Football Game Summaries

Central Catholic forced three second-half turnovers and Ronnie Jones rushed for 144 yards and two touchdowns as the fifth-seeded Vikings defeated the fourth-seeded North Allegheny Tigers, 31-17, in the WPIAL quarterfinals on Friday night. On a cold and blustery night at Martorelli Stadium, the Vikings were able to avenge their only loss of the season and grabbed a 7-0 lead on a 2-yard run by Jones with 2:17 to play in the first quarter.

The lead didn’t last long as North Allegheny promptly answered back with a 50-yard touchdown run by Ethan Maenza to tie the score at 7-7 with 47 seconds remaining in the opening stanza. Maenza finished the night with 129 yards rushing and completed 12 of 22 passes for 143 yards through the air.

On the ensuing possession, Central Catholic marched 80 yards on five plays and capped the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run by quarterback Troy Fisher to regain the lead, 14-7. The drive was sparked by a 65 yard run by Bricen Garner to the NA 3-yard line that set up the Fisher score.

Later in the second quarter, Damar Hamlin returned a punt 37 yards to the NA 9-yard line to put the Vikings in position to expand the lead. The North Allegheny defense didn’t budge and Central Catholic settled for a 21-yard field goal by Jacob Rocchi and a 17-7 lead with 4:10 remaining in the first half. The Tigers responded with a 13 play, 57-yard drive that resulted in a 40-yard field by Seth Mancuso that trimmed the Central Catholic lead to 17-10 with 1:13 before halftime. The Mancuso field goal was a strong kick into a stiff breeze that had plenty of room to spare.

On the ensuing kickoff, Hamlin struck again for a big play and returned the football 74 yards to the NA 24-yard line. The Vikings drove to the NA 9-yard line and appeared poised to add on to their lead. However, with no timeouts remaining, Fisher ran the ball on a 2^nd and goal play and was tackled for a 2-yard gain to the Tigers 7-yard line and well short of the end zone. The waning seconds expired off the clock the score remained 17-10, Vikings, at intermission.

Central Catholic’s defense helped the Vikings seize control in the second half and recovered a fumble on NA’s opening drive of the third quarter. Rashad Wheeler recovered a fumble at the NA 45-yard line and Central Catholic capitalized six plays later with a 7-yard touchdown run by Fisher for a 24-10 lead.

North Allegheny marched 69 yards on 10 plays on its next possession, but the Tigers were turned away on a fumble at the CC 5-yard line that was recovered by Hamlin. With the Vikings pinned back, the Tigers forced their conference rival to punt and junior Michael Pope returned the ball 16 yard to the CC 19-yard line. Two plays later, the Tigers found the end zone on a 17-yard scamper by Riley Trueman and the Central Catholic lead was cut to 24-17 with 51 seconds left in the third quarter.

Central Catholic regained its two-touchdown advantage on its next possession, an 80-yard drive that culminated with an 8-yard scoring run by Jones with 7:57 to play in the fourth quarter. The Jones run gave the Vikings a 31-17 lead and the Central Catholic defense preserved it by forcing another NA fumble on the next drive to put the game away.

Despite the loss, it was valiant effort by the Tigers with several fine performances. One player who stood out on defense was Niko Mermigas who delivered several key pass break ups and one interception. For his efforts, Mermigas was named the Wright Automotive Player of the Game by the North Allegheny Sports Network.

Central Catholic improves to 10-1 on the season and advances to face the Woodland Hills Wolverines in the WPIAL semifinals. North Allegheny’s campaign concludes with a 9-2 record. Congratulations to the Tigers football team and coaching staff for another memorable season.

Six ball carriers scored touchdowns for North Allegheny as the Tigers routed the Norwin Knights in the opening round of the Class AAAA playoffs on Friday night, 56-17. Senior Ijhad Bonner, who has typically played tight end on offense and hadn’t carried the football all season, rushed for 93 yards and two touchdowns to spearhead North Allegheny to a 15-3 lead first quarter lead. For his efforts, Bonner was name the Wright Automotive Player of the Game.

The North Allegheny defense forced two turnovers in the second quarter, interceptions by Ethan Maenza and Riley Trueman, to short circuit two Norwin possessions. The NA offense converted those turnovers into touchdowns as Mike Pope rushed for a 3-yard score and Nick Provenzano plunged into the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown and a 28-3 lead with 3:52 to play before halftime.

Late in the second quarter, Norwin struck for a touchdown when quarterback Nick Amendola tossed a 21-yard scoring strike to Anthony DelleFemine to trim the NA lead to 28-10 with 1:11 remaining before halftime. The Knights offense totaled 382 yards of offense and received the football to start the second half. However, Norwin went three-and-out and punted away their last chance to get back into the ballgame. The Knights struggled on third downs, converting only 1 of 9 attempts.

Running on all cylinders, the Tigers offense expanded the lead with touchdown runs by Provenzano, Maenza and fullback Jake Longwell to give North Allegheny a 49-10 lead and invoke the mercy rule with 1:45 left in the third quarter.

Norwin running back Kyle Turcovsky, who rushed for 158 yards, broke loose for an 80-yard touchdown run to cut the score to 49-17, Tigers, late in the third quarter. North Allegheny capped the scoring with a 4-yard touchdown run by Alex Hays in the fourth quarter to bring the final score to 56-17.

Along with Turcovsky, Amendola also passed the century mark with 117 yards rushing. While the Tigers didn’t have a 100-yard rusher, they did have four players with 41 yards or more. Pope finished with 70 yards on seven carries, Maenza totaled 47 yards on six carries, and Provenzano ate up 41 yards on five carries. The Tigers rolled up 423 yards of offense with all but 18 yards coming on the ground. For look at total game stats, click here.

North Allegheny improves to 9-1 overall and advances to the WPIAL quarterfinals for a clash with the fifth-seeded Central Catholic Vikings next week. Norwin’s season ends with a 5-5 mark.

Football Summary vs. Norwin, 11-6-15

In a rough and rugged rivalry game against the North Hills Indians, the North Allegheny defense forced six turnovers to lift the Tigers to a 38-10 victory at Martorelli Stadium on Friday night. The win, North Allegheny’s seventh in a row and fifth straight against North Hills, clinched a share of the Northern Eight Conference title for the black and gold.

The 56^th meeting between North Allegheny and North Hills was dictated by hard-hitting defense and special teams, and the first break of the night occurred midway through the first quarter when a fake punt by North Hills failed at its own 29-yard line.  The Tigers took advantage of the prime real estate and scored six plays later on an 11-yard touchdown pass by Riley Trueman to Alex Mesaros for a 7-0 North Allegheny lead.

The ensuing possession for North Hills lasted only two plays thanks to a Vaughn Wallace hit on running back Nick Santucci that jarred the ball loose at the Indians 32-yard line. Niko Mermigas pounced on the football for NA and the offense again turned the free gift into points. This time, senior kicker Seth Mancuso delivered a 25-yard field goal to increase the NA lead to 10-0 with 57 seconds remaining in the second quarter.

The North Hills defense also had a big night and forced the first of five NA turnovers early in the second quarter. Josh Gazica intercepted an Ethan Maenza pass at the 17-yard line and returned it to the NA 8 to set up the Indians with a 1^st and goal. However, the North Allegheny defense stood tall and forced the Indians to settle for a 22-yard field goal by Jacob Seiler which cut the score to 10-3, Tigers, with 9:23 left in the first half.

The Tigers defense struck again with 5:23 to play in the half when Quenten Sansosti intercepted a Jake Elsayed pass at the NA 34-yard line. One play later, North Allegheny hit a big play when Maenza tossed a pass to Trueman for a 66-yard touchdown and a 17-3 North Allegheny advantage with 5:05 on the second quarter clock.

North Allegheny started with the football in the second half but was forced to punt to open the third quarter. The punt went awry because of a low snap and Trueman fumbled the ball which was recovered by the Indians Brice Walker who scampered 11-yards for the touchdown and trimmed the NA lead to 17-10.

After another three-and-out by the NA offense it appeared North Hills was gaining momentum, but the Tigers defense was about to swing the pendulum back in NA’s direction. On a 2^nd and 10 from the NH 47-yard line, Francis Duggan stripped Santucci and Mesaros recovered the fumble and returned it to the Indians 38-yard line. Determined to change the flow of the game, North Allegheny used three tight ends and an I-formation to power its way down the field and capped the five-play drive on a 3-yard rushing touchdown by Michael Pope for a 24-10 lead with 5:38 left in the third quarter.

The North Allegheny defense, which dominated the game with crucial turnovers, came up with two interceptions in the fourth quarter to put the game away. Maenza intercepted an Elsayed pass and raced 95-yards for a touchdown with 8:36 remaining in the game for a 31-10 lead. Later in the period, linebacker Ijhad Bonner took an interception 53 yards for a pick-six to bring the final score to 38-10, North Allegheny.

The stingy play of NA’s defense limited North Hills to 171 total yards and kept talented junior running back Nick Santucci contained for 81 yards rushing. With so many contributions on defense, the North Allegheny Sports Network selected Mark Alesantrino as the Wright Automotive Player of the Game. The senior linebacker corralled North Hills’ ball carriers for a team-high nine tackles and one sack.

North Allegheny improves to 8-1 overall and 6-1 in the Northern Eight Conference with the win. North Hills slips to 3-6 overall and 3-4 in conference play. Both teams will await the WPIAL playoff pairings which will be released on Monday night. The Tigers will open the WPIAL playoffs at home next Friday.

Football Summary vs. North Hills, 10-30-15

Winning their sixth game in a row, the North Allegheny Tigers overpowered the Latrobe Wildcats on Senior Night for a 58-14 triumph at Newman Stadium. Junior running back Michael Pope rushed for 138 yards and two touchdowns and junior quarterback Ethan Maenza scored three touchdowns in the non-conference rout. Maenza scored a touchdown three different ways, one rushing, one throwing and one on a punt return as he earned Wright Automotive Player of the Game honors.

North Allegheny opened the scoring in the first quarter with a 5-yard rushing touchdown by Pope that capped a four-play, 52-yard drive and gave the Tigers a 7-0 lead. On the first play of the second quarter, a Latrobe punt went awry when the snap sailed over the head of punter Craig Stevens and went through the back of the end zone for a safety and a 9-0 Tigers lead. Following the safety, North Allegheny quickly marched 45 yard in eight plays and scored on a Niko Mermigas 3-yard touchdown run for a 15-0 lead.  The Tigers added a two-point conversion on a pass by Maenza to Pope for a 17-0 advantage with 9:36 remaining in the second quarter.

Latrobe got on the scoreboard on their next possession when quarterback Austin Butler avoided the NA pass rush and found a wide open Tyler Gustafson for a 70-yard touchdown pass, trimming the Tigers lead to 17-7 with 7:41 to go in the second quarter. That was a close as Latrobe would come, however, as North Allegheny piled up three touchdowns before halftime, all coming courtesy of Maenza. With 4:30 remaining in the half, Maenza sprinted 29 yards on a reverse for a touchdown to raise the lead to 24-7, Tigers. After a three-and-out by Latrobe, Maenza took a punt 55 yards for a score and increased the lead to 31-7. With 42 seconds to play before intermission, Maenza tossed a 14-yard touchdown pass to Mermigas on a middle screen and North Allegheny led 38-7 at the half.

The Tigers struck quickly in the second half as Pope raced to the end zone on a 39-yard scamper on the first play from scrimmage to bring the score to 45-7 and invoke the mercy rule. Latrobe scored one last touchdown on a 7-yard run by Butler with 3:31 on the third quarter clock to cut the score to 45-14, but the Tigers coasted to the blowout win and tacked on two fourth quarter touchdowns before it was all said and done. Andrew Turzai tossed a 16-yard touchdown pass to Steven Hartle and Ryan Langdon rushed for a 23-yard touchdown to bring the final score to 58-14.

With the non-conference win, the Tigers improve to 7-1 overall. Latrobe drops its 15^th straight game and falls to 0-8 on the season.  Playoff-bound North Allegheny will wrap up the regular season with a road contest against rival North Hills next week.

North Allegheny won its fifth in a row and prevailed over the Fox Chapel Foxes on Friday night, 56-6, clinching a playoff berth in the WPIAL playoffs. The Tigers used their big-play offense to throttle the Foxes with four touchdowns coming from 34 yards or longer. Senior quarterback Riley Trueman scored three touchdowns in the rout, including two rushing and one passing touchdown. Leading all ball carriers with 97 yards rushing, Trueman was named the Wright Automotive Player of the Game.

While the Tigers dialed up plenty of long-distance touchdowns on this night, North Allegheny started the game with a 9-play, 65-yard drive that was punctuated on Trueman’s first score of the night, a 1-yard quarterback sneak to give the Tigers a 7-0 lead. Fox Chapel fumbled the ensuing kickoff and four plays later Michael Pope scored on a 2-yard run to bring the score to 14-0 with 6:57 left in the first quarter. Late in the first quarter, Trueman galloped for a 70-yard touchdown run to give the Tigers a 21-0 lead.

Fox Chapel moved the ball well on their next possession and drove to the NA 8-yard line where the Foxes were faced with a 4^th and 6.  Quarterback Dimitri Spina’s end zone pass was intercepted by Trueman and returned 66 yards to the Fox Chapel 34-yard line.  On the next play, Ethan Maenza tossed a 34-yard scoring strike to a wide open Matt Sell for a 28-0 Tigers lead with 9:17 remaining in the second quarter.

The Foxes’ next possession also ended on an interception, this time on a pick by Niko Mermigas at the Fox Chapel 41-yard line.  Moments later, Trueman hit tight end Griffin Sestilli for a 26-yard touchdown pass and a 35-0 lead. The Tigers tacked one more score before halftime when Maenza burned the Foxes for a 41-yard touchdown run and a 42-0 advantage.

Fox Chapel broke the Tigers shutout bid with a 10-yard rushing touchdown by Spina on the opening drive of the second half to cut the score to 42-6. North Allegheny coasted to the victory in the second half, adding a 43-yard touchdown run by Turner White and a 1-yard touchdown run courtesy of Andrew Turzai to bring the final to 56-6, Tigers. For a look at final game stats, click here.

North Allegheny improves to 6-1 overall and 5-1 in the Northern Eight Conference. Fox Chapel remains winless with an 0-7 overall record and 0-6 mark in conference play. The Tigers will host Latrobe next week in a non-conference affair at Newman Stadium.

Football Summary vs. Fox Chapel, 10-16-15