WPIAL Class 3A football championship breakdown: Central Valley vs. North Catholic

By: Chris Harlan
Friday, November 26, 2021 | 3:22 PM

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WPIAL Class 3A football championship

No. 1 Central Valley vs. No. 2 North Catholic

Noon Saturday, Heinz Field

On the air: TV: WPCW; Audio: TribHSSN.TribLive.com, WBVP-AM

Winner plays: Winner of District 10 champion Grove City (10-2) vs. District 6 champion Martinsburg Central (13-0) in a PIAA semifinal Dec. 3 or 4.

WPIAL titles: Central Valley 4 (2010, ’14, ’29, ’20), North Catholic 1 (2013)

Central Valley (12-0)

Player to watch: Landon Alexander

Alexander has traditionally done some of his best work in the postseason. This season, he has already rushed for 368 yards and four touchdowns in Central Valley’s two playoff wins. The running back has eight 100-yard games this season, has topped 200 yards four times and scored at least one touchdown in all 12 of his team’s games.

Statistical leaders

Passing: Antwon Johnson, 47-85, 990 yards, 15 TDs

Rushing: Landon Alexander, 167-1,730 yards, 25 TDs

Receiving: Jayvin Thompson, 23-559, 6 TDs

How they got here: After a first-round bye, No. 1 Central Valley defeated No 9 East Allegheny, 48-6, and No. 4 Elizabeth Forward, 51-0.

Probable starting lineup

Coach: Mark Lyons

Offense

QB, 5, Antwon Johnson, 5-11, 185, jr.

RB, 23, Landon Alexander, 5-11, 195, sr.

WR, 2 Donovan Jones, 6-1, 155, sr.

WR, 7, Jayvin Thompson, 6-2, 185, jr.

WR, 21, Deniro Simpson, 5-8, 140, jr.

TE, 80, Jack Bible, 6-1, 205, sr.

LT, 67, Jordan Karczewski, 6-3, 225, sr.

LG, 50, Sean Fitzsimmons, 6-3, 280, sr.

C, 53, Jackson Tonya, 6-1, 225, jr.

RG, 73, Kaden Colville, 5-10, 218, jr.

RT, 74, Nick McCreary, 6-1, 253, so.

Defense

DE, 50, Sean FitzSimmons, 6-3, 280, sr.

DE, 53, Jackson Tonya, 6-1, 225, jr.

NG, 67, Jordan Karczewski, 6-3, 225, sr.

LB, 6, Matt Merritt, 6-2, 210, sr.

LB, 10, Bret FitzSimmons, 5-10, 170, jr.

LB, 80, Jack Bible, 6-1, 205, sr.

CB, 3, Rylan Jeter, 5-11, 165, jr.

CB, 23, Landon Alexander, 5-11, 195, sr.

S, 4, Bryce Wilson, 5-9, 168, sr.

S, Jayvin Thompson, 6-2, 185, jr.

Special teams

K, 18, Serafino DeSantis, 6-0, 183, jr.

P, 18, Bryce Wilson, 5-9, 158, sr.

LS, 10, Bret FitzSimmons, 5-10, 170, jr.

Notable: Central Valley owns the state’s longest active winning streak at 24 games. The team is reigning state champion and two-time defending WPIAL champion. … The Warriors have reached the WPIAL finals for the seventh time in the school’s 12-year history. They’re 4-2 in WPIAL title games. … Central Valley formed in 2010 when Center and Monaca merged. … Sean FitzSimmons has a team-high 100 total tackles with 39 tackles for loss and 15 sacks. The Pitt recruit has 46 career sacks. He was credited with seven sacks in Central Valley’s WPIAL quarterfinal win over East Allegheny on Nov. 12. … linebacker Jackson Tonya ranks second with 97 tackles, Jack Bible has 84 and Bret FitzSimmons has 83.

North Catholic (12-0)

Player to watch: Joey Prentice

Prentice is a difference-maker on both sides of the football as a starting quarterback and free safety. His 1-yard run was the only touchdown in a 7-0 semifinal win over Avonworth. He has eight rushing touchdowns but has done more damage this year through the air. He threw for four touchdowns in a regular-season win over South Park and had five against Derry.

Statistical leaders

Passing: Joey Prentice, 86-134, 1,582 yards, 22 TDs

Rushing: Kyle Tipinski, 89-514 yards, 8 TDs

Receiving: Kyle Tipinski, 27-516 yards, 9 TDs

How they got here: After a first-round bye, No. 2 North Catholic defeated No. 7 Keystone Oaks, 48-41, and No. 3 Avonworth, 7-0.

Coach: Patrick O’Shea

Offense

QB, 1, Joey Prentice, 6-1, 200, sr.

RB, 13, Jack Fennell, 5-10, 170, so.

WR, 3, Kyle Tipinski, 6-2, 213, sr.

WR, 17, Tyler Maziarz, 6-1, 170, sr.

WR, 26, Liam Straub, 5-10, 170, sr.

TE, 31, Daniel Long, 6-0, 220, jr.

LT, 74, JJ Iaquinta, 6-2, 250, jr.

LG, 77, Justin Smith, 6-0, 272, jr.

C, 52, Tyler Primrose, 5-11, 226, sr.

RG, 59, Andrew Stephens, 5-10, 220, sr.

RT, 56, Shamus Straub, 6-0, 227, jr.

Defense

DE, 52, Tyler Primrose, 5-11, 226, sr.

NT, 64, Lucius Marbella, 5-10, 222, sr.

DE, 31, Daniel Long, 6-0, 220, jr.

OLB, 21, Mitch Lanthaler, 6-2, 180, jr.

ILB, 3, Kyle Tipinski, 6-2, 213, sr.

ILB, 56, Shamus Straub, 6-0, 227, jr.

OLB, 81, Robbie Kress, 6-2, 193, sr.

CB, 2, Carson Laconi, 6-1, 167, sr.

S, 1, Joey Prentice, 6-1, 200, sr.

S, 17, Tyler Maziarz, 6-1, 170, sr.

CB, 26, Liam Straub, 5-10, 170, sr.

Special teams

K, 14, Ethan Marsico, 5-9, 150, sr.

P, 31, Daniel Long, 6-0, 220, jr.

LS, 59, Andrew Stephens, 5-10, 220, sr.

Notable: This is North Catholic’s second appearance in the WPIAL finals. … The Trojans have shut out seven opponents this season. Central Valley has five shutouts. … The Class 3A final matches the classification’s two highest-scoring offenses against the two lowest-scoring defenses. North Catholic averages 40.7 points on offense and allows 7.7 on defense. Central Valley averages 47.7 and 6.3. … The finalists faced five common opponents this season. Central Valley outscored those teams 313-50, and North Catholic won 207-72.

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: Central Valley, North Catholic