Football Game Summaries

In a see-saw affair that had six lead changes, the Upper St. Clair Panthers upended the North Allegheny Tigers for a 41-23 win in the WPIAL Quarterfinals on Friday night from Baldwin High School. The ninth-seeded Tigers went toe-to-toe with the top-seeded Panthers, but three unanswered scores in the game’s late stages vaulted USC to a date with the Woodland Hills Wolverines next week in the semifinals. An injury to starting tailback Trevor Morrow thrust Upper St. Clair’s unheralded quarterback Joe Repischak into the limelight as the senior completed 11 of 14 passes for 257 yards and two touchdowns through the air, and added another 43 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground.  North Allegheny quarterback Cage Galupi also had a big night, completing 18 of 39 for 288 yards and three scores.  Galupi was named the Wright Automotive Player of the Game by the North Allegheny Sports Network.

On the game’s first possession, Galupi led the Tigers on a 70-yard march in six plays, accounting for 69 of those yards with his passing arm. The drive was capped on a 6-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Zeise as North Allegheny jumped in front, 7-0.  The Panthers wasted little time in responding to the Tigers score, swiftly moving down the field on a 71-yard drive in five plays. Morrow toted the ball two times on the drive for 27 yards, but it was Repischak who ran into the end zone on a 1^st and goal for a 3-yard touchdown and a tie score, 7-7, with 7:13 to go in first quarter.

After a punt by the Tigers, the Panthers used just four plays to travel 69-yards on their next possession and grabbed the lead on a 14-yard touchdown run by Morrow to put USC ahead, 13-7.  The extra point by Max Herold was no good. 

The North Allegheny defense forced the first turnover of the game late in the first quarter when USC tight-end Dustin Hess hauled in 5-yard pass but was stripped by NA’s Nick Woytowitz and linebacker Reilly Sullivan recovered to give the Tigers the ball at the Panthers 35-yard line.  The Tigers converted the turnover into a 32-yard field by Seth Mancuso and NA had trimmed the deficit to 13-10.

Late in the second quarter, the Panthers were knocking on the door with a 1^st and goal at the NA 3-yard line. In similar fashion to their goal-line stand from their opening round win against Bethel Park, the Tigers turned away Upper St. Clair with a 3^rd down interception by Zeise as he fell forward to the NA 7-yard line.  With a tremendous play, Zeise was just a few off balanced steps away from a pick-six.

Faced with a long field, the Tigers offense drove 93 yards in 11 plays after the Zeise interception to take a 16-13 lead when Galupi found tight-end Paul Blendinger for a 9-yard touchdown pass with 0:36 to go before halftime. Mancuso’s extra point attempt was blocked. On the scoring drive, Zeise was injured while making a terrific leaping catch at the USC 21-yard line and was unable to return to the game. Zeise finished with seven catches for 121 yards and one touchdown.

The Panthers lost the services of 1,000 yard rusher Morrow in second quarter as well and turned to Stephen Mackowick at tailback in the second half.  While the Tigers held Mackowick to only 24 yards on 11 carries, the Panthers needed Repischak to step up and he did, delivering a 76-yard touchdown strike to Ben Southorn on the second-play of the third quarter to lift USC to a 20-16 advantage.  Undaunted, the Tigers answered midway through the third quarter with a 48-yard touchdown pass from Galupi to Isaac Weaver to vault NA ahead, 23-20.

On the ensuing drive, USC faced a 3^rd and 10 at the NA 31-yard line when Repischak lofted a pass to Hess for a touchdown to give the Panthers a 27-23 lead with 2:57 to go in the third quarter. Early in the fourth period, Upper St. Clair put the game away with a 2-yard touchdown run by Repischak and a blocked punt by Jesse Springer and recovery by Andrew Bartusiak in the end zone to bring the final score to 41-23.

The loss did not spoil a valiant effort by the Tigers and another outstanding season for North Allegheny, Coach Art Walker, and his staff. North Allegheny ends the 2013 campaign with a 7-4 record.  Upper St. Clair remains undefeated at 11-0 and will face the Woodland Hills Wolverines in the semifinals next week. For complete team and individual stats, click here.

Senior running back Isaac Weaver rushed for three second half touchdowns and the North Allegheny defense pitched its second consecutive shutout as the reigning three-time WPIAL champion Tigers blanked the Bethel Park Blackhawks, 28-0, in the opening round of the Quad-A playoffs.

The eighth-seeded and host Black Hawks were playing without starting quarterback Levi Metheny who donned a large cast on his right arm during pre-game warm ups as Bethel Park turned to senior Sam Polen as the starting signal caller.  Midway through the first quarter, Polen and the Black Hawks marched the football on a 10-play drive to the North Allegheny 3-yard line for a 1^st and goal.  Moving the football primarily on the ground on the 39-yard drive, Bethel Park ran three straight times but were stopped at the NA 1-yard line. On 4^th and inches, running back Alex Minton was stopped for a 2-yard loss by NA lineman Paul Blendinger and the Tigers defense held for an important goal-line stand.

Early in the second quarter, the Black Hawks appeared to have scored the game’s first touchdown when Minton raced into the end zone for an apparent 28-yard scoring run, but a holding penalty brought the touchdown back keeping the game scoreless.  Bethel Park ultimately turned the football over on downs at the NA 27-yard line with 8:32 to go in the quarter.

As the defensive struggle continued, the Tigers mounted a drive with a 4:58 remaining in the first half.  On the march, senior quarterback Cage Galupi made two key completions, a 26-yard pass to tight-end Paul Blendinger and a 35-yard strike to receiver Elijah Zeise at the Bethel Park 1-yard line.  One-play later, Galupi plunged into the end zone on a QB keeper at the Tigers had a 7-0 lead with 1:39 to play in the second quarter.

In the second half, the Tigers took command of the game behind a defense that forced three turnovers and the running of Isaac Weaver. The senior tailback scored on jaunts of 1, 60, and 40-yards to give North Allegheny a 28-0 lead by the 9:12 mark of the fourth quarter. Weaver finished the night with six carries for 121 yards, averaging 20-yards per carry.  For his efforts, Weaver was named the Wright Automotive Player of the Game.

Defensively, Layne Skundrich led the Tigers with nine tackles and a sack.  Zach Koegler collected a sack, strip and fumble recovery, to go along with eight tackles.  Reilly Sullivan notched eight tackles with a sack. Senior Giosue Bochicchio also recovered a fumble in the shutout victory. The Tigers held Bethel Park to just 176 yards of total offense.  Running back Alex Minton was a bright spot for the Black Hawks, rushing for 90 yards on 21 carries.

With the win, North Allegheny improves to 7-3 on the season, while Bethel Park’s season ends for the second straight year with a loss the Tigers.  Bethel Park finishes 6-4 for the season. Up next for the Tigers are the top-seeded Upper St. Clair Panthers next Friday night.  The site is yet to be determined.  The game will be broadcast live on the North Allegheny Sports Network.

For total team and individual stats, click here.

The North Allegheny defense forced five turnovers and allowed just 174 yards of total offense as the Tigers smothered the North Hills Indians on Friday night at Martorelli Stadium, 31-0.  Backup quarterback Cage Galupi stepped up in for starting QB Jeff Clemens, who was injured in the first series of the game, and completed 11 of 18 passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns.  For his efforts, Galupi was named the Wright Automotive Player of the Game.

The first big break of the contest came on North Hills second play from scrimmage as quarterback Kindahl Taylor fumbled the snap from center and NA linebacker Reilly Sullivan pounced on the football at the Indians 46-yard line.  Six plays later, the Tigers punched the ball in the end zone on an 8-yard touchdown pass by Galupi to running back Isaac Weaver for a 7-0 lead with 5:51 on the clock in the first quarter.

Along with the NA defense, the Tigers special teams and the punt returns of Clay Byerly were important to the win.  Late in the first quarter, Byerly returned an Eddie McDonough punt 36 yards to the North Hills 43-yard line to give the Tigers offense a short field.  North Allegheny capitalized by marching the football into the end zone on an eight play drive.  Indicative of a night where the bounces went the Tigers way, on a 2^nd and goal from the NH 4-yard line, Weaver rushed to the 1-yard line where he took a hard hit and fumbled the football.  Fortunately for the Tigers, the ball bounced into the end zone where Sean Idowu recovered for a Tigers touchdown and a 14-0 lead with 10:39 to go before halftime.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Indians Brandon Wagner fumbled the football away to NA’s Tra Kiraly at the North Hills 19-yard line and again the Tigers would capitalize.  Two plays after the Wagner fumbled, junior Josh Bergman rumbled into the end zone on a 3-yard run to increase the North Allegheny lead to 21-0.

Midway through the third quarter, North Hills was mounting their best drive of the game, moving the football to the North Allegheny 11-yard line.  On a 1^st and 10 play, Jon Sumpter sacked Taylor and jarred the ball loose, which was recovered by Sullivan at the NA 13-yard line.  Sullivan ended the night with two fumble recoveries and a team-high 6.5 tackles.   

Seth Mancuso kicked a 32-yard field goal on the first play of the fourth quarter to balloon the North Allegheny lead to 24-0.  The Tigers put the final nail in the North Hills coffin with a 46-yard touchdown pass by Galupi to Elijah Zeise with 9:42 remaining to bring the final score to 31-0, Tigers.  Zeise finished with seven catches for 130 yards and one touchdown.

The win was the third straight by North Allegheny over their rivals, giving the Tigers the edge in the all-time series, 28-26.  Since losing at Martorelli stadium to the Indians in 2010, the Tigers have outscored the Indians 90-0 in the last three head-to-head meetings. Despite the emphatic win, North Allegheny will still have to play on the road in the First Round of the Class AAAA playoffs. As a result of the Gardner Points system which is used to break ties for the third place finishers in Quad-A, Gateway and Bethel Park will be the two third place teams hosting a playoff  game next Friday.

The Tigers triumph over their arch rivals improves their record to 6-3 overall and 5-2 in the Northern Eight Conference.  North Hills, who is also playoff bound, falls to 5-4 overall and 4-3 in conference play.  The WPIAL Class AAAA brackets will be announced on Monday night.  Wherever and whoever the Tigers play next Friday, the North Allegheny Sports Network will be there to broadcast all the live action.

For total team and individuals stats, click here.

Fittingly on senior night, North Allegheny senior receiver Elijah Zeise scored four touchdowns to lead the Tigers to a 56-20 victory over Shaler for a Northern Eight Conference win. On the Tigers first play from scrimmage, Zeise hauled in a 51-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Jeff Clemens to give NA a 7-0 lead. Shaler answered on their next possession as quarterback Josh Crawford tossed a quick slant to Zach Carney who raced 71-yards for a score to tie the game, 7-7, with 8:21 to go in the first quarter. The tie didn’t last long because on the ensuing kickoff, Zeise weaved through the Titans special teams for a 90-yard kickoff return touchdown giving NA a 14-7 advantage. 

After Zeise’s kickoff return score, the game belonged to North Allegheny.  Ziese hit pay dirt two more times before the end of the half and Clemens threw three more touchdown passes, two to Zeise and another to tight-end Paul Blendinger, to give North Allegheny a 42-7 halftime lead.  The NA special teams chipped in with a blocked punt by Jon Sumpter who recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown.  It was the second time this season that Sumpter accomplished that same feat.

With the mercy rule invoked, the Tigers added rushing touchdowns by Sean Idowu and Nick Provenzano in the second half.  Shaler picked up an 18-yard touchdown run by Tim Nickel and a 3-yard touchdown pass by Crawford to Nick Fugh in the final 24 minutes of play.

Proving his complete recovery from an ailing thumb, Clemens connected on 8 of 10 pass attempts for 156 yards and four touchdowns.  Zeise hauled in four passes for 104 yards and three scores.  Along with his kickoff return for a touchdown, Zeise’s terrific performance on senior night earned him Wright Automotive Player of the Game honors.

North Allegheny improves to 5-3 overall and 4-2 in the Northern Eight Conference, setting up a showdown next week for third place in the conference with the rival North Hills Indians. The winner could land a home game in the opening round of the WPIAL playoffs.  Shaler drops to 0-8 overall and 0-7 in conference play.  The Titans have lost 21 games in-a-row.

For look at team and individual stats, click here.

The Central Catholic Vikings clinched at least a share of the Northern Eight Conference title with a 27-0 win over North Allegheny on Friday night.   The Vikings scored all of their points in the first half as fullback Devin Falloon rushed for three touchdowns and J.J. Cosentino scored on a 2-yard QB keeper to cap the scoring late in the second quarter. The defeat for North Allegheny marks the first time since 2006 that the Tigers have dropped consecutive games.

Central Catholic running back Riley Redman rushed for 187 yards and Falloon added another 79 yards in the Vikings ground heavy attack.  North Allegheny was held to -12 yards rushing and committed three turnovers.  Using a variety of players at quarterback, senior Cage Galupi was a bright spot for the Tigers, completing 11 of 20 passes for 130 yards.  His top target was Clay Byerly who hauled in six passes for 76 yards.  Behind the arm of Galupi, North Alleheny’s best chance to score came late in the second quarter when the Tigers drove to the Central Catholic 6-yard line.  However, two bad snaps resulted in a pair of sacks for the Vikings and thwarted the NA drive.

The second half was a stalemate between two dominant defenses.  The Tigers forced a fumble from running back Grant Foster on the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter and allowed the Vikings just 93 yards of offense in the second half.  Amongst the NA standouts on defense were Jason Monper with 5.5 tackles, Layne Skundrich with 8.5 tackles, Jon Sumpter with 9.5 tackles, and Reilly Sullivan with a team-high 10.5 tackles.  For his efforts, Sullivan was selected as the Wright Automotive Player of the Game by the North Allegheny Sports Network.

The loss drops North Allegheny to 4-3 overall and 3-2 in the Northern Eight Conference.  Central Catholic jumps 7-0 overall and 6-0 in the conference.  The Tigers look to bounce back next week with a home game against the Shaler Titans.  The Vikings hit the road with a non-conference meeting with the Altoona Mountain Lions.

For total team and individual stats, click here.