NA Hosts Central Catholic In Class 6A Clash of Titans
It’s a rematch of the 2022 WPIAL Class 6A championship game tonight at Newman Stadium as the North Allegheny Tigers host the Central Catholic Vikings. The top two-ranked teams in the largest classification have rolled through opponents so far this season and have been on a collision course for this week four matchup. Both teams enter this contest with identical 4-0 records and a 1-0 mark in the Tri-County Five Conference.
Under first-year head coach Ryan Lehmeier, Central Catholic boasts the highest scoring offense in all of the WPIAL, averaging over 50 points per game. This prolific attack is facilitated by the leading passer in the WPIAL, Payton Wehner, who has thrown over 1,000 yards with 15 touchdowns and just 1 interception. The Vikings also feature four major Division I commits, including wide receiver Peter Gonzalez and linebacker Anthony Speca, who are both headed to Penn State; tight end and linebacker Cole Sullivan who will go to Michigan, and defensive lineman Ty Yuhaus, who is committed to the University of Pittsburgh. The Vikings are coming of an impressive 49-0 win at Mt. Lebanon last week and have scored no less than 43 points in any game this season.
North Allegheny, meanwhile, boasts the best scoring defense in Class 6A allowing a paltry eight points per game. Linebacker Tyree Alualu, a Trib Terrific 25 pick from a season ago, headlines the defense and has 12 D-I offers. But the NA offense can score some points too, averaging 49 points per game and coming off a game against Baldwin in which it scored 61 points in the first half.
Tigers quarterback Logan Kushner is a dual-threat QB, who leads the team in rushing with 316 yards and five rushing touchdowns, to go along with eight arial scores. Kushner rushed for a career-high 195 yards against Central Catholic in last year’s WPIAL championship game, which resulted in a 35-21 victory for North Allegheny. The Class 6A Player of the Year from a season ago, Khiryn Boyd, hauled in two long touchdown passes from Kushner in the title win.
Kickoff for tonight’s game is set for 7:30 p.m. as North Allegheny hosts Central Catholic from Newman Stadium. The contest will be featured by the Trib Live High School Sports Network as the Big 56 Class 6A Game of the Week. To watch tonight’s game, click here.
