Despite youth, Cardinal Mooney cruised to second championship

The Cardinals capped their season with a record-setting win over Lebanon.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- On the day before the 1980 state championship game, Steve Johnson woke up with a sick feeling in his stomach.
It wasn't butterflies. It was the flu.
"I had a temperature of 103 or 104 and I remember worrying whether I'd be able to make it or not," Johnson said. "My mom was like, 'No, you can't go.' She wanted me to stay in bed.
"But I couldn't. There was no way I was gonna miss that game."
Johnson, a standout junior running back for Cardinal Mooney, had rushed for 1,372 yards through the first 11 games -- all wins.
The Cardinals were on a roll -- they had won their first two playoff games by a 73-12 margin -- and were playing in the first-ever Division II state championship game.
Still, they had a tough test ahead. Lebanon was 12-0 and had outscored its opponents 343-62.
Big win
Johnson knew he needed to be there.
"It was one of those situations where once you get out there, you kinda forget about [the sickness]," he said. "I think everybody was pretty focused."
Guess so.
The Cardinals drilled Lebanon 50-0, setting Div. II records for most points (50), most points in a quarter (22), touchdowns (7) and rushing yards (362) that still stand.
"Things were kinda going goofy in that game," Mooney coach Don Bucci said. "It was tight at halftime (13-0), then we came out in the second half and took control. Once we got rolling, we never stopped."
Three Cardinals topped 100 yards rushing: quarterback Ralph DePasco (106 on 10 carries), fullback Mike Hardie (102 yards on 13 carries) and Johnson (102 yards on 13 carries).
"Everyone was ecstatic," Johnson said. "We all ran on the field celebrating, looking up at the crowd and just taking it in. It was pure excitement."
It was Mooney's second state championship -- the Cardinals also won in 1973 -- and it was a bit of surprise. Mooney went 9-1 in 1979 and lost a talented class to graduation. Most of the top players on the 1980 team -- Johnson included -- were juniors.
"They were young, but they were talented," Bucci said.
With all the talented juniors, many felt Mooney would repeat as state champions. But the Cardinals lost a heartbreaker in the snow to eventual champion Cleveland Benedictine in the 1981 state semifinal.
Moving on
Johnson, who was hurt for much of the 1981 season, went on to play at Michigan for Bo Schembechler, returning kicks as a freshman.
"College ball was a lot different -- it didn't have the same camaraderie or the same teamwork we had at Mooney," Johnson said. "I remember coming in as a freshman wondering what the competition would be like and once I saw the skill level, I knew I could play.
"I don't think anybody received better training than I did at Mooney. The games were tough and the practices were tenacious. It really prepared me to play at the next level."
Johnson and his wife, Shalimar, have been married since 1997 and live in Sterling Heights, Mich. He has two daughters (Danyelle, 14, and Zhane', 8) and two sons (Steve, 18, and Gino, 17).
"No football players," he said with a laugh. "They're all track guys. But that's cool with me."
Johnson, 38, also wakes up with a few more aches and pains because of his playing days. But he wouldn't change a thing.
"I'll always miss it," he said. "When I watch it on TV, sometimes the mind fools the body into thinking you can still do that. Yeah right. But I'll always love the sport, but at this point I realize it's not there anymore."
scalzo@vindy.com