts from last year’s team in Peter Gonzalez, Vernon Settles and Jacob Sassic, they replenished their receiving corps with another talented trio in Bradley Gompers, Xxavier Thomas and Max Roman. Gompers (Duke) and Thomas (Penn State) are highly touted seniors who will be playing big-time college football next season on the defensive side of the ball, but both are making the most of their first and only season as a starting wide receiver on offense.
So far this season, Gompers has 24 receptions for 708 yards (29.5 yards per reception) and 10 TDs, while Thomas has 23 catches for 563 yards (24.5 yards per reception) with 10 scores. Roman is only a sophomore, but he is tied with Gompers for the team lead with 24 receptions for 381 yards and five TDs. All-conference receiver James Donaldson is Brinkley’s top target for the Tigers, with 35 catches for 512 yards and five TDs.
“It’s not like they didn’t reload in some spots, too,” Lehmeier said. “They’ve got some really good players. Anything that happened last year or any of those guys who have been mentioned — it’s not about them. It’s about the guys that are going to line up, and the guys that we’ve got that are going to defend them.”
The playmakers on offense may garner most of the headlines, but make no mistake about it — this game will be won or lost by the “big uglies” in the trenches. Both teams are bolstered by a formidable offensive line, with senior center Sam Brackney anchoring Central’s unit and senior tackle Jack Yatchenko leading the way for North Allegheny up front.
Yatchenko (6-3, 295) is a returning PUP All-Star renowned for his remarkable strength, and together with junior right guard Lincoln Hoke (6-1, 250), the Tigers have two of the top linemen in the area lining up right next to each other on offense. Both players also make a big impact on defense, where Hoke — son of former Steelers lineman Chris Hoke — earned first-team all-conference honors after accumulating 48 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and an interception during the regular season.
“[Hoke] holds himself to a high standard,” Walker said. “He comes from a very competitive, athletic family. His brothers played here. He has a motor that just won’t quit.”
That being said, one position group stands out above the rest as the group most likely to leave a lasting impact on Saturday’s game — the Vikings’ star-studded trio of linebackers.
With both Gompers (6-4, 213) and coveted junior Colsen Gatten (6-2, 210) on the outside, plus sophomore Roman Thompson (6-1, 210) roaming the middle of the field as the “Mike” linebacker, this is a unit overflowing with star power and near-limitless potential. Walker is well aware of the challenge they will present to his offense, and he knows that preventing Gompers, Gatten and Thompson from taking over the game will be vital to his team’s success.
“Their linebackers are tremendous. That stands out,” Walker said. “They’re doing their best to keep them free and let them play the ball. Those guys are just really, really good.”
A win for Central on Saturday night would bring the Vikings their first WPIAL title since claiming back-to-back Class 6A crowns in 2019-20. It would also represent their ninth WPIAL title overall — breaking a tie with Mt. Lebanon, Pine-Richland, Rochester and West Allegheny for the sixth-most championships in league history.
For North Allegheny, a victory would make the Tigers the first team to three-peat in Class 6A — and for Walker, it would move him into sole possession of third place on the all-time list with eight WPIAL titles. He is currently tied with former New Castle coach and WPIAL Hall of Famer Phil Bridenbaugh with seven titles apiece.
One way or another, history will be made on Saturday in this must-see championship grudge match for Class 6A supremacy.
“Our goal as a staff and as a team is to win a championship,” Walker said. “You don’t work so hard just to win the section. You don’t work so hard just to get to the playoffs. You don’t work so hard just to get to the championship. You want to win it as well. Those goals are the standard that we have established here.
“We got the last two and worked hard for those, and this year is no different. We made it this far, and we’re excited.”
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
