Wet 'n wild 'Cats

Despite the weather, Struthers passed Warren JFK silly in a 19-7 win.
By GREG GULAS
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
STRUTHERS -- Don't tell Struthers quarterback Tim Zetts and wide receiver Dave Allen that there was inclement weather during their home opener Friday with Warren JFK.
All the Wildcat pitch-and-catch combination did during a steady downpour was torch the Eagle defense for 165 passing yards, rolling up 312 total offensive yards, en route to a 19-7 victory over their former Mahoning Valley Conference foe at Struthers Stadium.
"The weather definitely had an effect on our game plan tonight," Struthers coach Gary Zetts said. "We thought that we could throw on them more so than running, but the rain had a little something to say about that.
"Right now, Tim is doing a great job of running our offense. He changed a lot of plays at the line of scrimmage and made excellent adjustments all night."
Renewed old series
The game marked the first time the two teams have met since the 1994 season when JFK dealt the Wildcats a 21-18 defeat.
Struthers won for the second time in as many outings, while the Eagles, playing their second straight road outing, fell to 1-1.
It didn't take the Wildcats long to get on the scoreboard. On their first series of the game, running back Dan Livesay found the end zone from 5 yards out at the 7:31 mark. That capped a six-play, 85-yard drive that gave Struthers a 6-0 lead after a failed placement.
Sophomore running back Justin Penson then registered the first of his two touchdowns when he scored on a 6-yard run at the 1:01 mark of the first half. The two-point conversion was thwarted and the Wildcats had to settle for a 12-0 advantage.
"The weather was the same for both teams tonight and it had an effect on both quarterbacks," JFK coach Tony Napolet said. "We made a number of coverage mistakes and it was costly for us. We gave up two monster plays and they capitalized."
After the Penson score, the Eagles took back the momentum when Adam Rossi caught a 33-yard scoring strike from John DiFiore with just 17 seconds remaining in the half. Russell Accordino added the extra point to cut the Wildcat margin to 12-7 at the half.
After a scoreless third quarter, Penson put the game away with a 54-yard run just 1:36 into the final stanza. Steve Rankin then added the placement to make it 19-7 in favor of the Wildcats. No team was able to penetrate the opposition's goal line the remainder of the game.
Team showed improvement
Zetts, the quarterback, was just happy his team showed improvement after its season-opening win over Liberty last week.
"We did good tonight but still need to get better," he said. "I don't have any favorite receivers, just the wide open one.
"Our defense was awesome tonight," he added. "They stepped it up a notch and that really helped us out offensively."
Struthers had 147 yards on the ground on 34 carries, Penson carrying the ball nine times for 77 yards and two touchdowns to spark the Wildcats.
The Eagles carried the ball 33 times for 128 yards, Anthony Ambeliotis carrying the ball 18 times for 96 yards for game honors in both categories.
Zetts was 11 of 19 through the air for 165 yards, Allen hauling in a game-high seven aerials for 138 yards.
DiFiore was 5 of 16 for 49 yards through the air for the Eagles.
"To beat Liberty and Warren JFK back to back is a great feeling," Zetts said. "But, we have Hubbard next week and that is a great challenge for us. Our first three games this season are truly a test for us."