North Allegheny rallies past McDowell
Tagged under: District 10, District 7, Gameday Hub, News
Shane Lux | September 10, 2022
Wexford: North Allegheny rallies past Mcdowell to improve to 3-0 on the season.
Trailing 18-7 late in the third quarter wasn’t part of the plan, but Art Walker’s Tigers scored the game’s final three touchdowns as North Allegheny upended McDowell 29-18 Friday night.
“There was a sense of calmness from our guys at halftime when we were up, and in the third quarter when things were not going our way,” said North Allegheny head coach Art Walker. “We knew we were down two scores, but we were focused on getting the first one and chipping away. Our guys never panicked, we fought our way back into the game, and this was a great team effort tonight.”
The Tigers’ “first one” came when quarterback Logan Kushner ran an option four yards for a touchdown to close the third quarter and pull North Allegheny to within three points.
The most significant turning point in the game occurred when the Trojans were clinging to an 18-15 fourth-quarter lead.
McDowell drove from their 20-yard line to the North Allegheny 19.
On a second-down pass, quarterback Ben Moore was sacked for a 7-yard loss with the Tigers recovering a fumble at their 26-yard line.
“There is no question about it that the sack fumble was the game’s biggest play,” Walker said. “They were moving the ball on us, and we were back on our heels a little bit.”
On the next play, Khiryn Boyd hauled a short pass and outraced the Trojan defense for a 74-yard touchdown.
“We called a simple wide receiver screen to Boyd,” said Walker. “He made a play out of it; he’s a special player and the kind that can take a routine play, and turn it into something big. He’s dynamic, a special talent, and it’s our job to ensure we keep getting him the ball.”
Boyd had a brilliant game for North Allegheny, catching five passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns.
His first score came on a 29-yard dart from Kushner, giving the Tigers a 7-5 lead at halftime.
North Allegheny then put the game away on their next possession as Kushner tossed his third touchdown pass of 32 yards to Rourke Kennedy with just over four minutes to play.
Rourke Kennedy 32 yd TD from Kushner, North Allegheny 29 McDowell 18, 4:17 4th, @nafootball_tfl @AJWPIAL pic.twitter.com/CRyKxSzTXr
— Shane Lux (@PFN_Luxy) September 10, 2022
Kushner completed 10-of-17 passes for 203 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for 29 yards on six carries and a touchdown.
McDowell built their second-half lead on Christian Santiago’s 29-yard reception from Moore and Artis Simmons’ 2-yard run.
Christian Santiago 29 yd TD Ben Moore, McDowell 11 North Allegheny 7, 6:06 3rd, @mcboostersfam @AJWPIAL pic.twitter.com/vVhIkGDkCA
— Shane Lux (@PFN_Luxy) September 10, 2022
“We were up two scores in the second half with a chance to put them away,” said McDowell head coach Bo Orlando. “They made some plays, and we didn’t. We couldn’t get things going offensively in the fourth quarter. However, I’m proud of our kid’s effort; we’ll bounce back.”
Simmons’ score came shortly after North Allegheny fumbled the ensuing kickoff.
“Our next drive was critical,” Walker said. “We needed to answer that mistake; our defense was out there on back-to-back possessions.”
Simmons rushed for a game-high 159 yards on 26 carries.
As a team, McDowell racked up 388 yards of offense but failed to score touchdowns when it mattered most.
On the Trojans’ initial drive, they drove to the Tigers’ 4-yard line, where Simmons lost a fumble.
“That was a huge play also,” said Walker. “They drove nearly the field length, but I’m proud of our kids for not giving up and making a play. If you can make the other team drive, the higher the chance is they’re going to do something wrong. I credit our kids for battling, hanging in there, and making those things happen.”
On the next play, a bad exchange to Boyd on the reverse resulted in a safety that gave the Trojans a 2-0 lead.
McDowell also had a 49-yard touchdown pass to Ray Jackson negated on an illegal block penalty.
“I thought we moved the ball well throughout the night, but it was a shame that we had a lot of big plays called back,” said Orlando. “Some of those were penalties on us, and other ones were very questionable, to say the least.”
Alex Sontheimer’s 26-yard field goal gave McDowell a 5-0 lead with 3:26 to play in the first half.
“When we’re in the red zone, we expect to get touchdowns,” said Orlando. “Or at least end up with a field goal; that didn’t happen tonight and was a big part of the game.”
The Tigers’ defense limited McDowell to ten points on four red zone visits.
“We’re going to concentrate on getting better,” concluded Walker. “We know we made mistakes tonight; we’re going to watch the film and read the press clippings about us.”
The Trojans will look to bounce back next Friday as they play host to Erie.
“We’re going to start the process on Monday and get ready for Erie,” concluded Orlando.
North Allegheny welcomes Baldwin on Friday night.
Game Highlights:
North Allegheny 29 McDowell 18
Score by Quarters
McDowell – 2 3 13 0 – 18
North Allegheny – 0 7 8 14 – 29
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
M – Safety – Khiryn Boyd tackled in the end zone, 7:12
Second Quarter
M – Alex Sontheimer 26 yd field goal, 3:26
NA – Khiryn Boyd 29 yd pass from Logan Kushner, (Nick Van Winkle pat), 1:58
Third Quarter
M – Christian Santiago 29 yd pass from Ben Moore, (pass failed), 6:06
M – Artis Simmons 2 yd run, (Sontheimer pat), 4:41
NA – Kushner 4 yd run, (Kusher to Anthony Varlotta), 0:00
Fourth Quarter
NA – Boyd 74 yd pass from Kushner, (Van Winkle pat), 8:29
NA – Rourke Kennedy 32 yd pass from Kushner, (Van Winkle pat), 4:17
Individual Stats
Rushing: McDowell – Simmons 26-159, Moore 16-86, Bobby Blue 1-3, Ray Jackson 1-0, Santiago 1-2, Team 1-(-7). Totals: 46-243. North Allegheny – Andrew Gavlik 15-88, Tyree Alualu 5-35, Boyd 1-(-6), Kushner 6-29, Team 1-(-17), Team 2-0. Totals: 30-129
Receiving: McDowell – Christian Santiago 4-71, Jackson 4-38, Trey Goodwine 1-10, James Zigler 1-8, Nick Desanto 1-6., Simmons 1-12. North Allegheny – Boyd 5-132, Anthony Varlotta 2-16, Kennedy 2-45, Brayden Kushner 1-10.
Passing: McDowell – Moore 12-for-26, 145 yards. North Allegheny – Kushner 10-for-17, 203 yards, 3 TD.
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