Wexford, PA - North Catholic kicked off Homecoming weekend with a dominating 19-0 win over the Highlands Golden Rams last Friday, the 15th, at Lt. JC Stone Field. In front of a tremendous crowd, the Trojans finally played their most complete game of the year, and it came at the right time. 

Some Background: The Trojans came into this game 1-2 on the year after two straight losses, with the first coming to Shady Side Academy 34-28 in overtime and the second coming at the hands of Aliquippa 33-7. The defense had been showing improvement, but the offense was struggling. Against the Quips, the offense generated 4 positive yards during the first half. Even more concerning, Highlands had been outscoring teams by an average of 23 points per game. However, their starting quarterback, Aaron Randolph, was ruled out before kick-off after having several strong outings the previous three games against non-section opponents. Still, most of the offense for Highlands is driven through the running game, particularly from Luke Bombalski, whose powerful running style has been causing problems for defenses dating back beyond last year's game between these two clubs, when he rushed for 110 yards in a 17-7 win over North Catholic. In the Trojans' previous match against Aliquippa, highly recruited Quip running back Tiqwai Hayes ran for 201 yards on 25 carries, which left the question of how North Catholic would fare against the run in this game and would they be able to play a complete game on both sides of the ball in their first section game of the year? 

The Game: The Trojans started with the ball and, on the first play, got a 14-yard run toward the North Catholic sideline, which was already 10 more yards of offense in the first half than they had against Aliquippa last week. They had to punt it, and Brady Koziara pinned the Golden Rams back at their own 8. After a 3 and out from Highlands, Luke Bombalski was lined up to give a routine punt but was prevented after senior Trey Purnsley recovered a snap that bounced off the turf and off his chest at the 2-yard line. Jack Fennell took out the trash on the next play on a 2-yard touchdown run to give his team the lead 6-0 after a missed extra point. On the next drive for Highlands, quarterback Menage Lucas threw a deep pass over the middle that Ryker Kennedy intercepted at the North Catholic 33-yard line. The rest of the first half didn't have much offense or explosive plays defensively to speak of, as both teams exchanged punts, and Highlands was held to one first down the entire half. Halftime came, and the score remained 6-0. ? ? ? ?
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The 2nd half began with more first downs for both teams, but the defenses remained firm until North Catholic got back on the board with 4:08 remaining in the 3rd quarter. On 2nd and 4 from the 27-yard line, with a clean pocket, Jason Siket stepped up and threw a dart toward the back of the endzone to Jack White for the touchdown. That is back-to-back weeks that Jack White has had a 20+ yard touchdown reception. The Trojans went up 12-0, as the 2-point conversion failed afterward. It didn't take long for the Trojans to add to their lead as just 2 minutes and 31 seconds later, Jason Siket, from his 26-yard line, rolled to his right off the bootleg and found the 6'6, 240 Brady O'Hara, who turned on the jets, after a great block by Jack White, and ran the remaining 65 yards to the house for the touchdown which put up his team 19-0 with 1:31 to go in quarter number three. It was an extraordinarily athletic play from the star junior, who played his best game of the year on both sides of the ball. Those points were enough to carry North Catholic the rest of the night, as they did not let the Highlands offense get a toe into the red zone at any point in the game. It was a complete beat down of a team that had their number last year and finished second in the conference. 

Offensive Takeaways: This week's offense was much improved from what we have seen in the previous two weeks. They were poised and in control every time they stepped on that field, regardless of whether that drive ended in points. Senior QB Jason Siket had a great night and led his group to 312 yards of total offense. Getting Brady O'Hara involved offensively was a point of emphasis for Coach Rizzo coming into this season, and he has had two long touchdown receptions in the two home games at Lt. JC Stone Field thus far. When he is involved, the offense is much more unpredictable and dynamic. Look to see more of that to come in the games ahead. The offensive line was also significantly better and provided ample pocket time for Siket and sizable holes for Fennell and Franco most of the game. A more general observation was that every player in the offense was finally on the same page. They bought into every play, including by blocking upfield to pave the way for even longer plays like the O'Hara touchdown in the 3rd quarter, aided by a massive block by Jack White. Overall, there are lots of positives to go around; even though they left some points on the table, it is clear that they still have more to give. 

Defensive Takeaways: The Trojans' defense was just about perfect this week. It was a shutout against a team that came into the game scoring an average of 38 points per game against other 4A teams. They allowed just 110 yards of offense for Highlands, and almost all of it was on the ground, of which the Golden Rams earned just over 3 yards per carry. Jackson Schade was a difference-maker on the D-line throughout the contest, as he stuffed multiple rushes and provided numerous quarterback pressures. The secondary has been stellar in the last two games after two sub-par performances against Serra Catholic and Shady Side Academy in the first two weeks of the year. The improvement has been dramatic since. However, they have not played at the high caliber of a quarterback since, but they will as the year progresses. In all, there is a lot to be excited about with this defensive front. 

Moving Forward: If this game indicates how the Trojans will play against their other section opponents this season, this team is going places. This was by far the most complete game they have played on both sides of the ball, and they still left points on the table. The expectation should be continued poise offensively with sustained drives and momentum-changing plays. Defensively, a lot more of the same would do the trick! North Catholic will look to deliver on that and build on their momentum against their next section opponent, Kiski, this Friday, the 22nd, at Richard J. Dilts Field at 7 o'clock. Let's go Trojans! 

Additional Notes: North Catholic Kicker Rylee Kumer should be back in the lineup this Friday, the 22nd, after missing this game against Highlands after suffering a broken nose during her goalkeeping duties at the Girl's Soccer game against Mars on the 11th. Even though she didn't play, she still had a great night as she won Homecoming Queen for the class of 2024 to make the night even more special.