TRI-COUNTY LEAGUE United rolls past Leetonia 40-27

The Golden Eagles racked up 466 yards of total offense.
By ERIC HAMILTON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
HANOVERTON -- No matter what happened during Friday night's Leetonia-United game, the home team was going to win
In a game that was considered to be a home game for the Bears but played at United, the Golden Eagles made themselves right at home by amassing 466 yards of total offense to hold off Leetonia 40-27 in a Tri-County League opener.
United's offensive explosion was spearheaded by senior receiver Corey Manfull, who accounted for 296 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns. Every time he touched the ball, something big seemed to happen for the Eagles (3-1, 1-0).
"We line Corey up at running back, at receiver and we had him returning kicks tonight," said United head coach D.J. Ogilvie. "He's an all-state performer and we had to find different ways to get him the ball. He's a great athlete and he did a tremendous job for us tonight."
Manfull leads attack
Manfull ran for 118 yards on 15 carries and added five receptions for 91 yards. But it was what he did on special teams that turned the tide for United in the third quarter.
After trailing 28-13 at one point, Leetonia quarterback Matt Custer hooked up with Joe Billet for a 65-yard touchdown strike to pull the Bears to within 34-27, shifting the game's momentum.
But not for long.
Manfull, who returned kicks for the first time this season, took the ensuing kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown to give United a 40-27 lead.
"I just wanted to do what I could to help the team," said Manfull. "We started out slow, but really picked it up. Our offensive line did a great job and on that kickoff I just saw a big hole busted it outside all the way to the end zone."
United had rallied from a 13-6 first-half deficit to take a 20-13 lead at the half. Manfull scored twice in the opening half, once on a 52-yard run and once on a 44-yard TD pass from quarterback Mitch Phillis.
Poor field position
Leetonia's biggest problem in the first half was field position.
The Bears (3-1, 0-1) began two drives inside their own 5-yard-line. The first resulted in a United interception and the second was a punt. United took advantage of the short field both times to score and take the lead.
"Our gameplan was to play ball control offense and keep United's offense off the field," said Leetonia coach Artie Altomare. "What hurt us was the special teams and field position. We had some mistakes on punts and kickoffs and that really hurt us."
Leetonia's offense did have some spark, as the Bears tallied 288 total yards, including 65 yards rushing from both Custer and running back Aaron Merrill. Billet had a nice effort catching the ball, grabbing four passes for 133 yards and one score.
But it wasn't enough, as United has now scored at least 27 points in all four of its games.
"We're in the driver's seat now," said Ogilvie. "If you win your first league game, you start out on top and don't have to play catch-up all season. If you lose, you have to count on help from someone. We didn't want to be in that position."