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STRONG SECOND HALF GIVES MT. LEBANON A 27-7 VICTORY OVER THE TIGERS

by Don Vandergrift

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The Tigers played Mt. Lebanon even for a half on Friday night at Mt. Lebanon Stadium, but the Blue Devils dominated the second half in a 27-7 victory in the Quad North opener.  Sophomore wingback Karl DeCiantis scored the NA touchdown as the Tigers scored on the opening drive of the game.  Mt. Lebanon used a powerful ground attack that resulted in four rushing touchdowns and their second victory in three games.

After senior Billy Knight ran the opening kickoff back to the 22-yard line, the Tigers went on a sustained drive of 78 yards in 12 plays to take the lead.  Knight picked up three on first down and another seven for a first down at the 32.  A personal foul against Lebo moved the ball fifteen more yards to the NA 48.  On first down, Knight went around the right end for nine, and junior fullback Marek Lapinski picked up a first down at the Lebo 42.  After an incomplete pass, Knight raced for fifteen more yards and a first down at the Mt. Lebanon 27.  DeCiantis took an inside handoff and gained ten and another first down at the Blue Devil 17.  Two running plays and a pass from junior QB Adam Neugebauer to senior wide receiver Nick Henderson moved the ball to the Lebo 8.  On fourth and one, Neugebauer picked up the first down on a quarterback sneak.  DeCiantis then took an inside handoff over the right side for seven yards and a touchdown.  Senior kicker Justin Runkel added the point and the Tigers took a 7-0 lead just 3:56 into the game.

After Lebo returned the kickoff to the 35, two running plays moved the ball to the 45 but a holding penalty slowed the drive.  On fourth down, an incomplete pass out of punt formation gave the ball back to NA at the Lebo 47.  A pass from Neubebauer to Henderson gained six to the 41.  On third down, Neugebauer found senior wideout Sam McGill for an eight-yard gain and a first down at the 32.  On third down, Neugebauer hit Henderson for twelve yards and a first down at the Lebo 19.  On the next play, Knight ran to the Lebo 8, but a holding call brought the ball back to the 18.  A motion penalty against the Tigers cost them five more yards.  After Neugebauer found Knight for a 5-yard gain, R.J. Jurik picked off a pass in the end zone and returned it to the Lebo 10 to end the threat.  Lebo junior Chip Young picked five to the 15 and junior Joe Rodella tacked on 10 more to the 25.  Young got a first down at the 27 as the first quarter ended with the Tigers holding a 7-0 lead.

As the second quarter began, Young got 12 and Rodella 14 as Lebo moved to the NA 47.  On first down, Lapinski nailed Young with a big hit on first down.  On the next play, senior QB Nick Till ran fifteen yards on a keeper for first down at the Tiger 32.  After Young picked up seven on first down, a motion penalty against the Blue Devils moved it back to the 30.  The Tiger defense then stiffened holding Lebo to just one yard on two running plays.  A fourth down pass was incomplete and the Tigers took over at their own 29.  Three plays were not able to gain any yardage and sophomore Geoff Greco punted to Jurik who returned it to the Lebo 46.  On the play, the Tigers were given a 15-yard personal foul penalty that moved the ball to the NA 38.  After a procedure penalty pushed it back to the 43. Till ran for 15 and a first down at the Tiger 25.  Young then raced down the left sideline for a Lebo touchdown.  Steve Stombaugh added the point to tie the game at 7-7 with 5:33 remaining in the half.  After the ensuing kickoff went into the end zone, the Tigers were again unable to move and Greco punted to the Lebo 39.  The Blue Devils went on another drive behind the running of Young and Till.  After Till ran for eight yards and a first down at the NA 27, the Tiger defense came up big.  Young was held to a yard, and two passes were knocked down by the NA secondary to stop the drive.  The Tigers ran out the clock and the teams went to the intermission tied at 7-7.

After Rodella returned the second half kickoff to the Lebo 38, Lebo was unable to move the ball and punted to Knight who returned it to the NA 28.  A penalty for an illegal block, however, moved the ball back to the Tiger 7.  After two running play lost three yards, Neugebauer hit sophomore TE Mike Fuhrman for a gain of ten but the play was a yard short of a first down.  Greco punted to Young who returned it to the NA 29, but another penalty against Lebo pushed the ball back to midfield.  After Young gained five to the 45, an incomplete pass brought up a third and five.  Rodella was able to break through the NA line and outrun the Tiger secondary for a 45-yard touchdown.  Stombaugh’s kick made it 14-7 at the 7:17 mark of the quarter.  After Knight returned the kickoff to the NA 23, a running play lost three.  After Neugebauer hit Knight for a gain of 12, Neugebauer moved the sticks after a quarterback sneak.  After two incomplete passes, Neugebauer found Knight open for a gain of 20 to the Mt. Lebanon 45.  Lapinski got three on first down, and Knight gained 16 on a fake reverse to give the Tigers a first down at the Lebo 26.  After a running play lost three, two incomplete passes brought up a fourth and long.  Neugebauer’s pass to Fuhrman gained eleven but was just short of a first down.  Lebo took over at the 18 and began a long drive.  Robella gained seventeen to the 35, and Young got a first down at the NA 49.  Till hit Dave Kleifgen for a nine-yard gain as the quarter ended.  Mt. Lebanon took a 14-7 lead into the final period.

With a fourth and one at the NA 41 as the quarter opened, Ketch punted to the NA 11 where the ball was downed.  After an incomplete pass, Neugebauer threw long down the right sideline and Henderson made a leaping catch at the Tiger 39, a gain of 28 yard and a first down.  Neugebauer hit Henderson again for a gain of nine and Knight ran for a first down at midfield.  After an incomplete pass, Neugebauer threw to senior Vinnie Alioto for 13 yards and a first down at the Lebo 37.  Three straight incomplete passes forced a Greco punt that was downed at the Mt. Lebanon 18.  The Blue Devils then went on an 82-yard drive to put the game away.  Young got 18 and Rodella 13 more to move the ball to midfield.   After Till was stopped after a gain of just one, Till threw to Kleifgen for a first down at the NA 33.  On first down, Rodella broke through the middle for 33 yards and a Lebo touchdown.  Stombaugh’s kick was wide, but Lebo had a 20-7 lead with just 6:40 remaining.  On the ensuing kickoff, the ball was dropped by the Tigers and a mad scramble pushed the ball all the way back to the NA 12 where the Tigers finally recovered.  On the first play, the Tigers fumbled again and Jurik recovered for Lebo.  On first down, Till rolled to his left and hit TE Ketch at the five, and he took it into the end zone.  Stombaugh added the point and the Blue Devils had a commanding 27-7 lead with 6:10 remaining.  The Tigers could not move the ball after the ensuing kickoff and Greco punted to the Lebo 44.  Four runs gave the Blue Devils a first down at the NA 33.  The second team was sent in by Lebo Coach Chris Haering and ran four plays but came up short of a first down at the NA 23.  Greco went in at quarterback for NA and gained fourteen for a first down at the 37.  Time ran out on the Tigers at this point and Mt. Lebanon captured the Quad North opener by a 27-7 score.

The Blue Devils used a powerful running attack to post their second victory against one loss on the season.  Lebo piled up 342 yards rushing with Rodella gaining 156 yards on 13 carries and Young 132 more on 18 attempts.  Neugebauer led the Tigers with 149 yards passing, completing 14 of 32 passes.  The Tigers stayed close throughout most of the game until Lebo broke it open in the final quarter.  For his efforts on the defensive side of the ball, the North Allegheny Sports Network selected linebacker Corey Watts as the Player of the Game.

The loss dropped the NA record to 0-1 in conference play and 1-2 overall.  The Tigers have now dropped five of the last six games played against Lebo with the all-time series going to 15-6 in favor of the Blue Devils.  After three weeks on the road, the Tigers will return home to Newman Stadium next week to face Bethel Park.  The Blackhawks are off to a 3-0 start including a 42-14 pasting of Seneca Valley last night.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the game LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game show at 7:15 pm.  Game time is scheduled for 7:30 pm.

GAME SUMMARY
MT. LEBANON – 27  NORTH ALLEGHENY – 7

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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