Girls' Flag Football Gold Game Summaries

The North Allegheny girls’ flag football team capped the 2024 season at the Girls Flag Football Championship Tournament on Sunday at Carnegie Mellon University’s Gesling Stadium and rolled to the title game before falling to reigning champion Moon, 37-6.

Entering the tournament with an unblemished record, the NA Gold Team posted its third consecutive shutout, and seventh of the season, with a dominant 47-0 opening round win over Sto-Rox. Senior Natalie Rak hauled in an interception to help blank the Vikings. On offense, senior quarterback Kyra Schmidt completed nine passes as sophomore Maddie Williams (2), seniors Ally Ruiz and senior Shauna Maenza, and freshmen Taryn DeWitt and Rosa Varlotta all scored touchdowns. Extra points by Ruiz, Williams and senior Maddie Hartung contributed to the victory.

Mia Fratto high points the football for a reception in the Girls Flag Football Championship Tournament.

In the quarterfinals, Maenza scored a trio of touchdowns to lead the Tigers to a 24-18 win over the Shaler Titans. Senior Mia Fratto added a touchdown along with some acrobatic receptions at receiver. Schmidt picked apart the Titans’ defense with 12 pass completions. On defense, interceptions by Ruiz (2), Rak, Hartung, Williams and Varlotta helped solidify the six-point win.

It was a defensive struggle in the semifinals but North Allegheny once again prevailed with its eighth shutout of the season, blanking Upper St. Clair, 8-0. The lone touchdown of the game came courtesy of a touchdown reception by Maenza. Williams tacked on a two-point conversion as well. Defensively, Rak, Fratto and senior Rylee Johnson all grabbed interceptions to complete the shutout.

Against the reigning champion Moon Tigers, North Allegheny played a hard-fought game in the championship contest but fell by a 37-6 decision. The contest was much closer than the final score indicated as NA started strong with an interception by Williams. Ruiz carried the ball 10 times, which created several scoring opportunities. Unfortunately, North Allegheny was unable to capitalize and scored only one touchdown, a score by Williams. On defense, Maenza posted seven tackles. Along with Williams’ pick in the early going, Hartung and Fratto also hauled in interceptions.

North Allegheny finishes the season with an impressive 13-1 record. Congratulations to head coach Michelle Ruiz and the entire North Allegheny girls’ flag football team for an exceptional season.

(Photos courtesy of the Pittsburgh Steelers).

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.

It was a day of dominance for the North Allegheny girls’ flag football program at Myers Law Group Stadium on Sunday. The NA Gold team earned victories over North Catholic, 20-6, and Hampton, 38-12. Meanwhile, the NA Black team topped Seneca Valley 2 by an 18-6 decision and defeated North Hills, 19-0.

Scoring touchdowns for the NA Gold team in its doubleheader sweep were Shauna Maenza (2), Maddie Williams (2), Mia Fratto (2), Kyra Schmidt, Natalie Rak and Maddie Hartung. Senior Ally Ruiz scored on a pair of two-point conversions. Hartung and Williams had a combined total of 15 defensive stops, while Fratto (2), Rak (2) and Maenza, Ruiz and Williams all had interceptions. Schmidt completed 29 passes to several different receivers. Maenza hauled in a 25-yard pass and also threw a touchdown pass off a reverse pass to Schmidt. Ruiz carried the ball 16 times and caught nine passes. In the end, it was a total team effort on defense, posting one shutout and allowing a combined six points in the two wins. Fratto came up big with a pick-six at the start of the Hampton game which ignited a spark for the undefeated Lady Tigers.

The NA Black team was also victorious with a pair of wins. Scoring touchdowns for the Tigers were Danika Hogan (2), Chloe Gauntner (2), Sloane Baker and Brooke Fratto for an extra point. In addition to completing 14 passes on the day, Baker also had four interceptions and a touchdown. Anusha Gupta had her first interception of the season thanks to a strong pass rush from Hogan on the opposing quarterback.

Following Sunday’s results, the NA Gold improves to 8-0 on the season and the NA Black team sits at 5-3. The Tigers visit Shaler this week.

The North Allegheny girls’ flag football teams were back in action on Sunday and came away with a senior day split. The NA Gold Team blanked Shaler, 12-0, while the NA Black team fell by the same score, 12-0, to Seneca Valley.

Despite not having senior Kyra Schmidt available to play quarterback, the NA Gold team earned an important victory that keeps the Tigers in first place in the Northern Division. Seniors Maddie Hartung and Ally Ruiz both scored touchdowns to give the team a solid lead. Hartung had a pick-six right out of the gates and Ruiz toted the football 35-yards for a touchdown. Defensively, the team has averaged three interceptions per game and had a season-high five interceptions. Hartung, Ruiz, Natalie Rak, Rylee Johnson and Shauna Maenza tallied one interception each. Six of the Tigers’ eight seniors were present for Senior Salute.

“These seniors are very special to both Coach Trocchio and I, some have been with us for 3 years and we are really going to miss them,” said head coach Michelle Ruiz.

Congratulations to Mia Fratto, Maddie Hartung, Rylee Johnson, Shauna Maenza, Natalie Rak, Allyson Ruiz, Kyra Schmidt and Bria Vivio.

In a tight game, the NA Black Team battled in a 12-0 defeat. The Tigers were shorthanded and played Seneca Valley with one player down for the entire game.

“I made sure the girls knew how proud of them I was for being good sports and giving me their best each down,” said coach Ruiz. “We came very close to scoring several times, and I’m seeing improvement in each player.”

Freshman Sahasra Maddenini had her first career interception and started to read and respond defensively. Freshman Sloane Baker was solid as both a quarterback and safety. Baker moved in the pocket, delivered the ball well and showed great leadership while guiding the team. She also had an interception in the first half. Freshman Chloe Gauntner ran the ball well with eight carries, one of which nearly resulting in a touchdown.

On the season, NA Varsity Gold improves to 6-0 overall and NA Varsity Black slips to 3-2. Both the Gold and Black teams are away next Sunday, May 5, at Seneca Valley.

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.