It's all in the Cards: State is twice as nice

Two area teams are in the state finals for the first time since 1994.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- Midway through the fourth quarter of Saturday's state semifinal game in Steubenville, the Cardinal Mooney High football team came out in a double tight end formation with three running backs lined up behind quarterback Tony Brunetti.
The stacked-I had returned.
And the crowd went nuts.
"There are some loyal old-timers out there in the crowd," said Mooney coach P.J. Fecko, chuckling.
There's probably not another school in the state -- heck, there's probably not another school in the country -- that can draw cheers just by running a formation.
"That's right," Fecko said. "Especially not one with double tight ends and three guys in the backfield.
"[The fans] would probably fall over if we came out in an empty backfield."
As offenses focus more on the passing game, with wide-open sets with four and five wide receivers becoming more common, the stacked-I has become a bit of an anachronism, like leather helmets or straight-on kickers
But that's what makes Mooney different. The formation conjures up memories of Don Bucci strolling the sidelines with Ron Stoops (the elder) at his side, watching Ted Bell run for yet another touchdown run.
Fecko, who took over for Bucci in 2000, hasn't abandoned the formation completely -- he ran it often in last year's state run -- but it's been MIA for most of this season.
"Yeah, we haven't run it very much this year," he said.
But with quarterback Derrell Johnson out with a shin injury and the Cardinals needing to control the clock, Fecko dusted off the stacked-I for a brief period on Saturday.
Alas, the third play in the formation resulted in a fumble, forcing the Cardinals to rely on another old-standby: defense.
"The way the guys responded after all the mistakes we made on offense is a real tribute to them," Fecko said.
Next stop, Stark County
Mooney's defense held down the powerful Bellaire offense in Saturday's 20-13 win, lifting the Cardinals into Saturday morning's Division IV state final against Coldwater at Canton Fawcett Stadium.
Canfield (14-0) will meet Toledo Central Catholic in the Division II state final on Friday at 7 p.m. at Massillon Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, the first time the area has had multiple teams in the state championship game since 1994 when West Branch defeated Clyde for the Div. III crown while Wellsville (Div. V) and McDonald (Div. VI) lost in the state final.
The area has never had two state champions in the same season but it's had multiple finalists two other times. Campbell (Div. III), Warren JFK (Div. IV) and McDonald (Div. V) all lost in the state final in 1989, while Mooney and Boardman both advanced to the state final in 1987. The Cardinals won the Div. III title that year while the Spartans lost to Cincinnati Princeton in Div. I.
Saturday's game will be Mooney's seventh trip to the state final.
Bucci led the Cardinals to state titles in 1973 (Bell's senior year), 1980, 1982 and 1987. The latter was the last year with Stoops as a defensive coordinator -- he passed away the following year after suffering a heart attack during a game against Boardman -- although his son, Ron, now leads the Mooney defense.
Mooney's lone loss in the state final came in 1985 against Galion.
Familiar position
Fecko is no stranger to Stark County either, having led the Cardinals to last year's state championship win over Versailles.
That experience should help the Cardinals this week, although Fecko downplayed the idea that Mooney will have an advantage.
"I was in this position last year and frankly I didn't feel any different," he said. "I guess it helps that we know what to expect. It does become a busy week trying to juggle all the stuff that comes at you."
In addition to the pressure of a state final, Fecko faces increased demands on his time from newspapers, television stations, radio stations, state officials, alumni, administrators, fans and well-wishers.
Not that he minds.
"It's more on me to handle it than the guys," he said. "I want to make sure they can focus on football."
scalzo@vindy.com