Central Catholic’s Eddy Tillman gets home-field advantage vs. North Allegheny

By: Chris Harlan
Thursday, September 24, 2020 | 11:13 PM

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Central Catholic’s football team doesn’t have a home field, but running back Eddy Tillman will be close to home Friday night.

The top-ranked Vikings are hosting No. 2 North Allegheny at Graham Field in Wilkinsburg, which is a short walk from Tillman’s home. The senior has fond memories of his youth football days with the Wilkinsburg Hornets on a century-old field that recently was renovated.

“During the winter when they were talking about redoing the field, I was hoping Central would play there,” Tillman said. “When I heard they were, I was very happy.”

Kickoff is 7 p.m.

His favorite memory at the historic field was a playoff game his youth team almost lost. As Tillman remembers it, his team marched down field on the final drive and he crossed the goal line for a comeback win.

Much like then, Friday’s outcome could be in Tillman’s hands. The 5-foot-8, 165-pound running back is averaging more than 200 rushing yards a game and scored touchdowns in both of Central Catholic’s first two weeks.

He already has 407 yards on 36 carries, putting him well on his way to another 1,000-yard season. As a junior, Tillman rushed for 2,064 yards and 26 touchdowns as Central Catholic won the WPIAL Class 6A title.

“He’s a really good running back with exceptional speed and great vision,” North Allegheny coach Art Walker said. “He runs hard and has shown he can run physical as well. The first thing you’ve got to worry about offensively for them is the run game and Tillman.”

Norwin’s defense saw Tillman run for 210 yards last week when Central Catholic won 38-28. He already has a Division I offer from Valparaiso, but Vikings coach Terry Totten predicts Ivy League schools will join his list.

“He’s very strong,” Totten said. “He doesn’t go down with one tackler very often.”

In many years, this big-school rivalry comes with added hype.

In the past 10 season, one team or the other won the WPIAL’s largest classification seven times. Both Central Catholic (2-0, 2-0) and North Allegheny (1-0, 0-0) are undefeated this season, meaning the winner will have an early edge in Class 6A. But covid-19 concerns dulled some of the buzz.

“Absolutely,” Totten said. “You hold your breath right up until kickoff.”

North Allegheny knows that feeling all too well. The Tigers were scheduled to play Baldwin last week but had their game canceled the day before. Their Week 1 game against Seneca Valley also was canceled over coronavirus concerns, so they played Penn Hills instead in their season opener.

“This is a big game for us because we haven’t played a (Class 6A) game yet,” Walker said. “But this week-to-week uncertainty changes how you think about stuff. We had a game taken from us on Thursday at noon last week. For that possibility to always be there, everybody always has that little feeling that you’re not guaranteed (to play) until you kick off.”

Both teams are breaking in new starting quarterbacks. Central Catholic turned to junior Branndon Pezzelle, who’s thrown five touchdowns in two games. North Allegheny is rotating a trio of quarterbacks: senior Greg Phillips and juniors Tanner Potts and Ryan Treser.

Yet, with solid offensive lines, both teams like to run. Tillman is quick to credit the guys in front of him for his early-season success.

“They’re opening up ginormous holes,” he said, “and I’m able to exploit them.”

Graham Park is about a 10- or 15-minutes walk from Tillman’s home, giving him a rare home-field advantage for the second time this season. Central Catholic’s football team has bounced between stadiums for years, at times using Carnegie Mellon’s stadium, but settled in Wilkinsburg for four games this fall. Graham Field opened in 1916 and was natural grass until just recently.

Last winter, Chatham University installed artificial turf, renovated the covered grandstand and added lights.

“It feels the same even though it’s been renewed,” Tillman said. “I’m happy with what Chatham and UPMC did with it. It looks different. It’s more modern, and they made it nice with the lights.”

Unfortunately, the gates won’t be open for all of Wilkinsburg to watch. Tickets are limited because of covid-19 restrictions, but Tillman said he’ll have his mother and uncle in the stands.

“It brings me back to childhood memories,” he said.

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