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TIGERS DEFENSE DEVOURS
GATORS FOR 14-3 WIN

To hear the rebroadcast of the Tigers win, click here!

(10/6/12) The North Allegheny defense sacked Gateway quarterback Thomas Woodson six times and shut down the high-powered Gators for a 14-3 victory on Friday night in a battle of Quad-A heavyweights.   The Gators averaged 49 points per game prior to meeting the Tigers but could not steer the ball into the NA end zone, mustering only a first quarter field.  North Allegheny’s defense has not allowed a touchdown in 18 consecutive quarters.

However, Gateway seemed to hold the game’s early momentum thanks to the hard running of tailback Andre Martin.  The senior rushed for 74 yards in the opening quarter and helped the Gators march the ball to the NA nine-yard line.  After a holding penalty and a seven yard pass from Woodson to receiver Ricky Rogers set up a 2^nd and goal from the 12-yard line, the Tigers defense forced two incompletions as Gateway settled for a 29-yard field goal by Chris Conti.   The field goal gave the Gators a 3-0 lead with 4:31 on the first quarter clock.  Despite Martin’s success in the first quarter, he would gain only 21 yards the rest of the game. 

While Gateway’s offense possessed the football for most of the first quarter, the Tigers offense started to find their stride with the ground attack in the second quarter.  Pinned at their own seven-yard line following a Gators punt, North Allegheny traveled 93 yards on 13 plays and culminated the drive on a one-yard plunge by quarterback Mack Leftwich on a 3^rd and goal to give the Tigers a 7-3 lead with 1:01 remaining in the first half.  The drive was spurred by running back Alex DeCiantis who carried the ball nine times on the march for 73 yards.  DeCiantis would finish the night with 126 yards rushing on 25 carries.

Coming out of halftime, the Tigers defense continued to give up yards grudgingly in the second half, forcing the Gators to take chances.  The first gamble for the Gators paid off when they rolled the dice on a 4^th and 1 from their own 29-yard line and picked up the first down on an 11 yard run by Woodson on their opening possession of the third quarter.  The drive would eventually fizzle three plays later and the Gators were forced to punt. 

On Gateway’s next possession with two minutes left in the third quarter, another Gators’ fourth down try came up snake eyes.  On a 4^th and 1 from their own 34-yard line, Woodson tossed a perfect pass on a slant pattern to Mileak Ford but the senior tight-end dropped the football and the Tigers took possession with a short field.  However, the Tigers could not take advantage as NA moved the ball 16 yards before failing on a 35-yard field goal try which kept the North Allegheny lead at a tenuous four points with 10:55 remaining in the fourth quarter. 

Frustrated all night by the Tigers swarming defense, the Gators nearly got the break they were looking for on a bubble screen to receiver Delvon Randall.  On a 2^nd and 5 from the Gateway 25-yard line, Randall accepted the screen pass from Woodson and weaved his way through defenders into the clear when NA cornerback Elijah Zeise made a lunging, touchdown saving tackle at midfield.  The tackle by Zeise proved to be the play of the game as Gateway would not have as good of an opportunity the rest of the night.  Following the Randall catch and run, the Gators drove to the NA 31-yard line before another futile fourth down try.  With a 4^th down and 4, Patrick Kugler and Jeremy Gonzales blew up a draw handoff to Darin Franklin for a four-yard loss, yet again bringing a Gateway drive to a screeching halt.

With time winding down to under three minutes remaining, the Gators were left with no choice but to try again on a fourth down, this time from their own 22-yard line.  On 4^th and 13, NA linebacker Chas Smith tipped a Woodson pass intended for tight-end Jaymar Parrish and the Tigers offense had a short field with just 2:19 left in the game.  North Allegheny’s offense would not be denied from putting the game out of reach this time around as three plays later Leftwich carried the ball into the end zone on an 11-yard run and the Tigers opened up a 14-3 lead. 

The last possession of the game epitomized the night for the Gateway offense.  Woodson was sacked three times in the final two minutes and was sacked on the game’s final play by Layne Skundrich.  On a night dominated by the NA defense, it was also fitting that the Wright Automotive Player of the Game was handed to lineman Jeremy Gonzales.   Gonzales hounded Gateway ball carriers all night, collecting nine tackles and 3.5 sacks.  Of his nine tackles, five went for losses. 

With the impressive victory, North Allegheny improves to 6-0 on the season and Gateway fall s to 5-1.  The Tigers will have another tough test next week when they host the Central Catholic Vikings on homecoming night.  Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 pm.

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 14   GATEWAY - 3

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

TEAM STATISTICS

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

NORTH ALLEGHENY

GATEWAY

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TIGERS READY FOR SHOWDOWN
WITH GATEWAY

(10/5/12) All eyes will be on Monroeville, PA tonight to watch two Quad-A heavyweights battle in a non-conference clash.  The top-ranked North Allegheny Tigers (5-0) visit the second-ranked Gateway Gators (5-0) in a rematch of last year’s semifinal classic that saw the Tigers outlast the Gators, 21-17, on their way to a WPIAL title.  Both teams bring back a bounty of returning starters from last year, and tonight will surely be billed as a revenge game for the Gators, playing before their home crowd on homecoming.

Identical to the Tigers, Gateway boasts a perfect 5-0 record and has rolled through their opponents without much resistance.  The Gators trampled Hempfield last week, 41-13, in what has been their closest game to date.  Averaging 49 points per game, the Gateway offense is led by senior quarterback Thomas Woodson.  The three-year starter has thrown for 963 yards, 10 touchdowns and no interceptions.  Adding to that, Woodson is also the team’s second leading rusher with 156 yards on 18 carries and three scores.   Woodson is a talented player, and Arizona recruit, who has emerged this season as a team leader and has distributed the ball to a variety of receivers.  Junior receiver Montae Nicholson leads Gateway in receiving yards with 252 yards on eight receptions and three touchdowns.  For the second straight season, tight-end/fullback Jaymar Parrish is the team leader in receptions with 10 catches, 181 yards and a touchdown.  Parrish is a Pitt recruit who often comes free on quick passes over the middle.  Another tight-end, Mileak Ford, is a reliable target with eight catches for 182 yards and two touchdowns. 

Gateway often likes to utilize the pistol formation to get their talented running back Andre Martin heading downhill quickly.  Martin took over the feature back duties from the oft-injured Darian Franklin and has rushed for 549 yards and 12 touchdowns.  Franklin, who led the team in rushing a year ago, is an electric runner but has been dealing with a knee injury since last season.  Martin is no stranger to running the football as he carried the ball for nearly 500 yards last season and has excelled this year as the lead horse in the Gateway stable.   Another key component for the Gators is a big and burly offensive line that is anchored by 347-pound left tackle, Ryan Hughes.  The match-up between the Gateway O-line and the NA defensive front will be a fun one to watch in the trenches.  Jeremy Gonzales, Layne Skundrich and Zach Lyon have three sacks apiece and will do their best to keep Woodson from scrambling outside the pocket where he has proven to be the most dangerous.  Not to be outdone, fellow lineman, and Michigan recruit, Patrick Kugler is a rock in the middle that buries opposing runners on impact.  The Tigers have not allowed a touchdown in 14 consecutive quarters. 

Another key to tonight’s game will be the match-up between the Gateway secondary and the wide-outs of North Allegheny, along with quarterback Mack Leftwich.  The Gators possess a speedy and aggressive defensive backfield that has baited opposing quarterbacks into six interceptions, with free safety Anthony Davis leading the team with four picks.  While the Gators have picked and prodded their five previous opponents, they have not faced an offense as talented as North Allegheny’s.  The Tigers average 43 points per game and display a trio of talented receivers for Leftwich, the top passer in the WPIAL, to throw to.  Leftwich has thrown for over 1,100 yards and 15 touchdowns, hitting his top receiver Gregg Garrity 22 times for 431 yards and six scores.   Brandon Coniker and Elijah Zeise have combined for 13 catches, 317 yards, and three touchdowns.  However, the Tigers are not just a passing fancy.  North Allegheny can grind out the tough yards with senior running back Alex DeCiantis who leads NA with 413 yards and five touchdowns.  As the line of scrimmage will be important when Gateway has the football, it certainly will be when the Tigers own possession.  The line of Kugler, Gonzales, Nick James, Duke Lundahl, and Taylor Nikitsher will look to open rushing lanes and protect Leftwich to keep the NA machine rolling along against Gateway. 

There’s little doubt that both teams will face their toughest challenges to this point in the season.  Who comes out on top will be determined beginning at 7:30 pm tonight.  You can hear all the action live via the internet with Randy Gore and Rick Meister on the North Allegheny Sports Network.  The pre-game show starts at 7:10 pm from Gateway. 

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