Wexford, PA - "We learned we cannot be complacent with a 13-point lead," was the response by senior Danny Franco after his team fell 21-20 to the Armstrong Riverhawks this past Friday after leading 20-7 at halftime. North Catholic, who pulled out all the stops in the first 2 quarters, couldn't get out of their way in the final 2 frames, resulting in their first section loss of the year. 

Some Background: Entering this game, the Trojans were 3-2 (2-0) on a 2-game win streak after back-to-back wins against section opponents in Highlands and Kiski. In those games, North Catholic led significantly throughout and gave up just one touchdown. Those offenses weren't pass-heavy, but the secondary did their job and kept passing yardage to a minimum. Armstrong entered Week 5, 3-2 (0-1) on the year, coming off a loss to Hampton, who was their first section opponent of the year; to make matters worse, they lost their starting quarterback Colt Sprankle to injury, springing into the starting role freshman Jaydon Oliver. Oliver had 275 passing yards with 3 touchdowns against Hampton and had 28 additional reps under center during the first four weeks, making the freshman association deceive of his early promise. The Riverhawks also are backed by a solid running attack driven by senior Alex Patton, who has 76 carries for 444 yards through their first five games. North Catholic's run game has been even better, with the consistent mastery of Jack Fennell and Danny Franco carrying the way for the Trojans backfield, allowing it to function as the engine for the offense up to this point. Against Kiski, they combined for 201 yards and 2 touchdowns on just 25 carries. Armstrong has an extensive set of linemen on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball, which has been a problem for the Trojans to be able to counteract. North Catholic has struggled offensively, particularly against such defensive lines. Just look back at the Armstrong game last season and the Aliquippa games from the past two seasons. In addition to Armstrong having the size advantage, they also had the element of surprise with a quarterback with just 48 reps on tape. However, North Catholic had all the momentum. Here's how it played out… 

The Game: Armstrong got the ball moving early upon receiving the ball first they drove 73 yards down the field in just 2 minutes and 48 seconds and came out with the touchdown after a 13-yard pass from Oliver to junior wideout Chase Jablonski. North Catholic, looking to strike back, quickly did just that after an unyielding 13-play drive that spanned just 52 yards, which was capped off by a 1-yard touchdown run from Jack Fennell to make it 7-6 Armstrong after the missed extra point. The Riverhawks went 3 and out on their next set of downs, setting up the Trojans with a chance to earn the lead as they drove the ball down the field with a steady flow of progression through the end of the first quarter. Just 25 seconds into the second quarter's start, Danny Franco broke past the chalk into the endzone from 1-yard out for the touchdown and the lead (13-7 NC). Armstrong strung some first downs together the next drive and worked their way deep into North Catholic territory until they were met with a 4th and 4 from the 25. Oliver took the snap, dropped back, and looked towards the endzone. He had a man, but Kamody intercepted it, and the Trojans got the ball at the 20! It was a great play by Gavin Kamody, but the Trojans did nothing with it, as they had to punt after generating just 6 yards after the outstanding play. The following two back-to-back drives were nothing special for either squad, as they both resulted in punts, leaving Armstrong with the ball at the North Catholic 41 with 3:36 left in the first half. After their first 2 plays gained just 5 yards, the Riverhawks were looking to throw on 3 and 5. Oliver looked deep once again, and guess what happened? It was intercepted by Jason Siket on a tremendous grab at the 3-yard line! With just 2:49 to go in the second quarter and 97 yards to go in front of them, the odds were staked against the leading Trojans, but that wasn't their thought process as they stormed down the field in just 6 plays after being jumpstarted by a 66 yard run by Jack Fennell that put North Catholic at the Armstrong 31. 5 plays later he ran it into the endzone for the touchdown. A 97-yard drive in 2 minutes and 20 seconds on only 6 plays allowed North Catholic to take the lead and all the momentum into halftime up 20-7. 

North Catholic got the first possession of the second half and punted it after an abrupt 3 and out, allowing the Riverhawks to get back on the board for the first time since 2 minutes and 48 seconds into the first quarter. After a 3 and out, Armstrong punted back to North Catholic, but the ball was muffed after the fair catch was called for giving Armstrong back the ball, but this time in North Catholic territory. Just 4 plays later, the Riverhawks were in the endzone after a touchdown pass to Nicholas McNeeley to make it a 20-14 game. The following three drives of the game combined for a total of 4 yards; all were 3 and outs. Armstrong got outstanding field positioning at the North Catholic 33 after the Trojans were backed up in their own end. The Riverhawks made quick work of it and were back in the endzone just 5 plays later off a 3-yard touchdown run by Kyan Kline. Armstrong had the lead 21-20. The Trojans needed a response, and they got one on a 3 and 3 from their own 37 where, with pressure in his face, Siket found Fennell on the near sideline, who went into an all-out sprint down to the Armstrong 10 after a 53-yard pass and catch. The Trojans 2 plays later found themselves with a 3rd and Goal from the 5. On that play, the snap evaded Siket, bouncing back to the 21, where Siket recovered but was now 4th and 21. The Trojans turned it over on downs on the first play of the 4th quarter. There would be no scoring threat over the next 7 minutes as with 4:37 to go, North Catholic turned the ball over on downs. On the following drive, Armstrong had the ball with 3rd and 8 from their own 47 with 3:08 on the clock. Oliver threw an incomplete deep pass down the far sideline, giving North Catholic another opportunity to get the lead, but not so fast; a flag was thrown for pass interference on the Trojans, giving the Riverhawks a fresh set of downs. 3 plays after that, Armstrong had the ball with a 4th and 7 from the North Catholic 37 with 1:28 remaining, and Oliver looked to pass again. He dropped back and threw towards Kline to his right, and it was incomplete; North Catholic forced a turnover on downs, but NO, the Trojans are called for pass interference again, and that would do it. Armstrong would win 21-20. 

Offensive Takeaways: This one was a tale of 2 halves for the North Catholic offense. Jack Fennell had 15 carries for 121 yards with 2 touchdowns in the first half; he had just 4 carries for 7 yards in the second half. Besides the 53-yard throw to Fennell in the 3rd quarter, the Trojans had minimal offense rhythm or explosiveness in the second half. Jason Siket was rock-solid, throwing for 144 yards. He was good. The offense was good. But they weren't good enough. They were not nearly as opportunistic as they could have been, and they couldn't finish drives when needed. 

Defensive Takeaways: The defense was superb for most of the night, but they, too, bent when they needed to be at their best. Jaydon Oliver was impactful for his team and did everything he had to do to win, throwing for 172 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Trojans got 2 interceptions, but that didn't stop their confidence in throwing the football. The warts in the secondary showed, especially in single coverage. Armstrong was great in 3+ down situations. North Catholic must be better there. The pass rush was sometimes there, but when it mattered most, it was nonexistent. It was a very similar performance grade to the offense, good, but not good enough. That sums up the night. 

Moving Forward: North Catholic made many mistakes tonight, losing them this game. The Trojans were up 20-7 at halftime. How about some points in the second half? No matter what you feel about the two pass-interference calls at the end of the game, Armstrong should have never been in that position in the first place. North Catholic was vulnerable, and the Riverhawks took advantage. They were opportunistic, and the Trojans were not. Armstrong was better, and the better team that night won. North Catholic will play Hampton this Friday, the 6th, at Hampton High School at 7 p.m. The Talbots are coming off a 28-26 loss to Connellsville, bringing them to 2-4 on the year, but they are 2-0 in section. The Trojans will be looking to change that, and we hope to see you there to witness it. Let's go Trojans!