FOOTBALL To finish strong is goal for Penguins

Saturday's Homecoming contest is against Southern Illinois (4-5, 2-2) at 4 p.m. at Stambaugh Stadium.
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Youngstown State senior football players are a close-knit group and they intend on staying that way to the end of the current season.
Last Saturday, the Penguins lost a 19-0 contest at Western Illinois, their fourth defeat of the season in eight games. The loss knocked the Penguins out of contention for the Gateway Conference title and assured them of missing the I-AA playoffs for the second straight season.
The Penguins have three games remaining this year and the seniors want to finish with three victories and a 7-4 record.
Go out winners
"We're disappointed that we're out of contention," said senior linebacker Jason Dellarose. "But we also understand that there are three games left and we want to go out of here winners.
"Since the beginning of this season our mentality has been never-say-die and that's what we want to carry on through to the end," he added.
Dellarose, a 6-foot-2, 230-pounder from LaBelle, Pa., has been one of the mainstays of the YSU defense, which has been nothing short of outstanding this season.
Last Saturday he made three solo tackles and all three were behind the line of scrimmage. He was named the MVR Club's Defensive Player of the Game for his efforts.
"The defense is full of seniors," Dellarose said. "And right from the beginning this season we asked coach to put the load on us."
YSU will play its Homecoming contest this Saturday against Southern Illinois (4-5, 2-2) at 4 p.m. at Stambaugh Stadium.
Dellarose says the Penguins will be ready.
"Southern Illinois is a good football team, they had a talented quarterback and the defense will have to be prepared to stop him."
Dellarose doesn't think the Penguins are lacking in any area, but that they just haven't taken advantage of the opportunities that have been put before them.
In retrospect
"We watch the films every week and we see where we have let opportunities get away from us on both sides of the football," he said.
"It might be a missed pass on offense, or a loose ball on defense that we didn't get covered, but in most cases it would have prevented a score by the opposition or maybe a score for us," he added.
"People watching the game don't always see those things, but we do when we watch the films over and over," Dellarose said.
Saturday's Homecoming game will be only part of the festivities since it is also the YSU Athletic Hall of Fame celebration and six new inductees will be introduced.
The Homecoming parade will begin at 2 p.m. and then the first 7,500 fans into the stadium will receive a "Penguin Rally Towel" compliments of WFMJ-TV, MetLife and Wendell August Forge.
It is also Vindicator Day and the Ford Motor Company will have its display of new automobiles outside the stadium.
Tickets are still available at the YSU Ticket Office in the Stadium or by calling the YSU ticket hotline at (330) 941-1YSU.
mollica@vindy.com