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NORTH ALLEGHENY VARSITY FOOTBALL

TIGERS UPSET WOODLAND HILLS, 24-17, TO ADVANCE TO WPIAL SEMIFINALS

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The Tigers built a 21-10 halftime lead and held off Woodland Hills in the second half as they upset the Wolverines, 24-17, in a WPIAL quarterfinal game at Bethel Park on Friday night.  Sophomore QB Mike Locke threw two TD passes, one to senior TE Tom Keiser to give NA a 7-0 lead, and another to sophomore WR Brian Austin, an 81-yard scoring strike just before halftime.  Junior QB Geoff Greco added a touchdown on a 1-yard run, and senior PK Rich Doyle kicked a 36-yard field goal in the second half to complete the Tiger scoring.

In the first quarter, after Brandon Watters returned the kickoff twelve yards to the Woodland Hills 26, two runs by Marcel Farrish got a first down at the WH 38.  Three more plays lost a yard forcing a punt by Mike Belsito.  Austin lost two yards on the return, and the Tigers started on their own 18.  After an incomplete pass, Greco ran a quarterback draw for five to the 23.  On third and five, Greco raced around left end for a gain of fifty yards and a first down at the Wolverine 27.  After two plays picked up four yards, Locke dropped back and found Keiser open near the goal line, and the senior tight end took it into the end zone.  Doyle's kick gave NA the all-important 7-0 lead with 7:17 remaining in the quarter.  It was an 82-yard drive in just six plays.  Watters was able to return the kickoff only to the WH 19.  Once again, the NA defense forced a punt after three plays lost two yards.  Belsito's short kick was downed at the Wolverine 37.  A holding penalty backed NA to the WH 48, and Locke was sacked for a loss of ten back to the Tiger 42.  After Greco was hit for a loss of five more, a quick kick by Greco rolled dead at the WH 18.  On first down, Farrish raced fifteen yards for a first down at the 33.  After two plays gained only three yards, Vondre Griffin hit Lance Patterson along the right sideline for a gain of 47 yards and a first down at the NA 21.  The Tiger defense stiffened and forced Belsito to attempt a 42-yard field goal that just got over the bar to cut the lead to 7-3.  After Austin returned the kickoff 18 yards to the NA 25, an unsportsmanlike penalty cost the Wolverines fifteen yards.  Two plays netted zero yards as the quarter ended with the Tigers holding a 7-3 advantage.

In the second quarter, the Tigers were forced to punt after an incomplete pass.  Greco's punt took a big hop and bounced off the leg of Griffin at the WH 40.  It then caromed off the leg of the oncoming NA punt coverage team and rolled toward the Wolverine goal line.  The Tigers made several attempts to pick up the ball, and senior LB Darren LePere finally got it at the WH one.  Two quarterback sneaks by Greco got to within inches of the goal line, but senior HB Carl DeCiantis was caught for a loss back to the one.  After a time out by NA Head Coach Art Walker, Greco rolled around right end into the end zone for the score.  Doyle's kick gave the Tigers a 14-3 lead just 2:42 into the quarter.  After the kickoff was returned by Watters to the WH 27, three plays gained only four yards forcing Belsito to punt again.  This time, the Wolverine punter lifted a long kick that bounced and rolled all the way to the NA 3 where it was downed.  After senior RB Tim Lotz picked up a yard, senior FB Marek Lapinski broke through for nine and a first down at the NA 13.  On second and nine, WH linebacker Luke Trowell made a diving one-handed interception of a Greco pass at the Tiger 27.  Farrish then picked up twelve around left end for a first down at the NA 15.  On the next play, Farrish ran for 12 more to the Tiger 3.  After Farrish was stopped for no gain, the speedy Wolverine halfback fumbled the ball on the next play, and NA junior corner Kyle Butson fell on the ball at the NA one.  After the play was over, the Wolverines were hit with another unsportsmanlike penalty that took the ball to the Tiger 16.  Three plays, plus a motion penalty, forced Greco to punt with the ball downed at the WH 38.  On the first play after the punt, Farrish was seemingly stopped by the middle of the NA line but broke loose and outraced the Tigers to the end zone for a 62-yard touchdown.  Belsito added the point to cut the lead to 14-10 with only 1:43 remaining in the half.  After the kickoff went into the end zone, the Tigers started on their own 20 and lost a yard on the first play.  After a Woodland Hills time out, the Tigers stunned the Wolverines as Locke hit a wide open Austin in stride just across midfield and the NA sophomore outran the WH secondary to the end zone for the score.  Doyle again added the point and the Tigers answered the Wolverine score just 21 seconds later.  After the ensuing kickoff was returned by Griffin to the WH 45, four plays gained only eight yards, and NA took over at the 48.  DeCiantis picked up two to midfield as the half ended with the Tigers holding a 21-10 lead.

In the third quarter, the Tigers took the kickoff and methodically moved the football from their 35 all the way to the Woodland Hills 19.  De Ciantis ran the ball four straight plays, gaining 22 yards to the WH 43.  After Greco was hit for a four yard loss, the Tigers lined up in punt formation.  The Wolverines jumped off side, however, allowing NA to continue the drive.  With fourth and less than a yard, Greco picked up the first down on a quarterback sneak to the 42.  After Locke was sacked for a loss of two, the sophomore QB found Austin open for a gain of eleven to the 33.  After Lapinski was hit for a loss of three, DeCiantis ran the inside reverse for seven and a first down at the WH 29.  Lapinski got four up the middle, and Locke threw a short pass to Lotz for six more to the Wolverine 19.  DeCiantis raced up the middle for five and a first down to the 14.  On second and eleven, Locke tried to hit Austin in the end zone, but the pass was overthrown.  On third down, Locke was sacked for a loss of four.  Doyle came in and kicked a 36-yard field goal to give NA a 24-10 lead with 2:34 remaining.  It was a 17-play drive that took 9:26 off the clock as the Tigers increased the lead.  After Watters returned the kickoff to the NA 31, an illegal block in the back sent the ball all the way back to the WH 23.  After Farrish lost two, Butson broke up a long pass intended for WR Devan Johnson.  Another incomplete pass forced a Belsito punt that Austin caught on a fair catch at the Tiger 36.  On first down, DeCiantis gained three, and Locke threw short to Lapinski for four more.  DeCiantis picked up three more and a first down at the 46 as the quarter ended.  In the quarter, the Tigers held the ball for 11:10 while the Wolverines had only three offensive plays.  NA took a 24-10 lead into the final period.

As the fourth quarter began, DeCiantis again was the workhorse gained 11 yards on three runs to earn another first down at the WH 41.  A motion penalty and a sack of Locke pushed the ball back to the NA 45.  After Greco gained only two yards, Coach Walker called a timeout.  With a third a long, Greco again got off a quick kick that went all the way into the end zone.  Woodland Hills took over at their own 20 with 8:00 minutes left in the game.  On first down, Farrish got loose again for a gain of 21 and a first down at the Woody High 41.  On a third and four, Griffin ran around left end for nineteen yards and a first down at the NA 34.  After Griffin was stopped for no gain on the next play, the senior QB was able to find Patterson open in the end zone for a 34-yard scoring play.  Belsito's kick was good as the NA lead was cut to 24-17 with 5:18 still remaining.  An on side kickoff attempt by the Wolverines rolled to the NA 35 where senior DB Sean Gross fell on the ball.  On first down, Lotz ran the left side for twelve to the 47.  After two running plays picked up only one yard, Woodland Hills called their second time out.  After a short pass from Locke to Austin gained six to the WH 44, the Tigers called a time out with 3:16 left.  On a fourth and short, Lotz bulled his way for two yards and a first down at the WH 42.  After a loss of a yard, Coach George Novak called the final Wolverine time out.  On the next play, Lapinski got the yard back and NA called their final time out.  After a loss of two, the Tigers took a delay of game penalty that moved the ball back to the WH 49 with just 1:11 remaining in the game.  Greco punted and the Tigers downed the ball at the WH 20.  On second and ten, a desperation pass by Griffin was tipped and intercepted by senior LB Jack Connolly at midfield and returned to the WH 21 with just 51 seconds on the clock.  After problems in the past two games with taking a knee, Greco successfully dropped back twice as time ran out and the Tiger had the upset 24-17 victory.

It was a big win for the Tigers as they stopped a five-game losing streak to Woodland Hills.  Statistically, both teams gained 250 yards in the contest.  Two fumbles by the Wolverines that were recovered by the Tigers at the one-yard line played a big role in the victory.  When it counted, NA was able to control the ball and take time off the clock keeping the potent Wolverine offense off the field.  Individually, Greco gained 60 yards on 12 carries while DeCiantis gained 59 on twenty attempts to lead the NA ground attack.  Locke was six for eight for 125 yards and two touchdowns.   Austin led all receivers with three catchers good for 99 yards and a score.  It was an all-around team victory for NA, but the North Allegheny Sports Network selected Brian Austin as the Player of the Game.

With the win, the Tigers advance to the WPIAL semifinals against Upper St. Clair, a 34-10 winner over North Hills on Friday night.  NA has now won seven straight to improve their record to 9-2.  The Panthers will enter the game as the only unbeaten Quad A team with a record of 11-0.  USC defeated NA, 16-7, at Newman Stadium earlier in the season.  The game will be played on Friday night at Canon-McMillan High School.  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 STATISTICS

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 24  WOODLAND HILLS - 17

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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