Big-school rivals Central Catholic, North Allegheny clash in WPIAL finals for 4th consecutive year

By: Chris Harlan
Saturday, November 15, 2025 | 3:36 AM

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As Central Catholic tries to defend its WPIAL title, the Vikings lineup taking the field Saturday night will be notably different than last year’s.

There’s a new starting quarterback, a different leading rusher and the team’s top three receivers have changed. In those areas and some others, it’s a new-look lineup that’ll try to win Central Catholic its 10th title overall.

“We’re not really the same team,” Central Catholic coach Ryan Lehmeier said. “There are a couple of names that are the same, but they’re doing different things in different roles. We’re a much different team than we were last year.”

Still, the championship game will have a familiar feel.

Top-seeded Central Catholic (10-1) again faces No. 2 North Allegheny (8-3) in the WPIAL Class 6A final at 6:05 p.m. Saturday at Pine-Richland. It’s the fourth straight year that the big-school rivals will battle for the title.

“I think their program gets up for this game, and so do we,” Lehmeier said. “There aren’t many words that need to be said. It’ll all be worked out.”

Historically, it’s the first time the same two teams have met in the WPIAL finals four consecutive years in any classification.

“The kids are excited for the opportunity,” NA coach Art Walker said.

North Allegheny won WPIAL titles in 2022 and ’23, but Central Catholic won last year with a 45-14 victory. The 31-point win put the final touches on an undefeated year against WPIAL Class 6A foes.

That Central Catholic team outscored its six conference opponents by a combined 231 points in the regular season. This year’s team won by 230 points, led by senior running back/linebacker Roman Thompson, who has a team-high 21 touchdowns.

Sophomore quarterback Owen Herrick has 1,952 passing yards and 17 touchdowns as a first-year starter. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound passer has college offers from Syracuse and Liberty.

The top receivers are Aiden Nasiadka (34 catches), Navy recruit Maceo Watkins (30) and Duke recruit Colsen Gatten (18). A season ago, Nasiadka made four catches and Gatten had one.

They aren’t alone in drawing college offers. Thompson has Penn State and Pitt among his, while edge rusher Ashton Blatt (North Carolina), offensive tackle James Halter (Notre Dame), center Matt Bowers (Princeton) and defensive lineman Angelo Pugliano (Western Michigan) all have committed.

A number of uncommitted teammates hold Power 4 offers.

North Allegheny was the only team in WPIAL Class 6A to come within four touchdowns of Central Catholic this season. The Vikings won 21-6 in Week 5 behind two rushing touchdowns by Thompson and one from junior Jayden Alexander.

Central Catholic led 7-3 at half before scoring twice in the third quarter.

“There were some big plays, we hit some big runs, but there was a lot of back and forth,” Lehmeier said. “They did a really nice job of doing some things that slowed us down.”

All of North Allegheny’s points came from two field goals. Leading rusher Luke Rohan finished with just 40 yards on 19 carries.

“We struggled to run the ball,” Walker said. “That’s something we obviously need to improve on because you’re not going to be able to drop back and throw against them every down.

“Our kids played really tough last time, were physical and really gave a great effort. But we’ve got to make sure we’re not getting in third-and-longs.”

North Allegheny is led by senior lineman Lincoln Hoke, a Pitt commit. Senior defensive back Korry Pitts Jr. is committed to Monmouth.

The Tigers are coming off a 35-17 semifinal victory over Norwin that bolstered the team’s confidence by snapping a two-game losing streak. They’d finished the regular season with surprising losses to Pine-Richland, 67-0, and Seneca Valley, 21-18.

But against Norwin, Rohan rushed for two touchdowns and quarterback Brady Brinkley threw two to Cameron Kushner. Walker said the bye week before the playoffs was beneficial.

“We had some guys that definitely needed the rest,” he said. “They were beat up and missed some time. It was good to have the (bye) and use it wisely to get guys back and ready to go.”

Rohan has 1,016 rushing yards and a team-high 16 touchdowns. Brinkley has passed for 1,660 yards and 15 touchdowns. His top receiver is Ben Kern with 31 catches.

Central Catholic is coming off a 44-7 win over Canon-McMillan that included three rushing touchdowns by Thompson. Gatten and Watkins both caught TDs, and sophomore Chrys Black also rushed for a score.

In last year’s WPIAL finals, Central Catholic scored four touchdowns in the first quarter to quickly lead 28-0. But the two previous championship games were much closer, with North Allegheny winning 44-41 in 2023 and 35-21 in ’22.

“Any time you’re one point better than those guys, you’ve probably earned it,” Lehmeier said. “It’s a rivalry game, and now we’re playing for the championship. It just intensifies.”

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, North Allegheny