Dustin Helle gives Girard snowball's chance to win

The Indians' defense, and quarterback Matt Zuppo, also keyed the Indians' 35-14 win over Perry.
By BRIAN RICHESSON
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
GIRARD -- Coach Bud McSuley gathered his team in the locker room and offered perspective.
His Girard High football team had just beaten Perry 35-14 in a Division IV regional semifinal on a snow-swept night at Arrowhead Stadium.
The public address announcer lauded the Indians (10-1) for reaching the school's 400th victory and tying the single-season record for wins.
But in the warmth of the locker room, McSuley added to that list.
"What's more important," McSuley said, "is that we're playing next week."
Girard kept its season alive with a potent offense and staunch defense while escaping two special teams blunders and 14 penalties.
The Indians will play Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph in a regional semifinal next Friday. VA-SJ defeated Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary 14-0.
"It was great to be at home, with no bus trips," McSuley said. "Now we'll have to do it on the road."
Good offense
Leading the Indians' offense was junior quarterback Matt Zuppo and senior receiver Dustin Helle.
Recovered from a sprained left knee that he suffered last week against Liberty, Zuppo took charge under center.
"He was off Monday and Tuesday and came back Wednesday," McSuley said. "Obviously, you saw what he can do."
Zuppo completed 14-of-23 passes for 293 yards and three touchdowns and also ran for 102 yards on 19 carries and one touchdown.
"He's a 195-pound kid who can run the ball. He's a tough kid," McSuley said. "We do a nice mix with him."
Helle was Zuppo's top target, catching five passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns. Senior receiver Nick Shirey also caught five passes for 70 yards for the Indians.
Most of Girard's passing offense came in the first half, through the snowflakes.
Zuppo found Helle for two touchdowns, covering 80 and 24 yards, in the first quarter. In the second quarter, the quarterback hooked up with junior receiver Dan O'Neill on a 13-yard scoring strike.
Girard would have held a comfortable halftime lead, but its special teams allowed Perry two punt returns, of 70 and 43 yards, for touchdowns. The Indians led 21-14 at the break.
"We had a couple of special teams breakdowns, but the offense and defense did a great job," McSuley said. "We put it in the end zone when we needed to.
Ground game
Girard did just that in the second half, but it switched gears. With Zuppo and senior running back Mark Grdinich, the Indians went to the ground. They passed just four times after halftime.
"We adjusted to what they were doing. We had to take advantage of what they were giving us," McSuley said. "They were doubling on Dustin, so we had to run at them a little bit."
Grdinich, who finished with 55 yards on nine carries, scored on an 18-yard run in the third quarter, and Zuppo finished Perry with a 34-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.
"The defense was giving us different looks [in the second half], and that's when we had to mix it up," Zuppo said.
Without its punt returns, Perry would have been hard-pressed for points. The Pirates (8-3) were playing without their starting quarterback, junior Jeremy Goldizen.
"What we'll never do at Perry is make excuses," Perry coach Mike Elder said. "They beat us. We had a creative game plan, but it didn't work. That [Girard] is a good football team."
Especially defensively, and the Indians showed it again. Girard's defense held Perry to around 60 total yards and was never in danger of being scored upon.
One of the standouts was Girard senior defensive back Brian Charles, who had an interception and also recovered a free ball to gain possession on a Perry kickoff.
"Nine of the 11 have been playing for us for three years," McSuley said of his defense. "We expect big things out of them, and each year they've gotten better."
richesson@vindy.com