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Monday, August 31, 2020 | 1:31 AM
Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review
North Allegheny quarterback Greg Phillips walks from the field after practice Thursday, July 2, 2020, in McCandless.
Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review
North Allegheny assistant coach Kevin Thompson works with players during practice on Thursday, July 2, 2020, in McCandless.
North Allegheny coach Art Walker has always had a go-to guy in the backfield, one running back who’d shoulder the bulk of the carries.
Not so, this season.
“We’re going to be running back by committee until somebody steps up and takes it,” Walker said. “We could’ve done more evaluation if we had camp, if we would have had two-a-days, if we would have had a scrimmage and Week Zero game.”
Instead, after a summer slowed by covid-19, North Allegheny sprints toward the regular season with five guys or more expected to split carries. That list maybe includes unexpected names, like linebacker Nate Hoke, a 6-foot-3, 225-pound BYU recruit.
The son of a former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman is quicker than expected.
“He’s a Division I athlete,” Walker said. “We’d be doing our team a disservice if we don’t put the ball in his hands.”
Senior running back Ben Rohan, and junior Kolin Dinkins and J.R. Burton are also in the hunt. The three combined for 497 yards on only 78 carries last season.
Dinkins led with 30 attempts.
“This isn’t a position we’ve been in,” Walker said. “We knew Percise Colon was the guy (last season). In years past, you knew (Alex) Papson was the guy. You knew (Alex) DiCiantis was the guy. So, yeah, it’s definitely a little bit different.”
Colon rushed for more than 1,000 yards last fall.
Walker still might find that guy, but it’s hard to evaluate a running back during non-contact drills, he said. North Allegheny scheduled a scrimmage Friday at Erie Cathedral Prep that could give the coaching staff more information.
The Tigers have tried one-back and two-back sets, and at times will put a fullback alone in the backfield, Walker said. Along with Hoke, he named J.P. Cantu (5-9, 185) and Brady Leczo (5-11, 200) as big-bodied options.
“They’re tough kids and they’re smart kids,” Walker said. “They may not break one from 60 or 70 yards, but they’re going to be difficult to bring down, and you’re going to know you tackled someone if you had to tackle those two.”
But running back isn’t the only spot that North Allegheny needed to fill since last season. The Tigers graduated almost every starter from last year’s offense that went 10-2 overall. The team returns more experience on defense than offense.
“We lost our quarterback, our top receiver and our top rusher, so we’ve got some rebuilding to do there,” Walker said. “We lost some good guys up from. There will be some new names and new faces but guys have been working hard and waiting for their opportunity.”
One key returner is senior Khalil Dinkins, a wide receiver and linebacker with major Division I offers. He’s the son of former Pitt and NFL player Darnell Dinkins and Kolin’s older brother.
Dinkins had 16 catches for 399 yards and six touchdowns.
He and senior receiver/free safety Mason Kress will be among the team’s top wideouts, and senior Greg Phillips is the starting quarterback. Phillips replaces Ben Petschke, who threw for 1,300 yards last season.
“He’s a program kid who’s done everything we’ve asked of him for four years,” Walker said of Phillips. “I’m proud of him because he’s a guy who’s really worked hard to have this opportunity.”
Senior Mike Dorn (6-0, 225) is the only lineman returning who played all 12 games last season, while senior Ben Caputo (6-3, 205) started about half of the weeks.
Defensively, there’s considerably more experience returning, led by Hoke and Dinkins. Cantu and linebacker Brady Leczo will also shore up the defense.
Another player with NFL ties, defensive end junior Jacob Porter could be a key contributor. Porter is the son of former Steelers linebacker Joey Porter.
“He’s gotten bigger and is kind of coming into his own,” Walker said.
Hoke, though, could be the team’s most versatile player. Along with linebacker and running back, he’ll also fill an H-back role.
“You’ll see him on the edge, you’ll see him as a fullback in the backfield and as the tailback in the one-back (formation),” Walker said. “He’s a really, really smart football player. There’s no concern about putting him in multiple spots because of his football knowledge.”
Statistical leaders
Passing: Ben Petschke* 84-163, 1,319 yards, 16 TDs
Rushing: Percise Colon* 140-1,089 yards, 12 TDs
Receiving: Luke Colella* 38-535 yards, 14 TDs
Schedule
Coach: Art Walker
2019 record: 10-2, 7-1 in Class 6A
All-time record: 424-248-14
Date, Opponent, Time
9.11, Seneca Valley*, ppd
9.18, Baldwin*, 7
9.25, at Central Catholic*, 7
10.2, Mt. Lebanon*, 7
10.9, at Norwin*, 7
10.16, Canon-McMillan*, 7
10.23, at Hempfield*, 7
*Class 6A game
Chris Harlan is a Tribune-Review Staff Writer. You can contact Chris by email at charlan@triblive.com or via Twitter .
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