North Allegheny’s Liam Flaherty returns from torn ACL with renewed passion for football

By: John Grupp
Saturday, July 12, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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A season-ending knee injury proved to be just what the doctor ordered for North Allegheny’s Liam Flaherty.

The Tigers’ two-way standout was unsure of his desire to play football in college, but a torn ACL suffered midway through the 2024 season reinforced his passion for the game.

“I didn’t know what I was going to do,” he said. “I didn’t know if I was going to play football. I was looking at big schools where I probably couldn’t play. Hurting my knee really made me realize how much I love the sport of football.”

Nearly 10 months after tearing his left ACL in a noncontact injury against Central Catholic, Flaherty soon will be cleared to resume full football activities as he prepares for his freshman season at Division III John Carroll.

The 6-foot, 204-pound outside linebacker has endured a long rehabilitation process following knee surgery in early October. He started running in February — shortly after committing to John Carroll — and then in the spring, when he would typically be part of the NA track team, he began sports-specific movements.

“I started feeling like an athlete again at that point,” Flaherty said. “The earlier months in the rehab were not fun.”

Flaherty said all physical restrictions will be lifted in late July, and the remaining part of his recovery will be the mental aspect.

“Getting over that mental barrier and having confidence that my knee is going to be safe and healthy is definitely important,” he said. “But it’s feeling really good now. The doctors are happy with my progress. … I bounced back pretty fast and was able to hit those (recovery) milestones. There have really been no setbacks at all throughout the eight-, nine-month recovery.”

Flaherty, a team captain at NA, knows all about rehabbing from injuries in the offseason. He had surgery on the same shoulder after his sophomore and junior football seasons. He missed six months following the latest procedure and didn’t return to action until June 2024. Three months later, he tore his ACL, and his high school playing days were over.

“He had a lot to deal with, all through his career,” NA coach Art Walker said. “He worked really hard to get back to be healthy. When the knee injury happened, I knew initially it was going to be rough for him. But the kind of kid that he is, and the experience he already had, I knew he was going to get through it and be better.”

Despite missing six games, Flaherty was named first-team all-conference running back for the WPIAL Class 6A runner-up Tigers (10-2). He finished with 224 rushing yards and three TDs, along with six receptions for 52 yards. As a junior, he was second-team all-conference at linebacker for the WPIAL champions.

Flaherty said John Carroll was never on his radar. He was considering a preferred walk-on role at a Patriot League school, if he played at all. But that changed when John Carroll offered a Magis Scholarship, the highest merit scholarship awarded by the Cleveland-area private school.

“John Carroll wasn’t on my list,” said Flaherty, who carried a 4.32 GPA and will play linebacker in college. “Then I got that (scholarship), and it brought my attention to them. It was kind of like the school found me.

“John Carroll checked a lot of boxes. I went on a lot of visits trying to find the right place. After I went there, I knew this was where I wanted to go.”

Flaherty will arrive at John Carroll on Aug. 12, and the Blue Streaks, who went 9-3 last season, are set to began their first season in the North Coast Athletic Conference. They open the 2025 season Sept. 6 at Waynesburg.

After a long offseason of recovery, Flaherty is healthy and motivated entering his first college training camp.

“I’m approaching this season with the same vigilance that I would any other season,” he said. “I’m not walking into it with the thought that I’m injured and I’m going to be behind. It’s just really starting over again.”

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