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Sports

Season of Comebacks, Wolverines Fall Short in Championship

The Woodland Hills Wolverines football team finished a season that started sour and turned sweet to an ending of mixed emotions.

The Woodland Hills Wolverines brought a football season filled with uphill battles to a bittersweet end Nov. 27, losing 21-14 to the North Allegheny Tigers in the WPIAL AAAA championship game at Heinz Field.

The Wolverines were defending a championship title, winning last year against Gateway 10-0. Had his team won, head coach George Novak would have been the only WPIAL coach to win seven championships.

"This year, the playoffs were extremely tough -- we had to beat an outstanding Mt. Lebanon team [and] an outstanding North Hills team to get to North Allegheny," Novak said. "We were a little bit flat that first half. They got a sizable lead, and we weren't able to overcome it."

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The Wolverines fell behind early, coming out of the first half trailing North Allegheny by 21 points. Senior running back Lafayette Pitts, who came into the game with more than 1,700 rushing yards for the season, ran for only 49 throughout the game. Near the end of the first half, Pitts fumbled on a scoring drive, turning the ball over to the Tigers on their own four yard line.

"We made a couple of mistakes, but we stayed hard and fought back," Pitts said.

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In the second half, Pitts contributed a 25-yard scoring run, while quarterback Patrick Menifee connected with wide receiver Shakim Alonzo for a 46-yard touchdown.

Woodland Hills held North Allegheny scoreless in the second half, but the 21 points the Tigers registered in the first half proved insurmountable. With the fourth-quarter clock winding down and an offensive drive pushing near the red zone, the Wolverines turned over the ball on downs when Menifee was sacked.

"After the game, I was sad that we lost, but at the end of the day I could still sleep at night knowing that everybody played hard and tried their best," said senior defensive end Quinton Jefferson.

In any case, the Wolverines overcame some trying moments throughout the season to get to Heinz Field. The team lost 30 seniors from last year, Novak said, and started the season with a brand new offensive line.

Losing three of their first four games, Woodland Hills seemed an unlikely contender for the championship. However, Pitts, a vital part of their offense, didn't play in two of those losses.

But after making some lineup changes, Woodland Hills turned things around, ending the season 9-3 overall and 5-1 in their conference.

"I knew we could do it," Jefferson said. "We just started off a little slow because we had a new offensive line and a new quarter back.

"We had to get adjusted and come together as a team."

As the Associated Press recently reported, Woodland Hills has six former players currently on NFL rosters, more than any high school in the nation. Asked who would be next, Novak mentioned Pitts, Jefferson and linebacker Ejuan Price. 

"Lafayette Pitts probably had the best year, but you never know -- all three of them have great potential," Novak said.

Thirty-six seniors will leave the Wolverines at the end of the year. Novak said next year's team will be the least experienced the school has had in five years. 

But that doesn't worry him. In fact, it's what keeps him coaching after 24 years at the school.

"Every season is new and exciting and different," Novak said. "You never know what to expect in football."

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