Opponent Preview: North Allegheny (Week 4)

 This is the third of my previews for Mentor's 2021 opponents. See the Week 3 opponent preview on St Edward here

Week 4

Who: North Allegheny Tigers

What: Non-conference

Where: North Allegheny's Newman Stadium

When: September 10th at 7:30pm 

Opposing Coach: Art Walker (200+ wins, two state titles at North Allegheny)

History: Mentor and North Allegheny have no history of playing one another. This will be the first time Mentor has played a team from Pennsylvania since a home-and-home series with Erie McDowell back in 2012 and 2013. North Allegheny, about 20 miles north of Pittsburgh, has three football state championships (1990, 2010, and 2012).

Looking Back...

The Tigers won their first six games in an abbreviated season before matching up against Pittsburgh's Central Catholic in a big November postseason matchup. The Tigers, playing in the big school division in Pennsylvania, lost in the WPIAL championship to Central Catholic by a score of 38-24. The lone loss of the season prevented North Allegheny from advancing to the quarterfinals of the state tournament. There were seven players that earned First Team all-league selections. Six of those were seniors. Key graduates from last season that will move on to play college football this fall include receiver Khalil Denkins (Penn State) and linebacker Nate Hoke (BYU). 

Schedule...

Mentor is not the only Ohio team on North Allegheny's schedule. Pickerington Central, a team with two recent state championship, is hosting North Allegheny in Week 2. The rest of the schedule includes Pennsylvania teams, the majority of which are in WPIAL (Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League). One of the big games on the schedule for the Tigers will be a season-defining game against Central Catholic. The Week 10 game with Seneca Valley, a team North Allegheny knocked off in the playoffs last season, is also a big one.  

2021 North Allegheny Outlook...

North Allegheny is led on defense by a very talented edge rusher in Jacob Porter (son of former Steeler Joey Porter). Porter (6'3, 210) has multiple DI offers after an all-conference season in 2020. He was a state-qualifier in the 100 meter dash, so expect a lot of size, strength, and speed off the edge. Michael Dorn is another big body on the defensive front that should help solidify a strong line. Kolin Jenkins (brother of Khalil and son of former NFL player Darnell Dinkins) should be a playmaker on both sides of the ball a season after starting at corner. Jenkins should see some opportunities to help the offense too. On offense, the team graduated its most dangerous playmaker (Khalil Dinkins) and the starting QB (Greg Philips). Along with possibly using the younger Jenkins on offense, the Tigers do bring back a big and dangerous weapon in Dwayne Taylor (6'5, 205) at receiver. JR Burton is a returning starting running back from 2020, so his presence brings some stability to the offense. North Allegheny is a team that likes to run the ball, so expect Burton to be a focal point of the offense. This will be an interesting challenge for a Mentor program that isn't accustomed to making long trips. The last time they went on the road this far was a 2015 matchup in Cincinnati against St Xavier. 

Next Preview: Football North (Week 5)