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TIGERS ROLL TO 28-0 HOMECOMING WIN
OVER CENTRAL CATHOLIC

To listen to an archived broadcast of the game, click here!

(10/13/12) Before a large homecoming crowd at Newman Stadium on Friday night, the North Allegheny Tigers blanked perennial power Pittsburgh Central Catholic, 28-0.  The Tigers outgained the Vikings 405-133 o on the night, winning the battle in the trenches.  Going back to week two, the NA defense has not yielded a touchdown in 22 consecutive quarters.

North Allegheny set the tone in the first quarter when Central Catholic was held to a three-and-out on their first possession.  Beginning at their own 35-yard line, the Tigers marched 65 yards in six plays and culminated the drive on a 38-yard touchdown pass from Mack Leftwich to Elijah Zeise for a quick 7-0 lead.  Central Catholic began to move the ball on their second possession thanks to the running of Luigi Lista-Brinza.  The junior tailback rushed for 44 yards on the drive, helping the Vikings reach the NA 19-yard line.  However, a pair of penalties forced Central Catholic to retreat and settle for a 44-yard field goal attempt by Mitch MacZura that fell well short of the uprights, keeping the game at 7-0, Tigers.  This would be the closest Central Catholic would come to scoring on the night.

Despite the early success on their first drive, the Tigers could not crack the scoreboard for the remainder of the first half as NA took their seven point advantage into halftime.  On the opening drive of the third quarter, the Tigers began to assert their dominance of the line of scrimmage.  Starting from their own 27-yard line, Tigers running back Alex DeCiantis carried the football seven consecutive times for 40 yards to the Central Catholic 33-yard line.  North Allegheny crossed up the Vikings defense with their only pass of the drive, a play-action toss from Leftwich to tight-end Zach Lyon for 29-yards to the CC four-yard line.  From there, DeCiantis toted the ball into the end zone to increase the Tigers lead to 14-0 with 8:23 on the third quarter clock.

North Allegheny proceeded to put the game out of reach with their power running game as DeCiantis rushed for two more short-yardage touchdowns in the fourth quarter.  For the game, DeCiantis carried the ball 29 times for 157 yards and was named the Wright Automotive Player of the Game.  Quarterback Mack Leftwich added another 70 yards on nine carries and passed for an additional 142 yards to help the Tigers to the victory. 

In posting the shutout, the Tigers defense forced one fumble that was recovered by Colton Byerly late in the fourth quarter.  Linebacker Ben Schweiger led the Tigers with seven tackles and Jeremy Gonzales collected a sack to increase his team leading total to 7.5 for the season. 

North Allegheny improves to 7-0 overall and 5-0 in the Northern Eight Conference.  Central Catholic drops to 5-2 overall and 4-2 in conference play.  Up next for the Tigers is a visit to Shaler to face the Titans next Friday night.  You can listen to all the action live via the internet on the North Allegheny Sports Network.    

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 28   CENTRAL CATHOLIC - 0

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

TEAM STATISTICS

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

NORTH ALLEGHENY

CENTRAL CATHOLIC

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NORTHERN EIGHT POWERS MEET AS CENTRAL CATHOLIC VISITS TIGERS

After last week’s non-section win at Gateway, the Tigers will dive back into conference play this week when they welcome the Pittsburgh Central Catholic Vikings to Newman Stadium.  The Vikings spent several years in the now-dissolved Big East Conference before WPIAL realignment landed them in the Northern Eight.  Since Art Walker arrived at North Allegheny from Central Catholic in 2005, the schools have met just once.  That meeting was a bout in the 2010 WPIAL semifinals, won by the Tigers 17-7, on their way to a state championship.  This season, Central Catholic sports a 5-1 overall record, with their lone loss a decisive 34-7 drubbing by Seneca Valley.

Defense has been the strength of the Vikings squad this season, allowing an average of seven and a half points per game.  Shaler transfer Niko Thorpe is a player to watch.  A year ago, Thorpe was the hard-nosed leading rusher for the Titans.  Leo Loughrey and Garret Vrbanic are a pair of linebackers that are adept at disrupting offenses. 

The nucleus on offense that powered the Vikings the past few seasons has now graduated, leaving behind underclassmen at numerous positions.  At quarterback, Central Catholic has relied on Joe Cosentino, a junior transfer from Kiski Area.  Back from a knee injury which cost him much of last year, Cosentino is an imposing figure under center at 6’5, 220 pounds.  He has struggled throwing the ball this year, completing less than half of his passes, but has not thrown an interception.  Along the outside, Shafer Swann is the leading receiver, averaging over 11 yards a grab. 

Overall, the Vikings offense is driven primarily by its ground game.  Luigi Lista-Brinza is the main catalyst utilized by head coach Terry Totten.  The running back has been hampered by injuries that forced him to miss the Seneca Valley game, but he did perform in a big way last week, accumulating 173 yards on the ground and a pair of touchdowns as the Vikings beat Pine-Richland 28-8. 

Central Catholic will look to open holes against a North Allegheny defensive unit that allowed just three points to Gateway a week ago.  The Tigers have not allowed a touchdown since the first half of the Fox Chapel game in week two, a string of eighteen straight quarters.  Lineman Jeremy Gonzales was a beast last week, recording three and a half sacks and five tackles behind the line of scrimmage.  Along with Layne Skundrich, Patrick Kugler and Zach Lyon, the Tigers’ front will again look to be a wrecking crew against the younger Vikings. 

On offense, Mack Leftwich will lead the offensive attack for the Tigers.  Last week, Leftwich showed his versatility, carrying the ball for nearly 100 yards, as North Allegheny moved the ball primarily on the ground.  Coming off a twenty-five carry effort against Gateway, Alex DeCiantis will again shoulder the load.  If North Allegheny takes to the air, Brendan Coniker, Gregg Garrity, and Elijah Zeise lead a deep and talented receiving corps along the outside, while Lyon, Kevin Edwards, and Skylar Cox have all been targeted from the tight end position.  The offensive line of Kugler, Gonzales, Nick James, Duke Lundahl, and Taylor Nikitsher has been a reliable group all year.

Friday night is homecoming night at North Allegheny.  As part of the festivities, the 2012 Hall of Fame Class will be introduced.  If you cannot make it to the game, be sure to listen to the North Allegheny Sports Network broadcast of the action.  The pregame show is set for 7:10 pm, with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 pm. 

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