PENNSYLVANIA Farrell's season ends with loss to Dynamos

Springdale scored on its first two possessions and never let up.
By BILL ALBRIGHT
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
BEAVER, Pa. -- Unfortunately for the Farrell High football team, the season ended just like it started -- with a loss.
After going 1-2 through the first three games, the Steelers reeled off seven straight wins.
That streak came to a screeching halt Friday night as Farrell (8-3) fell 35-14 to the Springdale Dynamos in the quarterfinals of the WPIAL tournament.
"We ran into a very good football team, a powerful football team," Farrell coach Lou Falconi said. "They didn't do anything fancy out there. What they did was take advantage of a couple of breaks and that was the end of it."
Strong start
The Dynamos (9-2) set the tone of the game right from the opening kickoff as they scored on their first two possessions.
The first drive covered 60 yards and took 11 plays, while the second TD march covered 56 yards on 13 plays.
So dominant were the Dynamos that the halftime stats had them showing decisive edges in first downs (11-2) and total yards (171-28).
"We couldn't get anything going offensively, and when they scored early, it just started multiplying on us," Falconi said. "We only ran six plays, while they must have run 30 or 40.
"I knew once we got in a hole it was going to be tough to come back, but you have to give that team a lot of credit," Falconi said. "To be honest about it, I think they are a much better team than we are. Nobody likes to lose, but in our case, I just think it was a matter of time."
Trailing 14-0 at halftime, things didn't get any better for the Steelers in the second half, as the Dynamos doubled their edge with 14 points in the third period before going up 35-0 early in the fourth period.
"We were still hanging on at halftime," Falconi said. "We thought maybe we could get something going or possibly catch a break, but we kicked off and they just went down the field again."
Looking back
Despite the lopsided loss, Falconi said he hopes that his players realize the things they accomplished during the season.
"These kids are 8-3, co-champs of the Big 7 League and we are proud of those two accomplishments," Falconi said. "I give our kids a lot of credit because for what we had here as a team, these kids really overachieved.
"We had several kids with a lot of ability and a lot of average kids who just played their hearts out," Falconi said. "With a lot of kids coming back, hopefully we will be able to build on what we did this year."
Facing the 35-point deficit and elimination from the postseason, Farrell salvaged a little pride down the stretch when it scored a pair of touchdowns.
Terrell Davis caught a 64-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Diondre Venable before Quentin Odem scampered 24 yards in the final seconds.
"It was good for our kids to be able to score a couple of touchdowns, even though they had their second kids in there," Falconi said. "The loss is tough enough to swallow, but to get blanked would have really hurt."
Farrell tailback Kelvin Newby, who had set a number of Farrell records during the season, was held in check by the Dynamo defense to just 39 yards on 11 carries.
Odem, thanks to his 24-yard TD run, finished with 44 yards.