As a program that’s always been in the center of it all, Central Catholic football embraces the idea of one Class 6A conference to rule them all. The Vikings have faced northern foes, southern foes and eastern foes, depending on the season, but now they’ll do it all at once.
Count 14-year coach Terry Totten among those who don’t mind the new WPIAL landscape, the one with just nine teams in the largest classification, all in one big melting pot. North Allegheny and Pine-Richland will remain rivals, but now Central Catholic can count the likes of Hempfield and Norwin as conference counterparts for the first time in more than a decade.
“It’s going to be interesting,” Totten said, “but it’s good to play everybody. It’s kind of like a major-conference type of thing — you have to play everybody. We’ll see how that it is and how it plays out.”
No matter who they play, the Vikings would just like to get back to turning away all comers. They’ve only lost to one WPIAL team since 2015, but both defeats in 2017 were humbling.
Coach: Terry Totten
Years at school: 14
2017 record: 10-3
WPIAL playoff appearances: 24
Returning starters: Offense 5, Defense 4
Key returners: Brian Dallas (6-4, 215, Sr., DE), Dom Dodson (5-11, 185, Sr., LB-DB), Gavin Thomson (6-0, 170, Sr., WR-S)
Keys to success: Take advantage of talent on defense. Get the ball to offensive playmakers.
It was just two seasons ago that Central Catholic was king of Western Pennsylvania football, but what Pine-Richland did last year made the 2016 PIAA runner-up Vikings seem like ancient history. The Rams rolled to victories of 47-17 and 42-7 in their two routs of Central Catholic a season ago, the first in conference play and the second in the WPIAL title game, denying the Vikings a three-peat.
“We’re a year removed from a WPIAL championship and a state appearance,” Totten said, “but that’s always the goal.”
To get back there, Totten will have to turn to some unheralded names. There might be a new generation of Central Catholic football stars waiting in the wings, but if so, Totten is playing it as coy as ever.
Start with quarterback, for example. Three-year starter Troy Fisher is gone, and there’s no clear answer to who will replace him.
“We have two kids that are very capable,” Totten said. “I’m not going to mention names because they’re competing and all that, but we’re happy with what we’ve seen so far.”
Both candidates to start under center are juniors who played for the junior varsity last season. Dom Pieto and Gusty Sunseri were sophomore backups a year ago, the latter being a cousin of former Vikings and Pitt signal-caller Tino Sunseri.
There’s not much more clarity in the backfield, where junior Dontre Jones is the leading returning rusher with 436 yards on 120 carries. But he shouldn’t have to be the sole workhorse, as junior Luke Robson was due for a running role before missing last season with an injury and junior Kyros Thorpe is coming on strong. Thorpe, who ran for 289 yards last year and averaged 8.3 per carry, is yet another cousin of former Vikings lineman C.J. Thorpe, the son of Fox Chapel football great Jerry Thorpe and brother of track stars Aja and Summer Thorpe.
“They’re both very much in the picture. Both have an offensive and defensive position, and I expect them to play a lot,” Totten said of Sunseri, also a linebacker, and Thorpe, also a cornerback. “They’re competitive, just like their families.”
The primary playmaker on offense might just be senior wideout Gavin Thomson, who has been the talk of offseason workouts in Oakland. Thomson last year had six touchdown catches, ran back a punt for a score and returned an interception to the house, so he’ll likely be one of the few players Totten uses both ways.
“He caught a lot of balls last year, he’s pretty good at safety, so we’re expecting him to have a big year,” Totten said of Thomson, who has offers from Columbia and Bucknell. “I’m sure there’s going to be some [Football Championship Subdivision] powerhouses and I know a couple [Football Bowl Subdivision schools] are interested.”
Senior Nick Navarro could also see plenty of targets as a receiver. Senior Connor Rust and juniors Matt Altsman and Liam Kearney are returning starters on the offensive line, while tackle Richard Tillman and fellow senior Brian Dallas are back on the defensive line. Call Dallas a defensive end, but he’s really just a one-man wrecking ball rushing the passer no matter what position he’s attacking from.
“He has to get stronger and keep working hard in practice. He will probably draw their best athlete on the other side, but we move him around a little bit and he is very capable of getting to the quarterback, so we’re counting on that,” Totten said, adding that his Kent State and Toledo target should see his recruitment increase. “It’s coming. He’s got MAC offers, and maybe the next level up is coming; some of those American Athletic Conference schools are very interested.”
Elsewhere defensively, junior Luke Harris could be the Vikings’ next stud linebacker, while versatile Columbia recruit Dom Dodson could line up most anywhere in the second or third level. Totten admitted he likes the makeup of his defense, and even feels good about his special teams, with junior kicker John Opalko back and senior Tucker Dunn ready to uphold tradition at long-snapper.
About the only negative news this offseason for the Vikings was that starting receiver-defensive back Corey Thomas, a Division I recruit, transferred to Penn Hills.
“He’s a good athlete and we wish him well,” Totten said, “but we have guys that are capable, so we’re moving forward.”
Brian Batko: bbatko@post-gazette.com and Twitter @BrianBatko.
First Published: August 16, 2018, 12:00 p.m.
