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NORTH ALLEGHENY VARSITY FOOTBALL

TIGERS CRUSH ALTOONA, 53-0, IN
SEASON OPENER

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

The Tigers gained a measure of revenge for last year’s opening game loss to Altoona with a 53-0 victory over the Mountain Lions at Newman Stadium on Friday night.  Junior halfback Alex Papson scored three touchdowns along with gaining 100 yards in just 12 carries to pace NA.  Senior QB Justin Brozick tossed a 21-yard scoring strike to senior TE Kevin Clark, senior CB Zach Runzo returned an interception 50 yards for a score and senior running back Grant Huckestein ran a punt back for 57 yards and another score as the Tigers rolled to the big victory.  Senior PK Jackson Cox was perfect on six conversions and added a 47-yard field goal for the winning Tigers.

Altoona’s Jordan Novosel took the opening kickoff back 24 yards to the Altoona 34 where the Mountain Lions started a drive.  A pass from Ethan Wilt to Novosel  got 11 yards and a first down at the 45.  On a third and five, NA jumped off side to give Altoona another first down at the NA 45.  After three plays gained only two yards, Chris Carper punted into the end zone.  After three plays got only five yards, Brozick punted to Novosel who was tackled at the Altoona 31.  After Novosel got another Mountain Lion first down with a 12-yard run to the Altoona 43, the Tiger defense forced another Carper punt that junior Matt Steinbeck returned from the 1 to the NA 18.  At this point, the Tigers started an 82-yard scoring drive.  After Papson got five on first down, Huckestein ran for eight more and a first down at the NA 31.  An inside handoff to Huckestein gained 13 more and another first down to the 44.  Huckestein then ran the right side for 17 before being pulled down at the Altoona 39.  Papson followed with another run around the right end for 16 to put NA in business at the AAHS 23.  After a face mask penalty moved the ball to the 11, Papson ran it in for the game’s first score.  Cox’s extra point gave NA a 7-0 lead with 2:52 remaining in the quarter.  After Nate Clancy was able to return the kickoff just to the Lion 16, Altoona was stopped for no gain on two plays.  On a third down play, the Mountain Lions fumbled a reverse handoff and senior DE Ian Brower fell on the ball at the Altoona 10.  On first down, Papson ran right for nine yards.  On the next play, the Tiger junior took it the remaining yard for his second touchdown of the game.  Cox’s kick gave the Tigers a 14-0 lead with just 18.7 left in the quarter.  After LeRon Lee returned the kickoff to the Altoona 21, Chad Koch ran around right end for 13 and a first down at the 34.  After Novosel was stopped for no gain, the quarter ended with NA on top, 14-0.

On the first play of the second quarter, QB Ethan Wilt fumbled in the Lion backfield and the Tigers recovered at the Altoona 36.  An illegal substitution penalty and three incomplete passes forced a Brozick punt that was caught on a fair catch by Novosel at the AAHS 13.  After three plays got only two yards, Carper got off a short punt that was downed at the Altoona 35.  The Tigers took advantage of the good field position to score in just three plays.  Papson ran up the middle for 15 and a first down at the AAHS 20.  On second and eleven, Brozick found Clark open near the goal line and the senior tight end walked into the end zone for the third NA score.  On the extra point, Brozick rolled right and hit Clark in the end zone for the two-points as the Tiger lead went to 22-0 with eight minutes still left in the half.  After Clancy returned the kickoff back to the 14, Wilt hit Carper for eleven yards and a first down at the 25.  The NA defense, led by senior DT Tom Ricketts and senior LB Gary Allen, stopped Wilt for no gain on first down.  On the next play, Runzo picked off Wilt’s pass at the 50 and raced down the right sideline toward the end zone.  Picking up blockers, Runzo cut back across the middle and went in untouched for another NA score.  Cox’s point made it 29-0 with 6:16 remaining.  After Clancy got the kickoff back to the 24, the Lions were unable to move the ball and Carper punted to Huckestein who returned it to the Altoona 42.  The Tigers were called for roughing the kicker, however, and Altoona got a first down to the Lion 39 on the penalty.  On a third and six, Wilt dropped off a backward pass to Novosel who then threw to an open Carper who raced all the way to the NA 10 before being caught.  With Altoona threatening, the Tiger defense again stood tall.  Senior LB T.J. Idowu, along with senior DT Dom Borgese, led a charge that pushed the Lions back to the 16.  On fourth down, the Tigers forced Wilt deep where Brower was able to deflect a desperation pass as NA took over at their own 16 with just 33.4 left.  After an incomplete pass, Huckestein ran for 16 to the NA 32.  After a time out, Brozick threw a short screen pass to Steinbeck for a gain of 14 to the 46.  Brozick then fired a strike down the middle to Steinbeck again for a gain all the way to the Altoona 30 with 2.5 seconds left.  Cox then came in to drill a long 47-yard field goal to give the Tigers a commanding 32-0 lead at the intermission.

Steinbeck returned the second half kickoff all the way to the NA 45.  A 15-yard penalty for a horse collar tackle added 15 more yards to the play as the Tigers started a drive from the Altoona 40.  It took only six plays for NA to get on the board again.  On first down, Papson broke through the middle, cut left and back again to the right for a gain of 20 to the Lion 20.  After Huckestein got three, Papson ran left for six more.  On third and short, Papson got three and a first down at the AAHS 7.  After a gain of six by Papson, the Tiger junior ran the right side for the remaining yard and his third score of the game.  Cox again was perfect on the point as the Tiger lead ballooned to 39-0.  At this point, the mercy rule kicked in the clock was kept running for most of the remainder of the game.  After Lee returned the kickoff to the 25, three plays lost three yards forcing another punt.  Huckestein pulled in Carper’s punt at the NA 43, cut the his right and picked a wall of blockers on his way to a 57-yard return for another score.  Cox again added the point to give NA a 46-0 lead with 6:16 remaining in the third quarter.  From this point on, Coach Art Walker turned the game over to the Tiger second and third string players.  After Clancy returned the kickoff to the Altoona 21, senior LB Kevin Mills made two good defensive plays good for a total of six yards lost.  After a time out, Wilt completed a pass to WR Josh Adams for a gain of 25 and a first down at the AAHS 40.  After two plays gained seven yards, the Lions fumbled and Mills recovered and returned the ball to the Altoona 48.  The NA second team offense took over at this point and began a 48 yard scoring drive.  After sophomore HB Jared Lux got six, junior running back Clay Bunting picked up six more and a first down at the 34.  On second and nine, junior QB Michael Buchert ran around right end for a gain of 21 and a first down at the Altoona 12 as the quarter ended.  The Tigers took a 46-0 lead into the final stanza.

After two plays gained two yards, Buchert ran the left side for eleven yards and an NA score.  Cox again booted the point to push the NA margin to 53-0.  After Lee returned the kickoff all the way to the Altoona 38, the Lions fumbled on the first play and sophomore LB Kevin Clemens recovered at the Lion 46.  After Lux got six on first down, sophomore HB Nick Passodelis ran for eleven and a first down at the Lion 30.  On the next play, the Tigers fumbled and Clancy recovered for Altoona at the Lion 27.  After two running plays got a first down at the 40, the NA second team defense forced a fourth and five from the 45.  On the fourth down play, Tyler Garman was stopped short of a first down and the Tigers took over at the 47.  Three running plays gained only three yards, and junior Alex Greenblatt came and punted to Clancy who returned it to the Altoona 14.  The Altoona reserves were able to pick up four first downs as time was running out.  The game ended with the ball at the NA 35 yard as the Tigers completed the 53-0 rout.

It was an impressive performance by the Tigers in the opener.  In addition to Papson’s 100-yard night, Huckestein picked up 58 yards on just 5 rushes with Buchert adding 31 on two.  Brozick completed only four passes for 60 yards, but one was for a score.  Idowu led the defense with six unassisted tackles while Allen had four unassisted and six assisted tackles.  The NA rushing attack piled up 223 yards in 31 carries, a 7.2 ypc average.  On the defensive side, the Lions were able to gain 81 yards on 41 runs, an average of 1.97 ypc.  The Tigers turned the ball over just once, late in the game.  Altoona lost four fumbles and had a pass intercepted and returned for a score.  For his efforts with the ball, the North Allegheny Sports Network named Alex Papson as the Player of the Game.

With the win, the Tigers go to 1-0 in non-conference play in the early season.  The Tigers will travel to Mt. Lebanon to meet the Blue Devils in another non-conference contest on Friday night.  Last year, NA shut out Lebo, 37-0, at Newman Stadium.  Last night, the Blue Devils upset North Hills, 17-16, at Martorelli Stadium.  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.

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY – 53  ALTOONA – 0

SCORE BY QUARTERS

1

2

3

4

FINAL

Altoona

0

0

0

0

0

NORTH ALLEGHENY

14

18

14

7

53

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

FIRST QUARTER

 

 

NORTH ALLEGHENY

Alex Papson, 12-yard run (Jackson Cox, kick)

2:52

NORTH ALLEGHENY

Papson, 1-yard run (Cox, kick)

0:19

SECOND QUARTER

 

 

NORTH ALLEGHENY

Kevin Clark, 19-yard pass from Justin Brozick (Clark, pass from Brozick)

8:00

NORTH ALLEGHENY

Zach Runzo, 50-yard interception return (Cox, kick)

5:45

NORTH ALLEGHENY

Cox, 47-yard field goal

0:00

THIRD QUARTER

 

 

NORTH ALLEGHENY

Papson, 1-yard run (Cox, kick)

9:06

NORTH ALLEGHENY

Grant Huckestein, 57-yard punt return (Cox, kick)

6:16

FOURTH QUARTER

 

 

NORTH ALLEGHENY

Michael Buchert, 11-yard run (Cox, kick)

10:44

* STATISTICS *
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 53  ALTOONA - 0

NORTH ALLEGHENY

 

ALTOONA

18

FIRST DOWNS

13

31-223

RUSHES - YDS (NET)

41-81

60

PASSING YDS (NET)

96

10-3-0

PASSES ATT-COMP-INT

13-6-1

41-283

TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS - YDS

54-177

1-4

FUMBLE RETURNS - YDS

0-0

1-35

KICKOFF RETURNS - YDS

8-139

1-50

INTERCEPTION RETURNS - YDS

0-0

3-35.7

PUNTS (NUMBER-AVG)

4-37.0

1-1

FUMBLES - LOST

4-4

6-60

PENALTIES-YDS

3-31

17:27

POSSESSION TIME

30:33

2 of 5

THIRD DOWN CONVERSIONS

2 of 11

0 of 0

FOURTH DOWN CONVERSIONS

0 of 2

5-5

RED ZONE CHANCES

0-1

Statistics Courtesy of Steve Heckmann

 

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

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