HARDHAT TROPHY 'Cats give Pirone first win at helm

In a battle between long-time rivals , Struthers outlasted Campbell, 19-12.
By PAUL TRGOVAC
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
STRUTHERS -- If you looked at a matchup of two 0-3 teams, you'd have to figure it wasn't a big game. Then you'd have to look at the teams playing, Campbell and Struthers, and realize that records didn't matter.
Friday night, the Wildcats broke a three-game losing streak with a 19-12 victory, the first in the career of Struthers head coach Pete Pirone Jr. The Wildcats also won the Steel Hardhat Trophy, which has been restored in the series.
"It took a little longer to get the first one [win] than we expected, but the kids really hung in there and worked hard," Pirone said. "This was extra special because it is against Campbell. My dad's last win as a coach was against Campbell, and now my first one is against them."
With the rain falling, you expected turnovers to play a factor in the game, and they did.
Campbell gets fumble
Campbell took advantage of a Struthers fumble at the Wildcat 35-yard line. Peter Psaras recovered the ball for Campbell with 4:17 to play in the first quarter.
On the very next play, Joe Faunda raced 35 yards for the first touchdown, giving the Red Devils a 6-0 lead following a failed conversion.
The Red Devils recovered a second Struthers fumble late in the period but were unable to cash in on the turnover.
Following a Campbell punt in the second quarter, the Wildcats went to the ground game with Justin Penson. He carried all five plays for 52 yards in the game-tying drive, including the final scoring run of 25 yards.
Campbell had another chance later in the half to score. Struthers punted to the Red Devils, and Campbell started from its own 8-yard line.
On the first play, Derrell Johnson hit Nick Garcia with a pass near midfield and Garcia was finally tackled at the Wildcat 16-yard line. The Struthers' defense held on downs and the first half ended 6-6.
Struthers recovers
Struthers received the kick to start the second half and was forced to punt. However, the short punt by the Wildcats bounced and hit a Red Devil player and Struthers recovered at the Campbell 13.
Penson then broke off a 12-yard run and Greg Davern scored on the next play from the 2-yard line. Mike Duponty kicked the extra point for a 13-6 Struthers lead with 8:04 to go in the third quarter.
Early in the fourth quarter, Campbell was forced to punt. The snap was bad and the Wildcats took over at the Red Devil 36-yard line. Struthers moved into the end zone in five plays, with Eric Anderson scoring on a 12-yard run. The kick failed and the Wildcats led 19-6 with eight minutes to play in the game.
Campbell used just two plays and 24 seconds to score its final touchdown. Johnson threw a pass behind the line of scrimmage to Faunda, who then tossed a perfect strike to D.J. Raseta for a 52-yard gain. Then Johnson tossed a perfect scoring strike to Faunda of 25 yards on the next play to cut the lead to 19-12 with 2:47 to play.
Ran out clock
The Red Devils attempted an on-side kick, which went out of bounds, and the Wildcats were able to run out the clock.
Penson finished with 142 yards rushing on 21 carries. Struthers had 191 yards rushing on 47 attempts and added 30 yards passing for 221 total yards and 15 first downs.
Campbell picked up 127 yards on 44 carries, while the Red Devils hit all six of their pass attempts for 188 yards. The Red Devils finished with 315 yards of offense with 12 first downs. Campbell was penalized 12 times for 96 yards, while Struthers had six penalties for 39 yards.
Johnson had 60 yards rushing on 21 carries, and he picked up 136 yards through the air for 196 yards of total offense. Faunda had 76 yards rushing on 16 carries and added the 52-yard pass for 128 yards of total offense.