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#3 UPPER ST. CLAIR ROLLS OVER TIGERS, 42-10

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by Don Vandergrift

The Tigers scored first on an 80-yard pass from junior QB Adam Neugebauer to senior WR Nick Henderson, but it was all Upper St. Clair after that as the Panthers downed the Tigers, 42-10, at Newman Stadium on Friday night.  Neugebauer completed 23 of 33 passes for 267 yards, but NA could not stop the USC running game.  The Panthers rushed for 283 yards good for three scores as they remained undefeated on the season.

The Tigers came out throwing after they fell on the opening kickoff at the NA 17.  Neugebauer hit Henderson for 14 yards and a first down, and followed with another pass to the NA senior wideout for 30 more as the Tigers moved the ball to the USC 39.  On second down, senior RB Billy Knight picked up nine yards to the Panther 30.  A quarterback sneak by Neugebauer got a first down at the 27.  After a fumble was recovered for a 2-yard loss, an incomplete pass brought up a second and 12.  Two completions to Knight moved the ball to the USC 24.  A fourth down pass was incomplete.  On first down, senior RB Rami Nubani picked up 20 around the left side to the USC 44.  After two running plays gained nothing, junior QB Pat McShane found senior TE Chris Albert open for a gain of 32 and a first down at the NA 24.  After Nubani gained 19 to the NA 5, the Panther runner fumbled the ball into the end zone where the Tigers recovered to stop the drive.  On second and 10, Neugebauer hit Henderson down the left sideline and the Tiger receiver raced for a touchdown, an 80-yard pass and run play.  Senior Justin Runkel added the point and NA had a 7-0 advantage with 4:28 left in the quarter.  The score marked the first time USC had been behind this season.  The Panthers wasted little time in tying the score as they went 80 yards in just four plays.  After Runkel kicked off into the end zone, Nubani got seven, and McShane threw to senior WR Jon Paul Zelik for ten more and a first down at the 37.  Junior tailback Dane Conwell then took over, running for 18 to the 50.  On the next play, Conwell ran untouched for 50 yards and a score.  Senior Evan Magliocca added the point and the game was tied at 7-7 with 2:26 on the first quarter clock.  After Knight returned the kickoff to the 25, Neugebauer hit Henderson for 11 yards and a first down at the 36.  Neugebauer then found Knight open for 14 more and another first down at midfield.  Knight then ran for 15 yards on two plays and a first down at the USC 35 as the quarter ended with the teams tied at 7-7.

On the first play of the second quarter, McShane made a diving interception of a long pass intended for senior WR Sam McGill at the USC 3.  After two plays gained only three yards, a pass interference call on the Tigers gave the Panthers a first down at their 21. On second and 8, Nubani ran for 11 yards and a first down at the 34.  Nubani then ran around left end for 16 more where senior FS Steve Halvonik made a touchdown-saving tackle.  Conwell followed with a gain of 19 to the Tiger 31.  At this point, the Tiger defense stiffened.  On a fourth and four, the Tigers hit Nubani for a yard loss and took over at their 26.  Three plays picked up only three yards, and sophomore punter Geoff Greco dropped back to punt.  On his first attempt, the Tigers were called for an illegal procedure penalty.  On his second attempt, return man Zelik was hit as he caught the ball, and junior TE Mike Fuhrman picked up the fumble at the USC 40 and ran all the way into the end zone.  Unfortunately for the Tigers, it was ruled that Zelik was hit before he caught the ball and NA was penalized back to the 14.  Greco’s third punt was short and went out of bounds at the Tiger 36.  On the first play, Nubani ran around left end all the way for another USC score.  Magliocca added the point and the Panthers had a 14-7 lead with 4:14 remaining in the half.  After the ensuing kickoff, Neugebauer hit McGill for 11 and a first down at the NA 36.  The Tigers were unable to move the ball, however, and Greco was forced to punt again, this time to the McShane, who lost two yards on the return to the USC 24.  After Conwell ran for 11 and a first down to the 35, McShane hit his sophomore WR Adam Chrisis on a crossing pattern at midfield where he was able to outrun the NA secondary down the right sideline all the way for a Panther touchdown.  Magliotta again converted and the Panthers had a 21-7 lead with 2:00 left.  The Tigers went into their two-minute drill and threatened to score.  Neugebauer completed five consecutive passes, two to senior RB Adam Hambrick as NA moved the ball to the USC 35.  After Neugebauer picked up 7 to the 28, the Tiger junior threw to Knight for a couple and then ran for another first down at the 23.  With seconds remaining, the Panthers were able to sack Neugebauer for the first time in the game as time ran out.  The teams went to the intermission with USC holding a 21-7 advantage.

The Panthers took the second half kickoff and completed a 60-yard drive in six plays to take control of the game.  On a second and four at the USC 46, McShane threw to a wide open Zelik for a gain of 18 to the NA 36.  Three running plays got a first down at the Tiger 18.  The Tigers forced McShane out of the pocket, but the USC quarterback was able to roll out to the right where he found senior TE David Shine open in the right corner of the end zone for the score.  Magliocca converted to make it a 28-7 Panther lead at the 8:50 mark.  After a touchback, the Tiger offense went to work again and picked up three first downs before having to punt.  After hitting Knight for 14 and a first down, two runs by Neugebauer got 10 more and another first down at the NA 45.  On second down, Neugebauer threw to Henderson for 14 and a first down at the USC 41.  After two plays gained only 4 yards, the Tigers were called for holding.  An incomplete pass forced Greco to punt, this time only to the USC 35.  It took the Panthers seven plays to score again.  Nubani gained eleven on two plays before McShane threw to Zelik for a first down at the NA 45.  McShane found Chrissus open for 14 more to the Tiger 31.  After Conwell lost two yards, McShane connected with Chrissus again for 30 yards to the NA 3.  Conwell took it the remaining three yards for the score and, after Magliocca converted, the Panther lead went to 35-7 with 2:02 left in the quarter.  The Tigers were unable to move the ball and were faced with a fourth and 15 as the quarter ended.  Upper St. Clair took a commanding 35-7 advantage into the final stanza.

After Greco punted to the USC 46, the Panthers again put together a scoring drive of 54 yards in six plays with McShane running the final 21.  After Magliocca again sent the extra point over the NA band, the Upper St. Clair lead reached 35 at 42-7, and the mercy rule was invoked.  After neither team was able to move the ball, an exchange of punts gave the Tigers the ball at the NA 34.  With the second team offense running the show, the Tigers took over with 3:28 remaining.  Sophomore QB Geoff Greco ran for six to the 40 where sophomore RB Karl DiCiantis picked up eight more and a first down at the 48.  On second down, Greco ran around right end for fourteen and another first down at the 38.  A personal foul moved the ball to the Panther 23.  Greco got 9 more around left end to the USC 15 where the Tigers called a time out.  A pass to junior SE Rich Doyle gained seven to the Panther eight.  After a running play gained nothing, the Tigers called a time out with just two seconds left.  Runkel then came in to kick a 25-yard field goal as time ran out.  Upper St. Clair won their fifth straight with a 42-10 victory over the Tigers.

It was a good effort by the Tigers against a quality opponent.  NA was able to move the ball through the air but had trouble finding the end zone after the initial score.  The Panther running attack was the difference in the game as Nubani picked up 157 yards on 17 carries while Conwell added 126 more on 12 carries.  McShane was 10 of 12 for 228 yards as the USC offense was unstoppable.  The Tiger passing attack was the bright spot with Knight making 13 catches for 68 yards while Henderson had five receptions for 149 yards.  For his efforts, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Adam Neugebauer as the NA Player of the Game.

The loss dropped the NA conference record to 0-3, the overall mark to 1-4.  The young Tigers will travel to Butler on Friday night to meet the Tornado, also 0-3 in conference play.  Butler lost to North Hills, 42-21, 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 7:10 pm.  Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 pm at Butler Stadium.

GAME SUMMARY
UPPER ST. CLAIR – 42  NORTH ALLEGHENY – 10

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

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