West Allegheny uses late TD and 2-point conversion to edge Trinity
What could have been for the Trinity Hillers’ football team this season.
Another close loss and another set of coulda, woulda shouldas plagued the Hillers as they fell to West Allegheny 25-24 Friday night in a key Class 5A Allegheny Six Conference contest at Hiller Field.
West Allegheny (3-1, 6-3) clinched a berth in the playoffs, a place where longtime coach Bob Palko expected to have his squad back in when he returned to the program this season.
Trinity (1-3, 4-5) has multiple close losses to Thomas Jefferson, Hempfield and now West Allegheny this season.
This game was a microcosm of the Hillers’ season as they outgained the Indians 434 yards to 226. But two turnovers hampered their efforts. Now they need to win next week at Bethel Park and hope for some help to reach the Class 5A postseason.
Chase Kostelnik found the end zone three times for the Hillers. Owen Samogala rushed for 94 yards and threw for 175, but it was not enough.
Trinity came out smoking in the third quarter after sputtering much of the first half. The Hillers marched 72 yards to open the half. Samogala capped the drive with a 13-yard touchdown strike to Kostelnik. Theextra-point kick was good, bringing the contest to a 10-10 standstill early in the third.
The Hillers’ defense got another stop and forced a punt that was downed on their own 10. Samogala and the suddenly hot Hiller offense simply shrugged and went to work, marching 90 yards in seven plays, capped by a 27-yard connection to Kostelnik. The kick was good, giving the Hillers their first lead at 17-10 with 2:25 left in the third quarter.
West Allegheny responded with gusto on their ensuing drive as they knotted the score again, courtesy of a 13-yard Mason Bryan-to-Nico Police connection. The drive came at a cost as lead running back Brodie Cornell injured his right leg and needed assistance off the field. He was lost for the rest of the game.
Trinity, however, was not phased. The Hillers moved 64 yards on their next drive and retook the lead on a seven-yard rush into the end zone by Kostelnik. Cooper Cincinnati’s kick was good, giving Trinity a 24-17 lead halfway through the fourth quarter.
But the Indians showed their mettle as they drove 75 yards in five minutes to score the eventual winning touchdown. Bryan found Police down the seam for a 25-yard touchdown. West Allegheny went for two and converted when Bryan rolled right and found an open Police, who reeled in the two-point throw with 49 seconds left, giving West Allegheny a one-point lead.
Samogala was intercepted by Dylan Braithwaite on the Indians’ 35 with 11 seconds to play, ending what had been a thrilling contest.
West Allegheny struck first on their opening possession with a 39-yard field goal by Caden Gnoth. The Indians’ scoring drive was set up by a 42-yard kickoff return by Cornell. West Allegheny moved to the Trinity 22 before the drive stalled.
Trinity went three-and-out on their opening drive and punted back to West Allegheny. The Indians moved from there to the Trinity 8, where the Hiller defense stiffened. They got the stop when Gnoth’s 25 yard field goal sailed wide left, leaving the Hiller deficit at 3-0.
Trinity got its offense moving early in the second quarter as they moved from their 20 to the West Allegheny 35. Unfortunately for the Hillers, the West Allegheny defense stepped up with a big-time momentum-shifting play when Jayce Stanton intercepted a pass and raced 69 yards to for a touchdown, handing the visitors a 10-0 lead at the 7:21 mark of the second quarter.
The Hillers did respond with a scoring drive. Trinity drove from its 35 to the West Allegheny 6 before the Indians’ defense stiffened. Cincinnati came on to boot a 23-yard field goal to cut the West Allegheny lead to 10-3.