Sports
North Hills High School Varsity Football: Indians, 35 — Commodores, 13
North Hills wins its first home game 35-13 against Perry Traditional Academy. View a photo gallery of the game Friday night.
Story by James Copper, Patch Contributor
The North Hills Indians won their first home game Friday night, ending 35-13 against Perry Traditional Academy.
The North Hills Indians football program does not rebuild, it reloads, Indians' assistant coach Pat Carey said before the game while reflecting on the start of the season. The goal, he said, is a long playoff run.
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On Looking Forward
The team, which ended 8-1 in conference play last year with a loss in the WPIAL semi-finals, lost many of its experienced players from that season to graduation. That shouldn't matter this year, Carey said.
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“We tell our players that we expect them to win and they gain confidence as a result," he said.
On the Quarterback
The biggest change this season for the team is quarterback Anthony Rizzitano, who took over the position after spending some time playing defensive back. Carey said he believes Rizzitano, a senior at North Hills High, is a natural fit for the job.
“He is a crafty player that will do whatever it takes to win," Carey said.
On the Offense
Rizzitano is protected by returning senior starter offensive lineman Andy Carfagna, who has been the most impressive offense player in camp. Carfagna is big, talented and leads by example. Helping Carfagna on the line will be junior returning starter Andrew Ungerman. Also returning on offense is senior running back Mike Sieber.
On the Defense
On the defensive side of the ball, Carey said he is expecting a lot from returning senior starting linebacker Kevin Corcoran.
“We have high expectations for Corcoran and so far he has met those expectations," he said.
Corcoran will get some assistance from returning junior starting defensive back Tyler Reddick. Reddick may also get some playing time at running back as well.
On Winning
“A successful season for us is to make it to Heinz Field,” Carey said.
The next game is scheduled against Woodland Hills High School Friday, Sept. 9 at . The game starts at 7:30 p.m.
This article originally published with the incorrect spelling of Andy Carfagna's last name. Patch regrets the error.
