Memorable night ends with dramatic finish for Northgate

&emsp;&emsp;Last Friday night was one of the best at Alumni Field. Not only was the match-up between the South Side Area Rams and the Northgate Flames one of the most exhilarating games there in a decade, but what players from both teams participated in was more than just a game; it will have a lifelong impact on many. &emsp;&emsp;This game was one of three chosen as a Gold Star Honor Game in connection with Legacies Alive. A pregame ceremony honored 11 fallen military heroes and their families. Twelve players, seven from Northgate and five from South Side, gave up their names for the night to represent these soldiers. &emsp;&emsp;The players who committed to this selfless act for South Side were seniors Slayton Williams and Mateja Pavlovich, juniors Curtis Roy and Andrew Corfield, and Freshman Dawson Frazier. For Northgate, seniors Sonteon Layne, Anthony Hopkins, and Darius Fields, juniors Anthony Barron, Johrdon Hairston, and Kaden Stiger, and sophomore Billy Hurley represented six soldiers. &emsp;&emsp;The 11 soldiers honored were Sgt. Joseph Butcher and Sgt. Jacob Teets of the U.S. Army, Petty Officer 2nd Class Robert Gilbertson of the U.S. Navy, Gunnery Sgt. Justin Schmalstieg of the U.S. Marine Corps, Captain Christopher Hulbert, Major Ryan Nicklin, Staff Sgt. Brian Hause and Staff Sgt. Dylan Echlin of the U.S. Air Force, Machinist Mate Second Class Joseph Allen Ashley of the U.S. Navy, and Sgt. Thomas E. Vandling Jr. of the U.S. Army, a Northgate football alum. &emsp;&emsp;As for the game itself, there was a lot on the line. The Northgate Flames came in desperate for a win, as they were 0-3 in conference play after a 7-0 loss on the road against Laurel the previous week. Despite losing many seniors last season, the 2023 WPIAL 1A runner-up South Side Area Rams were 4-1 and looking to stay in contention for another section title. &emsp;&emsp;After a putrid offensive performance last week, Northgate got the ball first and put together an opening drive touchdown in less than three minutes. A 44-yard pass from senior quarterback Sonteon Layne to junior wide receiver Johrdon Hairston set up an eventual 3-yard rushing touchdown from Layne. &emsp;&emsp;South Side's first drive was the opposite of Northgate's but just as effective. The Rams ran their wing-T offense well all night, although the Flames limited big plays and made each drive difficult. A 10-minute drive that bled into the beginning of the second quarter ended with a 1-yard rushing touchdown from senior fullback Mateja Pavlovich. &emsp;&emsp;With the game tied at seven, the Northgate offense faced a seemingly probable punt situation with a 3rd down-and-35 looming. But a screen pass from Sonteon Layne to junior fullback Nick Rawlings fooled the defense, and Rawlings rumbled for a 50-yard gain to the South Side 35-yard line. On the next play, senior running back Darius Fields took a handoff and showed great patience, breaking through a hole and breaking tackles down the left sideline for a 35-yard touchdown run. &emsp;&emsp;During the next South Side possession, senior defensive lineman Kaleb Billings recovered a fumbled exchange inside their territory, setting the Flames' offense up at the Rams' 31-yard line. On the first play of the ensuing drive, junior wide receiver Anthony Barron caught a pass from Layne that bounced off the hands of a South Side defender for an 11-yard gain. Layne would cap off the four-play drive with two runs out of the wildcat formation, with the second run being 9 yards to collect his second rushing touchdown of the half.&emsp;&emsp;The Rams tried to end the half with a 41-yard field goal from the big leg of their kicker, fullback, and linebacker Mateja Pavlovich, but although it had the distance, it was wide left, and the Flames held a 21-7 lead at halftime. &emsp;&emsp;After a dominant first half, everything that could have gone wrong did for Northgate for most of the second half. The Flames looked to be in control after Sonteon Layne ended a six-minute South Side drive to open the third quarter, sacking freshman quarterback Dawson Frazier for a turnover on downs in the red zone. But on Northgate's ensuing drive, instead of punting on 4th-and-1 at their 30-yard line, the Flames attempted a run by Layne out of the wildcat, where a herd of Rams stuffed him short of the line to gain. From here, South Side took their newfound momentum and ran with it. Three plays into the ensuing drive, freshman running back Amare Moman found a big hole on a motion handoff for a 21-yard rushing touchdown. After forcing a Northgate punt, the Rams would have another long drive, going 52 yards in 15 plays to tie the game at 21 with just 4:30 left in the fourth quarter. Although South Side had all the momentum, the Northgate offense had only had the ball twice in the second half and was about to finally have an opportunity to go down and win the game. But an unusual and costly error by the Flames on special teams gave the ball right back to the Rams. A pooch kick by Mateja Pavlovich was not attempted to be caught by a Northgate returner on the left side, and the Rams recovered the ball at the Flames 25-yard line before a deep returner could get to it. With the Northgate defense gassed, senior running back Andrew Corfield, who ran 33 times for 156 yards and three touchdowns on the night, would convert a 3rd-and-5 for a 10-yard rushing touchdown with under two minutes remaining to give South Side their first lead of the night. The Flames got the ball back with 1:33 remaining and three timeouts, but things looked pretty bleak after Sonteon Layne was sacked on the drive's first play for a loss of six. However, Layne completed an 11-yard pass to Anthony Barron on the next play. After a timeout, he would quickly find senior wide receiver Anthony Hopkins over the middle for 19 yards and a first down inside the South Side 35-yard line. A 5-yard penalty by the Rams would put the ball at the 29-yard line, where Layne would roll out right and find Johrdon Hairston wide-open near the front right pylon for the touchdown. &emsp;&emsp;Taking too long deciding whether to go for two to win the game or kick the extra point to tie created what could have been a costly 5-yard delay of game penalty, but freshman kicker Sam Steitler, who was five-for-five on the night in extra point attempts, tied the game with no issues from 20-yards out.Each team in overtime is guaranteed one possession 10 yards out from the goal line until the game is won. After South Side took a knee to end regulation, they won the toss in overtime and chose to differ. Sonteon Layne took a direct snap for an easy rushing touchdown on the first play, and Sam Steitler kicked the extra point to give the Flames a 35-28 lead. But immediately on the Rams' first possession, Andrew Corfield would take the same pitch-handoff while motioning to his right that he did all game in for a touchdown. With the leg of Mateja Pavlovich, the Rams could have quickly taken the extra point and gone to a second overtime, but they elected to go for two for the win. With confidence in their run game, South Side returned to their bread-and-butter with Corfield. He followed his blockers and slipped a tackle, diving into the end zone for the conversion and the win, 36-35. Northgate's playoff hopes are dwindling. Losing three of their first four conference games by one possession in each could be the brutal reason this veteran team doesn't reach the program's goal of cracking the playoffs. However, they still have a legitimate path to win out. If they do so in convincing fashion, it's possible they could get the WPIAL playoff committee's attention for one of the final four playoff spots this year, especially with a strong loss against a legitimate playoff team like South Side. &emsp;&emsp; &emsp;&emsp;