PREP PREVIEW \ Football playoffs

DIVISION IV
State semifinal
Mooney vs. Martins Ferry
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Where: Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, Massillon
TV/radio: WKBN-AM (570), WBBW-AM (1240)
MOONEY (10-2)
26East Liverpool0
24St. Thomas3
35E. Cleveland Shaw0
20Warren Harding22
36Painesville Riverside7
25Cle. Benedictine49
19Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary13
55Ursuline27
14Columbus Watterson10
Playoffs
42Garrettsville Garfield21
42Chagrin Falls13
14Liberty6
Cardinals notebook: Mooney, which has an area-best 18th playoff appearances and four state titles, improved to 28-13 in the postseason with last Friday's win. The Cardinals' offense is predicated on a strong rushing game -- four players have at least 600 yards this season. Nate Burney leads the way with 1,635 yards, and he's scored 16 touchdowns. QB Kyle McCarthy has 995 yards and 12 TDs, and he's passed for 474 yards (29-of-65) and four scores. Michael Rich and Eric Mariotti have 606 and 604 yards, respectively. The defense is led by Jon Italiano and Todd Shuller, who have combined for 10 tackles for loss and 23 quarterback sacks. Place-kicker Jeff Seddon's strong leg could be the difference in a close game.
MARTINS FERRY (12-0)
32Rayland Buckeye0
67Bloom-Carroll7
40Belmont Union0
48Pataskala Watkins Memorial14
33Sullivan Black River7
27Wintersville Indian Creek7
48St. Clairsville14
27New Concord John Glenn7
21Bellaire7
Playoffs
49Zanesville West Muskingum7
33Bellaire7
35New Albany7
Purple Riders notebook: Coach Dave Bruney (179-88 in 26 seasons) has a strong defense, led by senior ends Donald Machine (6-0, 185) and Jon Nagel (5-10, 182). But, Martins Ferry will face a much bigger Mooney offensive line; how the Purple Riders control the Cardinals' running game will be the key to their chances. Offensively, QB Ryan Church has passed for 1,717 yards and 15 TDs, with just six interceptions. The running game will feature three or four different backs. Chas Yoder missed the first two games of the season, but still leads the team with 832 yards and 14 TDs. Luke Warren has 647 yards and has scored four times, and Church has 511 yards and two TDs. Martins Ferry's season opener was to be played at Lisbon, but torrential rains that caused flooding in Columbiana County forced the game to be canceled. Martins Ferry is 4-5 all-time in the playoffs; this is the Purple Riders' first trip to the state semifinals.
Up next: The winner of this game will play in the state championship game Dec. 3 at 3 p.m. against the winner of the Coldwater-Versailles game being played Friday at Welcome Stadium in Dayton.
Vindicator staff report