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KNIGHT, HENDERSON NAMED TO PG NORTH FABULOUS 22

Senior halfback Billy Knight and senior wide receiver Nick Henderson received additional post-season honors by being named to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Fabulous 22 All-Star team.  Both players had previously been selected to the Quad North All-Conference first team. (See below)

PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE
PG NORTH FABULOUS 22

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HENDERSON, KNIGHT NAMED TO
ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM

Senior wide receiver Nick Henderson and senior multipurpose back Billy Knight were selected to the first team of the Quad North All-Conference offensive team.  Junior linebacker Marek Lapinski, sophomore linebacker Corey Watts, and sophomore defensive end Zach Watts were selected to the second team defense.

Several other Tigers were recognized.  On offense, junior quarterback Adam Neugebauer, senior tackle T.J. Guthrie, and senior kicker and punter Justin Runkel received honorable mention.  On defense, senior tackle Shawn Simon was on the honorable mention list.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE TIGERS RECEIVING POST-SEASON HONORS!

QUAD NORTH (SECTION 1)
ALL CONFERENCE SELECTIONS

FIRST TEAM OFFENSE

HONORABLE MENTION OFFENSE

FIRST TEAM DEFENSE

SECOND TEAM DEFENSE

HONORABLE MENTION DEFENSE

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WOODLAND HILLS EDGES TIGERS,
7-0, IN FIRST ROUND OF WPIAL PLAYOFFS

by Don Vandergrift

To listen to a replay of the game, click here!

The Woodland Hills Wolverines made a first half touchdown stand up as they defeated the Tigers, 7-0, at the Wolvarena on Friday night in the first round of the WPIAL Playoffs.  Woodland Hills scored on a 27-yard pass play from Keith Howell to Vondre Griffin with 1:28 remaining in the first quarter for the only score of the game.  The Tiger defense played well against the tough Wolverines but could not score for the remainder of the game.

The opening kickoff went out of bounds allowing the Tigers to start their first possession at the NA 35.  After three plays lost two yards, senior punter Justin Runkel rolled a punt that stopped at the Wolverine 36.  Two runs by junior running back Marcel Farrish gained five yards, Howell picked up seven more on a keeper for a first down at the WH 48.  Junior fullback Joe Yezovich gained eight on first down, but the Tiger defense stuffed Farrish for no gain and dropped Howell for a loss of three to force a Wolverine punt.  A good kick by junior Mike Belsito rolled dead in the mud at the NA 8.  After junior fullback Marek Lapinski went off the left side for five yards, an incomplete pass brought up a third and five.  Junior QB Adam Neugebauer found senior WR Sam McGill open for a gain of 13 and a first down to the NA 26.  Three plays gained only three yards and Runkel was forced to punt again, this time sending a high kick to the Wolverine 40 where it was dropped.  The Tigers recovered in WH territory at the 39.  On the first play, Neugebauer threw a long pass down the middle looking for his senior WR Nick Henderson, but defensive back Rontez Miles picked it off and returned the ball to the WH 34.  A late hit out of bounds by the Tigers tacked on another fifteen yards as Woody High started the drive at their own 49.  After Farrish was hit for a loss of three, Griffin ran for four on a reverse to the 50.  On third and nine, Howell hit his senior WR Wes Lyons for a gain of 23 and a first down at the NA 27.  After a procedure call moved the ball back to the 32, two runs by Farrish gained only five.  With a third and ten, Howell three to Griffin at the goal line as the Wolverines went ahead, 6-0.  Belsito’s point was good to give WH a 7-0 lead as the quarter neared an end.  After senior halfback Billy Knight returned the kickoff 14 yards to NA 28, Lapinski gained eight yards in two plays as the quarter ended with Woodland Hills holding a 7-0 advantage.

On the first play of the second quarter, Woodland Hills jumped off side to give the Tigers a first down at the NA 41.  Lapinski then ran off the left side for gains of 8, 1, and 2 for another NA first down to the 48.  After Lapinski got four more yards, two incomplete passes forced a Runkel punt that rolled dead at the Woodland Hills five-yard line.  Farrish broke threw for a gain to the WH 30, but the Wolverines were caught holding with the ball being moved back to the five.  Two runs by Farrish got only three yards.  On third and long, Howell fumbled the snap but recovered at the WH 6.  Belsito punted to Knight at the WH 40 where he returned it to the Wolverine 37.  On second at ten, Lapinski went off the left side for seven.  After Neugebauer hit McGill for a gain of seven, Neugebauer found  Henderson in the left flat for a short gain of two bringing up a fourth and short at the WH 27.  Lapinski then blasted off the left side for two and a first down at the Wolverine 25.  After sophomore running back Karl DeCiantis was hit for a loss of three, Neugebauer tried to hit his sophomore TE Mike Fuhrman down the middle.  The pass was incomplete but Woodland Hills was called for pass interference giving the Tigers a first down at the WH 12.  After Lapinski got two, Neugebauer threw to Knight for a gain of three to the Wolverine seven.  On third down, Neugebauer lost two on a fumbled snap.  With fourth and seven, Runkel attempted a field goal from 26 yards away in the center of a muddy field.  Runkel got the distance on the kick, but it just missed the left upright with just 23.7 seconds remaining.  Howell took a knee and time ran out with Woodland Hills holding a 7-0 lead.

In the third quarter Runkel rolled the kickoff to the WH 31 where the Wolverines fell on the football.  The Tiger defense came out fired up and held the Wolverines to just four yards on three plays to force a Belsito punt.  Knight bobbled the ball but fell on it at the NA 40.  Three plays and a five-yard motion penalty forced NA to punt with Runkel’s kick rolling dead at the WH 32.  Two runs by Farrish gained only three yards and a false start pushed the Wolverines back to their 33.  After WH Coach George Novak called a time out, Howell was able to hit junior TE Devon Johnson for a gain of 18 and a first down at the NA 49.  After Yezovich got three, Farrish broke loose for a gain of 21 to the Tiger 25.  After two running plays lost three yards, senior DE Josh Landreneau broke through to sack Howell for a loss of two.  A delay of game lost five more yards and a fourth down pass was incomplete as the Tigers took over at their 35.  On first down, Neugebauer hit Henderson down the right sideline for a gain of 33 and a first down at the WH 32.  On first down, Lapinski picked up three but a face mask penalty tacked on five more to the WH 25.  Knight ran around left end for three and a first down at the Woody High 22.  After Neugebauer fumbled the snap and lost two, the Tiger junior QB tried to hit Henderson in the end zone but the pass was broken up.  After another incomplete pass, a fourth down pass to Henderson in the end zone fell incomplete, but the Tigers were called for pass interference.  Woodland Hills took over at the WH 40 as the pass interference call brought up a loss of down and a fifteen yard penalty.  Farrish gained sixteen and a first down at the Tiger 39 as the third quarter ended with Woodland Hills still holding the 7-0 lead.

After Farrish got five yards, an off side penalty against NA gave the Wolverines a first down at the Tiger 39 as the fourth quarter began.  After two running plays gained five, two incomplete passes brought up a fourth and five.  After another Woodland Hills time out, a fourth down pass was knocked down by sophomore LB Corey Watts as the Tigers took over at their own 30.  On first down, Neugebauer again completed a long pass to Henderson for a gain of 28 to the WH 42.  An incomplete pass and a gain of five by Knight brought up a third and five at the Wolverine 37.  After a third down pass to McGill was broken up, a fourth down pass fell incomplete giving the ball back to the Wolverines at their own 38 with 8:38 remaining in the game.  The Tiger defense again rose to the occasion stopping three running plays for a total gain of only one yard.  After a motion penalty against WH, Belsito was forced to punt with the kick being downed at the NA 40 with 6:18 left in the game.  After an incomplete pass, Neugebauer was sacked on consecutive plays pushing the ball back to the NA 27.  Runkel’s punt was returned by Griffin to the WH 45 with 4:34 remaining.  Woody High then went on a sustained drive with Griffin at quarterback that effectively took the Tigers out of the game.  Farrish ran for 21 and a first down at the NA 34.  Farrish followed with gains of nine and two and another first down at the Tiger 24.  After Farrish got five on first down, he picked up nine more to give the Wolverines a first and goal inside the NA 10 as NA took their first time out with 2:15 remaining.  After Griffin was stopped for no gain, the Tigers used their second time out with 1:55 left.  After NA stopped Farrish for a loss of two, another time out stopped the clock with 1:48 remaining.  Griffin ran for two to the eight with Woodland Hills allowing the clock to run down to 57 seconds before using their final time out.  On fourth and goal, Griffin was tackled at the five as NA took over with just 51.5 seconds remaining.  After Neugebauer was forced to run for three yards, a penalty against the Tigers moved the ball back to the NA 4.  Neugebauer was able to find Knight for a first down at the NA 15.  Neugebauer spiked the ball to stop the clock with just 6.0 left.  A desperation pass intended for Henderson was knocked down as time ran out with Woodland Hills picking up the 7-0 victory.

It was a gutsy effort by the Tigers as they held a good Woodland Hills team in check for most of the game.  The Tiger defense did allow Farrish to end up with 111 yards rushing but  a lot of it came in the last drive.  Neugebauer completed 8 of 25 passes for 121 yards with two long games to Henderson.  In the end, the Woodland Hills defense was the difference as they held the Tiger rushing game to just 27 total yards for the contest.  The NA defense deserves credit for a great effort.  For his efforts representing the Tiger defense, the North Allegheny Sports Network named junior linebacker Tim Lotz as the Player of the Game.

 The loss ended a four-game NA winning streak as the Tigers bowed out of the playoffs.  The final NA record was 5-5 but that doesn’t come close to telling the story of the 2005 Tigers.  With many younger players returning, this year’s team set the stage for better things in upcoming seasons.  Congratulations to Coach Art Walker and the Tigers for a great turnaround in the second half of the season!

GAME SUMMARY
WOODLAND HILLS – 7  NORTH ALLEGHENY – 0

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

 GAME STATISTICS
Courtesy of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

WPIAL CLASS AAAA FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS

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WPIAL FOOTBALL 2005

The Tigers will compete again in Class AAAA with 22 other teams.  Championship play will begin in the tenth week (Oct. 28-29) with a sixteen team bracket at detailed below and determined by the WPIAL tie-breaker system.  The tournament will culminate with the four classification championships at Heinz Field (tentatively) on Saturday, November 19, 2005.  The WPIAL tiebreaker system will be used to determine section championships, playoff entry, bracket placement and home field field assignment where applicable.  If teams tie in section record for the section championship, they will be declared co-champions and both will receive a section plaque.  Non-section games will not be considered in the tiebreaker system.

In AAAA football, Sections 1 and 2 will qualify six teams in the post season and AAAA Section Section 3 will qualify four teams.  The WPIAL tiebreaker system will use the following criteria in the order listed:

1.  Section record
2.  Head to head competition
3.  Gardner Point System
4.  Point differential (10 pts. + or -)
5.  Coin flip

In the event of a multiple tie (more than two teams) for playoff position, head to head will be the first determinant.  If head to head does not break the tie, the tiebreaker will be Gardner points.  If Gardner points fail to break the tie, the plus or minus point differential will be used.  Failure to break the tie by these methods will result in a coin flip.  In any instance where it may apply, the system will revert back to head to head to break a tie.  The WPIAL tiebreaker system will be employed until the appropriate number of qualifiers is achieved.

WPIAL FOOTBALL ALIGNMENT

QUAD A - 23 teams (534 and above)

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