Pittsburgh Central Catholic Battles, Falls to LaSalle College In 6A Final

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Shane Lux | December 7, 2025

Mechanicsburg – LaSalle College won its first state title since 2009, knocking off Pittsburgh Central Catholic 34-20, Saturday night at Cumberland Valley’s Chapman Field.

Back on August 22nd, Pittsburgh Central Catholic and LaSalle College opened the season against each other, with the Explorers traveling to the Wolvearena in Pittsburgh and knocking off the Vikings 23-6.

It was clear that a rematch was a real possibility. It became even more apparent in the opening week of the postseason when LaSalle knocked off the 3-time defending state champion St. Joseph’s Prep, 24-14 at Villanova University for District 12 gold.

In fact, the Hawks have played in every 6A state final since the PIAA adopted the format in 2016, winning the title in 7 of those 9 seasons.

St. Joseph’s Prep defeated Pittsburgh Central  Catholic 42-7 in 2016 and 35-6 a season ago. The Hawks also beat the Vikings 35-10 in the 2013 Quad A final.

Central Catholic returned to the state final, looking to win its first state title in a decade, and knocked off a District 12 opponent in the state final for the first time.

The Vikings played their most competitive contest in the state final since winning it all against Parkland, 21-18, in 2015. However, in the end, LaSalle and 5-star Notre Dame recruit Joey O’Brien proved too much.

“My hats off to those guys, they’re a great program,” said Central Catholic head coach Ryan Lehmeier. “I’m proud of the way our kids fought. We fought them (District 12) two years in a row. They got us twice, and that is what it is, but I’m really proud of my guys and the way they fought. There were a lot of young kids out there tonight who get to come back next year.”

O’Brien caught a game-high ten passes for 99 yards, intercepted three passes, all in the final four minutes of the game, while also tossing a 2-yard touchdown pass to Owen Johnson.

With LaSalle College holding a 21-7 lead late in the third quarter, the Vikings then went on a 13-play 70-yard drive capped off by Chrys Black’s 5-yard touchdown run, pulling Central Catholic to within 21-14 with 10:31 to play.

Central Catholic then held on downs at their 27-yard line with 4:38 on the clock and a chance to pull even.

On their second snap of the ensuing drive, O’Brien intercepted Owen Herrick and returned it to the Vikings’ 2-yard line, where Ahzir Nelson punched it in on the next play.

“It was my decision to push the ball down the field because we didn’t know how many more possessions we would get,” Lehmeier said. “We needed to push the ball down the field. But they got a 6’6 safety back there that can play the game. He made some plays there in the second half.”

Joey O’Brien was just getting started, as just over a minute later, he again intercepted Herrick. Though the Vikings held on downs, their succeeding drive saw them drive to the Explorers’ 16-yard line with just over a minute to play, but O’Brien again came up with an interception, this time returning it 95 yards for the game-clinching interception.

In the second quarter, it was O’Brien’s 41-yard reception from Gavin Sidwar that set up the game’s first score as Sidwar tossed an 11-yard touchdown pass, capping a 10-play 88-yard drive.

The Vikings were able to draw even near the midway point of the second quarter, when Chrys Black scored on a 17-yard run. Roman Thompson had a 34-yard gain on the drive. Black rushed for 60 yards on 13 carries, while Thompson added 43 yards on five attempts.

Central Catholic would not run another offensive play until the 3:00 mark of the third quarter.

The Explorers went on an 11-play 80-yard drive and beat the clock on Johnson’s 6-yard touchdown pass from Sidwar with seven seconds left in the half.

LaSalle then extended its lead when it marched 80 yards in 17 plays to open the second half, chewing up exactly nine minutes as Owen Johnson caught his third touchdown of the evening on a 2-yard touchdown pass from Joey O’Brien on a double pass on 4th-and-goal.

“They chewed up a lot of clock and with balance too,” Lehmeier said. “It’s a championship gam, and they put a drive together. They chewed up pretty much the whole third quarter. They do an excellent job of balancing. Their quarterback is cerebral; we had to change up looks and not show him the same thing twice, or he was going to pick us apart. I also thought they ran the ball well tonight.”

Johnson caught eight passes for 49 yards, while Sidwar completed 22 of 30 passes for 190 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Central Catholic closed the scoring in the final seconds following O’Brien’s interception return, when Chrys Black scored his third touchdown of the night on a 23-yard touchdown reception from Herrick with seven seconds to play.

The Vikings close their 2025 campaign with a 13-2 record.

LaSalle College 34 Pittsburgh Central Catholic 20

Score by Quarters

Pittsburgh Central Catholic – 0 7 0 13 – 20

LaSalle College – 0 14 7 13 – 34

Scoring Summary

Second Quarter

LC – Owen Johnson 11 yd pass from Gavin Sidwar, (Chris Heck pat), 10:32 – 10-88

PCC – Chrys Black 17 yd run, (Antonio Difatta pat), 4:48 – 3-55

LC – Johnson 6 yd pass from Sidwar, (Heck pat), 0:07 – 11-80

Third Quarter

LC – Johnson 2 yd pass from Joey O’Brien, (Heck pat), 3:00 – 17-80

Fourth Quarter

PCC – Black 5 yd run, (Difatta pat), 10:31 – 13-70

LC – Ahzir Nelson 2 yd run, (kick blocked), 3:50 – 1-2

LC – O’Brien 95 yd interception return, (Heck pat), 1:17

PCC – Black 23 yd pass from Owen Herrick, (pass failed), 0:07 – 8-69

Individual Stats

Rushing: LC – Nelson 28-127, Sidwar 3-17, Lucas Johnson 1-(-3), Desmond Ortiz 2-(-5), Team 1-(-1). Totals: 35-135. PCC – Black 13-60, Roman Thompson 5-43, Herrick 3-6. Totals: 21-109.

Receiving: LC – O’Brien 10-99, Johnson 8-49, Jimmy Mahoney 3-41, Nelson 1-3, Chima Auguste 1-0. PCC – Black 4-52, Dominic Perella 4-38, Maceo Watkins 2-27, Aiden Nasiadka 2-25, Colsen Gatten 1-8, Ty Kovalcin 1-5.

Passing: LC – Sidwar 22 for 30, 190 yards, 2 TD, O’Brien 1-for-1, 2 yards, 1 TD. PCC – Herrick 14 for 32, 155 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT.

Interceptions: LC – O’Brien (3).

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