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Second half surge helps California advance past challenge from Northgate

 
Tagged under: District 7, Game Photos-Videos, Gameday Hub, pfn, Playoffs

| November 8, 2026

In one of the few competitive games in the first round of the WPIAL Class A playoffs, the 11th-seeded Northgate Flames emerged from the locker room after halftime with a lead and the roar of the crowd from the visiting side, who made the long trip out to see their team take on the 6th-seeded California Trojans – champions of the Tri-County South conference.

Although it was only 7-0, Northgate’s formula for pulling off the upset was working in the first half, and it had been working for the last several weeks of the season: run the ball, stop the run, and show the most toughness late to pull out a gritty, lower-scoring football game.

But this time, the Northgate defense couldn’t overcome key mistakes and a lack of firepower from the Flames’ offense, as the Trojans found explosive plays in the air and on the ground to win 16-7.

“I don’t think it was adjustments,” California Head Coach Ed Woods said about his team’s improved second-half performance. “It was more just nerves and for our guys just to settle down and play football.”

After both teams traded interceptions on their first possessions of the game, the Flames went straight to their bread and butter – the power run offense – to methodically march down the field and take the early lead. 2028 QB DJ Smith used his big frame to cap off Northgate’s lone touchdown drive with a 9-yard run. Smith led the offense on the ground, as he has all season, with 86 yards on 18 carries.

Northgate recovered a fumble around midfield on the ensuing kickoff return, but a dropped pass on 4th and 6 around the California 30-yard line stalled a drive that could have really put pressure on the Trojans.

From there, the California offense moved the ball on their final two possessions of the half, but the Flames’ defense rallied to the ball, making key stops on multiple plays in their own territory to keep the Trojans off the scoreboard.

Sophomore quarterback Brandon Meier got inside the five-yard line on an option play that would’ve given California a first-and-goal, but a holding penalty backed them up. The Flames had great coverage on three straight pass plays, and junior lineman Braylon Mosley forced the turnover on downs, tackling Meier short of the sticks as he escaped the pocket.

After quickly returning to the field on a three-and-out, the Trojans’ offense nearly got on the board on a deep ball from Brandon Meier to Weston Monticelli, but Savian Baptiste broke up the pass as Monticelli lost the football going to the ground.

“We played really clean and physical in the first half,” Northgate Head Coach Chris Lucas said. “This team [California] averaged 38 points a game. Our kids wanted this; they battled their hearts out.”

On California’s second drive of the second half, the Trojans hit the big play that ignited their comeback. Junior ATH Alan Dennis, a Swiss Army knife who lines up all over the field for their offense, broke away from a tackle to turn an 8-yard gain into a 33-yard gain.

Later in the drive, Dennis would score from 9 yards out on a third-and-short to get the Trojans within one. Then a creative play-action call on the two-point conversion fooled the Northgate secondary, leaving Carter Frank wide open on a tight-end release route.

Down by one, the Flames started to mount a drive, as a 4th-and-2 pass from DJ Smith to senior wideout Johrdon Hairston crossed midfield. But two plays later, a Northgate turnover would become the turning point of the game. Smith rolled to his right on second-and-six and threw a short bullet pass that bounced off junior running back Jayden Turner and into the arms of senior linebacker Colten Lowden.

“We started getting the underneath stuff [pass] on them a little bit,” Lucas said about his offense in the second half. “Mistakes hampered us [tonight]. They did a nice job against us in the run game in the second half, and they just made more plays than we did.”

The Trojans did not waste their momentum. After a holding penalty put them back at 2nd-and-20, Brandon Meier threw a deep ball that junior wide receiver Chase Shemansky caught for a 28-yard gain while falling to the ground at the Northgate 14-yard line. The Flames’ sideline wanted offensive pass interference but didn’t get the call.

After Shemansky made a man miss to score a 14-yard receiving touchdown, Meier found Weston Monticelli wide open in the flat to convert another two-point conversion, putting the Flames in a two-score hole early in the fourth quarter.

“This was the first time for him as a starter to be in a playoff atmosphere,” Woods said about his young quarterback. “I thought as the game went on, he got better.”

Northgate mounted another drive but couldn’t find the quick score they needed after crossing midfield. A false start penalty in the red zone put them behind the sticks, which eventually led to a 4th-and-18, where Sam Stiteler’s 40-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Brayden Crockett, sealing the game for the Trojans.

Flames Head Coach Chris Lucas gave a passionate speech to his team after the game, telling his guys to keep their heads held high after what was an incredible turnaround season from a 1-9 record a year ago.

“They re-energized the community around football,” Lucas said about his team that put Northgate in the playoffs for the first time since 2016. “That was awesome by our crowd [tonight]. I know the kids felt that.”

“We didn’t just make the playoffs; we were in the game. This season gave them belief, and I hope it gave them the motivation to hit it in the offseason.”

Lucas said he believes that if the Flames put in the work, they could have championship aspirations next season with many key players returning.

“We have some really good seniors that we’re going to lose,” Lucas said. “But we have a great young freshman group and some guys coming up from the middle school. I really think the sky is the limit for them [the team].

Northgate will certainly have bigger shoes to fill after losing impact seniors. Linebacker Christian Tamburri, RB/CB Savian Baptiste, leading receiver and free safety Johrdon Hairston, safety Billy Hurley, and linemen Aidan Perkins, Caleb Gorsuch, and Kavion McDonald will all be known as the key seniors who helped break the Flames’ playoff drought.

But with quarterback DJ Smith entering his senior year, alongside lineman Braylon Mosley, RB/LB Jayden Turner, and WR/DB Samir King, among others, the Flames will have another strong senior class next season that could have a strong supporting cast of younger players who will continue to improve, especially at the line of scrimmage. Northgate had five freshman linemen come up this season.

As for Coach Lucas, he looks to put his head-coaching days at Northgate in the rearview mirror, officially. Lucas stepped up as head coach in the spring after stepping aside to spend more time with family two seasons ago, and he hopes to pass the torch in the right direction for the foreseeable future.

Lucas did one of the best coaching jobs in the WPIAL this season. Unexpectedly taking over such a big responsibility late in the offseason and overseeing a six-win improvement is an accomplishment in itself, but also calling the plays on both sides of the ball is something very few coaches have had to do at any level of the sport.

Lucas plans to remain on the coaching staff, as he did last season, assuming Mark Fratangelo, who was hired as head coach in 2025, returns to the role in 2027.

While Northgate looks to the future, California faces a tough challenge next week in the WPIAL quarterfinals against the defending state champion Clairton Bears.

Action Photos By: Di Nguyen

 

 

 

 

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