NA Dominates At North Hills
The North Allegheny flag football teams returned to action on Sunday with a pair of sweeps at Martorelli Stadium. The NA Gold Team posted a 41-7 win over North Hills and followed with a victory against Seneca Valley, 48-0. The NA Black Team tallied an 11-6 triumph over North Catholic and blanked Hampton, 18-0.
Against North Hills, sophomore Maddie Williams had a big day to help the NA Gold Team toward victory. Williams picked apart the Indians’ defense with four catches, five carries, and five touchdowns. In addition to her offensive outburst, Williams also intercepted four passes thanks in part to a strong pass rush from senior Maddie Hartung. Hartung terrorized the North Hills defense with her speed and tenacity, leading to additional defensive pressure elsewhere. Sophomore Danika Hogan intercepted two passes, while Hartung and freshman Rosalia Varlotta intercepted one pass each. Contributing on offense for the Tigers were senior wide receiver Mia Fratto with one touchdown and a pair of two-point conversions, as well as senior wide receiver Shauna Maenza with one completion and one extra point. Freshman Taryn DeWitt also scored a touchdown and hauled in three passes. Senior quarterback Kyra Schmidt completed 10 passes, five of which went for touchdowns.
In similar fashion in the blowout of Seneca Valley, Schmidt again tossed five touchdown passes and totaled 11 completions. “Kyra’s field vision has improved tremendously this year, and her ability to throw downfield on go routes and hit our receivers in stride is one of the best I’ve seen in the league,” said head coach Michelle Ruiz.
Maenza notched four tackles and two completions off the Tigers’ trick reverse play. “That’s Shauna’s favorite play and she has mastered it very well,” said coach Ruiz.
Hartung tallied one interception, two touchdowns, and a pair of two-point conversions. Fratto had a spectacular catch for 35 yards in addition to her two touchdowns. “Fratto is one of the most humble players I’ve ever coached,” said coach Ruiz. “She just puts her head down and goes to work.”
Varlotta came up big with three interceptions and two touchdowns. Hogan contributed an interception, while Williams added two touchdowns and two two-point conversions. The shutout against Seneca Valley was the third in the last four games for the NA Gold Team.
Meanwhile, the NA Black Team also had a stellar day. In the opener against North Catholic, sophomore quarterback Sloane Baker completed three passes, two of which went for touchdowns. Hogan contributed seven tackles on defense with two going for safeties. Varlotta hauled in a team-high four catches. She also carried the ball six times with four tackles, one interception, one touchdown, and an extra point.
In the shutout of Hampton, the NA Black team was paced by freshman Chloe Gauntner with four tackles, an interception, and two touchdowns. Varlotta delivered a touchdown, while DeWitt completed two passes and posted an interception on defense to seal the win and shutout.
On the season, NA Varsity Gold advances to 5-0 overall and NA Varsity Black improves to 3-1. The Tigers play at home next Sunday. The seniors will be recognized with a senior salute.