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TIGERS HAMMER RAIDERS, 35-10,
AWAIT GATORS

(11/11/11) The North Allegheny Tigers will return to the WPIAL semifinals by way of their 35-10 drubbing of Seneca Valley on Friday night.  Alex DiCiantis and Mack Leftwich combined for nearly 200 yards rushing, leading a potent and physical offensive attack.  On defense, the Tigers limited Raiders running back Forrest Barnes to just 28 yards on ten carries.  Chas Smith led the unit with nine tackles, while Jared Lux pitched in with eight stops of his own.  In the secondary, Brendan Coniker was all over the field, with several key pass breakups, including an interception return for a score.  In addition to his defensive prowess, Coniker also made an impact on offense, catching a pair of passes, earning Wright Automotive Player of the Game honors.

On the Tigers’ first possession, they ran the ball for eleven of their twelve plays on the drive.  As they did for most of the game, the offensive line and fullback Nick Passodelis repeatedly pushed Raiders defenders off the line of scrimmage, opening holes for the Tiger runners.  The drive ended with DiCiantis charging into the end zone from three yards out, giving the Tigers an early 7-0 lead.  Then, Coniker picked off Jordan Brown’s pass on the Raiders’ first play from scrimmage, returning it 43 yards for a touchdown.  In a span fifteen seconds, North Allegheny had established a 14-0 lead, and seemed on the verge of running away with the game.

Seneca Valley fought back, scoring the next ten points on a Barnes touchdown run and a 30 yard field goal by Michael Denny just as the second quarter opened.  However, another physical drive by North Allegheny culminated in DiCiantis’ second of three touchdown runs of the night, re-establishing a double-digit lead.  During the possession, the Tigers converted three third downs, including an 11-yard pass by Leftwich to Coniker on 3^rd and 8 from the Seneca Valley 14 yard line.  A pair of third quarter touchdowns by North Allegheny extended the lead to 35-10. 

Unlike the contest earlier this season, the Tigers were relentless in their defensive pressure, pursuing quarterback Jordan Brown and collapsing on open receivers throughout the game.  North Allegheny held the leading passing attack in the WPIAL to just 172 yards, picking off a pair of passes for interceptions.  Additionally, Seneca Valley converted just 2 of 12 third down attempts on the night.

The quarterfinal victory pushes North Allegheny’s win streak to 18 games.  However, the Gateway Gators stand between the Tigers and a repeat trip to Heinz Field.  Gateway beat Penn-Trafford, 34-9.  The other semifinal is also now set, featuring Pittsburgh Central Catholic and Upper St. Clair.  Sites and times for both games will be determined early next week.  The North Allegheny Sports Network will have all the details as soon as they are available.

For an audio play-by-play highlight of Brendan Coniker's 43-yard interception return for a score during Friday night's win, download here!

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 35   Seneca Valley - 10

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

TEAM STATISTICS

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Seneca Valley

NORTH ALLEGHENY

Statistics Courtesy of Steve Heckmann, Dave Cracraft, and Luke Mortimer

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TIGERS BATTLE SENECA VALLEY IN WPIAL QUARTERFINALS

(11/11/11) For the second time this season North Allegheny will meet conference foe Seneca Valley, but the sequel between the Tigers and Raiders will come on neutral turf at Martorelli Stadium and with a trip to the WPIAL semifinals on the line.  On September 30, the Tigers used 347 rushing yards to wear down Seneca Valley for a 49-28 victory.  North Allegheny’s Vinnie Congedo and Nick Passodelis each ran for over 100 yards in the win, and Alex DiCiantis rushed for another 71 yards in the Tigers fifth victory of the season.

Since that game, Seneca Valley has not lost, rolling off five straight wins that include a 30-13 victory over Penn Hills in the first round of the playoffs.  The playoff win was the Raiders’ first since 2002, which was also the last year Seneca Valley defeated the North Allegheny Tigers.  NA has won nine straight games against the Raiders, most of which coming by large margins.  That’s not to say that things won’t be much closer tonight, especially in the playoff atmosphere of Martorelli Stadium in early November with temperatures dropping into the mid 30s by game time.

With this being the second meeting between these teams, there won’t be many secrets between the two.  Seneca Valley knows they need to slow down a dynamic North Allegheny offense that has churned up the most yards in the WPIAL, averaging 448 yards per game.  The Tigers know that the Raiders boast the WPIAL’s top passer in Jordan Brown and a shifty running back in Forrest Barnes that can slip loose for a big play anywhere on the field. 

North Allegheny’s defensive focus will clearly be on Brown and Barnes, who have propelled Seneca Valley to average 35 points per game.  Brown, the younger brother of Maryland quarterback C.J. Brown, has thrown for 2,100 yards and 16 touchdowns.  Brown also has the ability to run, carrying the ball 97 times for 484 yards and six more scores.  Brown’s effective arm is complemented nicely by the dangerous cutting ability of Barnes.  The junior tailback has rushed for 1,161 yards and 13 touchdowns, while adding 551 yards on 43 receptions and five scores.  Barnes is both the leading rusher and receiver in the Raiders spread, no-huddle offense.  Because of the short passing attack of the Raiders, Barnes has been lethal on screen passes and burned Penn Hills for a 47-yard touchdown on a screen pass last week.  He also did the same against the Tigers in week five for a 57-yard touchdown.  With his slick moves, North Allegheny’s defense will need to make sure they have a firm hold on Barnes tonight.  Along with Barnes, receivers Troy Witt, Oliver Philogene and John Dorogy are quick-footed targets for Jordan Brown.  The Raiders offense is fifth in the WPIAL in total yards and will be a chore to stop tonight.

The Raiders defense is said to be suspect, allowing 21 points per game.  However, Seneca defenders blitzed and pressured Penn Hills into six interceptions and seven turnovers last week in their playoff opener.  The SV defense did suffer an injury last week to defensive back Gabriel Edwards who left the Penn Hills game with an injured ankle.  Raiders head coach Don Holl said Edwards will try to give it a go tonight, but if he’s not able to play, Gabriel will likely be replaced by junior Zachary Bredl.  This could spell trouble for the Seneca Valley in their efforts in defending the outstanding trio of Tigers receivers, James Kleinhampl, Brendan Coniker and Gregg Garrity.  Kleinhampl is the leading receiver for the Tigers with 657 yards and five touchdowns, Garrity is second with 376 yards and four scores, and Coniker has tallied 295 yards and five touchdowns this season.  All of which are glue-fingered targets for quarterback Mack Leftwich who has thrown for 1,740 yards and 17 touchdowns.  However, it was the Tigers ground attack that swallowed up yardage against Seneca Valley the last time around.  Vinnie Congedo was the Tigers leading rusher against the Raiders in late September and also leads NA on the year with 577 yards and 10 touchdowns, but he did miss last week’s game against Fox Chapel and could be a game-time decision tonight.  Even if Congedo doesn’t play, there is certainly a full stable of runners that includes Alex DiCiantis, Isaiah Faulk and fullback Nick Passodelis.  The three have combined for 1,322 yards and 23 touchdowns on the ground. 

One of the keys to NA’s victory over Seneca Valley earlier this year was the ability to convert third and fourth downs into first downs.  The Tigers were 8 of 15 on third and fourth down conversion while the Raiders were stuck in neutral converting only 1 of 10 third and fourth down conversion attempts.  Seneca Valley believes this is an area that must be improved if the Raiders hope to have a chance tonight.  For the Tigers, taking care of the football against a team that forced seven turnovers last week will be imperative.  Also keeping Brown and Barnes from busting a big play will also be a priority. 

With two top five offenses in the WPIAL going head-to-head tonight, whoever has the ball last could be the team who advances to the final four on the highway to Heinz.  Pre-game coverage will get underway at 7:05 pm from Martorelli Stadium tonight with Randy Gore and Rick Meister describing the action.  The pre-game show will include interviews with SV head coach Don Holl and NA head coach Art Walker.  Tune in live on the North Allegheny Sports Network.   
 

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