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PENN HILLS DOWNS TIGERS, 40-14, IN SEASON OPENER

 by Don Vandergrift

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The Tigers ran into a tough Penn Hills defense in the season opener at Penn Hills on Friday night, and the Indians came away with a 40-14 victory.  NA was able to score twice through the air in Coach Art Walker’s debut as the Tigers’ head coach.  Junior QB Adam Neugebauer tossed scoring passes to junior fullback Marek Lapinski and sophomore TE Mike Fuhrman to highlight the Tiger effort.

The Tigers got off to a great start marching 77 yards on their first possession of the game.  On the second play from scrimmage, senior quarterback Steve Halvonik raced 24 yards on a keeper to pick up a first down at the NA 44.  After Lapinski gained three and Halvonik added five more, senior TB Billy Knight ran for a first down at the Penn Hills 45.  Lapinski got four on first down, and Halvonik gained 13 more and another NA first down at the PH 28.  On third and ten, Knight made a leaping catch on a pass from Neugebauer to give the Tigers a first a goal at the Penn Hills five.  On second and goal, Neugebauer found Lapinski at the goal line and the Tigers were on the board.  Senior placekicker Justin Runkel added the point as the Tigers took a 7-0 lead halfway through the first quarter. 

Senior Devon Atkinson returned Runkel’s kickoff to the PH 46 and only a saving tackle by Runkel kept Atkinson from going the distance.  Three plays gained nothing in Penn Hills’ first possession, and the Indians punted to the NA 19.  After a five-yard penalty, Lapinski got three to the NA 17.  On third down, senior Troy Hill picked off a Tiger pass to give the Indians a first down at the NA 45.  After sophomore LB Corey Watts stopped RB Ricardo Clark for no gain on second down, Indian QB Chad Parker hit senior WR Barry Church for 15 yards and a first down at the NA 25.  On second and six, senior RB Tom Airgood broke through the Tiger defense and took it 19 yards for an Indian score.  Senior kicker Steve Nese drilled the point to tie the game at 7-7 with 1:01 remaining in the first quarter.

Early in the second quarter, the Tigers were forced to punt from deep in their own territory and sophomore punter Geoff Greco got it out to the NA 46.  On second and 10, Clark broke a tackle at the line of scrimmage and raced 46 yards for the second PH touchdown.  Nese added the conversion and the Indians led, 14-7, at the 11:36 mark.  After Nese’s kickoff went into the end zone, the Tigers took over at the 20.  After two running plays got two yards, Neugebauer hit senior SE Nick Henderson for 11 and a first down at the NA 33.  With a third and long, Neugebauer completed a nine-yard pass to Knight but the Tigers were short of the sticks.  Greco’s punt was fumbled but recovered by Scott, and the Indians took over at their 35.  After two plays gained only two yards, Parker threw a long pass to Scott good for 41 yards and a first down at the NA 22.  The Tiger defense rose to the occasion and stopped Penn Hills at the Tiger 15.  Three plays gained only 6 yards forcing another NA punt.  Greco’s punt was partially blocked and was downed at the Tiger 26.  Again, the Tiger defense held, but Nese came in to kick a 40-yard field goal as Penn Hills took a 17-7 lead to the intermission.

The Tigers came out after the halftime break looking to stop the Indians on the first possession and cut the deficit.  Atkinson had other ideas, however, and took the second half kickoff 90 yards to extend the Penn Hills lead.  Nese added the point and Penn Hills had a 24-7 advantage just 17 seconds into the half.  The Tigers were unable to move the ball and punted to Scott who returned the ball to the NA 48.  After Clark got a first down at the NA 21, the Tiger defense again held forcing Nese to kick a 33-yard field goal.  The Penn Hills lead went to 27-7 at the 7:34 mark.  Once again, the Tigers could not move the football and punted to the NA 48.  The teams exchanged fumbles with Penn Hills recovering at the NA 19.  On second and nine, Parker found Scott wide open down the left sideline for a touchdown.  The snap was fumbled on the extra point try, but Penn Hills held a 33-7 lead with 1:22 left in the quarter.  After Nese again kicked off into the end zone, Neugebauer hit Henderson down the left sideline as the senior Tiger receiver made a great catch for a gain of 35 yards and first down at the NA 42 as the third quarter ended.

As the fourth quarter began, Knight gained three on a run and four on a pass but the Tigers came up short and had to punt again.  This time a low snap forced Greco to try to get off a punt on the run.  The kick was blocked and rolled toward the NA goal where Atkinson picked it up and ran the remaining 20 yards for another Penn Hills score.  Nese’s point after pushed the margin to 40-7 with 10:15 left in the period.  After Nese again kicked off into the end zone, Hill made his second interception of the night to give the ball back to Penn Hills at the Indians 46.  On the first play after the pick, quarterback Justin Reese fumbled the snap and the Tigers recovered at the Indian 45.  The Tigers then began a 13-play drive to pick up their second touchdown of the season.  Senior RB Tyler DiMartino picked up four and Knight added five to the PH 36.  On fourth and short, Neugebauer moved the sticks with a quarterback sneak.  DiMartino got two on first down, and Halvonik added five more to the PH 28.  On third down, Knight ran for nine yards and a first down.  A face mask penalty tacked on five more and the Tigers were at the Penn Hills 12.  On a second and 10, Neugebauer hit senior SE Sam McGill with a seven-yard gain to the Indian 5.  Neugebauer then found Fuhrman at the goal line and the Tiger sophomore fell into the end zone.  Runkle’s kick made it 40-14 with just 3:54 remaining.  After the ensuing kickoff, Penn Hills picked up a pair of first downs and then ran out the clock as the Indians came away with a 40-14 victory.

It was a tough night for the Tigers and the fans as rain fell throughout most of the game.  Knight was the leading rusher for the Tigers picking up 34 yards in 15 carries.  Clark led the Indians with 85 yards on 14 carries.  It was the Penn Hills defense, however, that made the difference.  After the initial drive by the Tigers, NA was able to garner only three first downs until their final drive in the fourth quarter.  For his efforts and two touchdown passes, the North Allegheny Sports Network selected Adam Neugebauer as the NA Player of the Game.

The Tigers will travel to Norwin on Friday night to meet the Knights in the second and final non-section game.  Norwin was defeated by Bethel Park, 35-13, in their opener 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
PENN HILLS – 40  NORTH ALLEGHENY – 14

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

GAME STATISTICS

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