Collision course

YOUNGSTOWN -- Friday night's Division IV state semifinal could test the mental mettle of the best math teachers:
One football team that features a ground-oriented offense and virtually impenetrable defense leaves Youngstown at 50 miles per hour heading southwest, and at the same time another football team with an equally tough defense and high-scoring offense leaves Martins Ferry at 50 mph heading northwest. If they collide in Massillon, who survives?
With all due respect to the guardians of well-worn football clich & eacute;s, this one will probably be determined by the team that makes the fewest mistakes.
Records
Mooney (10-2), ranked No. 7 in the final Associated Press poll, will face Martins Ferry (12-0), ranked No. 3, at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.; the winner advances to the state championship game Dec. 3 at Fawcett Stadium in Canton, against the winner of the other semifinal between Coldwater and Versailles.
Exhibit A is the Cardinals, who have won six consecutive games. They are averaging a shade under 328 yards rushing and a little over 29 points per game.
Behind an offensive line that averages somewhere between "huge" and "behemoth," Mooney has four players who are averaging at least 50 yards rushing per game.
Nate Burney has the bulk of the yards -- 1,635 -- and 16 touchdowns, while Kyle McCarthy, the quarterback, has 995 yards on the ground and 474 through the air. McCarthy hasn't thrown often -- 65 attempts in 12 games -- but his speed and shiftiness account for almost 125 yards per game.
In last Friday's 14-6 win over Liberty, Burney carried the ball on eight of Mooney's first nine plays. That wasn't the kind of variance coach P.J. Fecko preferred.
"Weather and field conditions dictated what we did last Friday," he said. "This week there should be more involvement from everyone in the offense with our quarterback doing more things."
Receivers Desmond Marrow and Dan Babyak have only 17 catches combined, but their big-play capability -- they average more than 16 yards per catch -- cannot be ignored.
"As we have all season we have to be aggressive on both sides of the ball and establish the line of scrimmage," said Fecko, 29-24 in his fifth season.
"Fortunately we have no injuries and that is always an asset."
Meanwhile, the Mooney defense has allowed some yards -- about 230 per game -- and points -- 14.3 per game -- but it's also forced 26 turnovers, resulting in a plus-16 turnover ratio.
The Cardinals also 40 quarterback sacks, led by Jon Italiano with 14 and Todd Shuller with nine. Marrow has five interceptions and McCarthy has three.
Then there is the factor of playing on the artificial turf surface at Tiger Stadium. While both teams are quick, Mooney has more experience playing on the carpet.
"I never consider a playing field an advantage," said Fecko, "but I will say that it is not a disadvantage."
About the opponent
Exhibit B is Martins Ferry, which is outscoring its opponents by an average of 38.3-7.0. The Purple Riders, who list among their alumni NFL Hall of Famer Lou Groza, have allowed more than one touchdown in only two games. Their closest contest came against Bellaire, a traditionally strong program in Belmont County, 21-7. Two weeks later, in a rematch in a regional semifinal, Martins Ferry won again, 33-7.
The Purple Riders played seven games against teams with winning records, including the playoffs, and have won those games by an average of 35-8.
"I can't give a fair assessment of their competition because I don't know that much about them, but I do know they have been destroying teams," said Fecko. "They have totally dominated everybody they have played."
Like his Mooney counterpart, Martins Ferry quarterback Ryan Church is a threat with his arm and legs. He's thrown for 1,717 yards and 15 touchdowns, with just six interceptions, and run for 511 yards and five scores.
"Church is an outstanding football player able to do many things," said Fecko. "He is an exceptional field leader."
The leading rusher -- despite missing the first two games of the season with injury -- is Chas Yoder, with 832 yards and 14 touchdowns. He's a 5-feet-11, 207-pound senior.
Luke Warren, a 5-10, 175 senior, has 647 yards and four TDs rushing. Dom Bopp (42 catches, 867 yards, five TDs) and Clay Tucker (23-549-5) are the leading receivers.
"Yoder is also outstanding, but they have several good backs and they all are dangerous," said Fecko. "They are a team that involves everyone in their offense and that makes their total package, when they have the football, very dangerous."
The defense is cornerstoned by ends Donald Machine (6-0, 185) and Jon Nagel (5-10, 182), a pair of seniors.
Fecko said his main concerns about the Purple Riders are "... their versatility on offense and their quickness and aggressiveness on defense. Also they are a team that doesn't beat themselves because they are fundamentally very sound."