Friday, June 18, 2004
By JOHN KOVACH
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
HUBBARD -- During the first half of Thursday night's 20th annual Jack Arvin Football Classic at Hubbard High Stadium presented by the Mahoning Valley Coaches Association, the White and Red all-star teams struggled offensively to combine for only five first downs in a scoreless deadlock.
Then the bad weather struck, first the rain during intermission followed by the threat of lightning only three plays into the third quarter that forced a mandatory half-hour delay, sending the players and coaches back to the locker rooms.
But when the teams returned to the field, they finally found their offenses and combined for 14 points -- seven each -- in a just a brief span of about two minutes, to turn a defensive struggle into an offensive show.
But the short-lived offensive fireworks was spoiled by a tornado threat later in the third quarter, with 4:33 remaining, that touched off the sirens near the field, and the officials canceled the game to play it safe, creating a 7-7 tie.
Five turn the tide
Five players proved to be the keys to the offensive turnabout in the game.
First, with the Red at its 31 on the third offensive play after the lightning delay, White linebacker Jim McHale of Lakeview High, who is heading to Clarion University, recovered a fumble at the Red 29.
Three plays later, White quarterback Matt Zuppo of Girard High, who is going to Youngstown State, saw an opening develop around his right end on an option play, and scooted 26 yards to the game's first touchdown and a 6-0 lead.
Then Brian Palmer, a placekicker from Mineral Ridge bound for YSU, added the extra point for a 7-0 advantage.
But the White's lead was short-lived because on the ensuing kickoff, the Red's Justin Hood of Chaney High, earmarked for Ashland University, sprinted 96 yards untouched to a touchdown, and placekicker George Malactaris of Campbell Memorial punched through the equalizer.
Hood, Zuppo MVPs
Hood and Zuppo were named the Most Valuable Players for their teams.
Hood took the kickoff just in front of the goal line, started up the middle very slowly and then spotted an opening to his left and turned on the jets to go the distance.
"You got to be patient and wait for your teammates to open the holes," said Hood, who shared Red QB duties with Tim Zetts of Struthers.
Zuppo, after being stopped on outside runs in the first half, said he was able to find an opening for his score because the Red's defense was pinching inside.
"[The Red's] defense was being sucked in. [I] only had to beat one guy."
Coach tipped off
Red Coach Dominic Menendez, an assistant at Howland High, said some of his players on the sidelines noticed that the Red defense was converging to the inside and leaving the outside open, "so we kept the ball in Matt's hands," said Menendez of Zuppo's TD run.
White coach Marc Bjelac of Newton Falls felt good about his team's chances as the game progressed.
"We thought we had the speed. We were attacking the perimeter," Bjelac said of his offense. But he said the team's offensive strategy had nothing to do with Hood's TD run. "Hood made it on his own."
kovach@vindy.com