Top-seeded Central Catholic arrived for its WPIAL championship grudge match against two-time defending champion North Allegheny with hopes of preventing the Tigers from making history.
Turns out, it was the Vikings who would etch their names into the history books at Norwin High School on Saturday night.
With senior quarterback Jy’Aire Walls carving up North Allegheny’s secondary at will and senior tailback Elijah Faulkner running like a man on a mission, Central raced out to a 28-point lead in the first quarter and never looked back, steamrolling the Tigers en route to a 45-14 triumph in the WPIAL Class 6A title game. The near-flawless victory moves the Vikings (10-2) into sixth place all time with nine WPIAL titles to their credit, while Ryan Lehmeier now has his first WPIAL crown as head coach following a runner-up finish in his debut season.
“When you get the job [at Central], everyone says it’s a daunting challenge,” Lehmeier said. “I love it. And it has nothing to do with me. It’s the guys I’m surrounded by. I’m only as good as these assistant coaches, and I have the best ones.”
North Allegheny had beaten Central in each of the previous two WPIAL Class 6A title games, and the Tigers (10-2) were attempting to become the first team to three-peat in Class 6A. But the Vikings had other plans, avenging those championship defeats in emphatic fashion to bring home their first WPIAL crown since 2020.
Central dominated time of possession, holding the ball for more than 28 minutes of action while out-gaining North Allegheny, 437-122. The Vikings converted 22 first downs compared to only five for the Tigers, who didn’t score their first points until late in the third quarter after the game was already well out of reach.
“It obviously wasn’t our night,” said North Allegheny coach Art Walker. “They were in sync. They were on from the beginning. … It just seemed like everybody [on Central’s defense] felt like they were running downhill. They were flying to the ball. That was evident.”
In his first and only WPIAL championship appearance as a starter, Walls made the most of his opportunity in the spotlight with a career-defining performance. He completed 10-of-17 attempts for 213 yards and three TDs while rushing eight times for 19 yards and two additional scores, doing most of his work in the first quarter before deferring to Faulkner in the second half. Faulkner finished with 28 carries for 190 yards and a touchdown.
“It’s the best day of my life,” Walls said. “Our whole [motto] was perfection and finish. The last three years, we haven’t been able to finish the job. We preached perfection all week, and we came out and were dang-near perfect.”
Lehmeier couldn’t have possibly scripted a better start to the game for the Vikings, as they forced a three-and-out on defense before Walls hooked up with a wide-open Gompers down the sideline for a 45-yard touchdown on Central’s first play from scrimmage. A successful 2-point conversion made it an 8-0 Vikings lead less than two minutes into the game.
“We had that play prepared for a while,” Gompers said. “When I got the call that it was happening on the first play, I was excited. I knew they wouldn’t be able to cover it.”
Just a few moments later, Walls called his own number and powered his way into the end zone for a 2-yard TD run to stretch Central’s lead to 14-0 midway through the first quarter — but Walls and the Vikings were just getting started.
After another stop by Central’s defense, Walls tossed a screen pass to Penn State recruit Xxavier Thomas, who spun out of a tackle and found his way into the end zone for a nifty 13-yard TD. On the Vikings’ ensuing possession, Walls delivered a perfect strike over the middle to Maceo Watkins for a 32-yard score, giving Central a commanding 28-0 lead before the end of the opening quarter.
By the time the dust had settled on one of the most lopsided quarters of play in WPIAL championship history, the Vikings had out-gained the Tigers, 225-9.
“We wanted to start quickly,” Lehmeier said. “You never know exactly how it plays out, but a lot of things went in our favor early. I thought we did a good job of switching up some play calls and giving them some different looks early.”
North Allegheny managed to keep Central out of the end zone in the second quarter, but the Tigers were still unable to generate any momentum on offense. A 44-yard field goal by Billy Lech made it a 31-0 advantage for the Vikings, whose ferocious defense limited North Allegheny to only two first downs and 25 yards of offense in the first half.
“It’s something really special that anyone would want to be a part of,” junior linebacker Colsen Gatten said about Central’s defense. “Our thing is just to play fast and physical. That’s just what we do. That’s our brand of football.”
The Vikings received the ball to start the third quarter, and they wasted no time marching right down the field and activating the mercy rule with an 8-yard TD run by Elijah Faulkner. Another 1-yard TD run by Walls made it a 45-0 lead midway through the third quarter, as Central cruised the rest of the way to one of the most dominant championship performances in WPIAL history.
“I challenged the kids — I said, ‘If we put in our best week of preparation, we should have our best performance,'” Lehmeier said. “We said we were going to have 22 horns flying to the football. … Collectively, that’s what it’s about. It’s about being a unit.”
With the WPIAL title in tow and bragging rights secured, the Vikings now turn their attention to the state playoffs, where they will face off with District 6 champion State College in next week’s PIAA Class 6A quarterfinals at a site and time to be determined.
“We’ve been chasing perfection,” Gompers said. “It’s worked out pretty well for us. I’m excited to see what we can do.”
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
