Tigers continue dominance over Tornado
WEXFORD — The result was the same. The attitude was a little bit different.
North Allegheny rolled up 343 yards rushing, had a 35-0 lead by halftime and cruised to a 49-7 Northern Seven Conference football win over Butler Friday night.
While the Tigers (3-2, 2-1) continued to dominate the series of late, the Golden Tornado (1-3, 1-2) came out hitting.
“Our defense played well early. We did have some pretty good hits and put them in third and long distance,” Butler coach Rob Densmore said. “But, offensively, we couldn't move the ball.
“And defensively, we didn't get off the field when we needed to.”
North Allegheny quarterback Ethan Meanza connected with receiver Niko Mermigas for a 47-yard strike on the game's first offensive play. The Tornado still put the Tigers in a third-and-goal situation from the 13.
Mermigas scored on a reverse on the next play, beating the pursuit to the left corner of the end zone.
Two possessions later, Mermigas caught a 16-yard pass on a third-and-11 play, extending a possession that resulted in a Turner White 11-yard scoring run.
Mike Pope gained exactly seven yards on a third-and-7 on NA's next possession, which ended with a Pope 9-yard TD run and a 21-0 lead with 7:02 left in the first half.
The Tornado did not register their initial first down until a minute later.
“Our defense just got tired,” Densmore said. “But we need to develop the mind-set that when it's third and long, it's going to be our ball.
“Good football teams have that mind-set. We're not there yet.”
Meanza scored on runs of 42 and 39 yards late in the first half for the Tigers. He rushed for 114 yards and threw for 73 in the first two quarters. He didn't play the second half.
“Ethan just knows how to make plays,” NA coach Art Walker Jr. said. “Our offense came out and hit some big plays and our first-team defense hasn't allowed a point in the last two games.“Butler came out and played physical. Their kids don't back down and we knew that. They had a lot of linemen playing both ways, though. That can be tough as a game wears on.”The Tigers played mostly second-team players in the second half, though Butler began making plays regardless. Antonio DeVaughn, who had a 37-yard run in the second quarter, wound up with 117 yards and the Tornado's lone score. He capped a 40-yard drive — set up by a 36-yard Dallas Hays return of the second-half kickoff, with a 3-yard run. Noah Ryder returned an interception 53 yards to the NA 27 late in the first half, but the Tornado lost a fumble three plays later.“I give Rob (Densmore) and their kids a lot of credit because they never quit playing hard,” Walker said. “They played hard all the way through despite the score of the game and they played the right way.“You didn't see any chippiness that often happens when a game gets like this. That's a credit to Rob and the way he's coaching those kids.”Jake Kradel had a pair of quarterback sacks early in the game for the Tornado. Butler threw for only 21 yards on the night.Regular quarterback Brandon Fleeger is having surgery on the foot he injured two weeks ago and is lost for the season.“We're going with John Michalek (at QB) and we have to get him ready,” Densmore said. “Plays were there in the passing game tonight. Sometimes we didn't throw the ball and we dropped a few.“Against some of the teams in our league, we're just not playing with confidence because of the past. We have to forget the past. It's the only way we're going to move forward.”
