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NORTH ALLEGHENY VARSITY FOOTBALL

* 2004 GAME SUMMARIES *

  UPPER ST. CLAIR - 37  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 0

USC CRUSHES NA, 37-0, WITH STRONG SECOND HALF

By Don Vandergrift

The Tigers played tough, aggressive football in the first half holding favored Upper St. Clair to just a field goal and a 3-0 lead.  The second half was controlled by the Panthers, however, as they went on to a 37-0 victory in a Quad North contest at Upper St. Clair Stadium on Friday night.  The Tigers actually outgained the Panthers, 78-67, in total yards in a defensive first half.

After the opening kickoff, the Tigers gained 9 ½ yards on three plays and were forced to punt. Senior QB and punter Andrew Krewatch’s punt was downed at the NA 46.  USC drove 36 yards to the NA 10 behind the running of seniors Sean Lee and Gil Ellerbe, but the Tiger defense held to force a field goal try.  Junior kicker Evan Magliocca kicked a 27-yard three-pointer to give the Panthers a 3-0 advantage.  The score would turn out to be the only points of the first half.  After the ensuing kickoff, the Tigers again were forced to go into punt formation after three plays gained six yards.  The Panthers jumped off side, however, to give NA a first down.  Sophomore Marek Lipinski went to work and picked up gains of 12, 6, and 2 yards to move the ball to the USC 45.  With a second and eight, senior HB Craig Howarth broke through for 8 yards and a first down at the Panther 42.  After Lipinski gained four,  Krewatch was hit for a 5 yard loss back at the USC 43 as the first quarter ended.  The Panthers took a 3-0 lead into second quarter play.

An incomplete pass brought up a fourth down, and senior Mike Nypaver punted to Sean Lee at the USC 3 where he was smothered by junior Josh Landreneau.  Lee was able to gain nine yards to the USC 12, and, on third down, senior QB Josh Helmrich found Danny Cafaro open in the right flat for 17 yards and a first down.  Lee gained 15 yards in two carries for another USC first down at the Panther 49.  Ellerbe then gained six yards on first down and lost six yards on second down.  With a third and ten, senior linebacker Bill Borlak broke through to sack Helmrich for a nine yard loss forcing a USC punt.  Senior return man Kyle Allis made a good play on a rolling punt to cover up at the NA 33.  Lipinski picked up 8 yards on the first two plays before Howarth got five and a first down at the NA 46.  After an incomplete pass, Howarth gained 7 on two rushes, and the Tigers punted again.  USC was called for running into the kicker, however, and the five-yard penalty was enough for another NA first down at the USC 43.  Krewatch found Howarth in the left flat for 11 yards and another first down at the 32.  Lipinski gained 3, Howarth four, and Lipinski one more to put NA in a fourth and two at the USC 24.  Senior HB Josh Cipkala-Gaffin ran the left side for three yards and a first down at the 21.  A pass to Howarth took the ball to the USC 18 as the clock counted down.  With just 10 seconds left, Krewatch’s pass intended for junior WR Bill Knight was intercepted by Lee at the two and returned to the 33 where senior Ryan Rylands made a saving tackle with just two seconds remaining in the half.  USC took a knee and the teams went to the intermission with the Panthers ahead, 3-0.

The second half was all Upper St. Clair.  After sophomore Rich Doyle’s squib kickoff was almost recovered by the Tigers at the USC 29, the Panthers needed only four plays to go 71 yards.  After Lee picked up three yards on two running plays, Helmrich hit Cafaro for 10 and a first down at the USC 42.  Helmrich then lofted a long pass to a wide open Cafaro who took it to the end zone for the games’ first touchdown.  Magliocca’s kick was good, and USC took a 10-0 lead just 1:58 into the second half.  The touchdown seemed to demoralize the Tigers, and Nypaver was forced to punt after NA went three and out.  After the punt rolled to the USC 40, the Panthers went on a 60-yard drive.  Junior RB Rami Nubani did most of the damage gaining 28 yards on the ground as USC had a first down at the NA 15.  On second and nine, sophomore linebacker Tim Lotz hit Nubani for a two-yard loss back to the 17.  After an incomplete pass, Helmrich just got off a pass to Nubani in the left flat.  The Panther running back juggled the ball, pulled it in, and made several spinning moves down the left sideline before going into the end zone for the TD.  Borlak broke through to block the extra point, the first miss for Magliocca this season after converting on sixteen straight.  With 3:15 left in the third quarter, the Panthers had a 16-0 lead.  After junior Adam Hambrick returned the kickoff to the NA 26.  On third and 13, Krewatch tried to hit junior WR Bill Knight down the middle, but senior DB Bobby Petrini made a diving interception at the NA 40.  It took only four plays for the Panthers to score again.  After Lee had picked up 30 yards, USC had a first and goal at the NA 10.  Helmrich rolled right and hit Cafaro just inside the back line of the end zone for his second touchdown of the game.  Magliocca converted this time and the USC lead went to 23-0 with just fourteen seconds remaining in the third quarter.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Tigers were once again unable to move the football, and Nypaver punted to Lee who made a fair catch at the USC 39.  The Panthers went on a 61-yard drive to score again.  The big play was a 36-yard pass from Helmrich to Petrini who was forced out of bounds at the NA 14.  On first down, Helmrich tried to hit Petrini again but senior DB John Woodruff stepped in front of the receiver but could not hold on to the interception.  On the next play, Lee started left and cut back up the middle to go into the end zone untouched.  Magliocca added the point and the USC lead ballooned to 30-0.  At this point, both coaches sent second and third-team players into the game.  The Tigers’ second team offense could not move the ball although senior QB Colin Moleton did complete a 6-yard pass to Knight.  After Nypaver’s punt was downed at the USC 42, the Panther second unit finished out the game with a 58 yard scoring drive.  Sophomore RB Dane Conwell ran the final 25 yards for the score.  Magliocca finished the scoring with the extra point as the Panthers walked away with a 37-0 victory.

The Tigers played an outstanding first half of football.  In the second half, the NA defense began to tire, playing their second game in five days.  Playing without three senior starters, a number of sophomores stepped up to play well, particularly linebackers Lotz and Tyler Dimartino, along with junior Evan Scott.  USC showed why they are the #4 ranked team in the WPIAL with their second half performance.  Even a well-rested NA team would have had trouble stopping the Panther offense.  Lee, a Division I prospect, ended up with 84 yards rushing including the 14-yard TD run.  Helmrich completed 8 of 13 passes for 137 yards and three touchdowns.  Cafaro caught four passes for 96 yards and two scores.  The Tigers, on the other hand, did not pick up a single first down in the second half.

The loss dropped the Tigers to 0-3 in conference play, 1-4 overall.  For his efforts defensively, the North Allegheny Sports Network selected linebacker Bill Borlak as the Player of the Game.  NA will host Butler on Friday night in the annual Homecoming contest.  The Tornado was defeated, 42-31, by North Hills in Quad North action last night.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the game LIVE on the internet with the pre-game show set for 7:15 pm.  Game time is scheduled for 7:30 pm at Newman Stadium.

GAME SUMMARY
UPPER ST. CLAIR – 37  NORTH ALLEGHENY – 0

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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