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DEVLIN'S FIELD GOAL BEATS
PENN HILLS, 25-22

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

Senior PK Kurt Devlin kicked his second field goal in the last 1:45 as time ran out to give the Tigers a thrilling 25-22 victory over Penn Hills on Friday night at Newman Stadium.  Devlin's 39-yard attempt his the crossbar and went over to send the huge NA crowd home happy.  Senior QB Mike Locke completed 18 of 25 passes for 296 yards and a touchdown to pace NA.  Tiger touchdowns were scored by senior FB Jorden Kraus, senior WR Brian Austin and sophomore tailback Alex Papson.

After the tough loss to Upper St. Clair last week, the Tigers came out ready to play.  After Papson returned the opening kickoff 31 yards to the NA 35, the Tigers went on a six play, 65 yard drive to take the lead.  After two plays gained four yards, Locke hit Austin for a gain of 13 and a first down at the NA 49.  On second and 8, Locke found junior HB Grant Huckestein open for a gain of eleven more and a first down at the Penn Hills 38.  On the next play, Kraus broke through the middle and ran untouched into the end zone.  Devlin's extra point kick was good as NA took a 7-0 lead just 2:28 into the game.  On the ensuing kickoff, junior Jackson Cox send a squib kick that rolled to the Penn Hills 8 where Eric Newsome picked up the ball and was tackled immediately.  On second and ten, the Tigers were called for pass interference and the 15-yard penalty gave Penn Hills a first down at the 23.  After three plays gained only 2 yards, Indian punter and QB Tom Fulton punted to the NA 30 where the ball was downed.  The Tigers then went on another long drive covering 70 yards in 8 plays.  On first down, Locke hit WR Rick Peluso for nine to the NA 39.  After Kraus got six on first down, Papson ran for six more and another first down at the PH 46.  On second at one, Papson gained seven.  With a third and short, Locke threw to Huckestein who raced all the way to the Indian 7.  After a motion penalty moved the ball back five yards, Locke was sacked back at the 16.  On third and goal, Locke found Austin open on a crossing pattern and the NA senior raced into the end zone to give the Tigers a 13-0 with 3:44 left in the quarter.  Devlin's kick was wide but NA still held at two-touchdown advantage.  Tyrique Walker ran the ensuing kickoff back for 12 yards to the PH 33.  After two plays gained three yards, Austin picked off a deflected pass and the Tigers took over at midfield.  On first down, Locke scrambled for five to the Indian 45.  On the next play, the Tigers picked up a first down at the 37 on another Locke to Austin connection.  After a motion penalty, Papson gained 12 on two plays.  After a loss of one, the quarter ended with the Tigers holding a 13-0 lead.

On the first play of the second quarter, Locke threw to Huckestein for eight and a first down at the Indian 23.  After Locked was sacked by Aaron Donald for a loss of five, the NA quarterback threw to Austin for a gain of ten.  After an incomplete pass brought up a fourth and five at the 18, Coach Art Walker called a time out.  When play resumed, Locke fired a strike to senior TE Wes Henderson who picked up a first down at the Penn Hills 3.  On the next play, Papson took it in as the Tiger lead went to 19-0.  NA went for two, but Locke's pass intended for Henderson was broken up at the goal line.  After Chris Darby returned the kickoff to the PH 23, the Indians went on a 77-yard drive in 11 plays to get back into the game.  On first down, Fulton threw to WR Brandon Ifill for a gain of 8.  On third down, it was Fulton to Ifill again for a first down at the PH 36.  On second and ten, Fulton found Dontae Brown open for a gain of 14 to the NA 49.  After a holding call against the Indians, Darby ran a third down draw play for 11 and a first down at the Tiger 39.  After Fulton hit Ifill for another first down at the NA 28, Tyler Berryman made a diving catch at the rear of the end zone to put Penn Hills on the board.  Michael Ferraco's conversion cut the Tiger lead to 19-7 with 6:06 left in the half.  After Papson returned the kickoff for 18 yards to the 30, the Tigers went on another long drive.  After two plays and a motion penalty brought up a third an long, Locke hit Huckestein for a gain of 24 and a first down at the NA 46 with 3:54 left.  Kraus then ran the middle for ten and another first down at the PH 44.  After a holding call against NA, Locke was sacked back at the NA 33.  With third and long again, it was Locke to Austin for 25 yards to the PH 35.  With a fourth and one, Locke picked up four on a QB sneak for a first down at the 31.  After an incomplete pass, the Indians were called for a personal foul for roughing the pass that moved the ball to the Indian 16.  Locke hit Austin for four, but the Indians were called for another personal foul for a late hit out of bounds.  The penalty was marked to the PH 6, just short of a first down.  After Kraus lost two, Locke was sacked back at the PH 14.  A fourth down pass fell incomplete and the Indians took over deep in their own territory with just 35 seconds left.  On first down, Henderson broke through to sack Fulton at the Penn Hills 7.  After a PH time out, Fulton threw an incomplete pass before taking a knee as the half ended.  The Tigers took a 19-7 lead to the intermission.

After David Walton returned the second half kickoff to the PH 39, the Indians wasted little time in marching the length of the field.  On the first play, Teddy Blakeman ran the left side for 44 yards before being pulled down from behind at the NA 17.  After Blakeman gained 12 more to the Tiger 5, an incomplete pass brought up a second and goal.  Blakeman finished the drive with a five-yard touchdown run.  Ferraco's kick was good to cut the NA margin to 19-14.  Blakeman gained all 61 yards during the five-play drive that took only 1:29.  After Austin returned the kickoff for 28 yards to the NA 41, three plays and a motion penalty left the Tigers with a fourth and eight.  For the first time in the game, junior QB and punter Justin Brozick came in and punted to the Penn Hills 24 where the ball rolled dead.  On second and 8, the Tigers were called for an offside penalty.  Blakeman ran left for three to pick up a first down at the Indian 37.  After three plays got only seven yards, Fulton sent a long punt over the head of Austin with the ball rolling all the way to the NA 1.  Starting deep in their own territory, the Tigers began a long drive.  After a QB sneak by Locke gained four, Locke threw to Austin for a huge gain of 38 and a first down at the NA 43.  Papson then took over as he ran for 4, 8, 3 and 6 yards on the next four plays.  With a third and one, Locke went for 3 on a QB sneak as the Tigers picked up a first down at the PH 33.  Coach Walker then went back to Papson for a gain of nine around the left side.  The Tiger sophomore then got seven more and a first down at the PH 17.  Papson ran left again for three to the 14 as the third quarter ended.  The Tigers held a slim 19-14 lead after three quarters of play.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Papson picked up three more to the 11.  After Papson ran to the PH 8, the Tigers were faced with a fourth and one.  Locke was stopped short on a sneak, and the Indians took over at their own 8.  Penn Hills then went on a 92-yard drive in 13 plays to take the lead.  On a third seven, Fulton found Brown open for a gain of 14 and a first down at the 25.  After two running plays by Blakeman got six, it was Fulton to Brown for another first down at the PH 44.  The Fulton to Brown combination gained eleven more on first down as the Indians moved the sticks again  After two running plays by Darby got five, Fulton hit Ifill along the right sideline for a gain of 18 and a first down at the NA 22. After Blakeman got three on first down, Fulton scrambled all the way to the Tiger 11.  On the next play, Blakeman broke free up the middle and danced into the end zone.  After a PH time out, the Indians went for two and converted with Fulton throwing to Brown in the end zone giving Penn Hills a 22-19 lead with just 3:48 left.  On the ensuing kickoff, sophomore RB Matt Steinbeck put NA in great field position with a return of 26 yards to the Indian 44.  After a motion penalty, Locke found Austin open for a gain of 12 to the PH 37.  Papson followed with a run off the left side for a gain of 15 and a first down at the Indian 22.  After two running plays by Papson gained six yards, an incomplete pass brought up a fourth and four.  After an NA time out, Coach Walker sent in Devlin who kicked a 33-yard field to tie the game at 22-22 with 1:45 remaining.  After Newsome returned the kickoff to the PH 44, the Tiger defense came up big.  After a five-yard penalty for a substitution infraction by the Indians put the ball back to the 39, an incomplete pass brought up a second and 15.  After the Tiger defense forced Fulton to scramble for a gain of three, the NA "D" sacked Fulton for a loss of five forcing a Penn Hills punt.  Austin made a fair catch of Fulton's punt at the NA 28 with just 1:04 left.  On first down, Locke hit Huckestein on a long pass completion all the way to the PH 35, a gain of 37 yards.  On the next play, Locke threw to Austin for another first down at the Indian 25.  After Locke scrambled for a three-yard gain, two incomplete passes brought up a fourth and seven with five seconds remaining.  After another NA time out, Devlin came in with the game on the line.  The Tiger senior sent a long kick from 39 yards out that hit the crossbar and fell over to give NA the 25-22 victory.

It was a huge win for the Tigers as they completed non-conference play.  In addition to Locke's performance through the air, Papson finished with 95 yards rushing, most of it coming in the second half.  Kraus gained  47 yards as the Tigers rushed for a total of 137 yards.  Austin caught 9 passes for 143 yards and a TD.  The total NA offense accumulated 433 yards in the victory.  Blakeman led all runners with 104 yards on the night.  The Tiger defense sacked Fulton four times, none bigger than the last one with time running out.  For his offensive performance, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Mike Locke as the Player of the Game.

With the win, the Tigers finished their non-conference schedule with a record of 2-2.  NA will open play in the Northern Six Conference next Friday night when they travel to Seneca Valley.  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.  Game time is scheduled for 7:30 pm.

Photo Gallery
Game Statistics

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 25  PENN HILLS - 22

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

* STATISTICS *
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 25  PENN HILLS - 22

Statistics Courtesy of Steve Heckmann

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