Football - Derry vs North Catholic
Derry Wins Trojan War 36-29 Over North Catholic, Advances to WPIAL Title GameWhen Derry and North Catholic faced off on the artificial surface of Hempfield's Spartan Stadium on a wet Friday, November 10th evening, they knew it was more than another battle of conference foes. The two teams, who share the Trojans team mascot name, had faced off earlier in the season, a contest that Derry won 27-0. It was North Catholic's only loss, and coupled with Derry's regular season loss to Elizabeth Forward, the three teams shared the section title with identical records. But if their previous game was only a battle, this one was surely the full-on Trojan war, with the winner earning a trip to the WPIAL Class 3A championship game next weekend at Heinz Field and the loser turning in their game jerseys until next season. As a steady combination of wind and rain filled the air, Derry won the coin toss and deferred. North Catholic took possession of the opening kickoff and marched methodically down the field, taking six minutes off the first quarter clock as they scored on a 5-yard Zack Rocco to Nikhai Hill-Green touchdown pass. Will Kunzmann's PAT kick gave North Catholic a 7-0 lead. When Derry failed to get anything going on their own first possession, Rocco hit Tyree Brown with a 40-yard pass, setting North Catholic up inside the 10-yard line with over 4 minutes left in the quarter. But the Derry defense stiffened, and when it looked like North Catholic would settle for a field goal and a 10-point lead, Derry's Justin Flack broke through and blocked the kick, and as the first quarter ended, Derry trailed 7-0. The big special teams play might have been the spark that Derry needed, as Flack capped off a scoring drive with a 4-yard touchdown run with 1:22 remaining in the second quarter. Derry's PAT kick attempt was wide, but a North Catholic penalty gave Derry another try from the 1-yard line, and Paul Koontz hit Hunter Hebenthal with a pass for the two-point conversion and a 8-7 Derry lead. North Catholic, not content to go into the locker room trailing at halftime, scored on a 49-yard screen pass from Rocco to Hill-Green with 2 seconds left in the half, and Rocco's conversion pass to Hill-Green added two more points for a 15-8 North Catholic lead as the marching bands took the field. Derry took the second half kickoff and was forced to punt after being stymied on their possession. North Catholic quickly moved the ball into scoring position and padded their lead as Anthony Serventi scampered around right end into the endzone. Kunzmann added the PAT and it was 22-8 with 8:27 left in the third. A Derry fumble gave the ball right back to North Catholic, who took little time in bumping the score to 29-8 after Rocco called his own number from a yard out, and Kunzmann converted the PAT. With Derry trailing by 21 with just over 15 minutes left in the game, North Catholic looked to be in good position for a return trip to Heinz. But this is a Derry team that has faced adversity before, being down late in the game at Freeport before rallying for a comeback win in overtime. Taking only 1:35 off the third quarter clock, Koontz hit Jason Geary in the shadow of the North Catholic goalpost for a 25-yard touchdown, with Robert Boyer's PAT kick cutting the deficit to 14 points. Derry kept the momentum going into the fourth quarter as Onreey Stewart broke a 60-yard run to the house, and the North Catholic lead was suddenly only 7 points after Boyer's PAT. Derry continued to hold North Catholic out of the endzone, putting their offense in a position to tie the game after Flack carried for a touchdown from 1-yard away with 2:37 left in the game. But Derry was in for all-or-nothing, opting to try for two points on the conversion, which failed when Koontz was tackled in the backfield. Leading by a point with only 2- 1/2 minutes to play, North Catholic needed only to manage the clock, control the ball, and Derry would be denied a spot in the WPIAL finals once again. Derry, showing once again that they are never out of the game as long as time remains, put North Catholic into a third-and-long situation with only two minutes remaining to play. As Rocco looked to convert through the air, Flack seized the opportunity to pick him off, then avoided North Catholic tacklers as he ran with determination for a 30-yard pick-six and the points that put Derry back in the lead. A Colton Nemcheck run for the two-point conversion gave Derry a 7-point cushion at 36-29. North Catholic moved quickly on the next possession, with Rocco spotting receiver Tyree Brown inside the Derry 10-yard line. With Flack defending in coverage, the ball bounced off Brown's hands into Flack's waiting arms, and the interception allowed Derry to run out the clock from the victory formation, earning their first trip to Heinz Field. Derry moves their overall record to 11-1 and will play for the WPIAL 3A title next week against Aliquippa. North Catholic closes the season at 10-2, with both their losses at the hands of Derry. An expanded section of over 80 photos from the game follows below. |
