Welcome to the
NORTH ALLEGHENY
SPORTS NETWORK

The Official Source of North Allegheny Sports

 

Football

Roster

Schedule

7th-9th Grade Schedules

Photo Gallery

Standings and Rankings

Statistics

PAPSON’S FOUR TOUCHDOWNS LEAD TIGERS OVER STATE COLLEGE, 42-7

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

Senior tailback Alex Papson ran for 171 yards on 17 carries and scored four touchdowns to lead the Tigers to a convincing 42-7 victory over State College in the season opener at Newman Stadium on Friday night.  Senior safety Matt Steinbeck ran 12 yards with a fumble and senior WR Dan Slivka caught a 24-yard scoring strike from senior QB Michael Buchert for the other touchdowns as NA built a 42-0 lead at halftime.  Senior placekicker Alex Greenblatt was a perfect 6 for 6 on conversions as the Tigers easily won the 2010 opener.

 On the opening kickoff, the Little Lions’ returned the ball from the goal line only to the SC 10 before being swarmed over by the NA kickoff team.  After a holding call moved the ball back to the 5, QB Josh Weakland found Taylor open for a gain of 28 and a first down to the 33.  On the next play, Shane Dorner raced around right end for 25 more and another first down at the Tiger 42.  At this point, the NA defense stiffened holding Taylor to -2 yards in three carries forcing a punt by Alex Campolongo that was downed at the NA 2.  The Tigers needed only five plays to go the 98 yards and take the lead.  On first down, Papson ran the right side for 10 and a first down at the 12.  On the next play, Papson again went right for nine more.  On second and one, Buchert threw long down the middle where Slivka made the catch in stride and raced all the way to the SC 9, a gain of almost 70 yards.  After Papson gained seven to the Little Lion 2, the Tiger senior bulled his way into the end zone for the season’s first score.  Greenblatt’s point made it 7-0 with 6:49 remaining in the opening quarter.  Once again, the NA kickoff team held Taylor’s return short as the SC back got back only to the 15.  After an offside penalty against the Tigers, Jeremy Murray picked up six and a first down to the 26.  On third and two, Weakland threw to Murray again for a gain of 15 and a first down at the SC 49.  On the next play, a pass to Taylor in the left flat lost six.  On a third and sixteen, senior DE Rob Kugler picked off a Weakland pass and returned it 16 yards to the SC 19.  On the first play, Papson raced up the middle, cut to his right, and went into the end zone untouched for his second TD of the game.  Greenblatt’s conversion made it 14-0 with 3:53 remaining in the quarter.  On the ensuing kickoff, Saige Jenco raced all the way to the SC 40, but the play was negated by a block in the back that moved the ball back to the 15.  After an offside penalty against NA, Weakland gained three on a keeper.  On the next play, the Tigers forced a fumble on a pitchout around the left side.  Steinbeck picked up the bouncing ball and raced 12 yards into the end zone with a bevy of blockers accompanying him.  Greenblatt was perfect again as the score mounted to 21-0 with 2:50 remaining in the quarter.  On the ensuing kickoff, senior Clay Bunting forced a fumble that was recovered by senior kicker Diego Fabres-Cordero at the SC 37.  After a scramble by Buchert got eight, a false start moved the ball back to the 33.  On the next play, Papson broke through for good yardage but fumbled the ball with Taylor recovering at the SC 20 with 1:34 remaining.  A pass from Weakland to Taylor gained seven on first down.  After an offside penalty gave the Little Lions a first down, the Little Lions fumbled again with Dorner recovering for a loss of 3.  A pass from Weakland to Garrett Nicholson gained three yards as a long first quarter came to an end.  The Tigers had a commanding 21-0 advantage after one quarter of play.

Senior Kyle Hefkin took over at QB for the Little Lions and was tackled for a loss of six yards by NA junior DE Nate Nachazel.  Campolongo then punted to Steinbeck who was tackled at the NA 35.  Once again, the Tigers put together a quick drive to score again. On the first play, Papson ran left for ten yards and another Tiger first down.  After two plays lost five yards, Papson got loose on a draw play and raced down the right sideline for 33 yards and a first down at the SC 27.  Papson then ran left for six and Buchert  picked up five more on a keeper for another first down at the Little Lion 17.  On the next play, Papson took it into the end zone for his third score of the game.  Greenblatt drove the conversion through the uprights as the NA lead increased to 28-0 with 8:44 still left in the half.  Jenco took the kickoff all the way back to the SC 46.  After three plays and a false start penalty brought up a fourth and long, Campolongo punted to Steinbeck who made a fair catch at the Tiger 32.  A ten-play, 68-yard drive put the Tigers in the end zone again.  On a second and ten, Buchert threw short to Steinbeck for a gain of six to the NA 38.  Papson ran right for ten more and a first down at the 48.  After two plays picked up just three yards, the Tigers called a time out.  On the next play, Buchert ran a keeper around the left side for eight and a first down at the SC 41.  After Papson got four, SC’s Mark Seeland sacked Buchert for a loss of 12 back to the 49.  On third and long, Buchert threw to Steinbeck on a middle screen and the Tiger senior ran all the way to the SC 14, a gain of 35 yards and a first down.  On the next play, Papson raced the remaining distance around the right side for his fourth touchdown of the game.  Greenblatt added the point again as NA took a 35-0 lead with 3:52 remaining in the half.  After Jenco was able to return the kickoff to the SC 45, three plays lost two yards forcing another Campolongo punt that was returned by sophomore Brendan Coniker for fifteen yards to the NA 43.  After Buchert was sacked for a loss of six on first down, Papson got four back up the middle.  On third and 12, Buchert found Slivka open for a gain of 12 and a first down at the SC 37 with 1:20 remaining.  A draw by Papson gained 13 more to the 34.  After an incomplete pass, Buchert threw to Steinbeck for a gain of ten and another first down at the 24.  On the next play, Buchert hit a wide open Slivka who went into the end zone untouched with just 15 seconds remaining.  Greenblatt’s sixth straight conversion gave the Tigers a 42-0 lead at the intermission.

With the Tigers leading by more than 35 points at halftime, the mercy rule was invoked and the entire second half was played with a running clock.  On the second half kickoff, the Tigers fumbled and State College recovered at the Tiger 19.  After another offside penalty against NA moved the ball to the 14, the snap went over Weakland’s head forcing him to fall on the ball at the 29.  An unsportsmanlike call against the Tigers put the ball back at the NA 16.  Three straight incomplete passes ended the Little Lion opportunity and the Tigers took over at the 16.  Three running plays by junior FB Nick Passodelis and freshman Isaac Weaver gained just nine yards and the Tigers had to punt for the first time in the game.  Sophomore Jack Henderson punted to Jenco who returned the ball just two yards to the SC 48.  A pass from Weakland to Taylor gained 12 yards and a first down at the NA 40.  On the next play, Weakland hit Taylor in the left flat and the SC senior ran down the sideline for 29 yards and another first down at the NA 11.  After an offside penalty against the Tigers, Taylor picked up another yard to the five.  On the next play, Weakland threw to Campolongo in the end zone and State College was on the board.  Nicholson’s kick made it 42-7 with 3:41 left in the third quarter.  The SC kickoff came from the NA 45 after a penalty on the Tigers and the ball was sent out of the end zone.  After three plays gained only two yards, Henderson punted again with Jenco making a fair catch at the SC 48.  After a pass from Weakland to Jamal Albro gained five, Weakland gained 17 on a keeper around the right side to pick up a first down at the NA 31 as the third quarter ended.  The Tigers took a 42-7 lead into the final period of play.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Taylor gained 12 on a draw play to earn another first down to the NA 18.  On the next play, junior Alex Jewell broke through to sack Weakland at the 24, a loss of six.  Senior DT Nello Desantes then stepped in front of an attempted screen pass and returned it for 20 yards to the 50 yard line to stop the drive.  After a delay of game penalty moved the ball back five yards, sophomore QB Tom Keisling ran a keeper around the left side for 16 yards and a first down at the SC 39.  The next three plays lost two yards and senior Josh Jones punted to Jenco who made a fair catch at the SC 15.  With Hefkin at QB, the Little Lions were again unable to move the ball with Campolongo punting to junior James Kleinhampl who made a fair catch at the NA 47.  Three plays gained only four yards forcing another Jones punt that was caught on a fair catch by Colton Myers at the SC 15 with just 1:29 remaining in the game.  After another SC fumble was recovered by Andrew Bachman back at the Little Lion 4, time ran out as the Little Lions gained ten yards on the final play of the game.  The Tigers completed an impressive 42-7 victory over State College in the season opener.

The victory gave NA a 3-0 lead in the all-time series with the first two games being played in the early ‘80s.  The Tigers dominated the statistics as well as the score outgaining the Little Lions by a 357-169 count in total yards.  NA picked up 202 on the ground led by Papson’s 171.  Buchert completed 6 of 8 passes good for 155 yards and a score.  Slivka caught three passes for 105 yards and a touchdown with Steinbeck also adding three receptions for 55 yards.  The Tigers were 5 for 9 in third down conversions and scored all four times they were in the red zone.  For his offensive efforts, the North Allegheny Sports Network selected senior Alex Papson as the Player of the Game.

With the win, the Tigers posted a 1-0 non conference record as they prepared for the opening of the Northern Seven Conference season on Friday night when they host the Butler Golden Tornado.  The game will mark the return of former NA head coach Jim Rankin who will be trying to restore the Butler program to its former prominence.  Butler lost their opener on the road at New Castle by a 25-0 score.  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 – 42  STATE COLLEGE – 7

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

 TEAM STATISTICS

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

 Statistics Courtesy of Steve Heckmann

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