Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League

The story of high school football in Western Pennsylvania has countless chapters to it, and one of its most impressive teams would be the North Allegheny side from 2012. Under the direction of head coach Art Walker, the Tigers went a perfect 16-0, winning the WPIAL and PIAA Class 4A championships, and finished with the No. 4 national ranking according to MaxPreps. The WPIAL championship game triumph was North Allegheny’s third in a row, making it the third team in league history to win three consecutive titles at the largest classification, and it remains the last to do so. The Tigers outscored its opponents, 671-140, and went over the 42-point mark in 11 contests - including all three PIAA games. North Allegheny held current NFL runningback Miles Sanders to just 15 yards on 13 carries in the second half in a 21-14 win over Woodland Hills for the WPIAL title, and in the PIAA quarterfinals, it limited another NFL runningback in James Conner to 36 rushing yards in a 56-6 blowout of McDowell. The Tigers’ most impressive performance came for the PIAA title, as it defeated Coatesville, 63-28, with the 63 points scored the most ever in a PIAA championship game at the time. Walker was named the National Sports News Service National Coach of the Year, and the Tigers boasted numerous All-State selections, including Mack Leftwich, Greg Garrity, Zach Lyon, Brendan Coniker, and Jeremy Gonzales. Leftwich, the quarterback, was named the Pennsylvania Sports Writers’ Class 4A Player of the Year after throwing for over 3,000 yards and 45 touchdowns. He later became a two-time Broyles Award nominee at Texas State University, which is given to the best assistant coach in college football, and is the current offensive coordinator for Texas Tech University.