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Steel Valley pulls away from Summit Academy

Tagged under: District 7, Gameday Hub, News

| October 19, 2019

NiJay Burt rushed for 160 yards and scored four touchdowns as Steel Valley pulled away from Summit Academy 33-16 Saturday afternoon.

“NiJay’s our go-to guy since we put him at tailback,” said Steel Valley head coach Ray Braszo. “He’s not a big kid, but he runs hard and is a great running back. I thought we did a great job controlling the line of scrimmage today, as well.”

This first of two crucial special teams gaffs by the Knights allowed the Ironman to take the lead.

Following a bad punt snap that forced punter Taveon Wiggins-Washington to fall on the loose ball for an 11-yard loss gave Steel Valley possession in Knights territory.

Burt capped the drive with his first score from five yards out.

Summit Academy took the lead at the 4:30 mark of the second quarter when quarterback Camer Warrington-Curry heaved the 3rd-and-long pass into the endzone where Paul Hines grabbed it for a 25-yard touchdown.

Hines ran in the 2-point conversion giving the Knights an 8-7 advantage.

 

Steel Valley was able to take the lead heading into the locker room as JaSean Wright intercepted Warrington-Curry at midfield with less than two minutes remaining in the first half.

Burt then broke free for a 26-yard touchdown run that gave the Ironman a 13-8 lead at halftime.

“We have a young team, sometimes you get behind, and you need a big play,” said Braszo. “Wright made a great play on the ball and that turned the momentum for us.”

The drive was aided by a personal foul facemask penalty that gave Steel Valley a first down rather than a 3rd-and-8.

“Summit has been playing well the last couple weeks,” said Braszo. “It’s a different environment on a Saturday, but I thought our kids played well.”

The Knights special teams woes continued as another poor snap resulted in a loss of ten yards. Burt scored from 14 yards out three plays later in the third quarter.

“It was penalties and special teams that lost us the game,” said Summit Academy head coach Joe Marak. “As coaches, we need to look at ourselves better in the mirror. The kids were prepared, but they were not prepared enough. Special teams come from the coaches, and so does discipline. That’s our fault.”

Early in the final stanza, the Knights pulled to within three as Hines was moved to quarterback and threw a vertical to Warrington-Curry, who hauled it in for a 50-yard touchdown.

Summit Academy trailed 19-16 with 9:09 to play.

“Both Curry and Hines are great athletes and players,” said Marak. “We didn’t have our starting quarterback Raymond Cutler today, that was a big hit to our offense. Those guys did a great job stepping up today.”

Outside of the two long pass plays. The Knights didn’t move the ball much, and thanks to the two special team errors, they had just two yards rushing.

The touchdown would be the only pass Hines completed going 1-for-9 with a touchdown and interception. Warrington-Curry led Summit Academy with 132 yards of total and two total touchdowns.

“We’ve come a long way,” said Marak. “Every week, we get better, and every practice we get better. Last we won this week we lost. Both times I told our kids they need to be resilient.”

Steel Valley answered back, putting the game away on Burt’s 8-yard run. On the drive, the Ironman converted a 4th-and-2 from the Knights 13-yard line. Summit Academy also shot themselves in the foot again with 15-yard late hit personal foul on the drive.

Cruce Brookins would then intercepted Hines, with Amier Murray scoring from 19 yards on the next play for the finals nail in the coffin.

Steel Valley now improves to 4-4 on the season and will need a win next week over South Side Beaver along with some help to make the playoffs.

“We have a chance to get in the playoffs,” said Braszo. “Valley is going to have to beat East Allegheny. We have bounced back and come a long way since our 0-3 start. Whatever happens, to close the year, I’m proud of my guys.”

Summit Academy ends their season next Friday night when they travel to Mohawk.

“We want to finish the season the way we started,” said Marak. “We want our kids to go into that Mohawk game giving 100%, and never taking a play off.”

Game Highlights:

Steel Valley 33 Summit Academy 16

Score by Quarters

Steel Valley – 7 6 6 14 – 33

Summit Academy – 0 8 0 8 – 16

Scoring Summary

First Quarter

SV – NiJay Hurt 5 yd run, (Ronnell Lawrence pat), 3:43

Second Quarter

SA – Paul Hines 25 yd pass from Camer Warrington-Curry, (Hines rush), 4:30

SV – NiJay Burt 26 yd run, (kick failed), 0:30

Third Quarter

SV – NiJay Burt 14 yd run, (rush failed), 6:43

Fourth Quarter

SA – Warrington-Curry 50 yd pass from Hines, (Hines rush), 9:09

SV – NiJay Burt 8 yd run, (rush failed), 4:47

SV – Amier Murray 19 yd run, (Charles Booker from Lawrence), 3:00

Individual Stats

Rushing: Steel Valley – NiJay Burt 19-160, Nyzair Burt 1-10, Murray 6-45, Lawrence 5-3. Totals: 31-218. Summit Academy – Warrington-Curry 11-23, Jamec Kizzie 8-(-7), Tyrese Dugan 2-(-5), Hines 5-12, Team 2-(-21). Totals: 28-2.

Passing: Steel Valley – Lawrence 3-for-6, 33 yards, 1 interception. Summit Academy – Warrington-Curry 5-for-13, 59 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception, Hines 1-for-9, 50 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception.

Receiving: Steel Valley – NiJay Burt 1-8, NyZair Burt 1-3, Cruce Brookins 1-22. Summit Academy – Hines 3-51, David Hoff 2-8, Warrington-Curry 1-50.

Interceptions: Steel Valley – JeSean Wright, Brookins. Summit Academy – Warrington-Curry.

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