North Catholic stymies Kiski Area for Week 4 win

By: Bob Orkwis
Friday, September 22, 2023 | 11:43 PM

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A week after shutting out Highlands in their conference opener, North Catholic came on the road and authored another strong defensive performance in a 28-7 win over Kiski Area.

“They are a focused and locked in group,” coach Chris Rizzo said of his defensive unit. “We tackle the ball pretty well, and I think we’re getting a lot better in the secondary. When you can limit powerful offenses to minimal or no explosive plays, you always have a chance.”

For the second straight week, the Trojans took advantage of a special teams gaffe to get the first score of the game.

One play after a muffed punt was recovered by North Catholic’s Nick Franco, Jack Fennell took off on a 53-yard run to give the Trojans a 7-0 lead.

Fennell, who rushed for 159-yards, has surpassed the 100-yard mark four times in five games on the season.

Rizzo is not surprised his senior running back is having a great season.

“He’s a phenomenal athlete and an incredibly talented running back. He sees the field really well. Kiski did a really job of loading the box on us tonight on defense. He did a good job of finding what space there was and maximizing it.”

That lead stood until halftime, before North Catholic scored again on its first possession of the second half.

Danny Franco capped the drive with a 30-yard run to put North Catholic in front 14-0 less than two minutes into the third quarter.

The Trojans defense added a touchdown of its own.

Senior Brady Koziara intercepted a Carson Heinle pass and returned it 35 yards for a 21-0 lead for the Trojans.

“Brady is an on-the-field leader,” Rizzo said of his senior defensive back. “He’s a guy that has absolutely bought into to our culture, and he’s a guy that a lot of our guys gravitate towards. He’s just a fierce competitor on the field.”

Quarterback Jason Siket, who threw for 106 yards, added an 11-yard touchdown run to give the Trojans a 28-0 lead.

Kiski Area was able to avoid the shutout, spoiling the Trojans’ bid with 3 minutes, 13 seconds left in the game on an 8-yard run by Landon Kucic.

Heinle completed 14 of 30 passes for 169 yards. Andrew Finney caught six of those balls for 89 yards in the loss.

Kiski Area falls to 1-4, 0-2 on the season, and the Cavaliers hit the road to face Indiana next week.

North Catholic (3-2. 2-0) returns home for a big Greater Allegheny matchup against Armstrong next Friday.

“We have to make sure that we play good offensive football like we did tonight in the second half,” Rizzo said of next week’s game against the River Hawks. “Defensively, week have a great challenge. They (Armstrong) have a couple of really good wide receivers; they have a couple of up and coming quarterbacks with good arms. I’m excited about next week’s test.”

Tags: Kiski Area, North Catholic