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TIGERS BATTER BUTLER, 44-0, TO REMAIN UNBEATEN IN
CONFERENCE PLAY

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The Tiger built a 37-0 halftime lead and cruised through the second half with the mercy rule clock running on their way to a 44-0 victory at Butler on Friday night.  Junior tailback Alex Papson scored a pair of touchdowns, one on a 60-yard run, to pace the NA attack.  Senior halfback Grant Huckestein scored on a 36-yard run, junior halfback Matt Steinbeck on a 21- yard run, and junior WR Dan Slivka on a 22-yard pass from senior QB Justin Brozick all in the first half as NA also added a safety.  Senior halfback David Humphrey added a one yard run for the only score of the second half.

Butler tried to surprise the Tigers with an onside kick on the opening kickoff, but senior T.J. Idowu picked up the ball and returned it five yards to the NA 48.  It took only three plays for the Tigers to score.  Running out of the “Wildcat” formation, Huckestein ran right for five to the Butler 43.  On the next play, Papson took a handoff and picked up seven more and a first down at the Tornado 31.  Huckestein then raced up the middle for the remaining yardage and the score.  Senior PK Jackson Cox added the point and the Tigers were off and running with a 7-0 lead just 1:12 into the contest.  After Darius Hightower muffed the kickoff and returned it to just the 21, the Tornado again tried some trickery with an attempted double pass, but Jordan Lumley found no one open and ran around the right end for five yards.  On the next play, QB Cole Harvey found an opening for five more and a Butler first down to the Tornado 31.  Butler would pick up just one more first down in the game!  After three plays gained only one net yard, Harvey picked up a low snap and rolled a punt all the way to the Tiger 28.  After three NA plays gained only seven yards, Cox punted to Jake Thompson who made a fair catch at the Butler 32.  On the first play, Lumley, who went in a quarterback, was sacked by the NA defense backed at the 25, a loss of seven.  After Carlos Sanchez got the seven back, a bad snap out of the shotgun sent Lumley back after the ball where he was tackled by junior DE Justin Haser for a loss of 17.  Harvey punted to Huckestein who returned it 12 yards to the Butler 46.After Huckestein ran right for three, junior QB Michael Buchert ran a keeper around the left end for 22 yards and a first down at the Tornado 21.  On the next play, Steinbeck raced up the middle and into the end zone for the touchdown.  Cox again converted to put NA ahead, 14-0, with 3:03 still remaining in the quarter.  After Hightower brought the kickoff back to the 18, Sanchez got three in the middle.  On the next play, senior LB Kyle Higgins and senior DT Ryan Kelly broke through to sack Lumley back at the 15, a loss of seven.  After a running play gained only three, Harvey punted to Steinbeck who ran, jumped and weaved his way through the Butler defenders all the way to the Tornado 13, a return of 47 yards.  On the next play, Papson ran up the middle and extended the ball over the goal line as he was being tackled to give NA another score.  Cox again was true on the point as the lead went to 21-0 with 31 seconds left in the quarter.  After Demetrius Lockley got the kickoff out to the Butler 24, Sanchez gained two up the middle as the quarter ended.  The Tigers took a commanding 21-0 lead into the second quarter.

After two running plays gained only three yards, Harvey punted out of bounds at the NA 40 as play began in the second stanza.  After an incomplete pass, Papson took a pitchout around right end and outran the Butler defenders to go untouched into the end zone, a run of 60 yards.  Cox’s conversion was perfect as the score ballooned to 28-0 just 1:35 into the second quarter.  Hightower returned the kickoff to only the Tornado 16.  Three plays lost six yards and Harvey went back into his end zone to punt.  This time, the snap sailed high over Harvey’s head and out of the end zone for a safety.  The NA lead was now 30-0.  On the ensuing kickoff, Huckestein returned the ball for 14 yards to the NA 44.  It took the Tigers only six plays to score again.  After Papson got nine on first down, Huckestein ran the middle for two more and a first down at the Butler 44.  On the next play, senior QB Justin Brozick hit Slivka for ten more and another first down at the Tornado 34.  On second and seven, Papson ran the left side for nine and a first down at the 22.  On the next play, Brozick hit Slivka in the end zone and the Tigers were on the board again.  Cox drilled the point to give NA a 37-0 lead with 5:16 left in the half.  After Cox’s kickoff went into the end zone, Thompson ran for seven on first down and a five-yard face mask penalty against the Tigers gave Butler a first down at the 32.  After three plays lost six yards, Harvey punted out of bounds at midfield.  On a third and six, Brozick was sacked back at midfield forcing a Cox punt that went out of bounds at the Butler 35.  After a holding call on the punt against Butler moved the ball back to the 23, the Tornado ran two running plays as time ran out.  The Tigers took the 37-0 lead to the intermission.

In high school football, if a team has a lead of 35 points or better in the second half, the clock will be stopped only for time outs, scores, and injuries.  With the clock running, the second half was played in record time.  On the second half kickoff, Hightower returned the ball to the 24 but an illegal block by the Tornado moved it back to the 12.  The Tiger defense forced a loss of two yards on the next three plays as Harvey had to punt again from his end zone.  Harvey’s punt was returned by sophomore James Kleinhampl for thirteen yards to the Butler 35.  Coach Walker used his reserves for the remainder of the game and on the first drive they found the end zone.  Senior tailback David Humphrey got three on first down, and Buchert ran the left side for four more on the next play.  Junior fullback Kevin Cope gained three more and a first down at the Tornado 25.  After Humphrey got five around the left side, sophomore tailback Jared Lux raced up the middle for 18 more and a first and goal at the Butler 2.  After Buchert was stopped at the one on a quarterback sneak, Humphrey took it in for the touchdown.  Junior Alex Greenblatt came in to add the point as the NA lead went to 44-0 with 5:15 left on the mercy rule clock.  Hightown got the kickoff back to the Tornado 25, but the NA defensive reserves stopped Butler for no gain on three plays.  Harvey punted again to Kleinhampl who made a nice catch of the ball and returned it for seven yards to the NA 43.  Lux ran for eleven yards on the next two plays for a first down at the Butler 46.  After sophomore RB Nick Passodelis gained three, and junior FB Clay Bunting four, the quarter ended with the Tigers in command with a 44-0 advantage.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, senior QB Greg Adams ran around right end for a gain of 17 and a first down at the Butler 24.  On third and six, Passodelis ran the middle for seven and another first down at the 13.  Passodelis ran the ball for the next three plays gaining nine yards to the Tornado 4.  On fourth and one, the Tigers were called for a motion penalty.  Adams tried the right side on the next play, but the Tornado defense stopped him short.  Butler took over at their own nine.  Three running plays gained only three yards and Harvey punted for the eighth time with Kleinhampl making a fair catch at the Tornado 48.  Sophomore HB Vinnie Congedo took over at tailback and picked up four on first down.  On the next play, junior RB Eric Gaertner got four more.  On third down, Congedo ran the middle for four and a first down at the 36.  After a loss of three on first down, Congedo got loose up the middle for 12 to the Tornado 27.  Sophomore Kevin Clemens came in at quarterback and got the first down on a sneak to the 20.  Clemens mercifully took a knee twice as time ran out.  The Tigers completed the 44-0 shutout.

The Tigers were in control from the outset and dominated the Tornado throughout the game.  The final game stats show NA with 345 total yards to -11 for Butler.  NA picked up 16 first downs to just two for the Tornado.  Individually, Papson was over 100 again with 107 yards in just eight rushes.  Huckestein added 52 on five runs with Lux gaining 33 also on five attempts.  All in all, fourteen different Tiger players ran the ball in the game.  The Tigers did not have to throw but Brozick was two for three including a TD toss.  For his efforts in directing the NA attack early in the game and leading the Tigers to a pair of first quarter scores, the North Allegheny Sports Network named junior QB Michael Buchert as the Player of the Game. 

With the win, the Tigers clinched at least a tie for the conference title along with the #1 conference seed in the upcoming WPIAL tournament.  NA improved to 4-0 in conference play, 7-1 overall.  The Tigers will host rival North Hills on Friday night in the conference finale.  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 with Coach Art Walker as the featured guest.  Game time is scheduled for 7:30 pm.

Photo Gallery
Game Statistics

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY – 44  BUTLER – 0

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

GAME STATISTICS

Statistics Courtesy of Steve Heckmann

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