Mooney captures win over Ursuline

Patsy Malie led the Cardinals with 250 yards rushing.
By GREG GULAS
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
YOUNGSTOWN -- Patsy Malie rushed for 250 yards to lead the Cardinal Mooney High football team to a hard-fought 17-14 victory over Ursuline Friday at Youngstown State University's Stambaugh Stadium.
"This was an outstanding win for our program," Mooney coach P.J. Fecko said. "We have had some tough breaks during the year and on occasion the ball didn't bounce our way.
"We put it all together tonight though and with this win it puts our program back on track heading into the final game of the season," Fecko said.
Mooney racked up 366 total offensive yards, but it was a Cardinals' defensive stand late in the fourth quarter that sealed Ursuline's fate.
Defense saves day
On a fourth-down and 1 from the Mooney 4 yard line, Eddie Ditata and John Loew stopped Ursuline's Delbert Ferguson for a 1-yard loss, allowing Mooney to take over on downs. The Cardinals never relinquished the ball.
The victory gives the Cardinals (5-4, 1-2 Steel Valley Conference) a commanding 31-14 series advantage.
"We had plenty of opportunities tonight," said Ursuline coach Dan Murphy after his team dropped to 4-5, 2-2. "A couple of penalties at critical times were costly, but on the whole too many mistakes really hurt us."
The win keeps Mooney's playoff hopes alive but dashes Ursuline's. Before the game, Ursuline was the number eight team in Division IV Region 13 of the computer ratings and Mooney was ninth.
Dustin Hinkle gave the Cardinals a 3-0 lead when he booted a 31-yard field goal with 45 seconds remaining in the opening quarter.
Malie's 2-yard run then capped an eight-play, 88-yard drive with 4:53 to go before halftime.
"Patsy Malie really ran well tonight, but he will be the first to tell you that the offensive line deserves much of the credit," Fecko said. "The effort by our offensive line was a big reason for tonight's victory."
The pendulum swung in favor of the Fighting Irish with the second-half kickoff.
A pooch kick by Ursuline's Nick Royer allowed Derrick Stewart to recover the ball on the Mooney 32-yard line. Two plays later, Ferguson scored on a 29-yard run. However, the placement was wide left to keep the score 10-6 in Mooney's favor.
With 2:57 remaining in the third period, Mooney quarterback Ron Stoops found Ditata with a five-yard scoring strike for a 17-6 lead..
Irish battle back
In the fourth quarter, Ferguson capped an eight-play, 59-yard drive with a 1-yard dash into the endzone. Irish quarterback Daryll Clark found Walter Lacey for a conversion pass to reduce the lead to 17-14.
On the ensuing kick-off, Ursuline's Derrick Stewart picked up an Anthony Childs fumble and advanced it to the Mooney 13-yard line.
The Cardinals defense allowed the Irish just nine yards on their next four offensive plays, taking over on downs and then running out the clock.
Stoops carried the ball 13 times for 43 yards while completing four of six aerial attempts for 50 yards and a touchdown.
Ursuline was held to 184 total offensive yards on 47 plays, 123 of that coming via their ground game.
Ferguson carried the ball 15 times for 68 yards to lead the Irish while Clark was five of 15 through the air for 61 yards, including an interception.