TRIB TOTAL MEDIA • 9
Coach: Art Walker
2019 record: 10-2, 7-1
All-time record: 424-248-14
SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Time
9.11 Seneca Valley* ppd
9.18 Baldwin* 7
9.25 at Central Catholic* 7
10.2 Mt. Lebanon* 7
10.9 at Norwin* 7
10.16 Canon-McMillan* 7
10.23 at Hempfield* 7
*CONFERENCE GAME
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Passing: Ben Petschke*
84-163, 1,319 yards, 16 TDs
Receiving: Luke Colella*
38-535 yards, 14 TDs
Rushing: Percise Colon*
140-1,089 yards, 12 TDs
*GRADUATED
FAST FACTS
• Two North Allegheny WPIAL
championship teams are
celebrating anniversaries this
season. Thirty years ago, the
Tigers won their first district
championship, beating Butler,
9-0, in 1990. Ten years ago,
the Tigers won the school’s
second title, topping Woodland
Hills, 21-14.
• North Allegheny is 4-4 alltime
in WPIAL championship
games.
• The Tigers gave up a total
of 91 points in two losses to
Pine-Richland last year, one
in the regular season and one
in the playoffs. In their other
10 games, the Tigers allowed
a total of 107 points. Only
Hempfield, in a 62-35 loss,
scored more than 14.
• North Allegheny has won 11
straight regular-season home
games, going 6-0 last year
and 5-0 the year before. The
Tigers dropped their home
finale to Pine-Richland in 2017.
NORTH ALLEGHENY
SHARING THE BALL
North Allegheny coach Art Walker has always
had a go-to guy in the backfield, one
running back who’d shoulder the bulk of the
carries.
Not so, this season.
“We’re going to be running back by committee
until somebody steps up and takes it,” Walker
said. “We could’ve done more evaluation if
we had camp, if we would have had two-a-days,
if we would have had a scrimmage and Week
Zero game.”
Instead, after a summer slowed by covid-19,
North Allegheny sprints toward the regular
season with five guys or more expected to split
carries. That list maybe includes unexpected
names, like linebacker Nate Hoke, a 6-foot-3,
225-pound BYU recruit.
The son of a former Pittsburgh Steelers
defensive lineman is quicker than expected.
“He’s a Division I athlete,” Walker said.
“We’d be doing our team a disservice if we
don’t put the ball in his hands.”
Senior running back Ben Rohan, and junior
Kolin Dinkins and J.R. Burton are also in the
hunt. The three combined for 497 yards on only
78 carries last season.
Dinkins led with 30 attempts.
“This isn’t a position we’ve been in,” Walker
said. “We knew Percise Colon was the guy
(last season). In years past, you knew (Alex)
Papson was the guy. You knew (Alex) DiCiantis
was the guy. So, yeah, it’s definitely a little bit
different.”
Colon rushed for more than 1,000 yards last
fall.
Walker still might find that guy, but it’s hard
to evaluate a running back during non-contact
drills, he said. North Allegheny scheduled
a scrimmage Friday at Erie’s Cathedral Prep
that could give the coaching staff more information.
The Tigers have tried one-back and two-back
sets, and at times will put a fullback alone in
the backfield, Walker said. Along with Hoke,
he named J.P. Cantu (5-9, 185) and Brady Leczo
(5-11, 200) as big-bodied options.
“They’re tough kids and they’re smart kids,”
Walker said. “They may not break one from 60
or 70 yards, but they’re going to be difficult to
bring down, and you’re going to know you tackled
someone if you had to tackle those two.”
But running back isn’t the only spot that
North Allegheny needed to fill since last season.
The Tigers graduated almost every starter
from last year’s offense that went 10-2 overall.
The team returns more experience on defense
than offense.
“We lost our quarterback, our top receiver
and our top rusher, so we’ve got some rebuilding
to do there,” Walker said. “We lost some
good guys up from. There will be some new
names and new faces but guys have been working
hard and waiting for their opportunity.”
One key returner is senior Khalil Dinkins,
a wide receiver and linebacker with major
Division I offers. He’s the son of former Pitt
and NFL player Darnell Dinkins and Kolin’s
older brother.
Dinkins had 16 catches for 399 yards and six
touchdowns.
He and senior receiver/free safety Mason
Kress will be among the team’s top wideouts,
and senior Greg Phillips is the starting quarterback.
Phillips replaces Ben Petschke, who
threw for 1,300 yards last season.
“He’s a program kid who’s done everything
we’ve asked of him for four years,” Walker
said of Phillips. “I’m proud of him because
he’s a guy who’s really worked hard to have
this opportunity.”
Senior Mike Dorn (6-0, 225) is the only lineman
returning who played all 12 games last
season, while senior Ben Caputo (6-3, 205)
started about half of the weeks.
Defensively, there’s considerably more experience
returning, led by Hoke and Dinkins.
Cantu and linebacker Brady Leczo will also
shore up the defense.
Another player with NFL ties, defensive end
junior Jacob Porter could be a key contributor.
Porter is the son of former Steelers linebacker
Joey Porter.
“He’s gotten bigger and is kind of coming
into his own,” Walker said.
Hoke, though, could be the team’s most versatile
player. Along with linebacker and running
back, he’ll also fill an H-back role.
“You’ll see him on the edge, you’ll see him as
a fullback in the backfield and as the tailback in
the one-back (formation),” Walker said. “He’s a
really, really smart football player. There’s no
concern about putting him in multiple spots
because of his football knowledge.”
by CHRIS HARLAN
NORTH ALLEGHENY • CLASS 6A
GREG PHILLIPS
KHALIL DINKINS