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Eat'n Park Game Of The Week: Panthers vs. Tigers


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September 19, 2009
Upper St. Clair

Upper St. Clair senior quarterback Alex Park led the Panthers to a last-second football win over North Allegheny last year, and this year, they picked up where they left off. Hear from Coach Render, David Court, and more inside.


 

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Last season's matchup between Upper St. Clair (2-0) and visiting North Allegheny (2-0) came down to a late touchdown pass that won the game for Upper St. Clair. This time, Jim Render's Panthers finished the job a lot earlier.

 

Junior running back Jacob Siwicki rushed for 91 yards and two touchdowns, and senior quarterback Alex Park added 162 yards of total offense to give Upper St. Clair a 23-14 win on the road in Wexford.

 

The Panthers also took advantage of six turnovers by North Allegheny, having put themselves in position to score several times throughout the game but failing.

 

North Allegheny's struggles to hold on to the football literally lasted from start to finish, as Alex Papson couldn't handle the opening kickoff and Upper St. Clair's Montgomery Scott recovered the ball on the 18-yard line.

 

Three plays later, Siwicki scored on a one-yard touchdown run and a David Court extra point gave the Panthers an early 7-0 lead.

 

North Allegheny promptly answered with a 13-play, 76-yard drive, converting three third downs, and ending with a 10-yard touchdown pass from Justin Brozick to running back Grant Huckstein. Jackson Cox's extra point tied the game at seven apiece with 4:35 remaining in the first quarter.

 

Court kicked two field goals -- one late in the first quarter and one with less than five minutes remaining in the second -- to put the Panthers ahead, 13-7. North Allegheny could not cut into the lead thanks to two interceptions thrown by Brozick, and the score remained the same at the half.

 

Upper St. Clair received the second half kickoff, which Siwicki took 45 yards to give the Panthers excellent field position at their own 47. After eight straight rushing plays that totaled 53 yards, Siwicki scored his second touchdown from eight yards out to make the score 20-7 with 7:58 left in the third quarter.

 

North Allegheny had a three-and-out on the ensuing possession, but caught a break when Scott fumbled Brozik's punt, and it was recovered by the Tigers at midfield. Three plays later, Grant Huckstein broke a 34-yard touchdown run (he rushed for 76 yards on 10 carries), and North Allegheny trailed, 20-14, with 5:37 remaining in the quarter.

 

But that's where the Tigers' scoring would end, as their final three possessions resulted in lost fumbles. Upper St. Clair's Matt Doman recovered the first on a bungled snap by Brozick, and caused the second when he sacked Brozick, ending what at the time was an 11-play, 59-yard drive at the Panthers' 16.

 

Court added his third field goal of the game, a 22-yarder to close out the scoring with 7:35 remaining in the fourth.

 

"Tonight he was on the money," Render told Channel 4 Action Sports' John Meyer of his kicker. "It's kind of funny because I got on him a little bit this week in practice about changing his steps."

 

When Meyer asked if Court proved him wrong, Render laughed and said, "Yeah, he did."

 

Court shrugged off the spotlight, with his leg providing the difference in the game. "With kicking and punting, I don't mind [being] the center of attention every now and then," he said.

 

Upper St. Clair will return home next week and put their undefeated record on the line against Pittsburgh Central Catholic. North Allegheny will go on the road next week to face Penn Hills (1-2).

 

more Eat'nPark game of the week

Eat'n Park Game Of The Week: Gateway At Penn Hills
Eat'n Park Game Of The Week: Gateway At Penn Hills

 


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