Kennedy again triumphs over West Middlesex , 28-6

The Golden Eagles (8-2) will meet Sharpsville (10-1) for the district championship.
By BILL ALBRIGHT
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
NEW WILMINGTON -- The first time the West Middlesex and Kennedy Catholic football teams met, they combined for 56 points in a 35-21 Golden Eagles' victory.
In Friday's semifinal round of the District 10 Class A Championships, the total was less but the margin of victory was greater.
The outcome was the same as Kennedy whipped up on the Big Reds, 28-6.
Kennedy (8-2) advances to the district title tilt to face the Sharpsville Blue Devils. Sharpsville (10-1) downed Region 2 champion Fairview, 38-26, in the other semifinal matchup.
"I hate to play two teams twice [in the same season], but it looks like we are going to have to," Kennedy coach Mike Donato said.
Obvious
According to Donato, what his team needs to do to win the district championship is obvious.
"Plain and simple, we have to execute," Donato said.
"It is going to be won or lost up front so execution and good special teams play will be important and we will have to play good defense.
"They know what we are going to do and we know what they will do, so it is a matter of which team executes better," Donato said.
Second-year Big Reds coach Brian Hoffman, whose first team won three games before this year's club finished with seven victories, had a lot of good things to say about his athletes.
"The kids really busted their tails since June to get here," Hoffman said.
"I give all of the credit to them for what they did during July and August. One year ago we were 3-7 and one year later, we are in the playoffs."
Kennedy took control of the game from the outset as the Golden Eagles built up a 21-0 lead in the first 18 minutes.
Ross Gargano scored on a 3-yard run five minutes in before Lee Plotts added a pair of scores in the second quarter on runs of 39 and 5 yards.
Only points
West Middlesex (7-4) scored its only points with 15 seconds left before halftime on a 2-yard scoring pass from Kolten Hoffman to Todd Miller.
With Kennedy ahead 21-6 in the fourth quarter, the Golden Eagles put the game away when they took better than eight minutes to march 85 yards for the final score.
"We lost to a good football team in Kennedy and they played a very good game tonight, especially in the second half," Hoffman said.
"They controlled the clock the entire second half, and you can't put any points on the board when you don't have the ball."
Plotts led all rushers with 145 yards and his pair of scores, while Gargano came on strong in the second half to finish with 66 yards and two touchdowns.
Gargano went over the 3,000-yard mark for his career while Plotts' total pushed him past the 2,000-yard mark. Both are juniors.
"We are fortunate to have two kids who can really run the football," Donato.
"I don't know how many George [Kovac] had, but he must have had 50 or 60. And when those three are all running like that, I think we are pretty difficult to contain. You have to pick your poison, but when all three of them have it going, it is difficult to concentrate on one, or even two of them."