WPIAL 6A football championship breakdown: Mt. Lebanon vs. Central Catholic

By: Chris Harlan
Saturday, November 20, 2021 | 1:11 PM

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WPIAL Class 6A football championship

No. 1 Mt. Lebanon vs. No. 2 Central Catholic

7 p.m. Saturday, Norwin

On the air: TV: WPCW; Audio: TribHSSN.TribLive.com, 95.3 FM, 1020 AM

Winner plays: McDowell in the PIAA quarterfinals Nov. 26 or 27

WPIAL titles: Mt. Lebanon 7 (1966, ’70, ’80, ’81, ’83, ’84, 2000), Central Catholic 8 (2003, ’04, ’07, ’13, ’15, ’16, ’19, ’20)

Mt. Lebanon (11-0)

Player to watch: Alex Tecza

Central Catholic had no answer for Tecza in Week 6. He rushed for 256 yards on 29 carries and scored twice in Mt. Lebanon’s 35-14 win. The two-way starter hasn’t yet picked a college but has Division I offers from Army, Colgate, Dartmouth, Davidson, Delaware, Duquesne, Fordham, Harvard, Holy Cross, Navy, Penn and Robert Morris.

Statistical leaders

Passing: Joey Daniels, 75-134, 1,322 yards, 19 TDs

Rushing: Alex Tecza, 182-1,552 yards, 18 TDs

Receiving: Eli Heidenreich, 35-836 yards, 18 TDs

How they got here: Mt. Lebanon defeated No. 4 seed North Allegheny, 28-17, in a WPIAL semifinal Nov. 12.

Probable starting lineup

Coach: Bob Palko

Offense

QB, 3, Joey Daniels, 6-1, 185, sr.

RB, 5, Alex Tecza, 6-0, 200, sr.

HB, 8, Eli Heidenreich, 6-0, 180, sr.

WR, 7, Jack Smith, 6-3, 215, sr.

WR, 13, Michael Beiersdorf, 6-2, 185, jr.

WR, 12, Brendan Anderson, 5-10, 175, sr.

TE, 32, Grayson Dee, 6-2, 225, jr.

LT, 77, Kade Capristo, 6-3, 275, jr.

LG, 68, Owen Halter, 6-1, 235, sr.

C, 50, James Kline, 6-2, 255, sr.

RG, 78, Cooper Austin, 6-3, 265, sr.

RT, 55, Joey Peters, 6-6, 225, sr.

Defense

DE, 32, Grayson Dee, 6-2, 225, jr.

NG, 75, William Harvey, 6-3, 280, sr.

DT, 68, Owen Halter, 6-1, 235, sr.

OLB, 17, Tommy Boehner, 5-9, 175, sr.

OLB, 7, Jack Smith, 6-3, 215, sr.

ILB, 34, Charlie Pellagrino, 6-0, 210, sr.

ILB, 52, Daniel King, 5-11, 210, sr.

CB, 11, Sam Ward, 5-10, 185, sr.

S, 5, Alex Tecza, 6-0, 200, sr.

S, 8, Eli Heidenreich, 6-0, 180, sr.

CB, 4, Matt Wertz, 6-0, 180, sr.

Special teams

K/P, 38, Noah Bhuta, 6-0, 175, sr.

LS, Luke Lombardo, 6-1, 210, jr.

Notable: Mt. Lebanon defeated Central Catholic, 35-14, on Oct. 8-9. The game was interrupted by lightning and resumed the next morning. … The Blue Devils hadn’t reached the WPIAL finals since winning in 2000. … Third-year coach Bob Palko won eight WPIAL title in 24 seasons at West Allegheny. … Eli Heidenreich scored twice in the semifinals in less-traditional ways. He returned an interception 40 yards and a punt 41 yards for touchdowns. Teammate Connor Young returned a fumble 25 yards for a touchdown in the same game. … Mt. Lebanon’s offense was the stingiest in WPIAL Class 6A, allowing only 9.6 ppg. The offense ranks second to Central Catholic at 36.9 ppg.

Central Catholic (9-2)

Player to watch: Donovan Hinish

Hinish, a Notre Dame recruit, recovered a fumble for a touchdown in last week’s semifinal win over North Allegheny. He’ll play a key role in Central Catholic’s efforts to stop Mt. Lebanon’s running game. He committed in June to Notre Dame, where older brother Kurt is a senior. The Fighting Irish gave him his first Division I offer last November, but later added Pitt, Virginia Tech and others.

Statistical leaders

Passing: Payton Wehner, 117-184, 1,383 yards, 17 TDs

Rushing: Gannon Carothers, 180-975 yards, 13 TDs

Receiving: Brandon Jackson, 42-397 yards, 2 TDs

How they got here: Central Catholic defeated No. 3 seed Seneca Valley, 42-21, in a WPIAL semifinal Nov. 12.

Probable starting lineup

Coach: Terry Totten

Offense

QB, 5, Payton Wehner, 6-1, 160, so.

RB, 4, Gannon Carothers, 5-11, 200, sr.

WR, 10, Brandon Jackson, 5-7, 165, sr.

WR, 86, Pete Gonzalez, 6-2, 185, so.

WR, 32, Vernon Settles, 5-11, 150, so.

TE, 19, Josh Altsman, 6-4, 230, sr.

LT, 55, Matt Aulicino, 6-7, 235, sr.

LG, 59, Tanner Fuchs, 6-1, 275, so.

C, 52, Gabe Primrose, 6-0, 250, jr,

RG, 56, Dre Wilkins, 5-11, 265, sr.

RT, 50, Andrew Fontana, 6-4, 240, jr.

Defense

DL, 55, Matt Aulicino, 6-7, 235, sr.

DL, 51, Donovan Hinish, 6-2, 275, sr.

DL, 43, Elias Karanikos, 5-11, 250, sr.

DL, 45, Ty Yuhas, 6-2, 220, so.

LB, 7, Malachi Missouri, 5-11, 180, sr.

LB, 3, JD Younger, 5-11, 195, sr.

LB, 46, Dylan Deasy, 5-10, 185, so.

DB, 24, Keith Cushenberry, 6-0, 180, sr.

DB, 4, Gannon Carothers, 5-11, 200, sr.

DB, 22, Robinson Waddell, 5-10, 170, sr.

DB, 26, Xavier Thomas, 5-9, 145, fr.

Special teams

K/P, 38, Matt Schearer, 5-11, 170, sr.

LS, 33, Cole Feldstein, 5-10, 190, sr.

Notable: Central Catholic is a two-time defending WPIAL Class 6A champion. … The team has reached the WPIAL finals for the eighth time in nine seasons. The Vikings won five titles in that span. … Terry Totten has won six WPIAL titles as head coach. Bob Palko, Bill Cherpak and Phil Bridenbaugh are the only coaches with more. … Central Catholic has the highest-scoring offense in WPIAL Class 6A at 36.9 ppg. Its defense allows 13.8. … J.D. Younger (2) and Payton Wehner scored rushing TDs in last week’s win. Wehner also threw for two TDs. …. The Vikings could be without sophomore linebacker Anthony Speca, who is dealing with a shoulder injury.

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, Mt. lebanon