2026 Team Preview: The Northgate Flames
Tagged under: District 7, News, pfn, Team Previews
Peyton Celesti, Willie McGonigle | August 23, 2026
The Northgate Flames
Head Coach: Chris Lucas
PIAA District 7
Class 1A
Conference: WPIAL 1A Section 3
2025 Season Record: 1-9; 2026 Season Projection: 4-6
Full Interview with Interim Head Coach Chris Lucas!
| Key Starters lost |
| RB/LB Nick Rawlings, RB/LB Zion Ward |
| Returning starters (name, Position, HT, WT, Class Year |
| Devontae Smith, QB/LB, 6’2″, 225lbs, JR Johrdon Hairston, WR/DB, 5’11”, 153, SR Savian Baptiste, DB/RB, 5’8″, 155, SR Noel Aranda, WR/DB, 5’8″, 157, SR Samir King, WR/DB, 5’9″, 146, JR Christian Tamburri, LB/TE, 6’1″, 190, SR Sam Stiteler , K, 5’10”, 160, JR Billy Hurley, WR/DB, 6’0″ 160, SR Caleb Gorsuch, OL/DL, 5’11” 190, SR Romaro Clark, OL/DL, 6’0″, 215, JR Aidan Perkins, OL/DL, 6’1″, 240, SR |
| Key Newcomers name, position* |
| Jah’Sye Helms, RB/DB, 5’8″, 161, SO Braylon Mosley,OL/DL, 6’2″, 230, JR Jayden Turner, RB/LB, 5’11”, 205, JR Carter Wiand, FB/LB, 5’10”, 170, SO Kavion McDonald, OL/DL, 5’8″, 175, JR Ryan Gannon, OL, 5’10”, 245, FR |
| Season Outlook |
| Competing in the always-challenging Big 7 Conference, Northgate faced a difficult season last year with a young roster and a number of injuries throughout the year. The Flames enter this season with valuable experience gained from a year of competition and a much healthier roster. While the Big 7 will once again provide a demanding schedule, Northgate returns with greater maturity, experience, and confidence as they look to take the next step this season. |
After an eventful offseason, Interim Head Coach Chris Lucas takes on big tasks back at the helm
When Chris “Lucky” Lucas stepped down after three years as head coach of the Northgate Flames in 2024 to spend more time with his family, there seemed to be no thoughts of being a head coach again in the foreseeable future.
But two years later, the Northgate School District and the Northgate football program, which he helped stabilize after dwindling numbers and, at the time, a WPIAL record-long losing streak of 32 games from 2017-2020, pulled him back in for one last ride.
“I was very happy with the direction of the program [after I stepped down] with Coach Frat (Mark Fratangelo) after I agreed to stay on as part of his staff last season,” Lucas said. “I was asked to run the defense this offseason, but when he stepped back in May, they asked me to do an interim season.”
“I love Coach Frat, and I love these kids, so as long as he was coming back, I was happy to do it.”
Lucas, a Northgate graduate, has 20+ years of coaching experience in different roles at Bishop Canevin, West Allegheny, Avonworth, and North Catholic, along with several years as an assistant at Northgate before becoming head coach in 2022. But what he’ll have to do this year is not only something he’s never done, but is likely a task no head coach in the WPIAL or maybe even the state will be doing in 2026.
Along with head coaching duties and being a defensive coordinator for the second time in his career (2021, when the Flames broke their losing streak under head coach Michael Fulmore), he will also return to calling the offense. When 2025 offensive coordinator J’Me Harris, who, according to Lucas, returned to coach in Virginia “without notice” in the spring, Lucas, an offensive coach by trait, re-implemented the offense he ran during his first stint as head coach.
“When everything happened [in May], I didn’t want him [2028 QB DJ Smith] learning a third offense in three years,” Lucas said. “Bringing in a new coordinator or throwing that responsibility onto an assistant at the middle or end of May just wasn’t fair. We really had no choice.”
While the challenge of making weekly game plans for both sides of the ball is daunting, Lucas loves the coaching staff in place and says they will collectively help him game plan. New additions to the coaching staff this season include offensive line coach Brian “Bear” Dippolito and defensive backs coach Linwood Snyder, who has brought infectious energy to camp.
“I think coach Linwood Snyder is a big reason why this team has a different energy out there,” Lucas emphasized. “Unless they get the energy up when we start warm-ups, he doesn’t let them progress.”
Along with budding team camaraderie and chemistry, there has been more leadership and vocalization from this 2026 Flames team than in years past.
One player he credits is 2027 WR/FS Johrdon Hairston, who has been a top target for the Northgate offense since his first year, and is moving from corner to free safety on defense this season.
“He says a lot of things that are good lessons for the younger guys,” Lucas said. “It was brought up in the coach’s meeting the other day how he asks questions during film. This is the hardest he has worked in his four years here.”
Going into last season, Northgate was very young with virtually all new starters on both sides of the ball after losing 14 seniors from the class of 2025. Injuries plagued last season as well, forcing many players to get varsity reps sooner than anticipated.
With many returning starters and consistent participation in the offseason program by the vast majority of the 32-man roster, Lucas sees improvement across all position groups, including better speed and physicality overall, following the team’s offseason training with DeWayne Brown from 2Tenths Speed and Agility.
“With a brand new group sometimes you’re going to have years like last year,” Lucas acknowledged. “I think the o-line and d-line are going to be night and day [from last season].”
Lucas also expressed his excitement for the future of this year’s freshman class, which has produced five linemen for the first time in five years. Most importantly, they have created a more competitive scout team in practice this year, which can be challenging for smaller schools to have year to year.
The biggest piece of the puzzle for Northgate this season will be the play of intriguing 2028 quarterback prospect DJ (Devontae) Smith, who certainly can put the team on his back with his elite arm strength and athleticism from his 6’2″, 225-pound frame, and should be more comfortable doing so with a much better understanding of the offense he is in and processing the field pre- and post-snap.
“A lot last year, I didn’t know where I was going with the ball,” Smith said. “This year I know what I’m looking at and I know the coverages.”
Smith has continued to work with former NFL QB Mike McMahon in the offseason, whom he credits for his improved footwork. Additionally, Smith will be the ‘quarterback’ of Lucas’ defense at middle linebacker.
“I got something to prove this year.”
So, how will the Flames make the jump from a 1-9 season to vying for their first playoff spot since 2016 in the always tough WPIAL A Big 7 conference?
“We’ve got to worry about ourselves; we can’t worry about everybody else,” Lucas said. “We knew we had to improve. These kids need to keep doing what they’ve been doing throughout the summer and now.”
For the first time in four seasons, the Flames will have an opponent in Week 0 that is not the Matt Sieg-led Fort Cherry Rangers. 2A Keystone Oaks will visit Northgate at Alumni Field this Friday, Aug. 28, for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
For a more in-depth team preview, check out the video interview above with Coach Chris Lucas!
08-22
|
@ Neshannock (0-0) |
– |
08-28
|
vs. Keystone Oaks (0-0) |
– |
09-04
|
vs. Serra Catholic (0-0) |
– |
09-11
|
@ Brentwood (0-0) |
– |
09-18
|
vs. Shenango (0-0) |
– |
09-25
|
@ South Side (0-0) |
– |
10-02
|
@ Rochester (0-0) |
– |
10-09
|
vs. Laurel (0-0) |
– |
10-17
|
@ Summit Academy (0-0) |
– |
10-23
|
vs. Union Area (0-0) |
– |
10-30
|
vs. Cornell (0-0) |
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