Football Game Summaries

The Pennsylvania Sports Writers released their All-State team in Class 6A on Friday afternoon and North Allegheny senior Khiryn Boyd received All-State laurels at defensive back.

Boyd posted 18 tackles and a team-best seven interceptions on the season. His seven interceptions were the most by a Tiger since Joey Porter Jr. (Penn State) pirated seven passes for NA in 2017. A big play threat on offense and special teams, Boyd led North Allegheny in receiving with 42 receptions for 742 yards and seven touchdowns. On the ground, Boyd carried the ball 22 times for 286 yards and four touchdowns. He also stuck for a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in a 20-3 win against Penn-Trafford in week eight.

Boyd also played a pivotal role in North Allegheny’s 35-21 win over Central Catholic in the WPIAL Class 6A championship, hauling in touchdown passes of 51 and 68 yards.

The All-State recognition adds on to a bevy of other postseason awards earned by Boyd this season, including Class 6A Player of the Year honors by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Trib HSSN. He was also named to the PG’s Fabulous 22 and Trib’s Terrific 25 all-star teams.

Appearing the in the state playoffs for the first time since 2012, the North Allegheny Tigers dropped a 28-7 decision to the State College Little Lions in the PIAA Class 6A quarterfinals on Friday night. State College remains undefeated on the season and will return to the PIAA final four for the second consecutive year.

On a cold a blustery night, the impact of a 20-mile per hour wind was felt early on the in the contest. With the wind at the back of State College in the first quarter, a 64-yard punt by Ian Brandt pinned North Allegheny at its own 2-yard line. Following a three-and-out, a North Allegheny punt into the wind gave State College possession in NA territory at the 27-yard line. One play later, junior quarterback Owen Yerka, tossed a 27-yard scoring strike to Michaul Gaul for a 7-0 lead with 5:49 to play in the first quarter.

Junior Khiryn Boyd makes a leaping 42-yard catch in the first quarter.

On North Allegheny’s ensuing possession, junior quarterback Logan Kushner heaved a 42-yard pass to Khiryn Boyd to set up the Tigers in State College territory. However, the drive stalled and NA settled for a 36-yard field goal attempt into the wind by Nick Van Winkle that fell just short of the crossbar, keeping the the Little Lions’ 7-0 lead intact.

In the second quarter, State College stretched its lead to 21-0 on a pair of rushing touchdowns by senior quarterback Finn Furmanek. The first scoring scamper came from 32 yards out with 9:11 to play in the half and Furmanek’s second touchdown run from 10 yards out gave the Lions a three touchdown lead with 6:20 on the clock. Furmanek rushed for a team-high 140 yards on 20 carries and freshman running back D’Ante Sheffey totaled 106 rushing yards on 16 carries.

In need of a score, the North Allegheny offense responded on the ensuing possession and put together a 76-yard march that culminated on a 3-yard touchdown run by Kushner with 2:13 remaining in the second quarter, cutting the State College lead to 21-7. The touchdown was Kushner’s eighth rushing score of the season.

The Little Lions’ final drive of the half ended on a Boyd interception with just 12 seconds left on the clock. The interception was Boyd’s team-leading seventh of the season.

NA junior Tyree Alualu blocks an Ian Brandt punt in the third quarter.

In the second half, the NA defense shut down the State College rushing attack throughout the third quarter. While Furmanek was held in the check, the Tigers offense twice penetrated State College territory but were turned away each time. Following a blocked punt by junior Tyree Alualu, North Allegheny started at the State College 28-yard line late in the third quarter. However, an interception by Cooper Brushwood at the goal line, his second interception of the night, stopped the Tigers yet again. In all, the State College defense intercepted four passes, including picks by Will Stone and Ty Salazer.

From there, the State College running game ran down the clock in the fourth quarter and capped the win on a 20-yard rushing touchdown by Yerka with 2:32 left to close out a 28-7 win.

Statistical leaders for North Allegheny included Kushner, who completed 16 of 36 passes for 175 yards. Boyd grabbed three receptions for 51 yards and running back Andrew Gavlik rushed for 57 yards on 16 carries.

The North Allegheny seniors were named the Wright Automotive Players of the Game for an outstanding 2022 season and four years with the Tigers.

North Allegheny’s season comes to an end with an 11-2 overall record. State College improves to 13-0 and advances to the PIAA semifinals next week. Congratulations to head coach Art Walker and entire Tiger team for a memorable season and WPIAL title winning campaign.

Football Summary vs. State College, 11-25-22

The North Allegheny Tigers won their fifth WPIAL crown and first since 2012 with a 35-21 victory over the Central Catholic Vikings in the WPIAL Class 6A championship game on Saturday night at Norwin High School. Junior quarterback Logan Kushner accounted for three total touchdowns and came through for the best rushing performance of his career with a 195-yard effort on 16 carries. It was the most rushing yards in a game by a Tiger quarterback since Ethan Maenza rushed for 219 yards against Mt. Lebanon on Sept. 30, 2016.

Back in week four, North Allegheny outslugged Central Catholic in a defensive struggle, 7-3. A similar start was witnessed in the first quarter of the WPIAL title game as offensive miscue led to the first score of the game. With 3:43 left in the first quarter, a failed RPO and fumble by Central Catholic quarterback Peyton Wehner bounced into the arms of North Allegheny’s Daniel Sellers and the junior defensive end rumbled 15 yards into the end zone for a 7-0 lead.

Khiryn Boyd hauls in a 51-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter.

Following a three-and-out by the Vikings on their next possession, the Tigers extended the lead when Kushner lofted a 51-yard scoring aerial to junior wideout Khiryn Boyd with 1:02 to play in the second quarter for a 13-0 lead. The extra point kick was blocked.

While Central Catholic was stuck in neutral in the first period, the Vikings finally hit their gear in the second quarter and answered the Tigers score with a nine-play, 78-yard drive that culminated on a 16-yard touchdown run by Vernon Settles to trim NA’s lead to 13-7 with 8:56 left in the second quarter.

A 54-yard run by Kushner on North Allegheny’s next drive perched the Tigers on the Central Catholic 21-yard line with a chance to extend the lead. However, Settles intercepted a Kushner pass and returned it 19 yards to the Central Catholic 36-yard line. The Vikings turned the turnover into points as Settles hauled in a 19-yard touchdown pass from Wehner with 4:21 left in the second quarter to grab a 14-13 lead.

Central Catholic’s one-point advantage was short-lived, however, as just over a minute later Kushner dialed up Boyd for another long touchdown pass, this time from 68 yards out, to vault NA back in front for a 19-14 lead. Kushner followed with a two-point conversion run to give the Tigers a 21-14 advantage with 3:16 to go before halftime.

In a seesaw second period, the Vikings put together a nine-play, 82-yard march that was punctuated on a 2-yard touchdown run by Wehner, tying the score at 21-21 with 24 seconds remaining prior to intermission.

In the second half, the 2022 success formula returned to form as North Allegheny took control of the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. With 5:44 left in third quarter, the offense asserted its control with a six-play, 80-yard march to garner a 28-21 lead. The Tigers ran the ball on all six plays of the drive and capped the possession thanks to a 45-yard scoring scamper by Kushner.

After a three-and-out by the Vikings, it appeared the Tigers might extend the lead with another ball-control drive deep into PCC territory. However, the drive stalled at the PCC 4-yard line and NA settled for a 21-yard field goal attempt that was blocked by Elijah Faulkner with 3:38 left in the third period. Despite the sudden change, the Vikings once again went three-and-out and punter Peter Gonzalez shanked a 9-yard punt that gave NA possession at the PCC 25-yard line. The Tigers wasted little time capitalizing on the field position and two plays later senior running back Andrew Gavlik powered his way through three different tackle attempts for 19-yard touchdown run. The scoring run was Gavlik’s fifth of the season and gave North Allegheny a 35-21 lead with 11:52 remaining in the game.

In desperate need of a score, Central Catholic put together an eight-play drive for 63 yards, but the march stalled out at the NA 15-yard line and a fourth down incompletion by Wehner gave the Tigers the ball back with 10:22 left in the game.

The NA defense stuffs Peyton Wehner on 4th down for a critical goal-line stand.

North Allegheny was forced to punt on its next possession, giving the Vikings another chance to close the gap. Beginning the drive at the NA 42-yard line with 5:18 left in the game, Wehner connected with freshman Colsen Gatten for a 36-yard pass to the Tigers 2-yard line. Following a holding penalty, Wehner tossed a 10-yard pass to Gonzalez to set up PCC for a 2^nd and goal at the NA 2-yard line. On the next play, Wehner was leveled on a punishing hit by junior linebacker Tyree Alualu at the 1-yard line, forcing a critical 4^th and goal. On the drive’s last play, Wehner tried to run left but was dropped for no gain by Sellers with just 2:59 remaining in the contest and the NA defense drove the final nail in the Central Catholic coffin.

As they did in the waning minutes of their win over PCC on Sept. 23, Gavlik and the NA rushing attack ate up the remaining time off the clock to close out a 35-21 victory. After rushing for just 18 yards in the first three quarters, Gavlik finished the night strong with 64 yards on 18 carries.

Along with Kushner’s 195 yards rushing, the junior quarterback totaled 130 yards on just three pass completions. Two of his three completions went for touchdowns, both to Boyd, who finished with 119 yards receiving. For his efforts, Kushner was named the Wright Automotive Player of the Game.

With the win, North Allegheny improves to 11-1 on the season and advances to the PIAA playoffs to face District 6 champion State College next weekend. Central Catholic’s season comes to an end with a 7-5 record.

Football Summary vs. Central Catholic, 11-19-22

North Allegheny advanced to the WPIAL Class 6A championship game for the second time in the last three seasons with a 7-0 win over Canon-McMillan on Friday night at Newman Stadium. The NA defense posted its second shutout of the season and limited the Big Macs to just 43 total yards of offense. It’s the sixth time this season the Tigers have held an opponent to seven points or less in a game.

Playing in a steady downpour throughout the night thanks to remnants of Tropical Storm Nicole, neither team could muster much offense and the game remained scoreless through three quarters. The Tigers rushing attack finally wore down the Big Macs in the fourth quarter and put together what proved to be a game-winning drive.

With 9:55 remaining in the game, North Allegheny embarked on an eight-play, 79 yard-march. The Tigers rushed the ball seven times on the drive, sparked by a 26-yard jet sweep by junior Khiryn Boyd to the CM 30-yard line. A personal foul on a late hit by the Big Macs, advanced the ball another 15 yards to the CM 15-yard line. Following another Canon-McMillan penalty, senior running back Andrew Gavlik carried the ball nine yards to the Big Macs 1-yard line. From there, senior quarterback Logan Kushner toted the football into the end zone for his sixth rushing touchdown of the year and a 6-0 lead with 6:44 remaining in the game. Kicker Peter Notaro tacked on the extra point for a 7-0 advantage. Gavlik had five carries on the drive for 26 yards. He finished with 28 rush attempts for 98 yards on the night.

The North Allegheny defense forced a three-and-out on Canon-McMillan’s next possession and that was the last time the Big Macs saw the football. The NA ground game churned up the final 5:03 off the clock enroute to a 7-0 victory and a trip to the WPIAL Class 6A championship game.

Allowing a scant 43 total yards to the Big Macs, the Tigers defense also forced two turnovers in the game, including a fumble recovery by Cameron Chmura on the first play from scrimmage and a first half interception by Boyd, his sixth of the year. It’s the most interceptions by a Tiger since Joey Porter Jr. intercepted seven passes in 2017. Junior defensive end Daniel Sellers led the team with eight tackles, including three for a loss, and was named the Wright Automotive Player of the Game. Also notable, junior Aidan Buggey posted seven solo tackles, four for a loss.

With the win, North Allegheny improves to 10-1 on the season, while Canon-McMillan’s year comes to an end with a 5-6 mark. The Tigers will take on Central Catholic on Saturday night at Norwin High School in the WPIAL Class 6A championship.

Football Summary vs. Canon-McMillan, 11-11-22

North Allegheny overcame a two-touchdown deficit twice on Friday night and rallied for a thrilling 27-26 win over Seneca Valley at Newman Stadium. The victory eliminated the Raiders from postseason contention and pulled the Canon-McMillan Big Macs into the Class 6A playoffs as the No. 4 seed. The Tigers, who had already locked up the Tri-County Five Conference title last week, will host Canon-McMillan in the WPIAL semifinals on Friday, Nov. 11.

Seneca Valley senior quarterback Graham Hancox accounted for four total touchdowns on the night and tossed a 45-yard scoring pass on a screen to senior Luke Lawson with 7:41 remaining in the first period for an early 7-0 lead. Following a 3-and-out by the Tigers, the Raiders struck again with 3:26 to play in the opening stanza on a 4-yard scoring run by Hancox for a 13-0 lead. Hancox was flagged for a personal foul on the touchdown which proved costly as Seneca Valley kicker Jacob Adams missed the extra point, keeping the score at 13-0.

The North Allegheny offense found success on its next possession and converted on a key 4^th and 5 from the SV 35-yard line with a 30-yard pass from Logan Kushner to Anthony Varlotta, advancing the ball to the Raiders 5-yard line. Two plays later, senior Andrew Gavlik dove across the goal line on a 2-yard touchdown run to cut the Seneca Valley lead to 13-7 with just six seconds remaining in the quarter.

On the ensuing kickoff, Seneca Valley’s Kai West coughed up the football, which was recovered by sophomore Kyle Langdon at the SV 22-yard line. The Tigers needed only three plays to capitalize as Kushner delivered a 9-yard scoring strike to a sliding Khiryn Boyd in the end zone to tie the score at 13-13. Kicker Nick Van Winkle tacked on the extra point to give North Allegheny a 14-13 lead with 10:40 left on the second quarter clock.

Seneca Valley leapfrogged back in front with 7:33 left in the second quarter on a 1-yard touchdown run by Hancox for a 19-14 lead. The Raiders’ two-point conversion attempt failed.

SV added one more touchdown before halftime courtesy of a 34-yard screen pass by Hancox to senior Chris D’Appalonia for a 26-14 lead with 2:09 left in the second quarter. While the Raiders amassed 263 yards of total offense in the first half, the Tigers defense limited their conference rival to just 71 yards for the remainder of the night.

Sparked by a 51-yard run by Gavlik early in the third quarter, North Allegheny marched the football deep into the Seneca Valley territory on its first drive of the second half. However, on a 4^th and goal from the SV 2-yard line, D’Appalonia sacked Kushner for a 15-yard loss and the Raiders turned the Tigers away.

With 3:58 remaining in the third quarter, the North Allegheny defense came up with a crucial turnover when Boyd intercepted a Hancox pass on a flea flicker down the left sideline at the NA 45-yard line. The interception was Boyd’s team-leading fifth of the season. The Tigers quickly capitalized on the turnover and punctuated a 7-play, 55-yard drive with a 5-yard scoring run by Boyd on a reverse, cutting the deficit to 26-21 with 57 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

Seneca Valley’s next drive also ended in a turnover when Daniel Sellers sacked Hancox on a 4^th and 10 play and forced a fumble that was recovered by Jack Yatchenko at the NA 37-yard line.  Once again, the North Allegheny offense converted the turnover into points and traversed 63-yards to paydirt. The drive was keyed by a 39-yard pass from Kushner to Boyd at the SV 11-yard line. Two plays later, senior Evan Lyon toted the football six yards for a touchdown to put the Tigers on top, 27-26, with 7:47 left in the fourth quarter. NA’s 2-point conversion try following the touchdown failed.

With their playoff hopes hanging in the balance, the Raiders had two more chances to take the lead in the remaining minutes but the NA defense stonewalled Seneca Valley each time and the Tigers prevailed, 27-26.

Individual standouts included Kushner, who completed 16 of 23 passes on the night for 218 yards and a touchdown. Gavlik rushed for 123 yards on 25 carries and a touchdown. Boyd hauled in five passes for 90 yards and a touchdown, adding a rushing score and an interception on defense to earn Wright Automotive Player of the Game honors.

For Seneca Valley, Wayne Pirt led the ground game with 124 yards on 19 carries. Hancox completed 10 of 20 passes for 159 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Lawson reeled in five passes for 91 yards and a touchdown.

With the win, North Allegheny improves to 9-1 overall and finishes the conference slate with a 4-0 mark. Seneca Valley’s season comes to an end with a 6-4 overall record and 1-3 mark in the conference play. The Tigers will host Canon-McMillan in the WPIAL semifinals on Nov. 11.

Football Summary vs. Seneca Valley, 10-28-22