North Catholic pulls out win; Central cruises
An ugly win is still a win. And a win in the WPIAL Class 3A semifinals is certainly what North Catholic coach Pat O’Shea was looking for, no matter how unsightly it may have looked.
The Trojans turned the ball over three times and didn’t score until late in the third quarter but it was enough for a 7-0 victory against Avonworth in a WPIAL Class 3A semifinal Friday at Fox Chapel.
The only score of the game came when quarterback Joey Prentice plunged in for a 1-yard touchdown and that proved to be all North Catholic needed to advance to the WPIAL final next Saturday at Heinz Field. It will be only the second championship appearance in school history for North Catholic (12-0).
“You have three turnovers you usually lose,” O’Shea remarked. “The defense can hang their hat on that performance.”
North Catholic made mistakes throughout the first half, fumbling early in the game on a promising drive. The Trojan defense held stout, though, not letting Avonworth sniff the end zone and winning the field position battle, while controlling the game. Another promising North Carholic drive was marred by a fumble.
After a scoreless first half, Avonworth changed to an effective wildcat package, with senior running back Ian Syam leading the team downfield on Avonworth’s opening drive of the third quarter. But North Catholic stopped Syam on a fourthdown play.
A pass from Prentice to senior wideout Tyler Maziarz late in the third quarter brought the Trojans to the 1-yard line. Prentice scored his touchdown on second down with 1:48 left in the third quarter.
Avonworth nearly clawed back in the fourth quarter, driving down the field before junior linebacker Mitch Lanthaler picked off an Antelopes pass with 1:42 left in the game. But the Trojans made it exciting by fumbling a handoff once again, giving Avonworth the ball with 1:29 left in the contest.
Avonworth junior quarterback Nate Harper connected with senior wide receiver Tyler Schleis for a 44-yard touchdown, only to be called back for a holding penalty. Avonworth then turned the ball over on downs.
“At any point, the game could have gone either way,” O’Shea said. “For a semifinal game, that was an awesome one.”
Other semifinal
Central Valley 51, Elizabeth Forward 0: Central Valley and Elizabeth Forward met in last year’s WPIAL championship and Central Valley breezed to a 35-point win. The rematch one year later was even worse for Elizabeth Forward as Central Valley rolled to a 51-0 victory against the Warriors at West Allegheny.
The win stretched Central Valley’s winning streak to 24 games and put the Warriors (12-0) in next Saturday’s title game, where they will try to win a third consecutive championship. Elizabeth Forward finished the season 9-3.
Central Valley had 455 yards rushing and Landon Alexander and Matt Merritt combined for 368 of them. Alexander rushed for 206 yards on 22 carries and scored two touchdowns. Merritt carried only seven times, but ran for 162 and scored three second-quarter touchdowns to help Central Valley to a 31-0 halftime lead.
Central Valley’s defense held Elizabeth Forward to 46 yards rushing and 50 passing.