Big plays carry Northgate past Riverview

Tagged under: District 7, Game Photos, Gameday Hub, News

Shane Lux | September 10, 2022

Austin Mitchell rushed for 150 yards on seven carries and scored three touchdowns to lead Northgate.

Oakmont: Big plays propel Northgate past Riverview 32-26.

Big plays were the game’s name for the Northgate Flames Saturday afternoon at Riverside Park.

The Flames scored five touchdowns each of at least 45 yards as they racked up 387 yards of offense on only 38 offensive snaps.

“We have a lot of playmakers that we’re trying to get the ball to,” said Northgate head coach Chris Lucas. “This week, we wanted to focus on physicality, and we took a big step forward today.”

Northgate struck first when Lewis Clark hauled in a 47-yard touchdown from Sonteon Layne.

Lewis Clark 47 yd TD from Sonteon Layne, Northgate 6 Riverview 0, 9:50 1st, @AJWPIAL @NorthgateVFB pic.twitter.com/nkgY34Vi8W

— Shane Lux (@PFN_Luxy) September 10, 2022

Riverview scored on their possession as Rocco Cecere scored on a 2-yard sneak.

After recovering a fumble, the Raiders took their only lead when Johnny Bertucci scored from two yards out.

Bertucci led the Raiders with 86 yards on 13 carries.

The Flames responded 39 seconds later when Austin Mitchell ran out the wildcat for a 45-yard touchdown.

Riverview had no answer for Mitchell when he lined up at quarterback as the junior ran for 150 yards on only seven carries.

“We have several guys that can make big plays, whether on a screen pass or getting to the edge on a run play,” said Lucas.

Mitchell’s 65-yard run in the second quarter gave Northgate an 18-14 halftime lead.

The Raiders came out on fire in the second half and needed only two to find the end zone as Carlo Buzzatto scored from 35 yards out.

Carlo Buzzatto 35 yd run, Riverview 20 Northgate 18, 11:38 3rd, @AJWPIAL @RaiderSports10 pic.twitter.com/R6YnNZhLfU

— Shane Lux (@PFN_Luxy) September 10, 2022

Buzzatto rushed for 80 yards on 13 carries, while Rio Stotts chipped in with 82 yards on 16 attempts while adding one catch for 73 yards.

“We had some positives and made some nice plays,” said Riverview head coach Trevor George. “They hit us with a couple of big plays, but I’m proud of how our kids played the entire game.”

Late in the third quarter, Northgate took the lead for good when Mitchell again broke loose for a 49-yard touchdown.

The Flames extended their lead when Layne and Clark hooked up a second time from 67 yards out following a fumble recovery.

“They were driving on us on we popped the ball loose. That was a huge play,” said Lucas. “We wanted to take a shot right away to try and change the momentum, and that’s what happened.”

Riverview made things interesting in the final two minutes. Cecere scored his second touchdown on a 3-yard run with 1:40 to play.

However, Northgate recovered the onside kick, ending the game.

The Flames move to 2-1 on the season and will travel to South Side Beaver next Friday night.

“This is the first time we’ve won on the road since 2017,” concluded Lucas. “We’re now going into conference play, and it’s going to get much harder.”

Riverview will look to rebound when they play host to Clairton next Saturday.

“Our kids played hard, and we had a lot of positive things we can take from this game going forward,” George said.

Game Highlights:

Northgate 32 Riverview 26

Score by Quarters

Northgate – 12 6 6 8 – 32

Riverview – 14 0 6 6 – 26

Scoring Summary

First Quarter

N – Lewis Clark 47 yd pass from Sonteon Layne, (rush failed), 9:50

R – Rocco Cecere 2 yd run, (kick blocked), 5:05

R – Johnny Bertucci 2 yd run, (Bertucci rush), 2:43

N – Austin Mitchell 45 yd run, (rush failed), 2:04

Second Quarter

N – Mitchell 65 yd run, (rush failed), 4:40

Third Quarter

R – Carlo Buzzatto 35 yd run, (kick failed), 11:38

N – Mitchell 49 yd run, (rush failed), 1:09

Fourth Quarter

N – Clark 62 yd pass from Layne, (Layne rush), 6:49

R – Cecere 3 yd run, (rush failed), 1:40

Individual Stats

Rushing: Northgate – Austin Mitchell 7-150, Darius Fields 11-35, Layne 9-34, Donavin Boone 1-1, Team 1-0. Totals: 29-220. Riverview – Bertucci 13-86, Rio Stotts 16-82, Carlo Buzzatto 13-80, Cecere 8-3, Alex Schulteis 1-(-1). Totals: 51-250.

Receiving: Northgate – Clark 5-167, Jaden Mitchell 1-6. Riverview – Stotts 1-73, Schulteis 2-54, Buzzatto 1-1.

Passing: Northgate – Layne 5-for-7, 167 yards, 2 TD, Austin Mitchell 1-for-2, 6 yards. Riverview – Cecere 3-for-6, 128 yards.

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