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Central Catholic makes statement, handles North Allegheny

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Friday, September 22, 2023 | 11:58 PM

There already were reasons to believe Central Catholic was the team to beat in the WPIAL, starting with a roster that’s heavy in major-college recruits.

Now, there’s no doubt.

Running back Elijah Faulkner scored four times, and Michigan-bound senior Cole Sullivan made big plays on offense, defense and special teams as Central Catholic defeated reigning Class 6A champion North Allegheny. The Vikings took advantage of four NA turnovers, including two forced by Sullivan in a 50-22 victory Friday night that turned lopsided after halftime.

The result was a reversal from last year’s WPIAL final, which Central Catholic lost.

“Last year was the motivation,” said Faulkner, a junior, who carried 32 times for 229 yards. “We can’t let that happen ever again. … It stuck with the whole team.”

This rematch between top-ranked rivals drew a near-capacity crowd to North Allegheny campus, creating an electric atmosphere inside Newman Stadium.

“It was the best I’ve ever played in,” Sullivan said. “I hope every game would be like that. It was just incredible with all of the noise.”

Central Catholic set out to quiet the home crowd.

Faulkner scored on runs of 30, 2, 1 and 5 yards, leading a Vikings offense that gained more than 300 yards on the ground. They outgained North Allegheny’s rushers 306 to 151. But this win didn’t come as easily as Central Catholic’s first four.

The Vikings started slowly, faced some adversity early and found themselves tied with North Allegheny midway through the second quarter. But Sullivan caught two touchdown passes shortly before halftime, and Central Catholic (5-0, 2-0) pulled away with 28 consecutive points, stretching into the fourth quarter.

“I think we knew that we were going to face some adversity tonight,” Sullivan said. “We know NA is a great team. But in coach (William) Hahn’s chapel before the game, he talked about perseverance. So, keeping that in mind, we knew things weren’t going to go well at times, but keep persevering.”

Central Catholic’s lead peaked at 43-15 when Faulkner scored his fourth touchdown early in the fourth quarter. The 5-foot-10, 190-pound tailback has seven touchdowns in the past two weeks.

“We’re going to feed the hot hand,” Central Catholic coach Ryan Lehmeier said.

North Allegheny (4-1, 1-1) was hurt by four turnovers. The Tigers threw two interceptions, lost a fumble and muffed a punt return. Sullivan forced the fumble with a strip-sack and caused the punt return miscue.

Central Catholic’s Xxavier Thomas had both interceptions.

“You can’t turn the ball over against good football teams,” NA coach Art Walker said. “When that happens, you feel like now it’s just a continuous uphill battle.”

Central Catholic quarterback Payton Wehner completed 11 of 17 passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns.

North Allegheny’s Tyree Alualu rushed for 78 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries, and Logan Kushner had 72 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. Kushner completed 14 of 24 passes for 170 yards with two interceptions and one fumble.

There’s a good chance these teams meet again in the playoffs. The WPIAL has only five teams in Class 6A.

“We’re halfway through the season,” Walker said. “That’s where we’re at. We’re not out because that was a playoff game or something. We played a really good football team. If we focus on winning the rest of our 6A games, be a two-seed opposite of them (in the playoff bracket) and see them again. That has to be the goal.”

Central Catholic stumbled early Friday, committed a penalty before its first snap and went three-and-out on its first possession. But the Vikings recovered and still reached the 50-point scoring average they boasted entering Friday.

Central Catholic’s defense also improved after halftime. North Allegheny’s offense totaled 238 yards in the first half and only 83 in the second.

“We wanted adversity to show up,” Lehmeier said. “That’s where you get to see what you’re made of.”

Central Catholic reached halftime with a 29-15 lead after closing the first half with a pair of touchdown passes from Wehner to Sullivan. The first was a 13-yarder that broke a 15-15 tie. They combined again in the final minute for a 9-yard touchdown pass.

Yet Central Catholic gained only 72 yards through the air in the first half. The bulk of the offense came from Faulkner, who had 142 yards and two touchdowns on 17 first-half carries.

“Our line is just blocking excellent,” Faulkner said. “They can’t stop the run game if we play our ‘A’ game.”

North Allegheny was limited by two first-half turnovers. One was the strip-sack of Kushner by Sullivan, and the second was an interception in the end zone by Thomas, halting an NA drive that had reached the Vikings’ 5.

Thomas picked off another pass in the third quarter.

North Allegheny’s fourth turnover was controversial. Officials said NA’s Evan Lyon muffed a third-quarter punt, but Walker unsuccessfully argued that the ball had first touched Sullivan. Central Catholic regained possession at NA’s 20, and needed only three plays to score for a 36-15 lead.

Central Catholic also had a 13-yard touchdown drive earlier in the game. In all, the Vikings had four scoring drives that needed only three plays apiece.

The teams had started the first half by trading touchdowns, with North Allegheny scoring first on a 3-yard touchdown run by Alualu. Central Catholic responded with a pair of touchdown runs by Faulkner on first-quarter runs of 30 and two yards to lead 15-8.

North Allegheny forced a 15-15 tie with a 26-yard touchdown run by Kushner less than a minute into the second quarter. But the Tigers didn’t score again until the fourth quarter as Central’s defense strengthened.

“I was really proud of the poise, the composure, that they held together,” Lehmeier said. “They were in the moment. We talked a lot about that.”

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.

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