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NORTH ALLEGHENY VARSITY FOOTBALL

STRONG SECOND HALF GIVES TIGERS 35-3 VICTORY OVER SHALER

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

The Tigers scored twenty-eight unanswered points in the second half as they defeated Shaler, 35-3, at Titan Stadium on Friday night in a Northern Five Conference contest.  Seniors Tim Lotz and Marek Lapinski scored a pair of touchdowns each as NA took over first place in the conference with the victory.  Junior Carl DeCiantis added the final NA score as he rushed for 99 yards as the Tigers remained unbeaten in conference play.

After Justin Barie fumbled the opening kickoff and fell on the ball at the Shaler 23, quarterback R.J. Palso ran around left end for eleven yards and a first down at the 34.  Dan Wirkowski got seven on first down, but a motion penalty set the Titans back five.  On the next play, fullback Mike Francis picked up six.  Senior DT Mike Griffith stopped Francis for no gain on the next play.  After a pick up of four on third down, Curtis McGriff punted to sophomore Brian Austin who returned the ball to the Tiger 39.  After a motion penalty, three plays gained only seven yards, and junior Geoff Greco punted out of bounds at the Shaler 35.  On the first play, halfback Jon Fitzpatrick fumbled a pitch out but fell on the ball for a yard loss.  Palso followed with a gain of 12 and a first down at the Shaler 46.  After Wirkowski got nine on first down, an incomplete pass and quarterback sneak did not get the first down.  On fourth and inches, Fitzpatrick gained two and a first down at the Tiger 43.  After two running plays were stopped for no gain, the NA defense tacked Francis for a loss of seven on an attempted screen pass.  On fourth and long, McGriff tried to run for a first down from punt formation, but the Tigers stopped him short at the NA 42.  On second and seven, sophomore QB Mike Locke tried to hit senior TE Tom Keiser down the middle.  The ball was deflected high in the air and picked off by linebacker Travis Wolff who returned the ball to the NA 31.  After a gain of one on first down, the first quarter ended with the game still scoreless.

After Francis got two, Fitzpatrick took a pitch out around right end for eight more and a first down at the Tiger 20.  Three running plays gained seven yards to the 13.  With fourth and three, PK Drew Stanny kicked a 31 yard field goal to give the Titans a 3-0 lead with 9:08 remaining in the half.  Lotz returned the kickoff 18 yards to the NA 31.  On a third and three, DeCiantis broke through, cut to his left, and raced 52 yards before being pushed out of bounds at the Shaler 10.  After Lotz picked up four yards on two carries, Locke tried to find Greco in the corner of the end zone, but the ball was overthrown.  Senior PK Rich Doyle attempted a field goal from 24 yards, but his kick was just wide to the right and Shaler maintained the 3-0 advantage.  The Titans could not move the ball forcing McGriff to punt again.  Austin returned the kick 40 yards before being caught at the Shaler 27.  On the next play, Locke hit a wide open Lotz down the middle for a touchdown.  Doyle added the point as the Tigers took a 7-3 lead with 3:32 remaining.  Shaler then went on a long drive from their 28 and threatened to regain the lead.  Wirkowki raced around left end for 16 and a first down at the Titan 40.  On the next play, Wirkowski got four more, but NA was called for a personal foul that moved the ball all the way to the Tiger 37.  Three running plays picked up another first down at the 25.  After a holding penalty moved the ball back to the 40, Palso found Wirkowski open in the left flat and the Shaler junior ran for a first down at the NA 10.  After a running play lost two, Shaler called a time out with just 11 seconds left, and Shaler Head Coach Jacques DeMatteo decided to go for the lead.  Palso threw to his TE Kevin Barry who ran down the left sideline toward the goal line.  The Tiger defense were able to drag Barry down inside the one yard line as time ran out.  The Tigers took a 7-3 lead to the intermission despite being outplayed for a large portion of the half.  Shaler controlled the ball for 18:04 to the Tigers' 5:04 but could muster only a field goal.  Credit goes to the NA defense for standing tall when needed.

The Tigers took the second half kickoff with Austin returning the ball 17 yards to the NA 34.  After two plays gained 7 yards, Greco ran a QB keeper around left end for nine and a first down at the Tiger 49.  On third and four, Locke was sacked for a loss of four forcing a Greco punt that was downed at the Shaler 13.  After a pass from Palso to Wirkowski got a first down at the 27, two incomplete passes and a running play gained only four.  McGriff punted to Austin who slipped and went down at the Tiger 29.  On first down, Greco found Austin open down the left sideline for a gain of 54 yards and a first down at the Titan 17.  Greco then ran around left end for 14 and a first and goal at the Shaler 3.  After a motion penalty put the ball back at the 8, Lapinski ran for six to the Titan two.  On the next play, Lapinski took it in for his eighth TD of the year.  Doyle converted to give the Tigers a 14-3 lead midway through the quarter.  On the ensuing kickoff, Kyle Stagel returned the ball to the Shaler 31.  Palso opened with a completion to Wirkowski for first down yardage, but Shaler was called for an illegal man downfield that negated the gain.  Starting from the Titan 25, Fitzpatrick ran the right side for nine yards.  On second a one, Lotz picked off a Palso pass and raced untouched for 41 yards and a score.  Doyle again tacked on the point and the NA lead suddenly went to 21-3 with 4:44 remaining in the quarter.  Slagel returned the kickoff all the way to the NA 45 before junior Zack Watts caught him from behind.  The Titans were called for an illegal block in the back, however, negating the long run and pushing Shaler all the way back to their own 11.  Wirkowski gained 16 around left end on the first play to pick up a first down at the 27.  On the next play, Fitzpatrick threw a halfback pass intended for McGriff but was overthrown.  Fitzpatrick was injured on the play and did not return.  After two plays gained only three yards, McGriff punted to Austin who returned it 17 yards to the Shaler 48.  The Tigers then went on a nine-play drive that effectively put the game out of reach.  After DeCiantis got seven and Lapinski a yard, Greco ran the left side for five and a first down at the Titan 35.  On second and eight, DeCiantis ran for nine yards and a first down on the next two plays as time ran out in the third quarter.  The Tigers took a 21-3 lead into the final period.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Lapinski broke through the middle for 17 yards and a first down at the Titan three.  On second and goal from the one, Lapinski scored his second TD on the game, his ninth of the season.  Doyle again was perfect on the conversion as the Tigers extended the lead to 28-3 just 49 seconds into the fourth quarter.  After Stagel brought the kickoff back to the 29, the Titans lost four yards on three plays, with Zack Watts hitting Wirkowski for a loss of four on a third and ten.  Once again, McGriff punted, this time to the NA 39 where the ball was downed.  The Tigers then went on a methodical 61 yard drive in 13 plays, taking 7:31 off the clock.  Keeping the ball exclusively on the ground, Lapinski, DeCiantis, Greco and Zack Watts all took their turns picking up yardage.  The largest gain was by Lapinski who raced 17 yards to the Shaler 13.  DeCiantis finally took it from the one, Doyle added the point, and the Tigers took a 35-3 lead with just 2:28 remaining.  Both coaches sent reserves in to play the final minutes.  Sophomore QB Brad Comport took a knee to run out the remaining time as the Tigers completed an impressive second half to take a 35-3 victory.

It was a big victory for the Tigers who turned things around in the second half to take control of the game.  Statistically, NA outgained Shaler in total yardage, 286-184, holding the Titans to 50 total yards in the second half.  Individually, DeCiantis led all rushers with 99 yards on 13 carries with Lapinski adding 56 also on 13 runs.  The Tigers attempted only five passes completing two, one for a touchdown.  Austin returned four punts for 72 yards, including the 40-yarder.  For his efforts in leading the ground game in the second half, the North Allegheny Sports Network selected Carl DeCiantis as the Player of the Game.

With the win, the NA conference record improved to 3-0, the overall mark to 5-2.  The Tigers will host Butler on Friday night at Newman Stadium on Senior Night.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the game LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game show at 7:10 pm.  Game time is scheduled for 7:30 pm.

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 35  SHALER - 3

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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