North Catholic football goes to the ground and stifles Knoch in another blowout WPIAL win
ADAMS TWP — North Catholic football’s game plan was simple Friday night: Hand senior running back Anthony Greene the ball.
It worked well in a 42-6 victory over Allegheny 7 Conference rival Knoch at Mars Athletic Complex, as Green rushed for 174 yards and two touchdowns on just nine carries while also adding 28 yards through the air.
“Anthony is a guy that has a ton of potential and he has been working, so we have been hoping for a breakout game, which he had because he is finally running behind his pads with confidence,” Trojans (3-3, 3-0) head coach Chris Rizzo said. “And when he does that, he is a hard young man to stop.”
Greene scored two third-quarter touchdowns that put the game away, the first an 86-yard breakaway run and the second from 11 yards out.
The Trojans defense set the tone for the game, as junior defensive end Greyson Measel returned an interception 24 yards for a touchdown early in the first quarter. The defense also came up with a few forced fumbles and held both Knoch (3-3, 0-3) quarterbacks to a combined 44 yards passing.
Junior running back Nate Swisher also had himself a nice night for the Trojans, rushing seven times for 59 yards and two touchdowns. Swisher made some key tackles throughout the game on defense, too.
“We came out with a fast start today with a pick-six on the opening drive, and we did have some penalties, but we still played well,” Swisher said. “The play calling was pretty simple, and the offensive line played great, as they actually pushed me in for one of my touchdowns.”
The night was the complete opposite for Knoch.
Senior quarterback Max Wiley was injured in the first half and was replaced under center by freshman Kai Kay. The two combined to complete just 5 of 11 passes. The ground game also struggled with just 93 yards on 27 attempts, and the Knights fumbled twice and threw an interception.
Rizzo was pleased with the way his team competed, and even though penalties were an issue throughout the game, he liked the end result.
“We had an opportunity to clean up some stuff from last week, and we did have too many penalties, unfortunately, but from an execution standpoint, we were able to get stuff cleaned up, and we are trying to get better each week,” Rizzo said. “I liked what the defense did because it allowed us to get things corrected.”
North Catholic 7 21 14 0 — 42
Knoch 0 0 0 0 6 — 6
1st Quarter
NC — Greyson Measel 24 interception return (Jackson Schlegel kick), 10:33
2nd Quarter
NC — Nate Swisher 3 run (Schlegel kick), 10:57
NC — Will Waskiewicz 40 punt return (Schlegel kick), 2:06
NC — Swisher 8 run (Schlegel kick), 1:43
3rd Quarter
NC — Anthony Greene 86 run (Schlegel kick), 11:34
NC — Greene 11 run (Schlegel kick), 0:42
4th Quarter
K — Blake Montgomery 2 run (conversion failed), 2:34
Rushing: North Catholic, Swisher 7-59, Greene 9-174, Will Toprani 2-17. Knoch, Ethan Rouleau 13-28, Max Wiley 3-12, Kai Kay 2-5, Carter Beres 1-0, Montgomery 8-48.
Passing: North Catholic, Toprani 5-15-115. Knoch, Wiley 3-8-8-1, Kay 2-3-36.
Receiving: North Catholic, Greene 1-28, Waskiewicz 1-34, Louie Iaquinta 1-28, Jack Croft 1-15. Knoch, Evan Fink 1-5, Ashton Mosby 1-3, Keegan Orris 2-36.
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North Catholic's Anthony Green (1) slips past Knoch defenders in a football game Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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North Catholic's Will Waskiewicz (6) glides in for a touchdown against Knoch in a football game Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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North Catholic's Anthony Green (1) speeds past Knoch defenders in a football game Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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North Catholic's Anthony Green (1) speeds past Knoch defenders in a football game Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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North Catholic's Anthony Green (1) runs past Knoch defenders in a football game Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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North Catholic's Jack Croft (14) evades Knoch's Evan Fink (5) in a football game Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, at Mars Athletic Sports Complex.Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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North Catholic's Will Waskiewicz (6) holds onto the ball after getting hit by a Knoch defender in a game Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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North Catholic's Will Waskiewicz (6) catches a ball against Knoch in a football game Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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Knoch mother Jessica Hanna cheers on her son, James Shatlock (56) in a football game Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, at Mars Athletic Sports Complex. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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North Catholic's Will Waskiewicz (6) attempts to catch a touchdown pass that is deflected by Knoch's Evan Fink (5) in a football game Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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North Catholic's Quinn O'Hara (0) strips the ball from Knoch's Ethan Rouleau (1) on a kickoff return in a football game Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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North Catholic's McGuire O'Shea (26) recovers a Knoch fumble in a football game Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, at Mars sports complex. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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North Catholic's Quentin Peterson (12) returns a kickoff in a football game Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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Knoch head coach T.J. Wiley speaks to the team during a timeout in a football game against North Catholic Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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Knoch's dance team performs at halftime in a football game Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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North Catholic youth cheerleaders cheer on the Trojans in a football game Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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A North Catholic cheerleader performs a backflip in a football game Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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Knoch's dance team performs at halftime in a football game against North Catholic Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
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Knoch mother Jessica Hanna cheers on her son, James Shatlock, in a football game Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, at Mars Athletic Complex. Andrew Jackson/Butler Eagle
