NA Gold Posts Two Shutouts In Regular Season Finale
The North Allegheny flag football teams played in their regular season finale on Sunday at Shaler High School. The NA Gold squad earned a pair of shutouts, blanking the Seneca Valley 2 team, 40-0, and North Hills, 47-0. The NA Black Team dropped a 14-2 decision to Hampton and picked up a 14-14 tie against Seneca Valley 1.
Despite not having their No. 1 running back Ally Ruiz this week, the NA Gold team dominated their opponents with a well-balanced attack. Against Seneca Valley 2, senior quarterback Kyra Schmidt completed 26 passes on the day without a turnover. Seniors Shauna Maenza (4) and Mia Fratto (2), and junior Maddie Williams (3) scored multiple touchdowns. Freshman Rosa Varlotta picked off three passes on defense, scored one touchdown and added a two-point conversion. Maenza chipped in with three interceptions and eight tackles.
Seniors Natalie Rak and Maddie Hartung played both sides of the ball. Defensively, Hartung totaled a team-high nine tackles and Rak tallied one interception and had a perfect game snapping the ball to Schmidt. Fratto also had two interceptions, one of which she returned 20 yards for a touchdown. The two shutouts on Sunday marked the fifth and sixth shutouts of the season for the NA Gold team.
The NA Black team opened its game against Hampton with a safety from sophomore Danika Hogan for a quick 2-0 lead. However, Hampton capitalized on two touchdowns and two extra points for a 14-2 win. Hogan and Chloe Gauntner carried the ball a combined 13 times, coming within inches of scoring. Brooke Fratto added an interception to give North Allegheny a late-game opportunity to score in the waning minutes. In the second game against Seneca Valley 1, Hogan again scored on a safety and Gauntner scored two touchdowns, including a pick-six to take the lead. The Raiders managed to reach the end zone just before time expired and scored on a two-point conversion to force a 14-14 draw.
The NA Black team ends the season with a record of 5-4-1. The NA Gold team improves to 10-0 and will be one of the top two seeds in the Championship Playoffs on Sunday, May 19, at Carnegie Mellon University.