FOOTBALL Masterson motivation spurs Fitch

The Falcons got their break-open score for injured Mark Masterson.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
AUSTINTOWN -- The coaches picked up Austintown Fitch High junior lineman Mark Masterson and carried him onto the trainer's cart, ready to drive him to the ambulance near the stadium exit.
But Masterson wasn't ready to leave.
He wanted to talk to his teammates first.
"He said, 'I'm going to be listening defense -- don't allow another one. And I want to see you score another touchdown,' " recalled Fitch senior Mike Eliseo. "He was crying, and it was tough for us because he's part of the family.
"So we got into the huddle and said, 'This play's for Masterson.' "
At that point, the Falcons were leading 20-7 and had just intercepted a Chaney pass on their own 10. Fitch coach Neal Kopp decided to try and new blocking scheme for the next play and told his team, "If you block this right, we can take it to the house."
Break-open score
And so, with just under five minutes remaining in the third quarter, Eliseo got the ball, found a huge opening in the middle of the line and raced untouched for 90 yards to break open Saturday's game.
"That was the biggest hole I've ever seen," Eliseo said.
And after he scored, Eliseo dropped the ball and pointed to Masterson, who was entering the ambulance just 50 feet away.
"The kids rallied around him," Kopp said of Masterson, who dislocated his knee on the play before. "That was great to see."
Eliseo, who finished with 139 yards rushing, may have had the game's biggest play, but he was just a small part of Fitch's 40-7 blowout win over its West Side rival at Falcon Stadium.
The Falcons were dominant up front, rolling up 406 yards rushing while keeping Chaney's offense in check for all but one play. Fitch senior quarterback John Mang added 118 yards rushing and a touchdown as the Falcons more than lived up to their preseason hype as playoff contenders.
"We expected to come out and push them around," Eliseo said. "We figured they'd be tired by the fourth quarter."
A different story
The game was over by the fourth quarter -- it gave the Fitch junior varsity players a chance to play after Saturday's game against Boardman was canceled -- but the point stands. The Falcons had trouble closing out games last year. This year is a different story.
"Our motto this year was that when we have a team by the throat, we've gotta rip it out," Eliseo said. "We didn't do that last year and our senior class vowed to change that."
Chaney senior running back Dan Balog provided the Cowboys' lone highlight, scoring on an 80-yard run early in the second quarter to tie the score at 7. Take away that play and Chaney managed just 22 yards rushing on 22 carries.
"Fitch is really a good football team," said Chaney coach Ron Berdis. "We knew that going in. We knew they'd be strong and physical.
"But we did nothing to help our cause."
Chaney quarterback Rick Hlinka finished with 12 yards rushing and 58 yards passing in the game, which was rescheduled for Saturday morning because of Friday's thunderstorms. Running back senior running back Lamar Sykes had 10 carries for minus-1 yard.
Second win in row
It was Fitch's second straight win over the Cowboys after Chaney won three in a row. After last year's loss to the Falcons, the Cowboys won nine straight to make the playoffs for the fourth straight year.
"We'll learn from this and we'll get better," Berdis said.
Fitch still has a rugged Federal League schedule ahead, but the Falcons should contend for their first playoff berth since 1992.
When Berdis asked how long it's been since he's seen a Fitch team this good, he thought for a moment.
"I don't know," he said. "I think they're pretty good every year. It kind of makes me wonder why we keep playing them in the opener every year."
scalzo@vindy.com