Ambridge plays keep-away in victory over New Castle
New Castle (6) vs. Ambridge (17)
Written: Sep 15, 2012
By JOHN D’ABRUZZO
ncsports@ncnewsonline.com
About five minutes.
That’s just about all the time the New Castle High football team’s offense touched the ball during the second half of last night’s 17-6 Parkway Conference loss to Ambridge.
After trailing the Red Hurricane 6-0 in the first half, the Bridgers opened the third quarter with a crucial 17-play drive that ate up nearly 10 minutes. Nick Kingerski punched through with a 1-yard run to finish the drive to get Ambridge back in the game.
“That was huge,” said Ambridge coach Neil Tkatch, whose team picked up its first win in its last 10 games. “We have a lot of guys going one way and we knew they had a lot of guys (playing both offense and defense), so we knew we had to take advantage of that. We played physically, and I think you saw that in the second half.”
New Castle (0-2, 1-2), which struggled in the red zone for most of the game, coughed up the ball on the very next possession when Ambridge’s Toby Notarianni picked off New Castle quarterback Julian Cox and returned the interception 27 yards for a touchdown.
The Bridgers (1-1, 1-2) never looked back and added on some insurance when Nick Santiango booted a 22-yard field goal with 2:03 left in the game.
“You have to tip your hat to Ambridge,” New Castle coach Joe Cowart said. “They certainly have a good, little outfit over there. I’ve seen that program grow over a handful of years.
“They took the fight to us in the second half. We, as a group, have to respond better.”
The ’Canes jumped on the board early in the first quarter thanks to Jalen Holmes’ 59-yard touchdown reception from Cox. New Castle, however, missed converting two opportunities in Ambridge territory during the second quarter.
“We gave up a big play early and they really buckled down in the red zone a couple times, twice in the first half,” Tkatch said. “Then we started getting some turnovers in the second half.”
Besides turning the ball over on downs on the Bridgers’ 22, the ’Canes turned the ball over once again on their next possession. Thanks to a big 47-yard run by Holmes, New Castle drove as close as the Ambridge 15, but couldn’t convert.
New Castle actually found the end zone during that drive when Cox completed a pass to Stew Allen, but the play was flagged because New Castle had an illegal man down field.
“We certainly left some plays on the field,” Cowart said. “We had the touchdown called back and we were in the red zone before that. It’s all about executing, understanding your role on offense and being able to make it happen when your number’s called.
“Still, it comes back to our coaching staff and getting the kids prepared. We have to get better all the way around.”
Ambridge running back Kody Nichi led all rushers with 90 yards on 25 carries. Kennell Washington followed with 74 yards on 14 carries.
Holmes, who rushed for 60 yards on eight carries, paced New Castle with 119 yards of total offense.
“Overall, I’m disappointed in how we executed, on both sides of the ball,” Cowart said. “But we have to put our kids in position to make plays.
“It comes from the top and we’ll do everything in our power to right the ship.”
(Email: ncsports@ncnewsonline.com)
AMBRIDGE NEW CASTLE
12 First downs 9
221 Yards Rushing 143
13 Yards Lost 25
208 Net Rushing 118
4 Passes Attempted 16
2 Passes Completed 4
0 Passes Intercepted 2
8 Yards Passing 90
216 Total Yards 208
3-1 Fumbles-Lost 1-1
6-38.5 Punts-Average 2-43
2-15 Penalties-Yards 3-19
AMBRIDGE 0 0 143 — 17
NEW CASTLE 6 0 0 0 — 6
Scoring plays
NEW CASTLE — Jalen Holmes, 59-yard pass from Julian Cox (kick failed)
AMBRIDGE — Nick Kingerski, 1-yard run (Nick Santiago kick)
AMBRIDGE — Toby Notarianni, 27-yard interception return (Santiago kick)
AMBRIDGE — Santiago, 22-yard field goal.
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