Cardinals' defense prevails

Mooney held off Bellaire 20-13 for a chance to defend it's Div. IV state title.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
STEUBENVILLE -- Seconds after making the final big play in a game full of them, Mooney junior Jason Hehr lifted his helmet above his head and ran to the center of the field ready to celebrate.
Ten feet away, Bellaire junior Trey Masciarelli laid on his stomach for a full minute, not wanting to get up, not wanting to believe what happened.
On the game's final play, facing first-and-15 at his own 43, Bellaire senior quarterback Nate Davis rolled right, fired a 50-yard rainbow in the air and hoped for the best.
Unfortunately for Bellaire, Mooney's defense responded -- like it did all season.
Like it did all night.
Game-saving tip
Hehr got a hand on the ball, tipped it out of bounds and the Cardinals held on for a 20-13 victory in a Division IV state semifinal at Steubenville Harding Stadium.
"The defense played great," Mooney quarterback Tony Brunetti said. "They're the reason we won this game."
For the first time in its illustrious history, Mooney will get a chance to win back-to-back state titles when it plays Coldwater (14-0) Saturday at 11 a.m. at Fawcett Stadium in Canton.
"Doing it once is hard enough," Brunetti said. "It's really tough to do it twice."
Johnson injured
Brunetti got a lot more playing time than he expected on Saturday, filling in for injured quarterback Derrell Johnson, who injured his right shin late in the second quarter. Brunetti didn't throw a pass -- Mooney didn't attempt one all night -- but ran for a 1-yard touchdown to complete a 20-point second quarter for the Cardinals.
With Johnson down, senior running back Nate Burney stepped up, carrying 37 times for 167 yards and a touchdown.
"We knew we had to step it up," Burney said. "I just tried to put the team on my back and get us through.
"It's today or nothing. We had to get it done."
Cards lose three fumbles
Mooney lost three fumbles in the second half and had a punt blocked, forcing its defense to play on a short field for the final 24 minutes. The Cardinals did give up one touchdown -- a 1-yard run by Davis in the third quarter -- but didn't allow much more, holding the potent Big Reds offense to just 187 total yards. Mooney's defense also scored a touchdown on a 13-yard fumble return by Taylor Hill.
"It took the whole team," said Mooney cornerback Desmond Marrow, who blocked an extra point attempt and intercepted his 10th pass of the season. "We had to pull together and do it for Derrell."
Johnson carried eight times for 93 yards before injuring his shin at the end of a 36-yard run with 8:12 left in the first half.
"I think the kid who tackled him had a cast on and hit [Johnson] in the shin," Fecko said. "He's OK from what I understand."
Runs offense well
Brunetti had just 14 yards rushing, but ran the offense well enough. He split time with Marrow at quarterback earlier in the season when Johnson missed three games with a leg injury.
"It was very helpful for us to have been in that situation before," Fecko said. "We knew how to react."
Added Brunetti, "It was pretty unexpected, but I just tried to relax and do what I do in practice. Having played before was a very good thing."
Davis -- whose older brother, Jose, played at Penn State -- completed 6 of 18 passes for 79 yards and two interceptions and was just 1 of 7 for 6 yards in the second half.
"He's an outstanding athlete," Fecko said of Davis. "Our guys did a good job of mixing it up and getting pressure on him."
Played field position
Mooney finished with 299 yards rushing and, with Johnson out, was content to play a field position game most of the night. Bellaire all but abandoned the pass in the second half and finished with 108 yards rushing. Bellaire senior Ty Hess, the district defensive player of the year in his district, played an outstanding game. He had a sack, blocked an extra point and recovered a fumble.
It was Mooney's first win against Bellaire in three postseason meetings. The two teams met in the state semifinals in 1996 and in the regional final in 1995. Bellaire won the 1996 game 21-14 before losing to Germantown Valley View in the state final. In 1995, Bellaire beat the Cardinals 27-21 in overtime before falling to Versailles in the state final.
"That was 10 years ago," Fecko said. "This is a different team."
Mooney 5-1 in title games
Mooney was making its 11th state appearance. The Cardinals are 5-1 all-time in state finals. Their only loss came against Galion in 1985.
"It's great to get back there," said Marrow, who was a starting defensive back on last year's state title team.
Bellaire was making its fifth state appearance. The Big Reds are 2-4 all-time in state semifinals. Coldwater, which lost to Ursuline in the 2000 state final, is 0-2 all time in the state final.
scalzo@vindy.com