Tigers Set To Visit Blue Devils For Important Conference Matchup

Posted on: by Randy Gore

The North Allegheny Tigers (5-1) will visit the Mt. Lebanon Blue Devils (4-2) tonight for an important Tri-County Five Conference matchup. With Central Catholic locking up the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Class 6A playoffs last week, the No. 2 seed and a home playoff game is at stake when the Tigers take on the Blue Devils this evening.

Bouncing back from a Week Four loss to Central Catholic, North Allegheny dominated neighborhood rival Pine-Richland last week, 45-10, on Homecoming Night at Newman Stadium. For the second time this season, senior quarterback Logan Kushner delivered a five-touchdown performance with two rushing touchdowns and three passing scores. Kushner passed for 264 yards and rushed for 132 more yards. Senior wideout Khiryn Boyd had his best day of the season thus far, hauling in five passes for 162 yards and two touchdowns, including a spectacular 65-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter to open the scoring, Senior running back Tyree Alualu scored two touchdowns, one rushing and one receiving. Kicker Peter Notaro added a 47-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, accounting for the longest field goal during the Art Walker era at North Allegheny.

Under new head coach Michael Collodi, Mt. Lebanon opened some eyes with a Week Zero win against Class 5A powerhouse Gateway, 28-7. Like the Tigers, the Blue Devils have a conference loss to Central Catholic and are 1-1 in the Tri-County Five Conference. The Blue Devils are coming off a 42-27 non-conference defeat to South Hills rival Upper St. Clair last week. Junior receiver Noah Schaerli was a bright spot in the loss with five receptions for 135 yards, including a 65-yard touchdown catch.

The Mt. Lebanon roster is highlighted by two Division I commits. Senior lineman Connor Young, who is headed to Navy where he’ll join former teammates Eli Heidenreich and Alex Tecza. Senior linebacker and H-back Beckham Dee is committed to the Air Force Academy. Both are hard-nosed players and senior leaders for the Blue Devils.

Coach Collodi arrives at Mt. Lebanon after eight successful seasons at Elizabeth Forward, where he led the Warriors to six playoff appearances and a WPIAL Class 3A title game appearance in 2020. Collodi posted a record of 56-24 while at Elizabeth Forward.

North Allegheny has won 12 of the last 14 meetings against Mt. Lebanon, including a 20-6 win at Newman Stadium last season. The NA defense allowed just 94 total yards, forced three turnovers and sealed the game late in the fourth quarter when Jack Yatchenko recovered a fumble for a touchdown. Boyd and Kushner each rushed for touchdowns in the win.

North Allegheny leads the all-time series, 18-17, and at one point had won 11 in a row from 2006-2020.

Kickoff for tonight’s game is set for 7:00 p.m. in the south hills. As always, the game will be broadcast live by the North Allegheny Sports Network with the pregame show getting underway at 6:40 p.m. To listen to tonight’s game, click here.