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NORTH ALLEGHENY VARSITY FOOTBALL

* 2004 GAME SUMMARIES *

NORTH ALLEGHENY - 45  BUTLER - 14

TIGERS DOMINATE BUTLER, 45-14, FOR THEIR FIRST CONFERENCE WIN

by Don Vandergrift

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Coach Jim Rankin’s Tigers used a smothering defense and a strong ground attack to overwhelm the Butler Golden Tornado, 45-14, at Newman Stadium on Friday night in the annual Homecoming game.  Senior halfback Craig Howarth scored a pair of touchdowns and junior Bill Knight broke an 87-yard run to pace the NA offense.  The Tiger defense intercepted five passes as the Tigers built a 31-0 lead after three quarters.  Sophomore place kicker Rich Doyle was six for six on extra points and booted a 25-yard field goal as the Tigers won their first game in the Quad North Conference.

After Bob Ridley ran the opening kickoff back to the Butler 35, the Tornado picked up two consecutive first downs on passes from sophomore QB Nick Monteleone to his TE Josh Wachter and to Ridley.  After Howarth hit Ridley for an 8-yard loss on a screen pass, senior DB John Woodruff picked off a Monteleone pass at the NA 37.  The Tigers went on a 63-yard drive in just five plays.  After an incomplete pass, Knight picked up 39 yards to the Butler 39.  On second down, Woodruff raced 18 yards around right end to the Butler 11.  After an off side penalty against the Tornado, junior RB Adam Hambrick took it the final six.  Doyle’s conversion made it a 7-0 Tiger lead.  The Tiger defense held the Tornado to three and out and then broke through to block the punt.  Knight picked up the ball and took it to the Butler 10.  The Tornado defense stiffened, but Doyle stepped back and connected on a 25-yard field goal to give NA a 10-0 advantage after one quarter. 

After the ensuing kickoff was returned to the Butler 35, junior Nick Henderson made the first of two interceptions at the Butler 33.  Senior HB Andrew McMillen, playing in just his second game of the season, broke through for a gain of 20 yards to the Tornado 13.  The Tigers fumbled, however, and Butler’s Tom Gaul fell on the ball at the Tornado 17.  After Ridley got three, senior linebacker R.J. Parks sacked Monteleone for a loss of three.  Butler tried a halfback pass but Ridley’s toss was picked off by Knight who returned it to the Butler 19.  After an off sides penalty moved the ball to the 14, McMillan ran for 8 yards to the Tornado 6.  On the next play, McMillan ran it into the end zone, dragging two Butler players the final two yards.  Doyle’s kick made it a 17-0 Tiger advantage.  After Nate Anthony returned the kickoff to the Butler 30, the Tornado went on their only sustained drive of the game.  After Monteleone ran a quarterback sneak for 15 yards and a first down to the NA 40, four running plays just picked up another first down at the  Tiger 30.  A pass from Monteleone to WR Nate Hartung gained 8, but Ridley lost three when he fumbled the ball.  After Monteleone tried another QB sneak for two yards, sophomore Chris Haley tried a 41-yard field goal that fell short into the end zone.  The Tigers were unable to move the ball and were forced to punt.  It took three tries for senior punter Mike Nypaver to finally get off a punt.  Two consecutive penalties, one against each team, negated the first two efforts.  After Butler took over at midfield, Monteleone threw two incomplete passes before Henderson nabbed his second pick of the game and returned it 11 yards to the NA 42.  NA picked a pair of first downs with Hambrick, Howarth and McMillen doing the damage.  On a third and four at the 22, McMillen broke through and ran to the end zone.  The play was called back, however, and the penalty somehow moved the ball all the way back to the NA 47!  A fourth down pass was incomplete and the Tornado took over with just 26 seconds left in the half.  A pass interference call on NA gave Butler a first down at the Tiger 37, but Monteleone ran to the 25 as time ran out.  The Tigers took a 17-0 lead to the intermission.  The NA defense held Butler to just 29 total yards in the half.

After  Knight returned the second half kickoff 26 yards to the NA 28, the Tigers went on a 72 yard drive in 10 plays to effectively put the game out of reach.  A pass from senior QB Andrew Krewatch to senior WR Brett Fields picked up 11 and a first down at the Tiger 39.  It was the first completion of the game. Knight then took off around left end for 25 yards to the Butler 34.  After Howarth ran the right side for nine, Hambrick picked up a first down at the Tornado 19.  After Knight got 7 and Hambrick four more, Howarth raced the final 5 for the score.  Doyle’s kick gave NA a 24-0 lead with 7:54 remaining in the quarter.  The Tiger defense, sparked by Howarth’s tackle of Monteleone for a 3-yard loss, forced another Butler punt.  Senior punt returner Kyle Allis caught the punt at the NA 42 and was tackled immediately, but NA had good field position again.  Butler’s Ian Haley got the ball back when he picked off a Tiger pass and returned it to the NA 47.  Ridley gained 9 ½ to the Tiger 37, but senior Ryan Rylands sacked Monteleone for a loss of five.  After Ridley gained only five yards, Andrew Goettler punted again, this time putting the ball out of bounds at the NA 8.  After Howarth picked up five yards on two carries, Knight broke loose on a draw play.  The Tiger junior raced down the right sideline, angled to his left, and outran the Butler defenders on an 87-yard scoring jaunt.  Doyle’s kick was good again, and the Tigers had a commanding 31-0 lead as the third quarter ended.

After the ensuing kickoff, Butler again was forced to punt.  A clip on the return brought the ball back to the NA 13.  The Tigers fumbled on first down and senior Jesse Binus fell on the ball at the Tiger 17.  After Howarth broke through to sack Monteleone for a nine-yard loss, a pass to Nate Hartung gave Butler a first down at the Tiger 4.  Senior DB Steve Guzzetti sacked Monteleone for another loss of nine, but the Butler QB scrambled around the left side for 11 yards to the NA 2.  Monteleone ran around the left side again for the final two yards to give Butler its first score of the game.  Haley’s kick cut the NA lead to 31-7 with 9:20 remaining in the game.  Senior Eric Lux returned the ensuing kickoff to the NA 21.  After two plays, Knight picked up 12 yards and a first down at the Tiger 36.  A pass from Krewatch to Fields moved the sticks again as NA picked up another first down at the Butler 45.  After Knight was hit for a loss of three, Howarth raced 48 yards on an inside reverse as the Tigers added another score to complete a 79-yard drive.  Doyle’s kick gave the Tigers a 38-7 lead at the 4:30 mark.  On the first play after the kickoff, Monteleone found Ridley wide open down the middle and the Tornado halfback took it the distance on a 64-yard scoring play.  Haley’s kick cut the lead to 38-14.  At this point, both coaches cleared their benches giving second and third team players a chance to see some varsity action.  After an on side kick attempt that was caught by Knight at the NA 49, the Tigers were unable to move and punted.  A fifteen yard penalty gave Butler a first down at the Tornado 35 and another 15 yard markoff moved the ball to midfield.  On the next play, an errant snap went over the second team QB Nate Hartung’s head, rolled all the way to the Butler 28 where the Tigers recovered.  After sophomore Andy Trettel picked up two yards, junior Shawn Simon raced the remaining 26 yards for a touchdown.  Doyle’s kick was good again as the Tigers were up 45-14.  After the kickoff, sophomore Jeff Kroll intercepted Hartung’s pass and brought it back 25 yards.  After one play, time ran out and the Tigers had a big 45-14 victory.

It was a good effort by the Tigers, who dominated from the opening kickoff.  The Tigers were sparked by the return of three injured players --- McMillen, Parks, and Guzzetti.  McMillen gained 46 yards on five carries.  Knight came through with a great game gaining 174 yards on 9 carries, intercepting a pass and returning it 26 yards to set up a Tiger TD, returning a kickoff 26 yards, and catching and falling on an onside kick attempt by Butler.  For his efforts, both offensively and defensively, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Bill Knight as the Player of the Game.

With the win, the Tigers put themselves in position to capture a playoff spot.  The NA conference record improved to 1-3, the overall mark to 2-4.  Six of the eight teams in the Quad North qualify for the playoffs, and the Tigers could be one of them with just one more victory.  Butler fell to 0-4 in conference play, 0-6 on the season.  NA will be on the road next Friday night when they travel to Seneca Valley to meet the Raiders.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the game LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game show at 7:15 pm.  Game time is scheduled for 7:30 pm.

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY – 45  BUTLER – 14

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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