DIVISION V Warren Kennedy hands Smithville first-round defeat

Quarterback John DiFiore scored three touchdowns for the Eagles.
By MARK W. MILLER
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
WARREN -- Smithville High was making its fifth straight appearance in the Division V playoffs and it had never lost a first-round game.
That all changed Friday night at Mollenkopf Stadium, as Warren Kennedy rolled to an impressive 49-14 victory over the Smithies.
The Eagles (9-2) scored an assortment of ways as quarterback John DiFiore scored three times on runs of 5, 15 and 6 yards to trigger an offense that piled up 351 yards.
Early fumble
Smithville, from Wayne County, stunned the crowd when Eric Beichler recovered an Eagles' fumble and returned it to the JFK 5.
Aaron Long scored on the third play and the Smithies were ahead 7-0 just 36 seconds into the game.
"I thought we were in trouble when they took that quick lead, but our kids showed plenty of composure and took control after that," JFK coach Tony Napolet said.
The Eagles immediately answered that touchdown as they went 58 yards in five plays, with DiFiore going over from the 5.
Running back Anthony Ambeliotis, who rushed for 155 yards on 17 carries, finished a 67-yard drive on the Eagles' next possession as he plunged a yard for a touchdown, putting JFK ahead 14-7.
JFK's Adam Snyder blocked a punt and teammate Joe Cicchillo scooped it up and returned it 21 yards for a touchdown.
With 1:52 remaining in the first half, DiFiore scored on a 15-yard run as the Eagles drove 78 yards in 10 plays to lead 28-7.
Smithville answered quickly, marching 60 yards in six plays, with Beichler catching a 4-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jon Gale.
Momentum
Even though JFK was leading 28-14, Napolet told his players that the momentum had shifted to Smithville.
JFK was going to have to kick off to start the second half and Napolet said he told his team, "You better hold them to three-and-out if we're going to stop them."
The Eagles did just that and from that point, they were in control of the contest.
DiFiore gave the Eagles a secure margin when he tallied on a 6-yard run with 5:07 remaining in the third quarter. JFK drove 82 yards in eight plays, with Ambeliotis rushing six times for 66 of those yards.
With 6:29 remaining in the fourth quarter, sophomore running back Anthony Elzy scored on an 8-yard run. Only 2:39 later, Eagles senior defensive back Shane Golden returned an intercepted pass 76 yards for a touchdown.
"We mixed it up well and took control in the third quarter," said Napolet.
"All our linemen blocked well. I was surprised. I thought they [Smithville] were a lot tougher," he added. "But DiFiore showed a lot of leadership in running our offense."
Defensive stand
Napolet thought his defense shut down Smithville's strong running game, which was limited to 130 yards on 36 attempts.
Keith Schrock, who has coached Smithville for 27 years said, "We struggled trying to defend them and we thought we could play better than we did, but we tackled poorly in the first half and again in the second half."
Beichler, a senior, led the Smithies with 87 yards on 18 carries.
DiFiore was 5-of-9 passing for 87 yards.