Mt. Lebanon Tops Central Catholic for WPIAL 6A Football Crown

Monday, November 22, 2021

North Huntingdon, Pa. – For the first time in 21 years, Mt. Lebanon is a Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) football champion as the top-seeded Blue Devils defeated second-seeded Central Catholic, 47-7, this past Saturday evening in the WPIAL/UPMC Sports Medicine 6A Football Championship Game at Norwin Knights Stadium.

The title was Mt. Lebanon’s first since 2000, when it knocked off Woodland Hills, 14-13, in the 4A title tilt – the final WPIAL Championship Game hosted at Three Rivers Stadium. Central Catholic was looking to become the first school to win three consecutive 6A championships, and its fourth overall in 6A since the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) moved to a six-classification format in 2016.

The Vikings scored on the opening possession with a 15-yard run by Gannon Carothers, but it was all Blue Devils from that point on. Mt. Lebanon’s Alex Tecza scored five times – three times in the first half – and totaled 241 yards of offense, and Eli Heidenreich added 138 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns. Joey Daniels threw for 140 yards and three scores on 12-of-14 passing.

Daniels’ three touchdown passes went to Tecza, Heidenreich, and Brendan Anderson. Mt. Lebanon went ahead 28-7 at halftime, then scored on its first three second-half possessions – two of those coming on one-play drives.

The Blue Devils advanced to the title game with a 28-17 win over fourth-seeded North Allegheny, while Central Catholic topped Seneca Valley in its semifinal, 42-21.

This is Mt. Lebanon’s eighth WPIAL football crown in school history, and it improves to 8-4 all-time in WPIAL championship games. The defeat drops the Vikings to 8-5 all-time in WPIAL football finals.

Mt. Lebanon will now carry its 12-0 record into the PIAA 6A Football Championship quarterfinal round, where the Blue Devils will host District 10 champion McDowell at 7:00 PM on Friday, Nov. 26.

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