Offense heats up as North Catholic stuns Freeport in big WPIAL football section showdown
WEXFORD — North Catholic breathed a sigh of relief Friday night, Sept. 18.
The Trojans finally snagged their first win of the 2026 season with a decisive 42-28 victory over previously unbeaten Freeport at J.C. Stone Field.
The win came thanks in large part to a stifling run defense that held the powerful Yellowjackets rushing attack to a mere 54 yards on the ground — the bulk of which came when the game was already decided. The Trojans held Freeport’s lead running back Braydon Pomaybo to 0 yards on seven carries.
Offensively, the Trojans (1-3, 1-0 Allegheny 7 Conference) got excellent performances from both quarterback Will Toprani, running back Nate Swisher and receiver Will Waskiewicz. Toprani was 14 of 27 for 205 yards and four touchdowns, while Swisher picked up 115 yards on 15 carries with a touchdown.
“I’m just happy for the kids,” North Catholic head coach Chris Rizzo said. “They put a lot of work in throughout the summer ... and I'm just happy for the kids to be able to get it together and get one.”
Freeport (3-1, 0-1) head coach John Gaillot said after the game that, despite the Trojans’ 0-3 record going into the contest, he and his players never underestimated their opponent.
“I’ve been doing this 19 years,” Gaillot said. “They’re a little bit down this year, but ... when you’re playing North Catholic, you’re playing with people who are recruited from all over the place.”
“We’re going to watch film tomorrow, and then we flush it and move on,” Gaillot said.
The Yellowjackets grabbed an early lead off a 50-yard touchdown pass from Danny King to Camden Wisniewski midway the first quarter.
Aside from that, Freeport’s offense spent much of the first half stuck in neutral, with five drives that ended in a three-and-out. The ’Jackets did benefit from a pick-six by Camden Schlegel off Toprani, one of the quarterback’s few mistakes of the night, to take a 14-7 lead.
That was the last time Freeport held the lead, as North Catholic struck back with touchdowns on three straight possessions before halftime, including an 18-yard pass from Toprani to Waskiewicz to make the score 28-20 in North Catholic’s favor. Waskiewicz finished with four total touchdowns and 88 receiving yards.
North Catholic pulled away for good by holding Freeport without a single first down in the third quarter and nabbing one more touchdown on a 2-yard run from Swisher.
Freeport will hope to recover from its loss when it takes on Knoch (3-1, 0-1) at home. Meanwhile, North Catholic hopes to get win No. 2 against Burrell on the road.
Rizzo believes his team’s three losses from earlier in the year do not reflect his team’s true talent level.
“We're a good football team, so we’ll just try to reiterate that and build from it,” Rizzo said. “(We’re going to) find the stuff on tape that we can do better, do it better the next week, and then play a complete game.”
Freeport 7 13 0 8 — 28
North Catholic 7 21 7 7 — 42
First Quarter
F — Canon Wisniewski 50 pass from Danny King (Judah Thompson kick), 5:28
NC — Jack Croft 26 pass from Will Toprani (Jackson Schlegel kick good), 0:19
Second Quarter
F — Camden Schlegel 45 interception return (Thompson kick), 10:07
NC — Will Waskiewicz 13 pass from Toprani (Schlegel kick), 4:30
NC — Waskiewicz 59 pass from Toprani (Schlegel kick), 3:14
F — C. Schlegel 36 pass from King (Thompson kick), 1:33
NC — Waskiewicz 18 pass from Toprani (Schlegel kick), 0:29
Third Quarter
NC — Swisher 2 run (Schlegel kick), 3:36
Fourth Quarter
NC — Waskiewicz 9 run (Schlegel kick), 7:20
F — Wisniewski 20 pass from King (2-point run good), 1:17
Individual Statistics
Rushing: Freeport, Danny King 8-17, Braydon Pomaybo 7-0, Luke Selinger 4-33, Chace Flynn 2-1, Luca Pollino 1-4, Bryson Paga 1-(-1). North Catholic, Nate Swisher 15-115, Will Waskiewicz 6-36, William Toprani 3-7, Quentin Peterson 3-(-6).
Passing: Freeport, Danny King 7-32-155-1. North Catholic, William Toprani 14-27-205-1.
Receiving: Freeport, Camden Wisniewski 2-70, Luke Selinger 2-34, Camden Schlegel 1-36, Bryson Paga 1-11, Braydon Pomaybo 1-4. North Catholic, Jack Croft 4-56, Will Waskiewicz 3-88, Louie Iaquinta 3-45, Nate Swisher 3-10, John Flerl 2-10.
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North Catholic's Will Waskiewicz (6) runs to the end zone after catching a pass against Freeport in a football game Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, at J.C. Stone Field. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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North Catholic's senior cheerleaders, from left, Anna Scaltz, Rori Kelm, Olivia Nelson, Elizabeth Long, Hailey Hannan, Sofia Pecoraro, Sophia Deabrunzzo in a football game Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, at J.C. Stone Field. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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Freeport's senior cheerleaders, from left, Breanna Farineau, Riley Zappa, Hadley Palisin in a football game Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, at J.C. Stone Field. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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North Catholic's Nate Swisher (2) hangs onto the ball as Freeport's Luke Logsdon (3) gets the tackle in a football game Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, at J.C. Stone Field. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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North Catholic's Quentin Peterson (12) grabs a deflected ball from team mate Teagan Thomas (9) to intercept Freeport's pass in a football game Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, at J.C. Stone Field. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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North Catholic's Will Waskiewicz (6) catches a pass for a touchdown against Freeport in a football game Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, at J.C. Stone Field. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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North Catholic's Titus Minarik (8) breaks up a pass intended for Freeport's Luke Selinger (4) in a football game Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, at J.C. Stone Field. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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North Catholic's Will Waskiewicz (6) celebrates a touchdown against Freeport with teammate Jack Croft (14) in a football game Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, at J.C. Stone Field. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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Freeport's Luca Pollino (23) advances the ball against North Catholic in a football game Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, at J.C. Stone Field. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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Freeport's Luke Selinger (4) attempts to make a catch in a football game Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, at J.C. Stone Field. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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Freeport's Bryson Paga (2) attempts to bring down a pass in a football game against North Catholic Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, at J.C. Stone Field. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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Freeport's Luke Logsdon (3) brings down North Catholic's Will Waskiewicz (6) in a football game Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, at J.C. Stone Field. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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Freeport's Danny King (8) tries to elude North Catholic's McGuire O'Shea (26) in a football game Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, at J.C. Stone Field. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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North Catholic's Will Waskiewicz (6) sprints for a touchdown against Freeport in a football game Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, at J.C. Stone Field. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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Freeport's Luke Selinger (4) attempts to catch a pass in a football game Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, at J.C. Stone Field. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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North Catholic's Jack Croft (14) slips past Freeport's Eli Perroz(25) for a touchdown in a football game Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, at J.C. Stone Field. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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North Catholic's Teagan Thomas (9) deflects a Freeport pass in a football game Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, at J.C. Stone Field. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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North Catholic's Quinn O'Hara (0) advances the ball against Freeport in a football game Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, at J.C. Stone Field. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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North Catholic's Nate Swisher (2) advances the ball against Freeport in a football game Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, at J.C. Stone Field. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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North Catholic players take the field against Freeport in a football game Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, at J.C. Stone Field. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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North Catholic's Peyton Book (21) attempts to tackle Freeport's Canon Wisniewski (1) in a football game Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, at J.C. Stone Field. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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Freeport's head coach talks with injured player Bryson Paga (2) in a football game Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, at J.C. Stone Field. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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Freeport's Caden Patterson (15) is helped off the field after sustaining a leg injury against North Catholic in a football game Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, at J.C. Stone Field. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
