Stark Area Roundup

BIG LOSS

It remains to be seen how serious Louisville quarterback Chad Neff’s left knee is injured. Neff left the Alliance game in the second quarter and did not return. He is a huge part of the Leopards’ offense. He’s a good kid, too. Hopefully Neff is on the mend and able to return this season.
Worstell grading high

Film review of GlenOak quarterback Reid Worstell indicates that the junior is playing better than maybe numbers say or with a first look through real time. Against Fitch, it appeared as though Worstell held the ball too long on a couple of sacks, but head coach Scott Garcia said Worstell played better than even he initially thought.

“We had some breakdowns in protection on the line at times,” Garcia said. “And there was one play where Reid stepped up to avoid pressure or one of our backs ran into him and knocked the ball loose.”

TAKING LEAD

Last spring when Worstell first enrolled at GlenOak High School, the football team didn’t have practice. However, there was offseason conditioning in the gym, and that was the first chance Worstell’s new teammates got to look at him.

The team was running “suicides” in the gym when an assistant coach offered the players a deal. If one of them stepped up and hit a 3-point shot, running would end early.

“No one raised their hand, so I raised mine,” said Worstell, who also plays basketball. “I wasn’t worried about missing the shot and making them mad at me. Actually, that never entered my mind.”

Worstell took the shot, and as the ball left his hand, he started walking off the floor before the ball went through the net. He won over his teammates that day.

GLENOAK'S SCHEDULE

While the final four games of the season will not be easy for GlenOak, the meat of the Golden Eagles’ schedule is out of the way. They went to Massillon, Fitch and McKinley and got wins in three of their first six games.

GlenOak wraps up the regular season with Lake, Boardman, Hoover and Perry.

Boardman will be a difficult game, another on the road. The Spartans started with losses to Benedictine and Mooney, but have won the last four against Hoover, Perry, Lake and Hoban.

Perry, Lake and Hoover do not have winning records and are a combined 6-12 with just three league wins between them.

JUST NASTY

GlenOak’s offensive line has played with a nasty streak just about all season and it was impressive what it did against McKinley, especially with starter Steve Mathie (6-foot-4, 275 pounds) out with an injury. One player who showed up well was Brenson Ennis, (6-4, 320). He dominated his man most of the night and had a couple of pancake blocks.

Head coach Scott Garcia recalled seeing Ennis at practice for the first time when he was a freshman. Ennis initially wanted to be a quarterback and went and worked out with the quarterbacks.

“He wanted to be a passer,” Garcia said laughing. “I’m like ‘are you serious?’ Then I introduced him to the offensive line coaches. He might be the most improved player I’ve ever coached. He gets better every day.”

TOUGH SCHEDULE

Akron Hoban, which lost to Massillon on Friday night, is 0-6. But the Knights have played a brutal schedule against Gonzaga (Washington D.C.), Benedictine, Boardman, Bishop Hartley, St. Vincent-St. Mary and Massillon. Those teams came into this week’s game with a combined 24-6 record.

TOUGHER SCHEDULE

Maybe no team in Northeast Ohio has had a tougher first-half schedule than Euclid, which got its first win of the season against Shaw. The Panthers’ first five opponents (Mentor, Brunswick, GlenOak, St. Vincent-St. Mary and Cleveland Heights) were a combined 25-0 in their first five games.

McKINLEY'S PLAYOFF CHANCES

McKinley’s loss to GlenOak need not be devastating. The Bulldogs came into that game in fifth place in Division I, Region 2. One feather in McKinley’s hat is Jackson’s win against Fitch. What the Pups need is for Huber Heights Wayne to win the rest of its games. The Warriors are 2-3 coming into this week’s games.

McKinley’s next three games are against Perry and Hoover on the road, and then the Pups have Boardman at home before playing Massillon at Fawcett Stadium. Winning all four could get McKinley a home playoff game. A loss and things will be iffy sneaking in.

GlenOak is in the driver’s seat. Jackson is making a strong push for the postseason, too. Stark County can get three teams in the playoffs from Region 2, but probably not four. Jackson, McKinley and Massillon most likely will have to scrap it out for two of the remaining three spots.

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St. Xavier hands Elder its fourth consecutive loss

Ben Walpole/Community Press

St. Xavier ran fewer plays on offense and held the ball for a shorter amount of time than did Elder, but the Bombers rallied for a 21-6 win over the Panthers Friday night at St. Xavier behind a sack-happy defense in a Greater Catholic League slugfest.

It was the 92nd football game between Elder and St. Xavier. Elder leads the series 48-38-6.

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Elder ran 70 plays to St. Xavier’s 48 and outgained the Bombers 237-227. The Panthers held a 26:45-21:15 advantage in time of possession. But that wasn’t enough.
“I’m not a big stat guy,” St. Xavier coach Steve Specht said. “I tell our kids the final score is the only stat that matters to us.”

One stat that did matter was the 11 sacks the Bombers defense recorded, stifling drive after drive with seven of those coming in the second half.

“That’s made possible by all 11 guys,” St. Xavier senior defensive lineman Bryson Albright said. “If someone gets a sack, it’s because everyone else did their job.”

St. Xavier took the lead for good with a three-yard touchdown run by senior quarterback Griffin Dolle with 3:57 to play in the second quarter after Elder controlled much of the first half.

The Bombers (4-2, 1-1 GCL South) then put the game away with a one-yard touchdown run by senior running back Conor Hundley with 8:36 to play in the fourth quarter and a 40-yard touchdown run by Hundley with 3:10 to play as St. Xavier snapped a two-game losing streak. Hundley finished with 131 yards on 23 carries and Dolle added 72 yards on 11 carries.

Elder (2-4, 0-1) has now lost four straight.

The Panthers opened the game with a 12-play, 65-yard drive and took the early lead on a two-yard run by Cody Fox, but Sam Williams’s point-after was blocked.

“They punched us right in the mouth,” Specht said. “I told our kids everybody has a plan until you get punched in the face and that’s what they did. It’s a test of character if you can bounce back from that and fortunately we were able to bounce back.”

The Panthers were stout on the ground in the early-going, rushing for 56 yards on 11 runs during the opening drive and converted two fourth-down plays to keep the drive alive. Elder held a 168-89 advantage in total yardage through the first half, including a 103-89 advantage on the ground. Fox ran for 65 yards on 17 carries in the first half and finished with 96 yards on 23 carries. White finished with 53 yards on six carries.

Gramke completed 14 of 25 passes for 139 yards.

“We always like to start with the run first and just build off that,” Fox said. “It really opens things up in the pass game most of the time.”

St. Xavier was forced to punt on its first possession and the Panthers started moving the ball again. A couple fortuitous events – a penalty on a punt that extended the drive and a first-down run after a fumble behind the line of scrimmage -- had Elder in position to take a two-score lead.

“Plays like that are back-breakers,” Albright said. “The key is to bounce back.”

The Bombers did bounce back and finally got the ball back when Gramke’s fourth-and-two pass from the St. X 26 fell incomplete.

“We had a bad sack and that kind of killed the drive,” Fox said. “We have to step up there and get a 13- or 14-point lead early.”

St. Xavier then went on a 14-play, 75-yard drive to take the lead on Dolle’s run.

“I thought the 14-play drive we put together in the second quarter was big for us,” Specht said. “It showed our guys we could pound the ball too and just trade punches.”

Elder (2-3) entered having dropped three straight games to defending state champions after a 2-0 start to the season with losses to Kentucky’s Louisville Trinity, Ohio’s Lakewood St. Edward and Miami, Florida’s Central.

St. Xavier had dropped two straight coming into the game to Trinity and Moeller.

Written by Tom Ramstetter (Enquirer contributor)

http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20110930/SPT030101/310010013/

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Griffins beat Orangemen 20-13 in mud and rain

Ellet tacklers Robert Schutte (1) and Dana Millirons (right) stop Buchtel running back Darren McGinnis (4) after a short gain during first-half action in their City Series football game at Kenmore High School on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2011, in Akron, Ohio. (Ed Suba Jr./Akron Beacon Journal)

The only thing more difficult than playing on Kenmore High School’s football field Saturday afternoon was finding compromise in Congress.

The Buchtel Griffins and Ellet Orangemen battled in the mud and muck in a soggy game that the Griffins (3-3, 3-0) won 20-13.

Both teams fought through a quagmire while a light rain made conditions worse.

The teams virtually forgot about passing, relying on running games and special teams. In those areas, Buchtel had a decided advantage — despite the presence of talented, multidimensional Aaron Male on Ellet’s team.
Defensive back and kick returner Ernie Calhoun, who stands about 5-foot-7, provided the boost from the onset, taking the opening kickoff back 98 yards for a touchdown.

“I saw the outside open up clear as day and just ran,” Calhoun said of his run.
Ellet coach Joe Yost found his team down by seven points quickly.

“Certainly we were hoping to not let them have a touchdown on the opening kickoff. Our goal was to kick to the swamp and we did,” he said. “We didn’t cover very well. It’s probably stupid to give Buchtel a 7-zip lead with five seconds run off the clock.”

Calhoun, who also had an interception in the game, wasn’t done, in a game where field position proved invaluable. With over six minutes left in the first half, Calhoun caught the ball at his own 35, found a crease in the coverage team and dashed 48 yards to set up Buchtel at the Ellet 17-yard line.

Senior running back Darren McGinnis, who rushed for more than 100 yards in the game, ate up 13 yards on the first carry after the return. Two plays later, sophomore quarterback Chris Davis pushed his way to the end zone for the score.

McGinnis bulled his away around the field most of the afternoon, picking up acreage in chunks and converting crucial third downs.

“Running was pretty hard, the mud was pretty deep. I just had to lift my knees and stretch my legs [to get traction],” McGinnis said.

It probably didn’t hurt that McGinnis stands close to 6-feet tall and is carved from granite, size being something he was able to use.

“It was an advantage,” he said. “I just had to go out there, run hard and hit the corner as quick as I could.”
By the time the Griffins scored their third touchdown, the game seemed over. Credit Ellet for playing otherwise, finally getting on the scoreboard when Male broke free for a 40-yard touchdown run at the 1:02 mark in the third quarter.

The Orangemen weren’t done. Sparked by that effort, Ellet opened the fourth quarter by blocking a Buchtel punt, recovering the ball at the Griffins’ 11-yard line and eventually taking it into the end zone. A missed extra point made the score 20-13 with 8:34 left in the game. That was the closest Ellet got.

“We knew what it was going to be like mudwise,” Yost said. “We played here last week in the same conditions. I thought our kids hung in there and I thought they played hard. … Sometimes Mother Nature gets in the way. Buchtel played better than we did.”

In the end, the game showed the difference that one player can make, depending on the situation. On Saturday, that was the Griffins’ Calhoun.

“He kind of did it all, but we always believe it’s a team effort,” Buchtel coach Ricky Powers said. “Our team had to be doing something right for him to be able to do those things.”


George M. Thomas can be reached at sportswriterabj@sbcglobal.net. Read the high school blog at www.ohiomm.com/blogs/varsity_letters/.

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St Vincent St Mary Outlasts Rival Hoban

St. Vincent-St. Mary's Sae'Von Fitzgerald is hit and brought down by Archbishop Hoban's Jordan Cook (16) in the first half Friday at InfoCision Stadium. (Ed Suba Jr./Akron Beacon Journal)

The St. Vincent-St. Mary Fighting Irish and Archbishop Hoban Knights played true to an old cliché Friday night at InfoCision Stadium.

The Irish came into their annual grudge match undefeated and the Knights were winless.

It was clear, however, that the Irish were going to need more than luck as the two teams battled in a low-scoring defensive scrum that had the Irish (5-0) scrounging for every point in a 17-14 victory, their fifth consecutive win in the series.

An inspired Knights (0-5) defense throttled the Irish offense, usually led by an unstoppable passing game, that came into the contest averaging more than 50 points in its previous four victories. The Knights also forced four turnovers to slow the Irish.

“It’s the Hoban game,” Irish coach Dan Boarman said of his team’s offensive struggle. “I don’t care if you’re 0-4 or 4-0, it doesn’t matter.”

The Knights roughed up Irish quarterback Kevin Besser for most of the evening, causing three interceptions and a fumble that forced St. V-M to turn to a running game that previously hadn’t carried the load for the team.

Friday was different. The Irish rushed for 198 yards on 42 carries with running backs Matt Matuska (103 yards on 17 carries and a touchdown) and Sae’von Fitzgerald (78 yards on 13 carries) inflicting most of the damage on the ground.

On the fumble, Besser faced a thunderous rush from Hoban’s Jolewis Washington, who blindsided him on the play for the sack. The Knights recovered the ball to thwart an Irish drive.

That was typical of the hard-fought first half. Anytime the Irish discovered some rhythm on offense, the Knights came up with a play to throw them off.

It happened again before halftime. After marching down to the Hoban 4-yard line, Besser found himself with a second-and-goal with eight seconds to go before the half.

He dropped back to pass, hit Fitzgerald on the hands and the ball deflected into the air and was intercepted.
Trailing 7-3 at the half, and the passing game grounded, the Irish knew they had to adjust, Matuska said.
“We weren’t really sure why the passing game wasn’t working,” he said. “We made the adjustment at halftime. It worked and we stuck with it.”

Despite being behind, Matuska said, St. V-M didn’t panic.

“We knew that they were making us play their game, so we had to play our game,” he said.

The Irish took the ball first in the second half and practically rammed it down the Knights’ throats. The 10-play, 68-yard drive took more than five minutes and put the Irish ahead for the first time when Matuska crashed the goal line from 3 yards out.

That effort appeared to fire up the Irish defense. It forced the Knights to punt on their first possession of the second half, then gathered momentum as seconds ticked away.

The Irish took over at their 46 and Fitzgerald carried the ball three consecutive times, peeling off 27 yards. A keeper by Besser put the ball at the 15. On the next play, Besser hit Fitzgerald with a short pass for the winning score.

“The defender played to the inside,” Fitzgerald said, “and I just set up the block.”

The Knights had plenty of fight left, eventually scoring on a 16-play, 79-yard drive to trim St. V-M’s lead to 17-14, but were unable to mount another drive because the Irish milked the clock with their running game.


George M. Thomas can be reached at sportswriterabj@sbcglobal.net. Read the high school blog at www.ohiomm.com/blogs/varsity_letters/. Also on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ABJ_Varsity. Follow ABJ sports on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sports.abj.

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Recruiting Update

Lakewood St. Edward's Greg Kuhar

Jhalil-Nashid Croley - Bowling Green
PRINCETON HIGH SCHOOL - Class of 2012

Greg Kuhar - Northwestern
ST EDWARD HIGH SCHOOL - Class of 2012

Terry Davis - North Carolina State
WYOMING HIGH SCHOOL - Class of 2012

Kurt Laseak - Ohio
MENTOR HIGH SCHOOL - Class of 2012

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Week 4 Games of the Week

Canton McKinley vs Austintown Fitch

Trinity (Kentucky) vs St. Xavier

Lakewood St. Edward  vs Cincinnati Elder

Youngstown Cardinal Mooney vs Mentor Lake Catholic

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Mitch Trubisky's 553 yards of offense, five touchdowns lead Mentor past St. Ignatius

Mentor's Cameron Kavan reacts after hauling in a pass against St. Ignatius in the second half. (Joshua Gunter/ The Plain Dealer)

MENTOR, Ohio — Ever watch a football game on tape and fast-forward between plays?

Watching Mentor is akin to watching the entire game on triple-speed fast-forward. Your eyes dart and your heart races like a caffeine addict, and don't even think about a bathroom break.

In a game that was a statistician's nightmare and a fantasy leaguer's, well, fantasy, No. 3 Mentor defeated visiting No. 4 St. Ignatius, 38-24, Friday night in front of 6,800 at Osborne Stadium.

Mentor's vaunted five-wide, no-back offense is living up to its hype, but is not without flaws.

Quarterback Mitch Trubisky had 553 combined yards passing and rushing, and five touchdowns.

The 6-3 senior completed 28 of 44 passes for 469 yards and three touchdowns, and had 84 yards rushing with two TDs rushing.

He also threw four interceptions, which led to 17 St. Ignatius points. Senior cornerback Adam North had three picks, and junior Thomas Fanning returned an interception for a touchdown.


"I'm more worried about the interceptions and improving next week. As long as we got the 'W,' it doesn't really matter," Trubisky said.

Mentor's 608 yards total offense is believed to be a school record, as is Trubisky's passing yards. Senior wideout Cameron Kavan caught 14 passes for 284 yards.

The Cardinals' defense came up with enough big plays to force three St. Ignatius field-goal attempts while holding running back Tim McVey (205 yards rushing) and quarterback Eric Williams (223 yards passing) to one touchdown each. Kicker Tim Shenk missed two 53-yarders and made a 22-yarder.

"In the beginning, too many people, including myself, were trying to make too many big plays," said Mentor defensive end Tom Strobel, who had 3 1/2 sacks. "Once we played as a team, there was nothing that could stop us."

St. Ignatius (2-1) overcame a 14-0 first quarter deficit and led, 21-17, in the second quarter. The Wildcats finished with 413 yards total offense, and four turnovers.

"We were getting yardage, but you don't get points for yardage," St. Ignatius coach Chuck Kyle said. "We were running the ball pretty well and we were saying, 'Let's keep the faith.' We had a couple turnovers in the second half that really hurt."

Trailing, 31-24, early in the fourth, St. Ignatius was driving for a potential tying touchdown, but McVey fumbled and Mentor linebacker Blase Chiappone recovered at the Mentor 8-yard line.

Trubisky engineered a 92-yard, nine-play drive and threw to a wide-open Conner Krizancic for a 12-yard TD with 6:11 remaining.

"We're going to play this game again, I guarantee that. That's a great football team, and we'll do it again in November," Mentor coach Steve Trivisonno said. In the first quarter, Mentor's 14-0 lead was the result of Kavan's 14-yard touchdown catch and Trubisky's 17-yard TD run.

North's first interception led to a 2-yard TD run by McVey, and Fanning's interception return tied it.

Mentor answered with a field goal drive, and each team followed with four-play, 80-yard drives. St. Ignatius' Williams threw a 45-yard TD pass to Jake Mooney. Trubisky countered with a 2-yard touchdown scamper after he completed a 58-yard bomb to Ashton. The Cardinals had 394 yards offense at halftime, and a 24-21 lead.

The fun was just beginning.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: twarsinskey@plaind.com, 216-999-4661
On Twitter:@TimsTakePD

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Who's Hot

Who's Hot and Who's Not? 

Mentor's Mitch Trubisky runs on a quarterback keeper as St. Ignatius' Edward Cleveland closes in during the second half. - (Joshua Gunter, Cleveland Plain Dealer)

As we enter week four of the season, it's easy to see that some teams have began the season on a mission to make a statement. Below are the teams who are catching everyone's attention across the state of Ohio.
 

Mentor - Mentor is coming off of a huge win in which they dismantled perennial power St. Ignatius. Mentor has also beaten Youngstown Ursuline, another powerhouse.

Steubenville - The Big Red are off to a 3-0 start with big wins against Akron Buchtel, Morgantown (WV), and Bishop Ryan (Ontario)

Lakewood St. Edward - With wins against Ohio powers Cleveland Glenville and Youngstown Cardinal Mooney. St. Ed's is obviously one of the best teams in the state, it shows by being ranked in the top 10 of nearly every national poll.

Cincinnati St. Xavier - The Bombers stopped Colerain....at HOME. Enough said.

Akron St. Vincent - St. Mary - A lot of questions remained after losing Doran Grant and a ton of seniors, but behind speed and an explosive offense, the Fighting Irish have proven that they're a team to reckon with.

Middletown - The Middies are 3-0 with wins over Wayne, Cincinnati Winton Woods, and Troy. I'd say that's a pretty good start.

Marlington - Many thought it would be hard for Marlington to duplicate their Cinderella season from last year but they're doing a good job so far. Led by three Division I recruits. Marlington is poised to make an impact.

Team to look out for....

Toledo Whitmer - Whitmer is 3-0 with two wins coming against teams from Ontario, Canada. We'll see what happens as Whitmer gets into the meat of their schedule. Next Up? Toledo St. Francis DeSales

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St. X snaps Colerain's Streak

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