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KNIGHT LEADS TIGERS OVER NORWIN, 27-7

by Don Vandergrift

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Senior tailback Billy Knight scored three touchdowns and added a two-point conversion to lead the Tigers to a convincing 27-7 victory at Norwin on Friday night.  The Tiger senior accounted for 159 yards of total offense as the Tigers evened their non-conference mark at 1-1.  Junior fullback Marek Lapinski rushed for 74 yards and a score for the winning Tigers.  Junior quarterback Adam Neugebauer completed 10 of 12 passes in his first varsity start.

After Jon Salmon returned the opening kickoff to the Norwin 41, the Knights picked up a first down on a third down run by senior QB T.J. Salopek who got to the NA 45.  The Tigers held and forced a Salmon punt that was downed at the Tiger 13.  On the first play, Knight ran around right end for ten yards and a first down.  After Lapinski got four and Knight three, Neugebauer found junior receiver Aric Young for a 7 yard gain and another first down.  An eight-yard run by Lapinski on second down gained another first down at the Norwin 49.  On second and seven, Neugebauer hit senior wideout Nick Henderson for a gain of 32 and a first down at the Norwin 14.  Three plays later, Knight ran the right side for five yards and a touchdown.  The extra point was wide but the Tigers held a 6-0 lead with 3:56 left in the quarter.  The touchdown covered 87 yards in eleven plays.  After junior Dan Kozak returned the kickoff to the 29, the Knights were able to pick up a pair of first downs as they moved the ball to midfield as the quarter ended.

The Tiger defense held and forced a Norwin punt that was taken by senior Sam McGill at the NA 21.  After a five-yard penalty moved the ball back to the 16, the Tigers went on another long scoring drive.  Knight picked up 10 and a first down at the 26.  On third and seven, Neugebauer threw to sophomore TE Mike Fuhrman for eleven yards and another first down at the Tiger 39.  On second and 10, Neugebauer hit Knight down the middle for a gain of 35 yards and a first down deep in Norwin territory at the 26.  On a second and 12, the combination of Neugebauer and Knight worked again, this time for 15 yards and a first down at the Norwin 13.  After a loss of two on first down, Knight faked a reverse and raced around left end, diving into the end zone for his second touchdown.  Knight then caught a pass in the right corner of the end zone for the two-point conversion.  The Tigers held a 14-0 lead with 6:07 remaining in the half.

After the ensuing kickoff was covered by the Knights at their own 16, Salopek was able to hit junior WR Ryan Faddish for 29 yards and a first down at the Knights’ 45.  After an 8-yard gain on first down by Kozak, Lapinski broke through to sack Salopek for a five-yard loss.  On fourth and one, Salmon got two and another first down at the Tiger 44.  A 19-yard pass to Faddish put the Knights at the Tiger 25 with 39.4 seconds left in the half.  Sophomore Zach Watts sacked Salopek for a loss of four and the Knights had to take a time out with 33.2 left.  After an incomplete pass, Salopek hit sophomore WR Mike Shanahan for a first down at the Tiger 11.  With time running out, Tigers stopped junior Chris Keba on a screen pass in the right flat.  The Tigers took a 14-0 lead to the intermission.

The Tigers failed to move the ball in the first possession of the second half, and sophomore Geoff Greco punted to Leba who returned the ball two yards to midfield.  An illegal block on the play pushed the ball back to the 40.  On first down, Zach Watts again got the Salopek and sacked him for a loss of 8.  After an incomplete pass, sophomore DL Mike Passodelis came in untouched and sacked Salopek again.  The Tigers put a great rush on punter Salmon, and he was only able to kick the ball 13 yards to the Norwin 40.  The Tigers needed only six plays to score again.  After Lapinski picked up seven on first down, the next two plays lost two yards.  On fourth and five, Neugebauer hit his TE Fuhrman who raced 29 yards to the Norwin six.  Lapinski took it to the three, and Knight finished the job with the second score of the game.  Senior Justin Runkel, fresh from playing for the Tigers’ soccer team, added the point to give NA a 21-0 advantage with 5:02 left in the quarter.

After the kickoff was returned to the Norwin 27, the Knights managed only 9 yards in three plays.  On fourth and one, the Knights converted again as Salopek fired a pass to Keba down the middle with sophomore LB Corey Watts making a touchdown saving tackle at the NA 40.  On third and one, the Tigers jumped off side to give Norwin another first down at the NA 26.  A defensive pass interference call against the Tigers in the end zone moved the ball half the distance to the NA 13.  After an incomplete pass, Salopek hit Keba again for a six-yard gain to the NA 7 as the quarter ended.  The Tigers took a 21-0 lead into the final stanza.

As the fourth quarter began, the Tigers were hit with another pass interference call giving Norwin a first and goal at the NA 4.  After two runs lost three yards, an incomplete pass forced a fourth and goal from the 7.  Salopek tried to hit Shanahan in the right corner of the end zone, but the Norwin receiver came down out of bounds.  The Tigers held and took over at their own 7.  At this point, NA began a methodical 93-yard drive that took 16 yards and most of the quarter.  Knight gained 12 yards on two carries to move the ball to the 19.  With a third and six, Neugebauer threw to Henderson for seven and a first down at the 29.  After Lapinski got six, Knight added three more.  On third and one, Neugebauer ran a quarterback sneak for two and another Tiger first down to the 41.  On a second and eleven, Neugebauer threw a screen pass to Knight who ran for 12 yards down the left sideline and another first down at the Norwin 48.  After a motion penalty, Neugebauer find McGill open for a gain of 9.  Norwin was guilty of a face mask penalty and 15 yards were added to the gain.  The Tigers had a first down at the Knights’ 29.  After a loss of one, Neugebauer completed a second-down pass to Fuhrman for ten yards to the 20.  After Lapinski got a first down at the 17, Greco came in at quarterback and ran for 15 before being stopped inside the one.  Knight then took it in for his third TD of the game.  The point after was blocked after the snap was fumbled.  NA held a 27-0 advantage with just 3:07 left.

The Knights took over on their 21 after the ensuing kickoff.  Playing against the Tiger reserves, Salopek was able to connect on a long 57-yard pass to Shanahan who took it to the Tiger 20.  After an incomplete pass, sophomore RB Cameron Olson ran into the end zone on a draw play to put the Knights on the board.  Kozak’s kick was good to make it a 27-7 NA lead.  The Tigers ran out the clock after Knight covered an onside kick as NA earned their first victory of the season.

It was a dominating performance for the Tigers as they gave Head Coach Art Walker his first victory as the Tiger mentor.  Utilizing a ball control game, the Tigers gave Norwin few chances with the football.  The Tiger defense was tough when they had to be with the first team defense holding the Knights scoreless.  The defense pressured Salopek for the entire game, picking four sacks in the process.  For his offensive effort, the North Allegheny Sports Network selected Billy Knight as the Player of the Game.

With the win, the Tigers completed the non-conference portion of their schedule with a 1-1 record.  NA will begin play in the Quad North Conference on Friday night when they travel to Mt. Lebanon to meet the Blue Devils who are also 1-1 after a 39-3 loss at McKeesport.  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
NORTH ALLEGHENY – 27  NORWIN – 7

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

TEAM STATISTICS (unofficial)

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