North Allegheny notebook: Tigers girls wrestling team wins at Butler

By: Tribune-Review
Saturday, December 16, 2023 | 11:01 AM

Behind victories by Audrey Morrison (142 pounds) and Kaylee Dean (235), North Allegheny took home the team title at the Butler girls wrestling tournament Dec. 9.

Both had pins in their championship bouts. Morrison was 4-0 on the day, while Dean was 2-0.

Sophia Folks (148) and Leyna Rumpler (155) finished in second place in their weight classes. Hannah Williams (118) and Maya Scott (148) each finished fourth.

Moon boys top Tigers

Elijah Guillory had a game-high 30 points with four 3-pointers as Moon (3-2) defeated North Allegheny (1-3) in a nonsection boys basketball matchup Dec. 12.

Joe Dopirak scored a team-high 27 points for North Allegheny followed by Joe Marquis with 15.

The Tigers beat Susquehanna, 73-47, in a nonsection game Dec. 9, after opening the season with losses to Mt. Lebanon and York Suburban.

Girls hoops moves to 4-0

North Allegheny’s girls basketball team won a pair of games at the Archbishop Horan tournament, in Akron, Ohio earlier this month to move to 4-0 overall.

The Tigers beat Toledo Central Catholic, 64-48, on Dec. 9. Lydia Betz had 25 points, and Kellie McConnell and Rae Shanahan added 12 points apiece.

The next day, NA rolled past Stow-Munroe Falls, 68-34. Betz had 25 points, followed by Caroline Henderson with 18 and McConnell with 10.

Boys wrestling competes at Trinity Duals

North Allegheny boys wrestlers won three matches at the Trinity Duals on Dec. 9.

The Tigers took down Penn-Trafford, 44-21, Central Valley, 62-10, and Wheeling Park (W.Va.), 42-35.

They lost to Cathedral Prep, 36-26, in the championship quarterfinals.

The Tigers were to compete at the Kiski Area Cavalier Duals over the weekend and open Section 2-3A competition Dec. 20 against North Hills.

Hockey still in 1st place

North Allegheny’s hockey team improved to 8-2 with a 4-1 win over Central Catholic on Dec. 11 at Baierl Ice Complex.

Owen Logan, Ravi Desai, Evan Kerber and Marc Joyson scored for the Tigers.

Andrew Long made 24 saves, as North Allegheny remained in first place in the Class 3A standings.

St. Joseph coach proud of team’s accomplishment

St. Joseph’s Prep football has dominated the state’s largest classification for over a decade, and the Philadelphia team’s coach isn’t about to apologize for the school’s success.

The Hawks won their eighth title in 11 years Dec. 9 by defeating WPIAL champion North Allegheny, 45-23, in a Class 6A final that ended with a running clock under the mercy rule. Afterward, NA coach Art Walker acknowledged some frustration about having to face St. Joseph’s Prep.

Walker pointed out days before the game that the Philadelphia Catholic school draws students from multiple states yet was playing for a Pennsylvania championship.

Asked about the criticism levied by opponents, St. Joseph’s Prep coach Tim Roken praised the hard work of his players and staff.

“I don’t think a lot of people understand the sacrifices these guys make, and their families, and how we go about our business,” Roken said after the game. “I’m just so very proud of our school and our community. We’re going to continue to work our tails off to have this opportunity every year.”

Roken joined St. Joseph’s Prep coaching staff in 2010 and was promoted to head coach in 2019. The Hawks have reached the PIAA finals in all five of his seasons, winning four state titles.

“There are a lot of great coaches (in Pennsylvania) and they all work very hard, and all of the kids work very hard in this state,” Roken said. “It’s a very tough state for football. Our guys believe in what we do.”

National power IMG Academy was the only opponent to beat St. Joseph’s Prep this year.

The Philadelphia Catholic League team also won state titles in 2013, ’14, ’16, ’18, ’19, ’20 and ’22. The Hawks have had some star-studded rosters over the years, and this year’s team was ranked sixth nationally by USA Today.

The lineup North Allegheny faced was heavy in Division I college recruits, starting with Cincinnati-bound quarterback Samaj Jones. The senior threw touchdown passes to receivers committed to West Virginia (Brandon Rehmann) and Cincinnati (Elijah Jones), and highly recruited junior running back Isaiah West also reached the end zone.

Before becoming coach at North Allegheny, Walker won a state title with Central Catholic in 2004. But Walker has emphasized that it’s the multi-state enrollment that sets St. Joseph’s Prep apart.

“I never had a kid from Ohio or West Virginia or New York or Maryland on my team,” Walker said last week. “There’s a difference there. St. Joe’s and Central Catholic are not the same.”

Tags: North Allegheny