MCCANDLESS TWP — Zack Rocco’s night wasn’t exactly going as he had hoped Friday.

At the end of the third quarter, the North Catholic junior had three interceptions in his stat line — one of which was returned by Quaker Valley for a touchdown during the opening round of WPIAL play.

All told, his Trojans team had turned the ball over six times up to that point, and found themselves deadlocked at 17 heading into the final frame.

Facing that, North Catholic coach Patrick O’Shea’s message to Rocco and his teammates was perhaps a bit strange.

“I said to Zack … you’ve got to just keep doing what you’re doing,” O’Shea said. “Stay calm.”

Rocco took that advice, scoring from seven yards out with 38 seconds left to give the host Trojans a 31-24 victory over the Quakers at J.C. Stone Field. It capped an overall strange evening of football that saw the teams trade turnovers and the lead throughout.

“I don’t even know how weird it was just yet,” O’Shea said of the game, adding he’d have to review the film to remember all of it.

North Catholic started fast, with Nikhai Hill-Green blocking a punt on the first drive of the game that was recovered by Finnegan O’Shea at the Quakers’ 7-yard line. Rocco found Hill-Green from three yards out two plays later to give the Trojans a 7-0 lead.

That may have been the last seemingly normal play of the night.

Rocco was intercepted on the first play of the second quarter by Quakers defensive lineman Jeremiah McCoy.

QV couldn’t capitalize off the turnover, punting after a drive failed to gain steam. On the next play, Hill-Green ran hard through the line of scrimmage, but the ball was taken out of his hands by Ethan Moore, who returned it to the North Catholic 7.

Two plays later, Moore found Demetrios Perez for what appeared to be a touchdown, but the ball was spotted inside the 1-yard line. On the same play, Quaker Valley declined a pass interference penalty that would have given it a first down inside the 3.

Moore threw an incompletion on third down, and was stuffed by the North Catholic defense on fourth down.

However, on the next play, a Quaker Valley defender popped the ball loose, and Smith Johnson fell on it in the end zone. An Evan Frund kick tied the game at 7, which held until the half.

That sequence — and the first half in general —seemed to have shocked the Trojans, and O’Shea said it was telling of the caliber of competition he expected of the Quakers.

“I said all week long, these are the defending 3A state champs, and if that is a goal of ours, we have to beat them,” he said. “I don’t think in the first half our kids realized just how good that football team was.”

North Catholic took a 9-7 lead following a safety on the Quakers’ first drive of the half. On the ensuing drive, Nick Maher dropped a deep pass, but the Trojans went back to him on the same route two plays later. Maher caught Rocco’s pass, but fumbled. On the next drive, Rocco was intercepted by Quaker Valley’s Cam Wolf, who returned it 39 yards for a touchdown and a 14-9 lead.

“We got a little flustered,” O’Shea said. “I think Zack was a little flustered.”

Rocco rebounded, finding Maher from 17 yards out on the next drive. Hill-Green ran in the conversion to give North Catholic a 17-14 lead.

“I told (Maher) he’d have another opportunity, and he did,” O’Shea said.

After a Moore fumble, Dylan Moore intercepted Rocco on the first play ensuing drive, which led to a Quaker Valley field goal and a 17-17 tie heading into the fourth.

From there, Rocco and the Trojans played nearly flawless football, exchanging drives and touchdowns with the Quakers to lead to a 24-24 tie with 3:45 to go.

The Trojans ran off more than three minutes of clock, thanks in part to Rocco’s legs, eventually leading to a 4-yard touchdown scamper. He sealed the game by intercepting Moore on the final play.

“I felt they had confidence in me the whole game,” Rocco said of his teammates. “They were telling me to pick my head up. … We’re all so close right now, and we’re all taking charge.”

O’Shea said his confidence in Rocco never wavered.

“We just had to calm it down and show him how much we believe in him,” he said.

O’Shea said it was telling that both teams were able to battle through the odd bounces to the end, a tribute to the coaching.

“Most other teams would have folded,” he said. “For them to get through the weirdness and not panic and not give up, you can tell a lot about how both teams are coached.”

Friday wasn’t just a shot at redemption for Rocco, as the win gives North Catholic a return date with Derry, which blanked Central Valley 46-0. They dealt the Trojans their lone regular-season loss, a 27-0 beating that O’Shea didn’t minimize Friday.

“They beat us. They physically beat us,” he said. “The realistic approach (to next week) is we’re underdogs, and we’re going to have to go back to unbelievable fundamental football both offensively and defensively.”

Rocco said his team had a “fog” around it during that September meeting. He said a focus on being mentally tough will be key this week.

“I think we’re a better team now,” he said.

Quaker Valley 0 7 10 7 — 24

North Catholic 7 0 10 14 — 31

First Quarter

NC — Nikhai Hill-Green 3 pass from Zack Rocco (Max Kunzmann kick), 9:56

Second Quarter

QV — Johnson Smith receovers fumble in end zone (Evan Frund kick), 7:05

Third Quarter

NC — Safety, 10:31

QV — Cam Wolf 39 interception return (Frund kick), 7:05

NC — Nick Maher 17 pass from Rocco (Hill-Green run), 6:00

QV — Frund 35 field goal, 1:57

Fourth Quarter

NC — Rocco 7 run (Kunzmann kick), 6:40

QV — Demetrios Perez 16 pass from Ethan Moore (Frund kick), 3:45

NC — Rocco 4 run (Kunzmann kick), :38

Individual Statistics

Rushing: Quaker Valley, Isaac Guss 7-20, Ethan Moore 15-29, Cam Wolf 3-14, Michael Aspiotes 7-23, TEAM 7 (-5). North Catholic, Cameron Branch 8-38, Zack Rocco 12-67, TEAM 4-(-6).

Passing: Quaker Valley, Ethan Moore 8-23-78-1, Dylan Moore 1-2-2. North Catholic, Zack Rocco 16-27-203-3.

Receiving: Quaker Valley, Isaac Guss 3-29, Demetrios Perez 2-22, Dylan Moore 1-(-4), Ryan Jackovic 3-69. North Catholic, Nikhai Hill-Green 6-39, Tyree Brown 4-56, Cameron Branch 1-27, Nick Maher 4-74, Isaac Peterson 1-7.