Girls Flag Football Opens 2024 Season
The North Allegheny girls’ flag football team opened the 2024 season on Sunday. The Varsity Gold team earned a pair of victories with a 44-6 triumph over Hampton and a 26-0 shutout of North Catholic. The Varsity Black team fell to Shaler, 31-14.
Against Hampton, the Varsity Gold squad was led by senior quarterback Kyra Schmidt, who completed seven passes to several different receivers in a solid win over the Talbots. Senior running back Ally Ruiz scored the first touchdown of the year with a rushing score and followed with a pick-six for a quick lead. Senior cornerback Rylee Johnson intercepted two passes and added two touchdowns on the offensive side of the football. Senior wide receiver Maddie Hartung tossed a pair of arial scores on two reverse passes to senior receiver Shauna Maenza. Senior center Natalie Rak also tallied a touchdown and an extra point. Sophomore wide receiver Maddie Williams scored a pair of touchdowns in her debut with the Lady Tigers.
In game two against North Catholic, Ruiz scored three touchdowns, two on offense and another on defense with her second interception return for a touchdown on the day. Maenza scored a touchdown and joined Hartung on defense with 6 stops each.
The Varsity Black team had a tougher time in their season opener against a more experienced Shaler team. Sophomore Danika Hogan played a solid game on both offense and defense. Hogan posted four receptions, three carries, one touchdown and an extra point. Freshman Chloe Gauntner had four stops on defense and three carries on offense.