‘Down and out’ Central Catholic tops Mt. Lebanon to make 4th straight finals trip

By: Chris Harlan
Friday, November 11, 2022 | 11:30 PM

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Previous Next

Central Catholic wideout Peter Gonzalez missed the first three weeks of the season after knee surgery, but quarterback Payton Wehner kept throwing him passes anyway, while he worked his way back to the field.

Now, they’re among the top quarterback-receiver duos in the WPIAL.

“Me and Payton just built that chemistry,” Gonzalez said Friday night, after the two connected for a pair of touchdowns as No. 3 Central Catholic shrugged off its early-season struggles and defeated No. 2 Mt. Lebanon, 28-7, in a WPIAL Class 6A semifinal soaked by the remnants of a tropical storm.

“We really click now,” said Gonzalez, who has seven touchdowns in eight games. “We’d been working all offseason, since I could run routes. That all just culminated in a great game tonight.”

Wehner also ran for two touchdowns in the heavy rain as Central Catholic (7-4) earned its fourth consecutive trip to the WPIAL finals. Mt. Lebanon (5-6) was the defending WPIAL and PIAA champion.

Central Catholic was the more physical team upfront and won the game on the ground with 47 carries for 251 yards behind a pair of sophomore running backs. But the threat of having Gonzalez fully healthy meant Mt. Lebanon’s defense at times had to choose between stopping the run or defending the pass.

“The past couple of weeks, he’s got much stronger, much more comfortable,” Wehner said of Gonzalez, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound junior with Pitt, Penn State and West Virginia among his college offers. “I think he’s been able to trust (his knee) more. He’s back.”

Wehner completed just 6 of 10 passes for 76 yards on a night not suited for throwing, but showed this Vikings offense has a balance in the red zone that recent teams maybe lacked. Gonzalez caught a 19-yard touchdown just before halftime and a 12-yarder in the fourth quarter to put the game away.

Both were good throws and tough catches.

“They had a really good game plan both offensively and defensively,” Mt. Lebanon coach Bob Palko said. “I think they simplified things. … You’ve got Gonzalez, so you isolate him. You can’t combo him anymore because they’re gashing us (on the ground). You’ve got to put too many guys in the box. You’ve got to make that decision, so you tip your hat to them.”

The victory takes Central Catholic back to the WPIAL finals after finishing as the runner-up to Mt. Lebanon last season. The Vikings will face No. 1 seed North Allegheny at 6 p.m. Nov. 19 at Norwin.

Friday’s result was a reversal from Week 3 when Mt. Lebanon won 17-16.

This was a roller coaster season for Central Catholic coach Terry Totten and his team. The Vikings were 0-2 in the conference at one point, lost four of their first seven games overall and endured some midseason turmoil when a longtime assistant coach resigned.

“We certainly were counted down and out this year,” Totten said. “It took a team effort to get us out of a hole and just get up on our feet and get going again.”

Central Catholic has won four in a row. The team features two sophomore running backs and both shouldered a big load Friday. Elijah Faulkner rushed for 98 yards on 15 carries, and Amari Shields had 73 yards on 17 carries.

“Credit the offense,” Totten said. “They got the run game going.”

Wehner added 66 yards on 13 carries with first-half touchdown runs of 31 and 1 yard. His first gave Central Catholic a 7-0 lead on the opening possession — a three-play, 61-yard drive that lasted just 64 seconds.

“All week in practice, we knew we were going to take the ball if we won (the coin toss),” Wehner said. “We wanted to go down and score early so we could get the momentum.”

Wehner ran for two touchdowns and threw for another as Central Catholic took a 21-7 halftime lead. Mt. Lebanon’s only points came on a 13-yard pass from David Shields to receiver Johnny McGhee early in the second quarter.

Central Catholic then scored 21 unanswered points starting with a 1-yard touchdown by Wehner.

The Vikings’ lead was 14-7 when a second-quarter gamble backfired on Mt. Lebanon. The Blue Devils attempted a fake punt on fourth-and-4 at their own 42-yard line but the trick play lost six yards.

The Vikings took possession 35 yards from the end zone and quickly capitalized. They ran the ball three times for 16 yards, setting up Gonzalez for a 19-yard touchdown catch and a 21-7 lead just before halftime.

“We thought we had it, but we didn’t execute it properly,” Palko said of the fake. “That comes down to coaching. I’m not going to point a finger at a kid. That’s on us.”

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 Catholic, Mt. lebanon