68 • TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2020 • TRIB TOTAL MEDIA
ALLEGHENY • NORTH CATHOLIC
JOEY PRENTICE
CARSON LACONI
SCHEDULE
Coach: Patrick O’Shea
2019 record: 8-2, 8-0
All-time record: 446-308-32
Date Opponent Time
9.11 at Derry* 7
9.18 Valley* 7
9.25 at East Allegheny* 7
10.2 Burrell* 7
10.9 South Park 7
10.16 at Deer Lakes* 7
10.23 Freeport* 7
*CONFERENCE GAME
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Passing Zach Rocco*
149-242, 1,814 yards, 25 TDs
Receiving Nick Maher
46-853 yards, 12 TDs
Rushing Anthony Serventi*
97-754 yards, 15 TDs
*GRADUATED
FAST FACTS
• The North Catholic seniors
were freshmen when coach
Pat O’Shea took over the
North Catholic program and
have recorded a 25-4 regular
season record over the past
three years.
• The Trojans haven’t had
a losing season since 2007
when they were playing in
the WPIAL Class A Big Seven
Conference and went 4-6.
• Kicker Will Kunzman returns
for the Trojans after converting
32 extra-point attempts last
season.
• The Trojans have to replace
Anthony Serventi, who recorded
1,076 yards of offense last season
and scored 15 touchdowns.
NORTH CATHOLIC MOVED
BY POSTSEASON LOSS
by GREG MACAFEE
The North Catholic football players are
motivated by how their 2019 season ended.
The Trojans had high expectations last
season, and through the regular season they
fulfilled those expectations. They won eight
of nine regular season games, with their
only loss coming against WPIAL Class 3A
champion Central Valley. And, they captured
the Big East Conference title after averaging
33.6 points per game.
But, the Trojans fell short in the playoffs,
losing to South Park, 32-27.
They vowed to bounce back this season.
“It’s definitely motivation for us, and we
have South Park on our schedule this year
too, so that’s a game that’s definitely marked
on our schedule,” senior wide receiver Nick
Maher said.
North Catholic will have to replace starting
quarterback Zach Rocco, who threw for 1,814
yards and 25 touchdowns while completing
62% of his passes as a senior. It’s tough to
step in for a three-year starter, but North
Catholic coach Patrick O’Shea has two viable
options.
Juniors Joey Prentice and Carson Laconi
split snaps during offseason workouts.
Prentice was the backup behind Rocco last
season and completed 3 of 5 pass attempts
for 91 yards and a touchdown. Laconi was a
reserve wide receiver.
“They have the same skillset Zach had;
they are not as physically built as Zach, but
they are athletes,” O’Shea said. “We haven’t
had the time with the shutdown to even
consider who it might be right now, but once
we make the decision, it might change our
play calling a little bit. There might be some
things that we didn’t run last year, that we
run this year since we have a different quarterback
in there.”
Whoever does win the starting quarterback
position will have several athletes
surrounding them — Nick Maher, Jaren
Thimons, Pierce Khoury, Isaiah Jackson and
several others will fill in at skill positions
this season.
Maher was North Catholic’s leading receiver
last season with 46 receptions for 853 yards
and 12 touchdowns. Thimons also tallied 191
receiving yards and averaged 10.6 yards per
catch. But the talent North Catholic has at
the skill positions doesn’t stop with their
top guys; O’Shea believes that will be one of
their strengths this season.
“The skill set is one of our biggest challenges
because we have so many kids that
can play F, that can play slot receiver, that
we can switch to wide outs and it becomes
a little even more challenging defensively,”
O’Shea said. “There is a large number of
athletes and some ninth graders that are just
coming in that are in the mix to get a lot of
playing time.”
While the Trojans have plenty of depth
at the skill sports, they have to be as strong
across the line as they have been in recent
years. They have to replace to standout linemen
in Carson Primrose and Dominic Prentice, who
had anchored the line for the past few seasons.
But what they lack in size across the line,
Jackson believes they will make up for in the
speed they have all over the field.
“I think we are faster than 90% of the teams
that we are going to play,” Jackson said. “We
aren’t as big as we’ve been in the past, but our
speed makes up for it.”