Central Catholic Defenseโ Shuts Down North โAllegheny in 21-6 Victory
PITTSBURGH – Centralโฃ Catholic’s defense proved dominant Friday night, leading the โVikings to a 21-6 victory โขover north Allegheny in a highly anticipated โClass 6A matchup. The win marks โฃthe โฃthird consecutive victoryโค for Central Catholic โagainst their rival, reversingโ a recent trend of North Allegheny dominance in theโ series.
The game showcasedโ a โคsignificant โขshift โin the rivalry, asโข North Allegheny had securedโ wins โฃagainst Central Catholicโค in both 2022 and 2023. This victory solidifies Central Catholic’s position as a top contender in Class 6A and sets the stage forโค a possibly decisive โฃrematch later in the season. โค
Central Catholicโ seized momentum early in the second half with a 39-yard kick return โby Nico Mager, positioning the offense at the North Allegheny 49-yard line. Theโค Vikings swiftly capitalized,โ marching โคdownfield and โฃscoring onโ a โค10-yard touchdown run by Thompson, extending their โคlead to 14-3. The driveโฃ was highlighted by โa 34-yard RPO pass from Owen Herrickโ to โขAiden Nasiadka, setting up the score.
The Vikings continued toโค apply pressure, with Jayden Alexander breaking through the line for a 53-yard touchdown run, increasing the lead to 21-3.โ Despite a lateโข push from North Allegheny, including a 48-yard completion from Brady Brinkley to โคCam Kushner, the โคCentral Catholic defense held firm.
North Allegheny managed to โget โon the โฃboard with a 25-yard field goal by Marowich in the fourthโฃ quarter, but Central Catholic’s โdefensive stand, including a tackle for loss by Jaylen โAlexander, prevented further scoring.
“We didn’t play our best game,butโค we came โout with the W,” saidโ Central Catholic coach Blatt. “We’reโ going toโข flushโข it after today, butโค next โtime we play them isโฃ definitely going to be something and would be for the big one.”