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NORTH ALLEGHENY VARSITY FOOTBALL

* 2004 GAME SUMMARIES *

NORTH HILLS - 17  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 16

TIGERS DROP 17-16 HEARTBREAKER TO NORTH HILLS

By Don Vandergrift

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Three lost fumbles and two blocked kicks were too much for the Tigers to overcome as the North Hills Indians edged NA, 17-16, at Martorelli Stadium on Friday night.  Senior halfback Craig Howarth scored both Tiger touchdowns, one on a 67-yard pass and run play from senior QB Andrew Krewatch.  North Hills took  a 17-7 lead into the last quarter, but an NA rally took the game down to the last play.

North Hills made a statement early in the first quarter.  After the Tigers’ Steve Guzzetti could return the opening kickoff only to the 11-yard line, the Indian defense forced the Tigers into a punting situation.  Junior John Bearer broke through to block the punt and North Hills recovered at the NA 5.  The Tiger defense came up big when senior LB Bill Borlak broke through to tackle Indian junior QB Ryan Lehmeier for a four-yard loss on first down.  After two incomplete passes, sophomore Rob Schubring kicked a 26-yard field goal to give NH a 3-0 lead 2:32 into the game.  The Tigers responded by marching 78 yards on 12 plays after the ensuing kickoff to take the lead.  After Guzzetti brought the kickoff back 20 yards to the NA 22, the Tigers started to move the ball on the ground.   After senior halfback Andrew McMillen gained two, Howarth picked up 18 and a first down to the NA 39.  Again after McMillen got two more, junior Bill Knight gained nine and another first down at the 50.  After two running plays were stopped for just one yard, Krewatch hit senior John Woodruff for twenty yards and a first down at the Indian 29.  McMillen broke through the middle for eight and Howard picked up ten more, and the Tigers were in business with a first down at the NH 11.  After a motion penalty moved it back five yards, McMillen got seven back to the NH 9.  After a one yard gain by Knight, Howarth went off the right side for the final eight yards and a score.  Sophomore Rich Doyle added the point and the Tigers took a 7-3 lead with 2:41 remaining in the quarter.  After North Hills returned the kickoff to the Indian 41, the Tiger defense and a holding penalty forced a kick by junior Evan Euler who rolled it to the NA 17 on the first play of the second quarter.

After McMillen picked up five on first down, Knight broke through for a gain of 19 to the NA 47 but fumbled and NH recovered.  Again the Tiger defense stood tall.  After an illegal shift penalty wiped out a good Indian gain on first down, Lehmeier fumbled but recovered at the NH 47.  A pass to junior Brad Hill got 7 to the Tiger 44, but Borlak broke through to tackle Lehmeier for a yard loss and Euler had to punt again.  This time, the North Hills punter rolled the ball to the NA 7.  A false start pushed it back to the Tiger 3.  Sophomore Marek Lapinski, in for Andrew McMillen who did not return, gained 4 to the seven.  After Knight picked up another yard, Krewatch had the ball fall out of his hands into the end zone where junior Mike Neugebauer fell on it for an Indian touchdown.  Schubring added the point to give the Indians a 10-7 lead.  The Tigers were able to pick up a first down on three runs by Howarth, Knight and Lapinski to the NA 30, but the Indians held forcing a punt by senior Mike Nypaver.  Indian senior Matt Zangaro returned the kick ten yards to the NH 49.  North Hills ran three plays and let the clock run out to take a 10-7 lead to the intermission.  The Tiger defense played well in the first half, holding North Hills to just 46 total yards and one first down, only to trail at halftime.

The Indians came out strong in the second half and threatened to take control of the game.  After Bearer made a fair catch of a high, short kickoff at the Indian 39, North Hills went on a 6-play 61-yard drive to extend the lead to ten points.  Zangaro took the ball on a reverse and raced to the NA 27, a 39-yard gain on the first play from scrimmage in the half.  Junior running back Connor Corcoran broke through for a gain of seven to the 20.  A pass intended for senior TE Cody Klink was incomplete, and Guzzetti made a good play to break another pass intended for Klink.  On fourth and three, a pass to Zangaro in the left flat gained nine and a first down at the NA 11.  Junior P.J. Castellano the ran around left end for 11 yards and a touchdown.  Schubring’s kick made it 17-7 just 1:32 into the half.  After Knight returned the kickoff to the NA 28, Lapinski picked up five.  A pass from Krewatch to Lapinski gained ten more and a first down at the NA 43.  After three running plays gained only three yards, Nypaver punted to Zangaro who returned it to the NH 27.  Corcoran was able to gain fourteen yards on three successive plays to give the Indians a first down at the North Hills 41.  Again, the Tiger defense stiffened as they stopped the Indians cold on three plays.  Euler’s punt was returned by senior Kyle Allis fifteen yards to the NA 29.  After Knight gained four, two incomplete passes put Nypaver back to punt again.  Sophomore Dave Dougherty was able to get through to block the punt and recover the ball at the NA 20.  On second and ten, a screen pass from Lehmeier to Castellano gained nine.  Corcoran then picked up a first down just outside the NA 10.  After Corcoran got to the six, junior Nick Henderson intercepted a Lehmeier pass at the goal line and returned it to the NA 5.  After Lapinski picked up eight yards in two tries, the quarter ended with North Hills holding a 17-7 advantage.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, the Tigers were called for holding and the ball was moved back to the 7.  After an incomplete pass, the Tigers were again in punt formation, this time from the end zone.  The next sequence was bizarre and put the Tigers in a position to get back in the game.  North Hills came after Nypaver again, but the Tiger senior got the kick off but was run over by the Indian rush.  Meanwhile, Zangaro took the punt at the NA 40 and raced down the sideline to the Tiger 21.  Guzzetti was able to strip the ball and recover it for the Tigers, who refused the penalty to take a first down at their own 21.  Knight ran the right side for 8, and Lapinski got three more and a first down at the NA 33.  Krewatch then dropped back and found a wide open Howarth along the left sideline just across the 50.  The NA halfback was able cut across the field and outrun the North Hills defenders to the end zone to a 67-yard pass and run play.  Doyle’s kick was good and the Tigers were back in the game, trailing only by 17-14.  After the kickoff, Lehmeier ran for 11 and first down at the NA 47.  Lapinski fell on a fumble on the next play, and NA took over at midfield.  It looked like the Tigers were going to take the lead as the running attack began to pick up good yardage.  Knight got 13 and a first down at the 37.  After Howarth picked up three, Lapinski broke through for eight more and another first down at the NH 26.  After Knight gained six, Lapinski got eight on two rushes to put the Tigers at the NH 13 with a first down.  On the next play, the Indian defense broke through and forced a fumble that junior Mike Bosiljevac fell on at the NH 19 to stop the drive.  The Indians took over with 6:20 remaining, but the Tigers and a holding penalty pushed the ball back to the NH 10.  On first down, Lehmeier was forced back into the end zone where sophomore Tom Keiser and Borlak brought him down for a safety to cut the lead to 17-16.  Euler put the ball in play with a punt that Allis returned to the NA 45.  This time, the Indian defense rose to the occasion forcing a punt by Nypaver that Zangaro returned to the NH 30.  With 3:59 remaining, Zangaro made two big runs to give the Indians two crucial first downs.  The first was a gain of 26 yards to the NA 44, the second a gain of 11 to the NA 34.  Another holding penalty pushed it back to the NA 46.  On the next play, Lehmeier fumbled the ball, but senior tackle Matt Johns fell on it at the 47.   Another penalty moved it back to the NH 48.  After Lehmeier gained eleven and Corcoran one, North Hills was faced with a 4^th down and long at the Tiger 40.  Lining up in running formation, Lehmeier pitched it back to Castellano who kicked the ball down the middle of the field.  Zangaro, who does it all for the Indians, downed the ball at the Tiger two.

The Tigers took over with 1:30 remaining.  A short passing game moved the ball quickly.  Two passes to senior WR Brett Fields gained 10 and first down at the 11.  A pair of passes to Henderson along the left sideline got another first down at the 30 with 1:08 left.  After an incomplete pass, two more passes to Henderson gave NA a fourth and one at the Tiger 40.  Krewatch picked up the first down at the 41 with just 32 seconds left.  Krewatch hit Knight on a slant over the middle for another first down at the NH 47 with 34 seconds left.  With time running out, a pass intended for Fields was incomplete.  Another pass for Fields was incomplete giving Krewatch just 9 seconds on the clock.  Krewatch wound up and let a long pass go intended for Howarth at the North Hills goal line.  The Tiger senior reached back for the ball but it fell just short.  With just one second remaining, Krewatch launched a desperation toss deep down the middle of the field but it fell incomplete.  The Indians came away with a tough and hard-earned 17-16 victory.  

Krewatch completed 10 of 18 passes, many of which were down the stretch.  It was a tough loss for the Tigers who played well on both sides of the ball for much of the night.   NA outgained North Hills 347 to 178 in total yards but could not overcome the mistakes.   Lehmeier gave North Hills a spark in returning to play although it appeared that he was not at full strength.  Lehmeier completed just 5 of 12 passes for 68 yards but his presence seemed to settle a North Hills team that had lost two straight.  For his play on both sides of the ball, the North Allegheny Sports Network selected Craig Howarth as the Player of the Game.

With the loss, the Tigers will finish in 5^th place in the Quad North Conference.  Two one-point losses dropped NA into a tough seeding position.  The WPIAL Playoff Pairings Meeting will be held on Monday night to release the playoff schedule.  The meeting will be presented live on the internet by MSA Sports.  The Tigers will be on the road on Friday, and the North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the game LIVE on the internet.  If you cannot attend the game, be sure to join Don Vandergrift and Bob Caldwell for all the action beginning with the pre-game show.

  GAME SUMMARY
NORTH HILLS – 17  NORTH ALLEGHENY – 16

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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