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SEVEN TIGERS SELECTED TO
ALL-BIG SCHOOL TEAM

Seven North Allegheny football players have been named with the 2011 All-Western PA Football.net Big School Team.  Quarterback Mack Leftwich and offensive lineman Patrick Kugler were First-Team offense selections.  On defense, cornerback Brendan Coniker and sack specialist Nate Nachazel were named to the First-Team defense.  On honorable mentions on defense were handed out to lineman Zach Lyon, defensive back James Kleinhampl, and punter Jack Henderson.  These players were part of another WPIAL championship team for the Tigers this season which defeated Upper St. Clair at Heinz Field, 28-21 in overtime.  Only a narrow loss in the PIAA semifinals to Central Dauphin spoiled a chance to repeat as state champions as well.  Congratulations to the North Allegheny members of the All-Big School Team.      

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KUGLER NAMED PLAYER OF THE YEAR, THREE TIGERS NAMED ALL-STATE

Junior offensive lineman Patrick Kugler has been named the Class AAAA Player of the Year by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  The 6-4, 270 pounder was one of the key cogs in North Allegheny march to another WPIAL title this season.  Kugler’s dominance over opponents the past two years has garnered him more than a dozen Division I scholarship offers.  The accolades for Kugler don’t end there as he has also been named to the PA Sports Writers All-State Team.  He joins quarterback Mack Leftwich and defensive back Brendan Coniker on the All-State list.  Leftwich passed for over 2,200 yards and rushed for another 933 yards.  The junior quarterback also accounted for 36 total touchdowns.  Coniker was a stalwart in the defensive backfield, picking off five passes and defending countless pass attempts from opposing quarterbacks.

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13 TIGERS NAMED ALL-CONFERENCE

(12/13/11)  The post-season accolades have begun rolling in for the North Allegheny Tigers Football Team as 13 players have been named to the Northern Seven All-Conference Team.  The Tigers also had seven Honorable Mentions leaving the WPIAL Champions well represented on the all-conference squad.  Among the First-Team selections, they include defensive lineman Nate Nachazel, linebacker Jarred Lux, defensive back Brendan Coniker, receiver James Kleinhampl, fullback Nick Passodelis, and offensive linemen Peter Thistle, Zach Harvey and Patrick Kugler.  The complete listing of all-conference North Allegheny selections are below.  

FIRST-TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE

SECOND-TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE

HONORABLE MENTION

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LAST SECOND FIELD GOAL ENDS TIGERS' TITLE DEFENSE, 23-20

(12/10/11) The North Allegheny Tigers saw their season come to a stunning 23-20 end against Central Dauphin in the PIAA Western Final.  Rams kicker Evan Brandes knocked a 21 yard field goal through the Mansion Park uprights as the fourth quarter clock expired.  It was North Allegheny’s first loss in 21 games, and just their second over the past two seasons.  Unfortunately for the Tigers, they will not get a chance to defend their title in Hershey, despite showing resilience in battling back from a double digit deficit in the second half.

North Allegheny fell behind 20-7 in the third quarter before the offense began to grind the ball down the field.  Quarterback Mack Leftwich again had the bulk of the carries, rushing 26 times for 158 yards on the night.  The rest of the Tigers backfield had minimal success against the stout and speedy run defense of the Rams.  An 11-play, 80-yard drive culminated in a touchdown run from four yards out by Leftwich, his second of the night, allowing the Tigers to cut the lead to seven. 

On defense, the Tigers run defense held vaunted running back Zayd Issah to just 15 yards on 13 carries.  Zach Lyon led the unit with nine and a half tackles, including four for loss.  His unforgiving effort from his defensive line position earned him the Wright Automotive Player of the Game.  Jeremy Gonzalez, Jared Lux, Chas Smith, and Anthony Peluso, among others, held Central Dauphin to limited yardage in the second half, keeping North Allegheny in the game despite the Tigers being flagged for several penalties well after plays were concluded. 

Midway through the fourth quarter, the Tigers offense was on the move again, penetrating deep into Ram territory.  Faced with first and goal from the Central Dauphin 3 yard line, North Allegheny was stood up by the Rams defense on the first three plays.  On fourth down, Leftwich ran it behind the left side of the line, similar to his scoring play late in the WPIAL semifinals against Gateway.  However, unlike that play, he could not stretch the ball across the goal line, turning the ball over to Central Dauphin on downs inside the 1.  A quick three and out for the Rams coupled with a shanked punt set up North Allegheny at the Central Dauphin 20, with just over five minutes remaining in the game.

The Tigers needed just two plays to tie the contest at 20-20.  From the five yard line, Leftwich found James Kleinhampl in the left flat.  Kleinhampl used some nifty moves and fleet feet to outrace the defense to the goal line.  After having a kick blocked earlier in the contest, Jason Buchert knocked the extra point through, tying the contest at 20-20 with 5:14 remaining.

On the subsequent Central Dauphin possession, the North Allegheny defense dug in, forcing Rams quarterback Brandon LaVia into a long third down attempt.  With the crowd energized, LaVia tossed up a prayer, and Brendan Coniker came down with the interception, giving the Tigers a chance to drive for a go-ahead score.  However, they could not get anything going and were forced to punt after just three plays.

The ensuing punt return by Central Dauphin’s Drew Scales was aided by yet another personal foul call along the far sideline, setting the Rams up with excellent field position for their game winning drive.  They converted several third downs during the series, as LaVia showed off both his running and passing abilities.  Inside a minute to go, the drive was punctuated by a 24 yard pass to Issah down to the Tigers 5 yard line.  A breakdown in coverage allowed Issah to get free in the secondary and LaVia lofted him a pass to him, setting up Brandes’ game-winning kick. 

The loss ends the Tigers season at 14-1 and their win streak at 21 games.  Central Dauphin will now face North Penn for the Quad-A title next Saturday at Hershey Park.  In spite of the setback, North Allegheny still boasts an incredible 29-2 record over the past two seasons.  Next year, the Tigers welcome back Leftwich, Coniker, and running back Alex DeCiantis among other skilled positions.  Additionally, Patrick Kugler, Jeremy Gonzales, and Zach Lyon will return to anchor the offensive and defensive fronts.  With additional talent waiting in the wings, expectations are high that 2012 can be another championship caliber season at North Allegheny.

GAME SUMMARY
CENTRAL DAUPHIN - 23   NORTH ALLEGHENY - 20

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

TEAM STATISTICS

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

CENTRAL DAUPHIN

NORTH ALLEGHENY

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NA BATTLES CENTRAL DAUPHIN FOR A TRIP TO HERSHEY

Winners of 21 consecutive games, the North Allegheny Tigers aim for a return trip to Hershey tonight with a PIAA Semifinal meeting with the Central Dauphin Rams at Mansion Park in Altoona.  The Rams are riding a winning streak of their own, having won 12 straight games on their way to a District 3 championship.  Central Dauphin’s last loss was suffered back in week two in a 20-13 defeat to Bishop McDevitt.  Since then, the Rams have rolled through opponents, including a 24-21 victory over Wilson for the District 3 title.

North Allegheny enters tonight’s contest coming off a 40-14 victory over State College last week in the PIAA quarterfinals.  The Tigers were led by Mack Leftwich who scored five rushing touchdowns and passed for another.  Running back Vinnie Congedo added another 100 yards rushing as the NA offensive and defensive lines dictated the play of the game.  In the third quarter of that contest, standout lineman Patrick Kugler sustained a leg injury and was sidelined for the remainder of the game.  With positive news early in the week, the Tigers are hoping to have Kugler back for tonight’s meeting with Central Dauphin.  If he can’t go, Taylor Nikithser will fill in on the offensive line and Zach Harvey will handle the duties on the defensive front.  Both Nikithser and Harvey played exceptionally well in the second half against State College. 

The Tigers defense will have their hands full tonight with the Rams running game which is spearheaded by tailback Zayd Issah.  The 6-2 junior has rushed for 1,273 yards and 19 touchdowns and is also Central Dauphin’s leading receiver, pulling in 28 passes for 649 yards and 10 scores.  Defensively, Issah is the second leading sacker (14) and the second leading tackler (102) for the Rams.  Daylin Russo tops a quick footed Rams defense in tackles (111) and Evan Schwan is best in the sack department (15.5).  Central Dauphin’s exceptional defense has the tall task of trying to slow down a Tigers offense that leads the WPIAL in yardage and averages 40 points per game.

Kickoff for tonight’s game is slated for 6:00 pm.  Tune in live via the internet on the North Allegheny Sports Network.  The pre-game show features interviews with NA coach Art Walker and Central Dauphin head coach Glen McNamee.  Pre-game coverage begins at 5:30 pm.          

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WPIAL FOOTBALL - 2011

The Tigers will compete again in the WPIAL in Quad A along with 26 other teams. Championship play will begin in the tenth week (Nov. 4 – Nov. 5) with a sixteen-team bracket in each classification as detailed below and determined by the WPIAL Tie-Breaker System. The tournament will culminate with the four classification championships at Heinz Field (tentatively) on either Saturday, November 26, or Friday November 25, 2011. The WPIAL Tie-Breaker System will be used to determine section championship, play-off entry, and home-field assignment where applicable. If teams tie in section record for the section championship, they will be declared champions and each will receive a section plaque. Non-section games will not be considered in the tie-breaker system.

WPIAL FOOTBALL PLAYOFF SYSTEM

* - Only section records are used to determine playoff teams.
* - In all four classifications, the top four teams from each section qualify for playoff spots.
* - The top two teams from each section will play at home in the first round of the playoffs.
* - Quarterfinals and semi-finals will be played at neutral sites.
* - The WPIAL will determine the playoff match-ups and brackets.

TIES FOR PLAYOFF SPOTS

* - Head-to-head competition is the first tiebreaker.
(PLEASE NOTE: head-to head counts only in section games)
* - If there is a tie between three or more teams in a section, head-to-head is still the first tie breaker.  For example, if teams A, B and C tie for a playoff spot, and team A has a 2-0 record against teams B and C, then team A gets the playoff spot.
* -  If head-to head does not break the tie, then Gardner Points are used to determine playoff participants.  (See the WPIAL website for further details of the Gardner Point system)
* - If neither head-to-head, Gardner Points, or the WPIAL Tie-Breaking System breaks the tie, a coin flip will determine playoff participants.

WPIAL CLASS AAAA - 27 TEAMS

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