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NORTH ALLEGHENY  FOOTBALL

2003 GAME SUMMARIES

TOP RANKED PENN HILLS DEFEATS TIGERS, 28-14

 by Don Vandergrift

To listen to a replay of the game, click here!

The Penn Hills Indians were able to take advantage of a pair of Tiger mistakes to down NA, 28-14, at Andrew Yuhas Stadium at Penn Hills on Friday night.  A fake punt and two NA fumbles were enough for the #1 ranked Indians to outscore the Tigers.  Penn Hills built a 14-6 halftime edge and were able to score twice in the second half before the Tiger could answer.  Junior halfback Andrew McMillan gained 110 yards in 20 carries while scoring a touchdown.  Junior QB Andrew Krewatch tallied the other NA touchdown.

After the opening kickoff, the Tiger defense came up big, stopping the Indians after one first down.  With NA deploying ten men on the line of scrimmage and looking like they were coming after Penn Hills punter Anthony Morelli, the Indians snapped the ball to the up back, junior David Harvey.  Once Harvey broke through the line, he had two blockers and one Tiger to beat.  Harvey raced 65 yards, and with senior Joe Prokopic’s extra point, Penn Hills had a 7-0 lead just 3:39 into the game.  On the ensuing kickoff, Prokopic lofted the ball high and short.  The Tigers muffed the catch and Penn Hills recovered at the NA 31.  After junior running back Ken Lewis raced 19 yards to the Tiger 18, Morelli found Prokopic open just beyond the goal line.  Prokopic’s conversion made it 14-0 at the 6:24 mark.

It looked bad for the Tigers, but after sophomore Josh Landreneau returned the kickoff to the NA 19, NA marched the ball 81 yards on a sustained drive to get back in the game.  McMillen picked up the bulk of the yardage in the drive that saw Krewatch complete just one pass.  After senior RB Dan Bartos picked up 5 yards and a first down at the 31, it was McMillen for 4, 5, 12 and 13 yards on successive carries that pushed the ball to the PH 33.  Senior RB Tim Hreha got eight and Krewatch ran for 12 more yards and a first down at the Indian 12.  McMillen got the seven on first down and then powered his way off the right side into the end zone.  Senior PK Lee House’s conversion attempt was blocked, but the Tigers had cut the lead to 14-6 with just 53 seconds left in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, neither team was able to put together any kind of a drive.  The Tiger defense came up big, sacking Morelli three times, twice by junior DE Joe Apel.  NA had three possessions and did not pick up a first down.  The furthest penetration by Penn Hills was only to the Indian 43 after a first down, but the second of Apel’s sacks ended the drive.  The quarter developed into a punting battle between Morelli and Krewatch, with both kickers keeping the other team in their own territory.  The first half ended with Penn Hills holding on to the 14-6 lead.

Landreneau returned the second half kickoff to the NA 20.  Utilizing McMillan and Bartos, the Tigers moved the ball to the Penn Hills 47 before the Indians held and forced an NA punt.  Krewatch got off a 40 yard punt that was downed at the Penn Hills 7.  After a first down on a Morelli pass to senior Charles Dampere to the PH 25, the Tigers’ nose guard, junior Wade Wolowiec took over.  The Tiger lineman chased Morelli all the way back to the PH 11 where he unceremoniously dumped the Pitt recruit.  On the next play, Wolowiec was right there to tackle Lewis on a draw play for a loss of one to the 10.  Morelli’s punt went out of bounds at the midfield stripe.

With the Tigers in great field position, Krewatch picked up four yards on a keeper.  On the next play, the Indians stripped the ball and sophomore Archie Donald recovered at the Tiger 48.  The Indians took advantage of the turnover quickly.  After an incomplete pass, Lewis raced down the near sideline for 31 yards to the Tiger 17.  After another incomplete pass. Morelli found Harvey open at the Tiger 3 where he sidestepped the NA defender and stepped into the end zone.  Prokopic again added the point and Penn Hills had a 21-6 lead with 1:22 left in the quarter.  As the quarter ended, the Tigers were at their 21 with a third and 9.

On the first play of the final stanza, Krewatch was sacked for the only time in the game back at the NA 15.  A holding penalty on the punt return pushed the Indians back to midfield.  On the first play, Morelli lofted a long pass that Harvey ran under and caught before he was pushed out of bounds at the NA 2 by Hreha.  Two plays later, Lewis went in from a yard out, Prokopic converted, and the Indians had pushed the lead to 28-6.

After an exchange of punts, the Tigers took over at their own 25 with a little over six minutes remaining.  Senior running back Josh Zunic picked up two, Bartos added 5 more on a tough run, and McMillen dragged tacklers for 11 yards and a first down to the NA 43.  After Krewatch got seven to midfield, the Tiger junior QB found senior WR Chris Huber for an 18 yard gain and first down at the PH 32.  After Krewatch got six more and Bartos three, McMillen broke off the right side for 14 yards and a first down at the Penn Hills 9.  Bartos broke through for 7 to the Indian 2.  McMillen was stopped just short of the goal line on the next play, but Krewatch finished the 75-yard drive on a quarterback sneak.  Bartos took the ball into the end zone for the two-point conversion and the Tigers had cut the lead with only 1:33 remaining in the game.  After Penn Hills fell on the ball on the kickoff, the Indians ran out the clock and held on for the 28-14 victory.

The Tigers played a strong game after the big loss to Upper St. Clair last week.  The NA defense stood tall, harassing highly touted Anthony Morelli all night long, sacking him four times.  Morelli finished with just 6 completions in 13 attempts for 112 yards and two TDs.  Senior linebacker Josh Zunic played his usual tough game, helping to keep the Indian running game under control.  Two Penn Hills touchdowns came after Tiger turnovers, a third on the fake punt, and only one on a legitimate drive.   For his efforts and those of all the Tiger defense, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Joe Apel as the Player of the Game.

The NA offense came alive with two long drives, 81 and 75 yards.  Things are looking up for the Tigers as they head into the Quad North schedule next Friday night against Mt. Lebanon at Newman Stadium.  The Blue Devils pulled a major upset on Friday night when they handed North Hills their first loss of the season, 24-6, at Mt. Lebanon.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be on hand to broadcast the initial Quad North contest LIVE on the internet, beginning with the pre-game show at 7:15 and the opening kickoff at 7:30 pm.

(Statistics by Jordan Dee)

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

9/13/03

Any questions or comments should be directed to Athletic Director Bob Bozzuto at:  bbozzuto@northallegheny.org