Tigers win rare defensive struggle
NA limits Raiders to 112 yards of offense
Two forces collided Friday night when North Allegheny welcomed Seneca Valley for a WPIAL Class 6A showdown of in the Quad County Conference teams.
North Allegheny entered the matchup boasting the No. 1 scoring offense in WPIAL Class 6A, while Seneca Valley — led by a rough and rugged defensive cast giving up just 8 points per game — met the Tigers with the top scoring defense. Only one would emerge unscathed.
Ultimately, North Allegheny defended its home turf in a 10-6 win. For a team that had averaged 41.4 points over five games thus far, the fact that North Allegheny prevailed in its toughest test to date without registering multiple touchdowns was an eye-opener in itself.
For the first time this season, the Tigers were forced to win with defense.
“You’ve got to give our defense credit,” coach Art Walker said. “They answered the call numerous, numerous, numerous times.”
On its opening drive, Seneca Valley took an early advantage on a 2-yard touchdown from quarterback Gabe Lawson — a junior averaging 104.4 rushing yards per game — that capped off a 13-play drive.
The Raiders missed the extra-point of what would be their only score of the game, but stout defense allowed them to take a 6-0 lead into the second quarter.
But that’s when North Allegheny woke up and returned to its usual self. Well, at least a little bit. At least enough to squeak out a win.
“This is what we needed,” senior Joey Colella said. “It felt good to not win a game by 30 points. Instead, just by the defense dominating the whole time. It’s going to make us a stronger team going forward.”
North Allegheny got on the board with a 20-yard field goal at the 6:52 mark in the second quarter. On the ensuing drive, senior Luke Colella hauled in a 41-yard grab over a Seneca Valley defender that set up an eventual 1-yard touchdown rush for his younger brother, Joey Colella, to provide the Tigers a 10-6 lead into halftime.
Both brothers combined for 155 yards from scrimmage, but it was that second quarter scoring drive that held significant meaning. It hadn’t been since their Carson Middle School football days that one set up the other for a score.
“It’s awesome playing with him,” Joey said. “He got injured earlier but he came back and it’s just an incredible feeling. When he scores, it feels like I’m scoring.”
“We both can put in work together and share a victory together,” Luke echoed. “Not many people get to do that.”
The second half featured a scoring stalemate. Both sides traded blows, but couldn’t operate offensively. Seneca Valley had North Allegheny on the ropes midway through the fourth quarter after an interception by Jake Snell gave the Raiders the ball on the North Allegheny 29. But on the next play, Joey Porter Jr. picked off Matt Stanger on a double-reverse.
“I watched the film, and when the receiver isn’t getting the ball he’s slow off the line,” Porter Jr. said. “But he exploded off full speed, so I knew something was different.”
North Allegheny eventually forced Seneca Valley to punt out of its end zone at the 1:16 mark in the fourth quarter to seal the win. The Raiders finished with just 112 yards of total offense and eight first downs. They went 6 of 15 on third down conversions.
The Tigers’ defensive effort came with three would-be starters — Niko Rankin, Sam Sheridan and Parker Titsworth — out due to injury.
That’s a tense win,” Walker said. “When you have different sides of the ball bailing each other out and special teams doing their part to make sure the game goes your way. I’m disappointed with how we played offensively, but I’m really proud of our kids and our coaches.
With Pine-Richland cruising over Central Catholic Friday night, North Allegheny remains neck-and-neck with the defending PIAA champion for the Quad County title. The Tigers will face Butler next week while Seneca Valley will look to rebound against Hempfield.