Gibsonia, Pa. – The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) held two championship games of the WPIAL/UPMC Sports Medicine Football Championships presented by Noble Environmental on Saturday, Nov. 15 at Pine-Richland High School.
Central Catholic is now a ten-time WPIAL football champion, having won all its titles over the last 22 seasons. The Vikings are now tied with Jeanette for the fifth-most WPIAL championships all-time.
Aliquippa claimed their 21
st WPIAL Championship which extends their WPIAL record as the next closest school is Clairton with 14 WPIAL titles. The Quips last wont eh championship in 2023 when they capped off a run of three-straight championship wins.
CLASS 6A RECAP
Top-seeded Central Catholic returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and went on to score six straight times to claim the Class 6A championship with a 42–7 victory over No. 2 North Allegheny on Saturday night.
The Vikings struck early and often, outgaining North Allegheny 232–59 on the ground despite the Tigers controlling possession for 34:26 compared to Central Catholic’s 13:34.
Junior Jayden Alexander set the tone immediately, taking the opening kickoff 96 yards to the end zone. After a North Allegheny three-and-out, the Vikings wasted no time extending the lead as Roman Thompson powered in for a 13-yard touchdown run. Thompson added two more scores before halftime—both short-yardage runs—to give Central Catholic a commanding 28–0 advantage at the break.
North Allegheny opened the second half with the ball but went three-and-out again. Central Catholic capitalized with a four-play drive capped by Thompson’s third touchdown of the night. Alexander later added a five-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to make it 42–0. The Tigers avoided the shutout with a late 10-play drive, ending in a five-yard touchdown pass from Brady Brinkley to Cameron Kushner.
Thompson finished with 95 rushing yards on seven carries and three touchdowns. Alexander added 62 yards on three carries to go with his kickoff return score. Chrys Black contributed 62 rushing yards on 12 attempts, averaging 5.2 yards per carry. Quarterback Owen Harrick completed 3 of 8 passes for 37 yards. Defensively, Colson Gatten posted a team-high 12 tackles with a sack and a pass breakup, while Ashton Blatt added five tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble.
For North Allegheny, Brinkley threw for 145 yards on 12-of-23 passing with one touchdown. Sophomore receiver Ben Kern led the Tigers with 74 yards on four receptions, while Kushner added four catches for 44 yards and a score. Defensively, Kellan Frank tied for the team lead with seven tackles, adding a forced fumble and pass breakup.
Central Catholic advanced to its seventh straight WPIAL championship game after defeating No. 4 Canon-McMillan, 44–7, in the semifinals. North Allegheny returned to the title matchup by beating No. 3 Norwin, 35–17. This marked the fourth consecutive Class 6A championship meeting between the Vikings and Tigers.
CLASS 4A RECAP
No. 7 seed Aliquippa forced three turnovers and held top-seeded McKeesport scoreless in the second half to claim the Class 4A championship, 21–12, on Saturday afternoon.
A pair of key statistics powered the Quips to victory: they converted 5 of 6 fourth-down attempts and limited McKeesport star running back Kemon Spell to just 74 yards on his final 18 carries.
McKeesport struck first after an Aliquippa three-and-out, as Spell broke free on the Tigers’ first play from scrimmage for a 68-yard touchdown. The missed extra point kept the score at 6–0. Aliquippa responded immediately with a 15-play drive capped by senior quarterback Marques Council’s 24-yard touchdown run.
After a McKeesport fumble, the Quips capitalized again. Council connected with receiver Cleaster Longmire for 56 yards to set up prime field position, and moments later, on fourth down, he hit Josh Lay in the right corner of the end zone to give Aliquippa a 14–6 lead. Midway through the second quarter, a 51-yard kick return positioned McKeesport at the Quips’ 26-yard line. Spell ended the drive with a six-yard touchdown run, but the two-point attempt failed, cutting the deficit to 14–12.
McKeesport had a chance to take the lead before halftime but elected to go for it on fourth down from the Aliquippa 10 instead of attempting a field goal. The Tigers were stopped, turning the ball over on downs with 49 seconds remaining.
Both teams were held scoreless in a penalty-filled third quarter. Early in the fourth, the Quips extended their lead when Council floated a 24-yard jump-ball touchdown to QaLil Goode in the back of the end zone—again on fourth down. That score made it a two-possession game, and the Quips’ defense shut out McKeesport the rest of the way to secure the 21–12 victory and a berth in the PIAA playoffs.
Council finished with 123 passing yards and two touchdowns, adding 47 rushing yards and a score on six carries. Running back Joseph Work led the Quips with 20 carries for 57 yards, while Goode posted a team-high 53 receiving yards on five catches and a touchdown. Junior linebacker Avery Coleman paced the defense with six tackles and 2.5 sacks, and Akiva Woods added the Quips’ lone interception.
McKeesport quarterback Matthew Miller completed four passes for 30 yards and was sacked four times. Spell carried the offensive load with 142 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries while also completing a 37-yard pass on a trick play. Defensively, Taier Swindle led the Tigers with 11 tackles.
Aliquippa reached the championship by defeating No. 2 Trinity, 21–14, and shutting out No. 3 New Castle, 14–0. McKeesport returned to the 4A title game after a 44–7 win over No. 8 Chartiers Valley and a 28–3 victory against No. 4 Thomas Jefferson.