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NORTH ALLEGHENY VARSITY FOOTBALL

TIGERS RALLY TO DEFEAT SENECA VALLEY, 27-13, IN CONFERENCE OPENER

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

Sophomore QB Mike Locke threw three touchdown passes, two to senior halfback Tim Lotz, to lead the Tigers to a 27-13 victory over Seneca Valley in the Northern Five Conference opener at NexTier Stadium on Friday night.  After the Raiders took a 6-0 lead, NA scored 21 unanswered points in the second quarter to take the lead at halftime.  Locke connected with senior TE Tom Keiser for the longest score of the night while junior QB Geoff Greco ran eleven yards for a fourth-quarter TD that put the game out of reach.

After the Raiders returned the opening kickoff to the 22, the NA defense held and forced a punt that rolled dead at the Tiger 40.  Two holding penalties forced NA to punt with Greco kicking to Jim Burry who made a fair catch at the SV 14.  The Raiders then went on an 18-play, 86-yard drive to take the lead.  After junior RB James Daniels gained nine on two plays, the Tigers jumped offside to give SV a first down at the 28.  On first down, quarterback Ted Pynos hit senior WR Kevin Mayberry for a gain of seven.  On third and one, Pynos picked up the first down on a quarterback sneak.  After Daniels got five on two more plays, Pynos threw toTE Shawn Eagle over the middle for a gain of 21 and a first down at the Tiger 36.  Two passes to Mayberry picked up another first down at the NA 24.  After an incomplete pass, Keiser hit Daniels in the backfield for a two-yard loss.  On third and 12, Pynos tossed a screen pass to Eagle in the left flat, and the SV receiver raced for a first down at the NA 4.  Three plays later, Daniels took it in from the one.  After a procedure call against the Raiders, Ryan Scheller's conversion attempt went wide right as Seneca Valley took a 6-0 lead.  Lotz returned the ensuing kickoff fourteen yards to the 31.  After a procedure penalty cost the Tigers five yards, Greco ran for seven around left end.  Senior fullback Marek Lapinski got seven more to the NA 40 as the quarter ended with the Raiders on top, 6-0.

On the first play of the second quarter, Greco picked up the first down on a sneak to the 42.  On second and seven, Lotz ran the counter for 15 and a first down at the Raider 40.  After Lotz got eight on two plays, Lapinski ran up the middle for five more and another first down at the SV 27.  After junior RB Corey Watts gained seven, the Raiders were called for a personal foul that moved the ball to the SV 10.  On second and goal at the 8, Eagle broke through to hit Lotz for a four yard loss.  After an NA time out, Locke came in and threw to a wide open Lotz in the left flat.  The Tiger senior raced into the end zone to tie the game at 6-6.  Senior Rich Doyle added the point to put NA on top for the first time, 7-6, with 6:37 left in the half.  It was a 12-play, 69- yard drive for the Tigers.  After the kickoff was returned by Burry to the 34, junior DE Zack Watts hit Daniels for a loss of three.  Two runs by Pynos came up two yards short forcing the Raiders to punt to junior Christian Totera who returned the ball five yards to the Tiger 27.  On first down, junior HB Carl DeCiantis picked up five, and Lotz followed with eight more and a first down at the Tiger 40.  After two runs gained seven, NA was called for a delay of game that moved the ball back to the 42.  Locke then threw deep to Keiser down the middle, and the Tiger TE shook off several tacklers and ran the remaining distance for a 58-yard pass and run touchdown.  Doyle again converted to give NA a 14-6 lead after a 73-yard drive in five plays.  With just 1:08 left, the Raiders picked up a first down on a pass to senior WR Chris Lewis at the 36.  After another completion got a first down at midfield, Zack Watts broke through to hit Pynos and force a fumble.  Junior DL Austin Fedell picked up the loose ball and rumbled to the SV 20 with seconds remaining.  After an incomplete pass, Locke threw to Lotz in the end zone with just four seconds on the clock.  Doyle's kick was good to make it 21-6.  The clock ran out as the Tigers stopped Jack Lysowski on the kickoff return at the SV 35.  The Tigers took a 21-6 advantage to the intermission.

The Tigers were able to move the ball in the third quarter but could not score.  Lotz returned the second half kickoff sixteen yards to the NA 26.  After Lapinski got six, Lotz picked up four on a counter and a first down at the NA 36.  Three running plays got only nine yards, and Greco punted to the Raiders who fumbled the ball but recovered at the SV 25.  Three plays gained only six yards, and Scheller punted to sophomore Brian Austin who returned the ball 18 yards to the NA 44.  After Lotz gained six on first down, Lapinski picked up ten yards on two carries and a first down at the SV 40.  After two running plays gained four yards, the Tigers were called for holding.  On third and long, Locke was sacked by Derek Peluso for a loss of ten to the NA 42.  Greco's punt was caught on a fair catch at the SV 28.  Three plays later the Raiders were forced to punt with Totera breaking up two passes by Pynos.  Scheller's punt hit one of the Seneca players on the helmet giving NA the ball at their 46..  On first down, Austin ran a reverse around the left side for 29 yards and a first down to the SV 25.  After runs by Lapinski and Lotz got six, Greco ran a fake reverse and picked up ten and a first down at the Raider 9.  After DeCiantis got a yard, the third quarter ended with the Tigers on top, 21-6.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Locke came in and threw toward Lotz in the end zone.  The ball was deflected up in the air by Peluso who made an interception on the ground in the end zone to stop the Tiger drive.  The Raiders took over at their 20 and picked up a first down on a Pynos to Eagle pass that was good for 15 yards to the 33.  Senior LB Darren LePere chased down Pynos on the next play and sacked him for a loss of 4 to the 29.  After a gain of three, Lotz knocked down a third down pass forcing another SV punt.  Totera returned the kick fifteen yards to the NA 38.  On second and nine, a Tiger fumble was recovered by Locke for a loss of 8 back to 31.  On third and long, DB Shane Patsilevas intercepted a Locke pass and returned it 29 yards to the Tiger 25.  The pick gave the Raiders new life as it took only four plays to score.  On second and ten, Pynos hit Burry for a first down at the NA 1.  Two plays later, Pynos took it in on a QB sneak.  Schleller's point cut the NA lead to 21-13 with 6:51 still on the fourth quarter clock.  On the ensuing kickoff, Austin raced all the way to midfield, a return of 36 yards to set the Tigers up at the 50.  After two plays gained only one yard, Greco was trapped in the backfield but got free for a gain of 20 yards and a first down at the Seneca 29.  On first down, a holding call against the Tigers moved it back to the 41.  Greco then ran for 15 to the 27 and then for nine more and a first down at the Raider 16.  After Lotz gained five, Greco ran around the right side for the score.  The extra point by Doyle was wide ending a streak of 16 consecutive conversions by the NA kicker.  During the drive, Greco carried the ball five times for 54 yards and the touchdown.  The Tigers now led, 27-13, with 2:41 remaining.  After the Raiders covered the kickoff at their 24, the Raiders picked up a pair of  first downs on passes from Pynos to Lewis as they moved the ball to the SV 40.  A pass interference against the Tigers gave SV another first down at the NA 45.  Pynos then found Mayberry open for a gain of 16 to the Tiger 29.  On second and ten, Pynos threw to Lewis who made a diving catch at the NA 14.  On first down, Corey Watts chased Pynos and nailed him  for a loss of eleven back to the 25.  On fourth and long, Mayberry was called for offensive pass interference in the end zone.  The penalty was declined and the Tigers took over at the 25.  Greco had to kneel twice as the clock ran out with the Tigers picking up a 27-13 victory in the conference opener.

Defensively, the Tigers did the job on Daniels who came into the game averaging 125 yards per game on the ground.  The NA defense held the SV back to just 36  yards on 17 carries.  Overall, the Raiders lost four yards net rushing thanks to the tough NA defense.  The Tigers led in total yards, 310-177, with Greco leading all rushers with 92 yards in 12 carries.  Lotz added 64 and Lapinski 43 as NA picked up 220 yards rushing.  Locke completed his first three passes as a varsity player for touchdowns.  For his efforts on both sides of the ball, the North Allegheny Sports Network selected senior Tom Keiser as the Player of the Game.

It was a good win for the Tigers as they opened conference play.  With the huge Homecoming crowd at NexTier Stadium, it was a hostile environment but NA was able to prevail.  The win gave the Tigers a 1-0 conference record and a 3-2 overall mark.  NA will host McDowell from Erie on Friday night in a game that counts in the conference standings.  It will be Homecoming on Friday night at Newman Stadium with festivities getting under way early at 6:15 pm.  The newly elected Hall of Fame Class of 2006 will be introduced before the game.  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.

TEAM STATISTICS

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 27  SENECA VALLEY - 13

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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