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TIGERS HOLD OFF LATROBE FOR
27-10 VICTORY

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The Tigers took a 20-10 halftime lead at Latrobe on Friday night and added a second half touchdown to defeat the Wildcats, 27-10.  Senior tailback Carl DeCiantis gained 223 yards on 24 carries and scored two touchdowns to pace NA.  Junior QB Mike Locke tossed a pair of touchdown passes as he hit senior WRs Geoff Greco and Brian Austin for scores.  The win kept the Tigers unbeaten after the first two non-conference games.

Latrobe’s Tony Linigro returned the opening kickoff eleven yards to the Latrobe 24 as the Wildcats immediately began a drive.  On second and eight, sophomore QB Eric Shaffer ran for 17 yards and a first down at the Latrobe 43.  After three plays gained nine yards, Shaffer picked up two on a quarterback sneak to gain a first down at the NA 47.  The Tiger defense then held forcing Tom Smetanka to punt to Austin who returned it 22 yards to the NA 30.  The Tigers could not move the ball and Greco sent a 42 yard punt to Ryan Kissell who took it on a fair catch at the Wildcat 28.  On the first play, Shaffer broke through the middle and cut left racing down the sideline for 72 yards and the opening score of the game.  Senior Joe Dado added the point and the Wildcats led, 7-0, with 6:20 on the first quarter clock.  After Austin returned the kickoff 22 yards to the NA 30, the Tigers began a sustained drive of 68 yards to tie the game.  On the first play, DeCiantis ran the left side for 14 yards and a first down at the 46.  Senior FB Corey Watts then broke through and rambled for 19 more yards to the Wildcat 35.  Freshman HB Alex Popson gained six and DeCiantis added five more to give NA a first down at the Latrobe 24.  On the next play, Popson ran the middle for 11 yards to the Wildcat 13.  On third and 11, Locke hit a wide open Greco down the left side for the score.  Senior Justin Facer added the point as the Tigers tied the game at 7-7 with 3:00 minutes left in the quarter.  Kissell returned Greco’s kickoff to the Latrobe 31 and the Wildcats started another drive.  Junior RB Dave Duhaim ran for eleven on first down.  After a motion call against Latrobe, Corey Watts stopped Shaffer after a gain of one.  Shaffer then hit Kissell on a screen pass for 13 yards and a first down at the NA 46.  After a delay of game penalty, Duhaim gained five yards on two carries as the quarter ended with the game tied at 7-7.

As the second quarter began, a penalty put the Wildcats in a punting situation.  When Smetanka went to kick, he dropped the ball. After picking up the pigskin, the NA defense forced a fumble that was scooped up by Duhaim who ran it to the NA 37 just one yard short of a first down.  On a second and twelve, DeCiantis broke off the right side, was hit by several tacklers, but broke free down the right sideline for 65 yards and a score.  Facer’s conversion made it 14-7 just 1:38 into the second quarter.  Three plays gained only six yards and Jeff Kerila punted to Austin who returned it 42 yards to the Latrobe 16.  On second down, senior TE Mike Fuhrman got open in the end zone but Locke’s pass was just too long.  On third down, Kissell managed to get a hand on a pass intended for Austin in the end zone.  After NA Head Coach Art Walker called a time out, Locke found Austin open at the goal line for a touchdown.  Facer’s kick was wide as the Tigers took a 20-7 lead with 7:17 left in the half.  The Wildcats were able to return the kickoff to their own 14.  On second and nine, Shaffer hit Linigro for 21 and a first down at the Wildcat 35.  On third and ten, Shafer found Kissell open down the middle and the Wildcat receiver raced all the way to the NA 22.  After Duhaim got four, junior DE Wes Henderson broke through to sack Shaffer for a loss of four.  Shaffer got six back to the Tiger 17.  On fourth and five, Latrobe Coach Pat Murray sent in Dado to attempt a field goal.  The kick just made it over the crossbar as the Wildcats cut the lead to 20-10 with 2:23 remaining in the half.  After Austin returned the kickoff 15 yards to the NA 26, the Tigers started another drive. On third and long, DeCiantis raced 28 yards on a draw play for a first down at the Latrobe 28.  After an incomplete pass, DeCiantis picked up another first down on a draw play to the Latrobe 38.  On third and 8, junior LB Darryn Fiscus made a diving interception at the Wildcat 28.  Latrobe picked up one first down, but time ran out in the half with the Tigers taking a 20-10 advantage to the intermission.  It was an offensive first half with 443 yards of total offense.  DeCiantis picked up 144 yards on ten carries including the 65-yard TD run.  Shaffer was 8 for 12 for 115 yards for Latrobe.

Both teams moved the ball again in the third quarter but could not score.  After senior LB Ty Dixon returned the kickoff 11 yards to the NA 36, the Tigers were held to no yards in two plays.  On third and ten, Locke’s long pass was intercepted by Kissell at the Latrobe 27.  The Wildcats began a drive that threatened to cut the NA lead.  Duhaim broke up the middle for 18 and a first down on the first play.  On third and seven, Shaffer threw long down the right side and junior WR Connor Shields made a twisting catch, falling at the NA 14.  On the next play, Shaffer ran the right side to the NA 1.  With a first and goal, the Tiger defense came up big.  Shaffer tried a QB sneak and was stopped inches from the goal line.  On the next play, Duhaim tried the middle and lost half a yard.  Coach Murray then called a time out.  On the next play, Shaffer fumbled and senior LB Teddy Connolly fell on the loose ball at the NA 6.  After two plays gained only two yards, Coach Walker called a time out.  Greco then ran around right end for 22 yards and a first down at the NA 30.  After Papson gained eight, Corey Watts picked up 14 more gaining a first down at the Latrobe 43.  DeCiantis then ran for gains of 7, 5 and 13 as the Tigers had a first down at the Wildcat 18.  On the next play, a pitchout was fumbled and was recovered by Shaffer at the Latrobe 27 to end the Tiger drive. The Wildcats went three and out as Smetanka punted to Austin who made a fair catch at the Tiger 44.  After DeCiantis got five on first down, Greco again ran around right end for 10 and a first down at the Latrobe 41.  DeCiantis gained eight on first down, and Greco once again ran the right side for 18 and a first down at the Wildcat 20.  DeCiantis then picked up 15 yards in two carries giving the Tigers a first and goal at the Latrobe five as the quarter ended with NA still on top, 20-10.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, the Latrobe defense caught DeCiantis for a five yard loss.  On the next play, the Tiger senior broke through the left side for ten yards and his second score of the game and fifth touchdown of the season.  Facer added the point as the Tigers increased the lead to 27-10 just 51 seconds into the final stanza.  After Kissell returned the kickoff to the Latrobe 27, a penalty and gain of one brought up a second and fourteen.  Shaffer then threw to Kissell for a gain of 16 and first down at the 41.  On second and eight, the combination of Shaffer to Kissell got 13 more to the NA 44.  The Tiger defense then stood tall.  Senior DE Scott Linkowski hit Shaffer for a five yard loss back to the NA 47.  On a fourth and long, senior DT Mike Passodelis and junior LB Mario Posteraro combined to sack Shaffer for a loss of ten back to the Latrobe 45.  The Tigers took over and were able to run out the clock.  On second and 8, DeCiantis ran for ten and a first down at the 33.  After a procedure call, DeCiantis regained the five lost to penalty.  Greco followed with a gain of eight more around right end and a first down at the Wildcat 25.  On third and short, Greco picked up two on a quarterback sneak to give NA a first down at the Latrobe 21.  Two more plays picked up a final first down, and Locke then took a knee to run out the clock.  The Tigers had earned their second victory with a 27-10 win over the Wildcats.

The offensive show continued in the second half with both teams combining for a total of 694 yards of total offense in the game.  DeCiantis led all rushers with 223 yards while Greco added 62 on six tries.  NA finished with a total of 322 yards rushing.  Duhaim gained 122 on the ground to pace the Wildcats.  For his offensive efforts, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Carl DeCiantis as the Player of the Game for the second straight week.  Although the Tigers gave up 332 yards, Latrobe was held to just one for nine on third down plays.

It was a good win for the Tigers with the offense getting things together, particularly on the ground.  With the victory, the Tigers improved their non-conference record to 2-0 in the early season.  NA will host Woodland Hills at Newman Stadium on Friday.  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 SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY – 27  LATROBE – 10

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

 TEAM STATISTICS

Statistics Courtesy of Steve Heckmann

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