North Catholic football 2025 preview: What to watch, 3 things to know and schedule
-
North Catholic quarterback Joey Felitsky looks to pass during practice Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025, at North Catholic High School. Harold Aughton/Special to the Eagle
-
North Catholic wide receiver Ryker Kennedy gets ready to make a play during practice Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025, at North Catholic High School. Harold Aughton/Special to the Eagle
-
North Catholic wide receiver Ryker Kennedy tries to block a defender during practice Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025, at North Catholic High School. Harold Aughton/Special to the Eagle
-
North Catholic wide receiver Ryker Kennedy blocks one of his teammates during practice Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025, at North Catholic High School. Harold Aughton/Special to the Eagle
-
North Catholic tight end Tom Arth runs a drill during practice Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025, at North Catholic High School. Harold Aughton/Special to the Eagle
-
North Catholic tight end Tom Arth tries to get around a block during practice Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025, at North Catholic High School. Harold Aughton/Special to the Eagle
-
North Catholic quarterback Joey Felitsky looks to pass during practice Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025, at North Catholic High School. Harold Aughton/Special to the Eagle
-
North Catholic football head coach Chris Rizzo watches practice Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025, at North Catholic High School. Harold Aughton/Special to the Eagle
-
North Catholic football head coach Chris Rizzo watches players practice Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025, at North Catholic High School. Harold Aughton/Special to the Eagle
-
North Catholic tight end Tom Arth runs a drill during practice Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025, at North Catholic High School. Harold Aughton/Special to the Eagle
-
(L-R) North Catholic’s Nick Franco, Reid Rinker, and Joey Felitsky during the Butler Eagle Football Media Day on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, at Butler High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
-
North Catholic’s Nick Franco during the Butler Eagle Football Media Day on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, at Butler High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
-
North Catholic’s Nick Franco during the Butler Eagle Football Media Day on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, at Butler High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
-
North Catholic’s Joey Felitsky during the Butler Eagle Football Media Day on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, at Butler High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
-
North Catholic’s Joey Felitsky during the Butler Eagle Football Media Day on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, at Butler High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
-
North Catholic’s Reid Rinker during the Butler Eagle Football Media Day on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, at Butler High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
-
North Catholic’s Reid Rinker during the Butler Eagle Football Media Day on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, at Butler High School. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
Head coach Chris Rizzo is set up pretty well heading into his third season in charge at North Catholic. He had his hand in designing an offense that averaged 30.3 points per game last year, with most of its key pieces back this fall.
However, the Trojans dropped four games in which they scored at least 28 points, going 5-7 overall. The good news is a defense that was in flux for most of last season figures to cash in on experience. If all facets of the Trojans’ game are in tune this year, the Western Hills Conference could run through Cranberry Township.
Last season, Rizzo crossed his fingers and hoped his team would have a chance to prove itself when it mattered most. He doesn’t want to be in doubt this time.
The first step to achieving any bigger-picture goals North Catholic has this year will be to control its own destiny. In other words, the fluctuation the Trojans dealt with last year can’t exist this time around.
“The question mark going into last year was, ‘How are we going to replace that senior talent?’” Rizzo said. “So we had a lot of juniors and sophomores that were starting. … You saw those mistakes a little bit early on in the season, but as the season continued to go, we made strides in all those areas. And we played our best ball late, which is what you can ask for.
“We’re just looking for a cleaner and faster start.”
Last season, North Catholic’s offense remained healthy, productive and ahead of the sticks. Due to injuries, the defense was “playing musical chairs,” Rizzo said.
“It was kind of hit or miss,” Rizzo said. “We never really got rolling on the same page defensively or offensively at any point. There were highs for both and lows for both, so (we’re) just trying to even out that roller coaster ride.”
The Trojans lost their first two outings in 2024, then won three in a row before a four-game skid. After scoring a season-high 55 points in their regular-season finale, they upset Deer Lakes in the opening round of the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs.
North Catholic came out on the wrong end of a 45-42 shootout at Elizabeth Forward in the quarterfinals.
Senior tight end/linebacker Nick Franco said the Trojans can’t “ride the wave of emotion.” He added attention to detail and steady outlook on practice are ways to ensure his team doesn’t.
“Every game, we’ve got to take serious. We can’t just fold,” Franco said. “We’ve got to stay on the same page.”
1. Picking back up: The Trojans’ first-round WPIAL playoff win gave players a sample of what it’s like when hard work pays off.
“There’s a reward,” Franco said. “We want to taste that again. We know we can get further.”
Senior safety/receiver Reid Rinker remembered the energy being able to prove itself in the postseason afforded North Catholic. The crew was driven by the desire to prove naysayers wrong.
“We really wanted to go out and beat everybody,” Rinker said. “We had a confidence, a swagger to our team. I think if we carry that into every single game we play this season, no matter what opponent it is … that is kind of what we’re going to be looking for.”
2. Offensive continuity: Then-junior quarterback Joe Felitsky emerged as one of the region’s most productive passers last season. Rizzo has seen cleaner footwork and crisper decision-making out of the returning signal-caller.
“Everything for him from a defensive perspective is happening slower,” Rizzo said. “He’s able to see stuff. He really does have a top down knowledge of the offense coming back. The ball’s on time, it’s accurate. If you want to talk about a guy that already showed a lot of talent, a lot of that has just gotten refined.”
As if defenses didn’t have enough to worry about with Felitsky getting back behind center, Ryker Kennedy, Will Waskiewicz and Tommy Arth are back catching passes, too. Butler’s leading receiver a season ago, Preston Simko, also joined the program.
“They all know when that ball’s coming out,” Rizzo said. “The timing and fluidity with a lot of those things, you’ve seen it start to grow throughout the summer. … It’s just a cohesive group, and it’s a group that has a lot of experience, particularly in those tight games.”
Felitsky said he’s aiming for 3,000 passing yards, 25-30 touchdown passes and a 70% completion percentage.
3. Linebackers aplenty: The Trojans’ defense will operate primarily out of a 3-4 look. Among the six linebackers who will cycle in are Franco, junior Dom McNelly and sophomore Quinn O’Hara. As a freshman, O’Hara slotted in as an inside linebacker because of an injury ahead of him.
“When you’re kind of forced as a coach to throw a guy into the lion’s den, you just kind of have this idea of, ‘OK, we’re going to see what happens,’” Rizzo said.
- Aug. 22, 7 p.m. — vs. Seton LaSalle
- Aug. 29, 7 p.m. — vs. Knoch
- Sept. 5, 7 p.m. — vs. Blackhawk
- Sept. 12, 7 p.m. — at Quaker Valley*
- Sept. 19, 7 p.m. — vs. McGuffey*
- Sept. 26, 7 p.m. — at Imani Christian
- Oct. 3, 7 p.m. — vs. Central Valley*
- Oct. 10, 7 p.m. — at Beaver*
- Oct. 17, 7 p.m. — vs. Avonworth*
- Oct. 24, 7 p.m. — at Hopewell*
*Conference/Region game
