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TIGERS KNOCK OUT GATEWAY, PUNCH TICKET TO HEINZ

Nick Passodelis’ one yard touchdown run on 4^th and goal with 41 seconds remaining pushed North Allegheny past Gateway, 21-17.  After trailing 14-0 at halftime, Gateway roared back to take a three-point lead in the fourth quarter.  However, the Tigers answered with a 19-play, 67-yard scoring drive, ending with Passodelis’ fourth down plunge.  A desperation hook and lateral play by Gateway moved the Gators deep into North Allegheny territory with seconds remaining.  However, James Kleinhampl corralled a diving interception to secure the victory for the Tigers, giving the NA an opportunity to defend their 2010 WPIAL title next Saturday night at Heinz Field.   

In the first half, the North Allegheny defense limited Gateway to 38 yards of offense and just one first down.  On the opposite side of the ball, Alex DeCiantis and Mack Leftwich each had 5-yard touchdown runs, punctuating long, methodical drives by the Tigers.  Up front, the offensive line of Patrick Kugler, Zach Harvey, Pete Thistle, Jeremy Gonzales, and Alex Jewell, was physical as usual, driving Gator defenders off the line of scrimmage.  Tight ends Kevin Clemens, Kevin Edwards, and Ben Connolly were also effective opening running lanes for North Allegheny.  DeCiantis was awarded the bulk of the carries, with 14 rushes for 91 yards before the intermission.  Overall, he finished with 144 yards on the ground, deserving of Wright Automotive Player of the Game accolades.  At halftime, the hardnosed Tigers held a 14-0 lead, with Gateway seemingly on the ropes.

A gadget play and excellent field position brought the Gateway fans alive in the second half.  After teams traded punts to begin the third quarter, the Gators began a drive at their own 39.  Just they moved the ball into North Allegheny territory, the drive appeared to stall.  Going for it on fourth down, Gateway backup quarterback Brian Jones lined up at halfback and received a pitch from starting quarterback Thomas Woodson.  On the halfback pass, Jones’ toss just eluded the outstretched arm of Brendan Coniker, finding Mileak Ford for a 41-yard touchdown.  The touchdown strike came on Gateway’s first completed pass of the game.  The Gators scored again on their next possession, knotting the contest at 14-14. 

A turnover on the subsequent kickoff offered Gateway first and goal from the 10 yard line.  Thanks to some stingy defense by Jarred Lux, Anthony Peluso, Zach Lyon, and Nate Nachazel, among others, the Gators had to settle for a field goal, taking their first lead of the game at 17-14, with just under 10 minutes remaining.

With a trip to Heinz Field, and an 18-game winning streak hanging in the balance, the Tigers bulldozed their way on a 19-play scoring drive that consumed 8:46 of clock time.  Faced with a fourth and goal inside the Gateway 1 yard line, Coach Art Walker did not hesitate in allowing the offense to win the game.  Passodelis charged across the goal line, giving North Allegheny a 21-17 lead with 41 seconds to go.  Gateway’s frantic final possession ended with Kleinhampl’s game-clinching interception, allowing the Tigers a chance to defend their WPIAL crown from a year ago.

With the win, North Allegheny extends their current win streak to 19 games, and propels them into a rematch with Upper St. Clair, scheduled for next Saturday night at Heinz Field.  The Panthers were impressive in their win against Central Catholic and will look to avenge the only blemish on their record when they face North Allegheny.  The Tigers defeated Upper St. Clair, 28-21, earlier this season at Newman Stadium.  The WPIAL Quad-A Championship is scheduled for 8:00 pm.  If you are unable to attend the game, be sure to catch all the action will be broadcast live on the North Allegheny Sports Network. -- WPIAL Brackets: Quad-A

For an audio highlight of the exciting victory for the Tigers over Gateway on Friday night, download here!

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 21   Gateway - 17

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

TEAM STATISTICS

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Gateway

NORTH ALLEGHENY

Statistics Courtesy of Steve Heckmann

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NA'S TOP OFFENSE TO MEET GATEWAY'S STINGY DEFENSE IN SEMIFINALS

When the North Allegheny Tigers (11-0) face the Gateway Gators (9-2) tonight in the WPIAL semifinals, it will be a true test of the irresistible force colliding with the immovable object.  The Tigers boast the top offense in all classifications of the WPIAL averaging 443 yards per game, while the Gators own the stingiest scoring defense by allowing a mere 7 points per contest.  Something will have to give tonight as the two Quad-A titans clash with a trip to Heinz Field on the line. 

In 2010, a very young but green Gateway team reached the quarterfinals on the Highway to Heinz before being shown the exit ramp by the Central Catholic Vikings, 10-0.  With a talented team of mostly sophomores, the Gators were unofficially dubbed, “Next Year’s Team.”  As those sophomores now have become juniors, Gateway is knocking on the door of the WPIAL finals this season but will have to go through the reigning WPIAL and state champions to get there, the North Allegheny Tigers.  North Allegheny is riding an 18 game winning streak and has won 10-straight playoff games in that span.  Ironically enough, Gateway has always been “Next Year’s Team” even before last season, having lost in the WPIAL championship game three straight years from 2007-2009.  The Gators’ fate of watching other teams celebrate a title at Heinz Field has left them without a championship since 1986.

Gateway has certainly overcome more than their fair share of adversity over the past calendar year.  During a recruiting trip in North Carolina this summer, linebacker Darrell Turner was tragically shot and killed, and quarterback Thomas Woodson was left wounded.  The hardship of this shooting has drawn the Gators closer together and has perhaps sharpened their focus.  Gateway continues to remember their fallen teammate by wearing his number 25 on their helmets and walking his jersey to the field every Friday night. 

Woodson, who was shot in the right leg in the shooting, has recovered from his injuries and has led the Gators with 1,184 passing yards and 306 more yards on the ground, having scored 14 total touchdowns.  While Woodson has performed well as a passer, he threw the ball only two times last week in a quarterfinal win over Penn-Trafford, 34-9.  When Woodson does throw, his top target is tight-end Jaymar Parrish who has pulled in 22 receptions for 524 yards and four scores.  Receivers David Folkmire, Delvon Randall, Tyler Scott and Devantae Butler have seen limited pass receptions this season but will be present in the passing game. 

The majority of Gateway’s offensive orchestra is conducted in the ground game behind a set of big, athletic lineman.  The left side of the offensive line is particularly bulky with 275-pound junior Ryan Hughes and 278-pound senior Ryan Doyle.  Those men help lead the way for the electric running of tailback Darin Franklin who has rushed for 792 yards and 16 touchdowns.  Franklin has battled a chronic knee injury this season and missed the second half of last week’s game against Penn-Trafford.  Before leaving the contest, Franklin still struck for a 30-yard touchdown run and an 86-yard punt return TD to give Gateway more than enough points for the victory.  Franklin is questionable to play tonight, but in a game of this magnitude it should be expected that he will suit up.  Even if Franklin doesn’t play, Woodson and fullback Andre Martin are more than capable of picking up the slack.  Martin has rushed for 436 yards this season and eight scores, and carried the football for 125 yards while Franklin was out in the second half last week.  The Gateway offense has been overshadowed by their defense a bit this season but still ranks among the best in Quad-A, averaging 36 points per game.

On defense, the Gators are led by senior middle linebacker Haakim Oliver who leads the team with an impressive 100 tackles.  Strong side linebacker Jaymar Parrish is a fine compliment to Oliver as well.  Gateway has collapsed opposing pass pockets for 42 sacks, spearheaded by quick defensive end Cody Conway’s nine sacks.  Oliver and Avery Anderson have followed suit with five sacks apiece.  The top thief in the defensive backfield is free safety Deveante Butler with three interceptions.  This defensive unit is an extremely aggressive, hard hitting bunch that has given up points grudgingly and posted four shutouts this season.

The task of penetrating the defensive stalwarts of Gateway falls to the most prolific offense in Western Pennsylvania.  The North Allegheny Tigers have not been stopped by anyone in 2011 and average a healthy 42 points per game.  That has been done in large part to a well balanced attack that is led by quarterback Mack Leftwich.  The junior has thrown for 1,803 yards this season and 17 touchdowns, while adding another 453 yards on the ground and six scores.  His top receiver is junior James Kleinhample who has pulled in 30 passes for 669 yards and five touchdowns.  Gregg Garrity and Brendan Coniker are among Leftwich’s favorite targets, combining for 43 catches, 715 yards and nine touchdowns.  Tight-ends Kevin Edwards, Zach Lyon and Ben Connelly will see passes on occasion as well.  While all three have pass catching ability, the Tigers trio of tight-ends will likely be called upon to block for the highly effective NA rushing attack.  Alex DiCiantis has carried the load for the Tigers recently, toting the ball for 616 yards and 13 touchdowns.  Senior Vinnie Congedo remains NA’s leading rusher with 622 yards and 10 scores.  Fullback Nick Passodelis has rumbled for 479 yards and 10 touchdowns, while the slippery and sleek Isaiah Faulk has added another 392 yards and four touchdowns.  With an accurate passing attack and a bruising ground game, the Tigers have a collective versatility that the Gators have not seen the likes of yet this season.  Whichever method the Tigers choose to attack their opponent, it all begins with the muscle up front of Patrick Kugler, Zach Harvey, Pete Thistle, Alex Jewell and Jeremy Gonzalez.  In a battle of heavyweights tonight, the team that lays claim to the line of scrimmage will surely be the team that will finish the night on top. 

The defensive front of Kugler, Lyon, Gonzalez and Nate Nachazel will also be pivotal for North Allegheny.  The Tigers have devoured opposing passers for 25 sacks this season, with Lyon leading the way with eight sacks, followed by Nachazel’s seven.  Linebackers Kevin Clemens and Jarred Lux are NA’s leading tacklers with 68 and 66 respectively.  When the playoff lights shine bright, cornerback Brendan Coniker always seems to make the big play, intercepting a pass and returning it 43-yards for a touchdown in last week’s quarterfinal win over Seneca Valley.  Coniker has pirated four passes this year to lead the Tigers, with Kleinhample claiming three picks of his own. 

There’s little doubt that both teams are facing their toughest test of the season tonight and it comes with a trip to the WPIAL Championship game at stake.  Kickoff for the semifinal meeting between North Allegheny and Gateway is slated for 7:30 pm from Fox Chapel High School.  You can catch all the action live via the internet on the North Allegheny Sports Network with pre-game coverage getting underway at 7:15 pm with Randy Gore and Rick Meister.  -- WPIAL Brackets: Quad-A

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