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TIGERS UPSET NORTH HILLS, 13-10, ON SENIOR NIGHT

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by Don Vandergrift

Senior Justin Runkel’s 30-yard field goal with 7:32 remaining in the fourth quarter proved to be the difference as the Tigers upset #2 ranked North Hills, 13-10, on Friday night at Newman Stadium.  On a cold and rainy Senior Night, senior wide receiver Nick Henderson scored the Tiger touchdown on a 32-yard pass from junior Adam Neugebauer.  Runkel also kicked a field goal in the third quarter.  The Tiger defense held North Hills throughout the fourth quarter to secure the victory.

On the opening kickoff, senior running back Adam Hambrick returned the ball to the NA 25.  On the first play from scrimmage, Neugebauer hit senior halfback Billy Knight for a seven-yard gain.  Junior fullback Marek Lapinski ran for six more and a first down to the Tiger 36.  Lapinski then added nine, and Knight took an inside handoff for nine more to put the Tigers at the North Hills 46.  A running play and two incomplete passes forced an NA punt as Runkel had his kick downed at the NH 17.   A holding call pushed the ball back to the 8.  The Tiger defense held the Indians to no gain on three plays, and senior Evan Euler punted to Knight who made a fair catch at the NH 48.  Neugebauer found Knight open for a gain of 15 to the Indian 35.  After Lapinski got three, Neugebauer hit Henderson in full stride at the North Hills 15, and the Tiger receiver went untouched into the end zone.  Runkel added the point to give NA a 7-0 lead with 5:46 remaining in the quarter.  Senior Brad Hill returned the kickoff down the right side for good yardage before slipping at the NH 43.  Hill was injured on the play and did not return.  On first down, senior QB Brandon Lehmeier ran for 16 and a first down at the Tiger 41.  Lehmeier then fumbled the snap and finally recovered back at the NH 48, a loss of eleven.  A third down screen pass to senior halfback Connor Corcoran gained fifteen.  On a fourth and four, Lehmeier’s pass to senior TE P.J. Castellano fell incomplete.  On first down, Neugebauer hit senior WR Sam McGill for 12 and a first down at the NA 47.  After a running play got two, Neugebauer threw long toward Henderson, but NH junior defensive back Andrew Heck intercepted the pass while falling to the turf..  On a third and seven, Lehmeier threw to senior WR Marty Mueller for 20 yards and a first down at NH 49.

On the first play of the second quarter, Corcoran ran the right side for fifteen to the Tiger 36.  After runs by Lehmeier and Corcoran got another first down at the Tiger 25, Lehmeier hit Corcoran for twelve more to the Tiger 12.  On a third and 2 at the NA 5, junior tackle Mark Lamping broke through to nail Lehmeier for a one-yard loss.  On fourth down, the Indians went for the score, but Lehmeier’s pass to Castellano was incomplete, and the Tigers took over at their own 6.  Three plays gained only four yards, and Runkel punted to Mueller at the NA 40.  The Indian return man fumbled the wet ball, and NA recovered at the Tiger 41.  After a motion penalty against the Tigers, sophomore FB Karl DeCiantis got the yardage back with a 5-yard gain.  Two additional plays gained only two yards forcing Runkel to punt again.  Mueller returned the kick for o three yards to the NH 18 with 3:52 remaining in the half.  It took the Indians only six plays to tie the game.  After Corcoran got three on first down, Lehmeier ran around right end for 34 yards to the NA 45.  Lehmeier then got fifteen more to the Tiger 30.  Corcoran broke through for 23 and a first down at the Tiger 7.  After Corcoran was stopped just short of the goal line, Lehmeier took it in on a quarterback sneak.  Senior Rob Schubring added the point to tie the game at 7-7.  After the ensuing kickoff, the Tigers could not score in the remaining 1:20 and the teams went to the intermission tied at 7-7.

After Mueller returned the second half kickoff to the NH 25, runs by Corcoran and Lehmeier gave the Indians a first down at the 36.  After two plays gained three yards, sophomore DE Zach Watts hit Lehmeier for a four-yard loss forcing another NH punt.  Knight returned the ball 18 yards to the 50 as the Tigers started in good field position on their initial drive of the second half.  After Neugebauer got 13 and a first down on a quarterback draw, two incomplete passes brought up a third and 10.  Neugebauer threw down the middle to Hambrick who made a nifty move to pick up a first down at the NH 25.  A pass to Knight gained seven, and a run by Lapinski up the middle got 11 more as the Tigers had a first and goal at the NH 7.  After two plays gained only a yard, Neugebauer’s third down pass fell incomplete.  Runkel came in to kick a 26-yard field to give the Tigers a 10-7 lead with 4:32 remaining in the quarter.  Mueller returned the ensuing kickoff to the NH 28.  On first down, Lehmeier threw to TE Castellano who raced all the way to the Tigers 8, a gain of 64 yards.  Once again, the Tiger defense stood tall, however, holding the Indians to just two yards in three plays.  Schubring was forced to kick a 23-yard field goal that tied the game at 10-10 with 2:23 left in the stanza.  Knight returned the kickoff 15 yards and the Tigers started at their 23.  NA then went on a time consuming drive that eventually resulted in the game winning field goal.  After Knight got three on first down, Neugebauer found Henderson along the right sideline for a gain of 21 and a first down at the Tiger 47.  After an illegal shift penalty against NA, Neugebauer threw to sophomore TE Mike Fuhrman for three, and to McGill for eight to the NH 45 as the quarter ended.

As the teams entered the final quarter with the game tied at 10-10, the home fans gave the Tigers a loud supporting cheer.   DeCiantis opened the quarter by picking up two and a first down at the 43.  A long pass to Henderson was incomplete, but NH was called for pass interference giving the Tigers another first down at the Indian 28.  After three plays gained nine yards, Lapinski picked up a tough yard and a first down at the NH 17.  After an incomplete pass, two short passes gained only five yards.  On a fourth and five, Runkel kicked a 30-yard field goal to put NA ahead, 13-10 with 7:32 left.  Mueller got a good return on the kickoff to the NH 34.  Three plays got only two yards and Euler punted to the NA 33 where the ball was downed with 6:45 remaining.  A long pass to Henderson gained 26 and a first down at the Indian 37.  After three plays gained three yards, Neugebauer completed a fourth-down pass to Henderson who made a diving catch for a first down at the Indian 25.  After three plays gained nothing, a fourth down pass fell incomplete giving the ball to North Hills at their 25.  After Lehmeier gained fourteen to the NH 39, the Indian quarterback threw a long pass down the right sideline that Henderson took away with a leaping interception at the NA 45.  After Knight gained six, North Hills called a time out.  Lapinski followed with a run of five and a first down at the NH 44.  On the next play, Lapinski gained three, but North Hills came away with the football.  A long controversy ensued with the referees discussing the play for close to ten minutes.  Finally, the officials decided that the whistle had blown before the fumble allowing NA to retain possession.  The North Hills coaching staff was given an unsportsmanlike penalty moving the ball to the NH 27.  From this point, the Tigers were able to run out the clock and pick up the upset victory, 13-10.

It was a great win for the young Tigers squad as they posted their fourth consecutive victory in Quad North play.  NA will finish in a fourth place tie with either Mt. Lebanon or Bethel Park depending on the outcome of their game that was postponed to this afternoon because of a power outage at Bethel Park.  The Tigers never trailed in the game, playing with enthusiasm from start to finish.  A lot of Tigers made great plays but the North Allegheny Sports Network decided to name senior placekicker and punter Justin Runkel as the Player of the Game.  Congratulations to the entire Tiger team for a great victory over rival North Hills.  The Tigers broke a three-game losing streak to the Indians and cut the NH lead in the all-time series to 24-22.

With the win, Coach Art Walker’s Tigers finished Quad North play with a record of 4-3, with the overall mark improving to 5-4 on the season.  NA will now wait until Monday night when the WPIAL Football Committee announces the pairings for this year’s Quad-A Tournament.  The MSA Sports Network will broadcast the pairings meeting live on the internet beginning at 7:00 pm.  The Tigers will play a first round game next Friday or Saturday on the road.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast the game LIVE on the internet beginning with the pre-game show.

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY – 13  NORTH HILLS – 10

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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