WPIAL Class 6A football finals breakdown: North Allegheny vs. Central Catholic

By: Chris Harlan
Friday, November 6, 2020 | 1:43 AM

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WPIAL Class 6A football championship

No. 1 North Allegheny vs. No. 3 Central Catholic

7 p.m. Friday, North Hills’ Martorelli Stadium

On the air: TV: WPCW; Audio: TribHSSN.triblive.com

Winner plays: Winner of McDowell vs. Erie High in PIAA quarterfinals, Nov. 13-14.

WPIAL titles: North Allegheny 4 (1990, 2010, ’11, ’12), Central Catholic 7 (2003, ‘04, ’07, ’13, ’15, ’16, ’19)

North Allegheny (6-0)

Player to watch: Khalil Dinkins

Senior, 6-4, 220, WR/DB

The Penn State recruit is a versatile offensive weapon for the Tigers. He’s the team’s leading receiver but also can take direct snaps as a wildcat quarterback. He scored twice against Central Catholic in Week 3 on a direct-snap run and an interception return.

Statistical leaders

Passing: Greg Phillips, 42-57, 567 yards, 7 TDs

Rushing: J.R. Burton, 52-303 yards, 3 TDs

Receiving: Khalil Dinkins, 17-236 yards, 3 TDs

How they got here: No. 1 seed North Allegheny defeated Seneca Valley, 21-7, in a WPIAL semifinal.

Probable starting lineup

Coach: Art Walker

Offense

LT, 72, Josh Ruppert, 6-2, 260, jr.

LG, 51, Nick Frisco, 6-0, 240, jr.

C, 64, Ben Withrow, 5-10, 230, sr.

RG, 74, Michael Dorn, 6-1, 250, sr.

RT, 55, Ben Caputo, 6-4, 235, sr.

QB, 13, Greg Phillips, 6-1, 175, sr.

WR, 5, Mason Kress, 5-11, 170, sr.

WR, 8, Khalil Dinkins, 6-4, 220, sr.

WR, 9, Dwayne Taylor, 6-5, 190, jr.

RB, 41, J.R. Burton, 5-8, 170, jr.

(or) RB, 26, Nathan Hoke, 6-3, 220, sr.

FB, 36, Brady Leczo, 5-11, 215, sr.

(or) FB, 21, Sean Metcalf, 6-1, 195, sr.

Defense

DL, 10, Jacob Porter, 6-3, 195, jr.

DL, 74, Michael Dorn, 6-1, 250, sr.

DL, 51, Nick Frisco, 6-0, 240, jr.

DL, 79, Luke Rumpler, 5-9, 220, jr.

OLB, 8, Khalil Dinkins, 6-4, 220, sr.

ILB, 26, Nathan Hoke, 6-3, 220, sr.

ILB, 36, Brady Leczo, 5-11, 215, sr.

OLB, 21, Sean Metcalf, 6-1, 195, sr.

CB, 7, Kolin Dinkins, 6-1, 165, jr.

S, 15, Josh Humphries, 6-0, 190, sr.

S, 5, Mason Kress, 5-11, 170, sr.

CB, 3, Ben Rohan, 6-0, 180, sr.

Special teams

K, 43, Brandon Persad, 5-7, 155, sr.

P, 29, Harron Lee, 5-8, 150, so.

LS, 24, J.P. Cantu, 5-10, 200, sr.

Notable: North Allegheny defeated Central Catholic, 35-21, on Sept. 25. … The Tigers had three conference games canceled when opponents shut down because of covid-19 cases. … NA hadn’t reached the WPIAL finals since winning three consecutive titles in 2010-12. … Art Walker previously coached Central Catholic, winning WPIAL titles there in 2003 and ’04. He has five titles. … The NA roster has a number of NFL connections. Nathan Hoke is the son of former Steelers defensive lineman Chris Hoke. He was injured and missed the regular-season matchup with Central Catholic in Week 3. He’s committed to BYU, which also is his father’s alma mater. … Khalil and Kolin Dinkins are the sons of former Pitt and NFL player Darnell Dinkins. … Jacob Porter is the son of former Steelers linebacker Joey Porter. … NA’s offense averages 30.2 points per game and its defense allows 9.7.

Central Catholic (5-2)

Player to watch: Eddy Tillman

Senior, 5-8, 165, RB

Coming off a 2,000-yard rushing season as a junior, Tillman is one of the the top running backs in the WPIAL. However, North Allegheny held him to 17 yards on 15 carries in Week 3. He did find the end zone on a 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

Statistical leaders

Passing: Adam Obrin, 36-71, 655 yards, 5 TDs

Rushing: Eddy Tillman, 104-809 yards, 7 TDs

Receiving: Eric Benson, 21-291 yards, 4 TDs

How they got here: No. 3 seed Central Catholic defeated No. 2 Mt. Lebanon, 35-0, in a WPIAL semifinal.

Probable starting lineup

Coach: Terry Totten

Offense

LT, 55, Matt Aulicino, 6-6, 215, jr.

LG, 54, Jackson Farrell, 6-0, 240, so.

C, 56, Grant Cullen, 6-1, 255, sr.

RG, 66, Carter Santos, 6-1, 245, sr.

RT, 51, Donovan Hinish, 6-2, 265, jr.

TE, 19, Josh Altsman, 6-3, 205, jr.

(or) TE, 81, Bralen Henderson, 6-4, 255, sr.

WR, 5, Anderson Cynkar, 6-1, 185, sr.

WR, 8, Matt Schmitt, 6-1, 175, sr.

WR, 14, Eric Benson, 6-1, 205, sr.

SL, 4, Gannon Carothers, 5-10, 185, jr.

(or) SL, 10, Brandon Jackson, 5-7, 160, jr.

RB, 41, Eddy Tillman, 5-8, 165, sr.

QB, 15, Adam Obrin, 5-10, 160, sr.

Defense

DT, 51, Donovan Hinish, 6-2, 265, jr.

DT, 81, Bralen Henderson, 6-4, 255, sr.

DE, 55, Matt Aulicino, 6-6, 215, jr.

DE, 9, Kairos Beasley, 6-0, 215, sr.

OLB, 21, Liam O’Connor, 6-0, 185, sr.

MLB, 16, Anthony Speca, 6-3, 205, fr.

OLB, 3, J.D. Younger, 5-10, 195, jr.

DB, 7, Chase Horne, 5-10, 165, sr.

DB, 5, Anderson Cynkar, 6-1, 185, sr.

DB, 2, Devin Barren, 6-0, 180, jr.

DB, 4, Gannon Carothers, 5-10, 185, jr.

Special teams

K, 38, Matthew Schearer, 5-10, 150, jr.

P, 5, Anderson Cynkar, 6-1, 185, sr.

LS, 72, Nolan Vigliotti, 6-1, 240, sr.

Notable: Central Catholic is the defending WPIAL Class 6A champion. … The team has reached the WPIAL finals for the seventh time in eight seasons. The Vikings won four titles in that span. … The team is 3-2 all-time against North Allegheny in the playoffs. They last met in 2015 and the Vikings won 31-17. … Donovan Hinish is the younger brother of former Vikings star Kurt Hinish, now a senior starter on Notre Dame’s defensive line. … Bralen Henderson had four sacks in last week’s shutout win over Mt. Lebanon. … Central Catholic’s offense is averaging 35.9 points and its defense allows 18.6.

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, North Allegheny