Trib HSSN don’t miss high school football matchups for 2025 Week 5

By: Don Rebel
Thursday, September 25, 2025 | 7:21 PM

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Welcome to Week 5 of the 2025 WPIAL football regular season and the midway point of the regular season.

Friday night finally marks the start of section play for five district conferences, the Class 5A Allegheny 6, the Class 3A Interstate and all three Class 4A conferences.

In the first five weeks of the season, the combined nonconference record of the teams in the Big Six Conference was 15-14, the Parkway Conference was 14-14, and the Greater Allegheny Conference was 11-19.

In the Class 3A Interstate Conference, those six teams were a combined 19-11 in nonconference games.

However, the dominant conference for a second straight season has been the Class 5A Allegheny Six Conference.

Take Baldwin and its 0-5 record out of the mix, and the combined records of Peters Township, Bethel Park, Upper St. Clair, South Fayette and Moon are 21-4.

Here is a look at some of the top high school football matchups for Week 5.

Class 6A

No. 1 Central Catholic (4-1, 2-0) at No. 2 North Allegheny (5-0, 2-0)

7 p.m. Friday, Newman Stadium at North Allegheny

Coaches: Ryan Lehmeier, Central Catholic; Art Walker, North Allegheny

On air: Video stream on Trib HSSN

Last week: Central Catholic 59, Hempfield 7, North Allegheny 20, Norwin 17

Players to watch: Roman Thompson, Central Catholic (Jr., 6-0, 207, RB/LB); Brady Brinkley, North Allegheny (Jr., 6-3, 175, QB/DB)

Team notes

Central Catholic: Following a season-opening loss to LaSalle College, the Vikings have won four straight, including two consecutive 6A wins over Mt. Lebanon and Hempfield by a combined score of 116-7. In the victory last week over the Spartans, Central Catholic exploded for 31 points in the second quarter alone. Junior running back Roman Thompson rushed for only 78 yards, but scored four touchdowns on runs of 1, 6, 36 and 10 yards. Running back Jay Ross also had 10 carries for 64 yards and a score.

North Allegheny: It hasn’t been easy, but the Tigers have reached the midway point of the regular season with a perfect record. NA began the season with a two-point win over Woodland Hills, and following three straight one-sided victories, the Tigers got a scare, but came back to beat Norwin last week. North Allegheny junior quarterback Brady Brinkley connected on 10 of 19 passes for 132 yards, and Luke Roman scored two touchdowns, including the game- winner on an 8-yard run in the fourth quarter.

Historic factoids

• This rivalry between the two most successful teams in Class 6A history is now dead even. This is the 32nd all-time meeting between the power schools with both North Allegheny and Central Catholic having 15 victories each with a scoreless tie back in 1981. The Tigers won the first meeting 9-7 in 1975.

• Central Catholic swept both games from North Allegheny a year ago. In the regular season, the Vikings trailed in the second quarter 14-8, only to score the game’s final 19 points to win 27-14. Elijah Faulkner rushed for 127 yards and a touchdown for Central while Brady Brinkley threw for 141 yards in the only loss of the regular season for NA. In the 6A championship game, it was all Vikings as they scored 28 points in the opening quarter and never looked back in winning district gold, 45-14. Faulkner rushed for 190 yards and two touchdowns for Central Catholic. Jackson Faila, in relief of Brinkley, threw for two touchdowns for North Allegheny.

• The two have squared off against each other nine times in the WPIAL playoffs and four times in the district championship game. Central Catholic beat North Allegheny in the 2020 6A finals, 38-24, and again last November. The Tigers defeated the Vikings, 35-21, in 2022 and a year later in the 2023 finals, 44-41. In non-championship postseason games, Central Catholic won playoff meetings in 1988, 2001 and 2015 while North Allegheny prevailed in postseason clashes in 2000 and 2010.

Class 5A Allegheny Six Conference

No. 5 Bethel Park (4-1, 0-0) at Moon (3-2, 0-0)

7 p.m. Friday, Tigers Stadium at Moon

Coaches: Phil Peckich, Bethel Park; Ryan Linn, Moon

On air: Video stream on Trib HSSN

Last week: Bethel Park 51, Trinity 35; Seneca Valley 31, Moon 23

Players to watch: David Dennison, Bethel Park (Sr., 6-2, 190, RB/OLB); Andrew Cross, Moon (Sr., 6-0, 190, QB)

Team notes

Bethel Park: The Black Hawks trail only top-ranked Pine-Richland in points scored in Class 5A through five games. Bethel Park picked up its third straight victory and topped the 40-point mark for the fourth time this season in a road win at Trinity last week. Bethel Park senior running back David Dennison is third in the WPIAL in rushing with 900 yards for the season. Last week, he carried the ball 28 times for 317 yards and scored six touchdowns on runs of 34, 52, 41, 5, 25 and 16 yards. Hawks quarterback Evan Devine hit Brady Bruckner for the only passing touchdown of the night for the black and orange.

Moon: While Bethel Park has been explosive on offense, the Tigers have shined on the other side of the ball, allowing the fourth fewest points through five games in Class 5A. That average took a hit last week in a nonconference loss to Seneca Valley in which the Raiders scored 31 points. Moon senior quarterback Andrew Cross rushed for 71 yards and only threw for 53 yards, but one of his completions went for a touchdown, his eighth scoring pass of the season. His favorite target is Savario Vandetti, who leads the team in receiving yards with 222 and in scoring with four touchdowns.

Historic factoids

• This rivalry is a product of the expansion to six classifications because the two schools never met when Bethel Park was in 4A and Moon was a 3A school. This is the eighth meeting between the two schools since 2018 with Bethel Park holding a slim advantage over Moon, 4-3.

• When the two teams met in Week 5 last year, it was defense be damned as the schools combined to score 81 points. The Tigers led by one point after the first quarter, two points at the half and through three quarters before the Black Hawks outscored them by 11 points in the fourth quarter to win 45-36. Bethel Park quarterback Tanner Pfeuffer threw for three touchdowns and ran for one score, and JaVaughn Moore had three TDs for the winning Hawks. Nicholas Clemens and Jared Moyer returned fumbles for scores for Moon.

• If the series trend continues, that would be good news for host Moon on Friday. In the last four meetings, the schools have alternating wins against each other, with the Black Hawks winning in the even years of 2022 and 2024 while the Tigers claimed victory in the odd years of 2021 and 2023.

Class 4A Parkway Conference

No. 1 Aliquippa (3-1, 0-0) at New Castle (4-1, 0-0)

7 p.m. Friday, Taggart Stadium in New Castle

Coaches: Mike Warfield, Aliquippa; Fred Mozzoccio, New Castle

Last week: Aliquippa 21, Penn Hills 16; New Castle 45, Knoch 0

Players to watch: Marques Council Jr., Aliquippa (Sr., 6-2, 191, QB); Marino Graham, New Castle (Fr., 5-10, 140, QB)

Team notes

Aliquippa: You can call the Quips the comeback kids following a second straight fourth quarter rally that earned them the most recent Trib HSSN Team of the Week. A week after scoring 19 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to beat Mars, 19-6, Aliquippa outscored Penn Hills, 21-6, in the final quarter to win on a walk-off touchdown. Quips senior quarterback Marques Council Jr. hit on 19 of 30 passes for 309 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winning 28-yard strike to Ray Miller on the final play of the game. The combo of senior wide receivers Josh Lay and QaLil Goode has a combined 15 catches for 262 yards and two scores.

New Castle: Following a Week 1 loss to Hopewell, the Red Hurricanes have been hot, winning three straight games to improve to 4-1. In four victories, New Castle has outscored opponents 142-0. Freshman quarterback Marino Graham was sensational in the win over Knoch last week, passing for 123 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 221 yards and a score. ‘Canes teammates Maurice Moore and Jermaine Walker combined for 129 yards on only 10 carries and each scored a touchdown.

Historic factoids

• This is the 50th meeting between these two old rivals. While Aliquippa has dominated the series recently, winning the last 10 head-to-head games, New Castle still has the overall advantage, 25-21-3.

• This is the sixth straight season these two teams have clashed in Parkway Conference play. The Quips have outscored the Red Hurricanes, 278-68, since 2020. That includes a Week 5 win last year, 62-21. Aliquippa scored two defensive touchdowns and got three scores from Tikey Hayes. Kyrell Harris threw three touchdowns for New Castle, including two to Nate McKnight.

• Aliquippa and New Castle have twice met in WPIAL championship games with each team winning once. The Quips captured gold in the 1987 WPIAL 3A title game, 26-14, while the Red Hurricanes won the district crown in the 1942 3A finals, 25-0. The first ever game between the two was 107 years ago when the ‘Canes edged the Quips, 9-6, in the fall of 1918.

Class 3A nonconference

No. 3 North Catholic (2-0, 5-0) at No. 2 Imani Christian (2-0, 5-0)

7 p.m. Friday, UPMC Graham Field in Wilkinsburg

Coaches: Chris Rizzo, North Catholic; LaRoi Johnson, Imani Christian

On air: Video stream on Trib HSSN

Last week: North Catholic 63, McGuffey 0; Imani Christian 27, Highlands 7

Players to watch: Joey Felitsky, North Catholic (Sr., 6-1, 180, QB); Gabe Jenkins, Imani Christian (Jr., 6-2, 182, QB/CB);

Team notes

North Catholic: The Trojans are perfect in riding a productive offense that is averaging nearly 59 points per game. However, in their first two Class 3A Western Hills Conference wins over Quaker Valley and McGuffey, the defense has shined as well as North Catholic has outscored conference foes 112-0. Pacing the offense is senior quarterback Joey Felitsky, who led the district in passing as a junior and is currently second in the WPIAL. Last week, Felitsky hit on 8 of his 9 passes for 201 yards and four touchdowns. Thus far in 2025, he has thrown for 1,145 yards and a WPIAL leading 20 TDs.

Imani Christian: The Saints are halfway through marching to another perfect regular season at 5-0. Imani Christian as leaned heavily on its defense this season with two shutouts and only 22 points allowed in five victories. The Saints are 2-0 in the Class 3A Allegheny 7 Conference with wins over Valley and Highlands by a combined score of 99-7. Last week in the win over the Golden Rams, junior quarterback and Penn State commit Gabe Jenkins threw for 230 yards and four touchdowns and led the team in rushing with 68 yards. This is only the second home game of the season for Imani Christian.

Historic factoids

• This is only the second meeting between the two schools with the first coming last season, a game in which Imani Christian was victorious in Week 5 over North Catholic, 48-28.

• While the score may indicate a competitive contest when the two met at J.C. Stone Field last September, the Saints rode a 26-point second quarter into halftime with a big lead, 34-0. Imani’s Gabe Jenkins scored the first three touchdowns of the game on runs of 8, 10 and 31 yards. Tom Arth had three touchdown passes, two to Jack White for the Trojans.

• This is the 85th anniversary of North Catholic Trojans football, which began playing in the 1940 season. It was 13 years ago that Imani Christian played its first season in the WPIAL, finishing the 2012 campaign with a record of 6-3. However, the team forfeited each game in 2013 and did not participate in the WPIAL in the 2014 and 2015 seasons before returning in 2016.

Class 2A Allegheny Conference

Apollo-Ridge (1-0, 3-2) at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (1-1, 2-3)

7 p.m. Saturday, Tigers Stadium at Moon

Coaches: John Skiba, Apollo-Ridge; Don Militzer, OLSH

On air: Video stream on Trib HSSN

Last week: Apollo-Ridge 22, Shady Side Academy 14; OLSH 40, Ligonier Valley 6

Players to watch: Jayden McCray, Apollo-Ridge (Sr., 6-2, 195, WR/OLB); Fabian Nixon, OLSH (So., 5-10, 150, QB/DB)

Team notes

Apollo-Ridge: Midway through the regular season, the Vikings have already tripled their win total from last season and matched their Class 2A Allegheny Conference win total after a victory over Shady Side Academy in their conference opener last week. The Apollo-Ridge football program is over .500 for the first time since a 1-0 start in 2023 thanks in part to senior wide receiver Jayden McCray, who led the team in receiving with four receptions for 41 yards against the Bulldogs in Week 4, plus he rushed for three touchdowns on runs of 15, 3 and 23 yards.

OLSH: The Chargers’ offense finally provided a jolt in a Class 2A Allegheny Conference victory last week over Ligonier Valley, following three straight losses in which the offense scored a total of 13 points against three teams with a combined record of 14-1. All 40 points came in the first three quarters against the Rams. OLSH sophomore quarterback Fabian Nixon connected on 7 of his 9 passing attempts for 250 yards and four touchdowns to four different receivers. The foursome of Owen Nestor, Ty’Aire Hawkins, John Anderson and Thomas Pinno had a combined eight catches for 256 yards.

Historic factoids

• This is only the third all-time meeting between these two schools; the two previous games were played in the last four years. Our Lady of the Sacred Heart defeated Apollo-Ridge in both of those previous contests.

• In the 2021 meeting, OLSH edged Apollo-Ridge in a Week Zero matchup, 28-22. Last year in a 2A Allegheny Conference Week 5 clash, the Chargers knocked off the Vikings again, 26-7. The game last year was tied after one quarter before OLSH scored the final 19 points. Vann Kavals threw two scoring passes and ran for two touchdowns for the Chargers while the lone Vikings score came on an Alex Clawson to Gage Wingard 26-yard pass.

• When it comes to WPIAL boundaries, this is a battle of east vs. west. This is the 15th season of OLSH football, which began in 2010. This is the 56th anniversary for Apollo-Ridge football, which began playing in the fall of 1969.

Class A Big 7 Conference

Neshannock (3-1, 1-0) at Shenango (2-3, 1-1)

7 p.m. Friday at Frank Bongivengo Field at Glenn “Pop” Johnston Stadium at Shenango

Coaches: Mike Bongivengo, Neshannock; Jimmy Graham, Shenango

On air: Video stream on Trib HSSN

Last week: Neshannock 62, Northgate 27; South Side 35, Shenango 7

Players to watch: Anthony Eakin, Neshannock (Sr., 5-10, 185, RB/DB); Caleb McConnell, Shenango (Fr., 6-0, 144, QB/DB)

Team notes

Neshannock: Last week, the Lancers were coming off a rare open week that occurred when Rochester had to postpone the Class A Big 7 Conference opener for both teams because of injuries and illness. No make-up date has been determined. Neshannock showed no signs of rust though, as it scored 21 points in the first quarter and 28 points in the second to cruise past Northgate by 35 points. Senior running back Anthony Eakin carried the ball 13 times and rushed for 155 yards and two touchdowns on runs of 3, 51 and 15 yards for the Lancers. Quarterback Nico Medure threw four TD passes.

Shenango: Following losses to New Brighton and Ellwood City to begin the season, the Wildcats turned to the future with freshman quarterback Caleb McConnell. The move helped spark the offense to score 80 points in wins over Mohawk and Northgate. The nice run ended last week in an early-season battle for first place as Shenango lost to South Side. McConnell completed 10 of 18 passes for 81 yards and a touchdown. Niko Desalvo leads the team in rushing, averaging 5.9 yards per tote.

Historic factoids

• This will be the 55th meeting between Neshannock and Shenango. While the Lancers have had the better of the rivalry lately, the Wildcats lead the series 35-17-2.

• Shenango won 12 of the first 13 games in this series, but since 2011, Neshannock has won eight of the last nine, including last season, 43-14. Jino Mozzocio threw two touchdown passes to Anthony Eakin and also had a scoring run for the Lancers. Sam Patton and A.J. Ferilla scored TDs for the Wildcats.

• Neshannock coach Mike Bongivengo will be a visitor on the field named after his grandfather, former Shenango head coach Frank Bongivengo Sr.

• Fifty years ago, Neshannock won 16-6 for only the fourth time in the 18th game of the series in the fall of 1975. The most recent victory in this Lawrence County rivalry for Shenango was 10 years ago when the Wildcats beat the Lancers, 20-12, in 2015.

Tags: Aliquippa, Apollo-Ridge, Bethel Park, Central Catholic, Imani Christian, Moon, Neshannock, New Castle, North Allegheny, North Catholic, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Shenango