Mooney wins with single TD

By ROB TODOR
VINDICATOR SPORTS EDITOR
AKRON -- There were exactly 100 plays from scrimmage in Cardinal Mooney High's game against St. Vincent-St. Mary Friday night. One stood out from all the others.
With just under eight minutes to play in the third quarter and SVSM facing a fourth down at its 40-yard line, Mooney senior Robert Walker broke through and blocked the punt.
His teammate, Calvin Littlejohn, scooped up the ball at the SVSM 38-yard line and raced untouched for the game's only touchdown, and the defense did the rest in the Cardinals' 7-0 victory at John Cistone Field.
A game featuring two run-oriented, but high-scoring offenses and hard-hitting defenses was settled by a special teams play, and Mooney coach P.J. Fecko wasn't surprised.
"A lot of people give special teams lip service," Fecko said, "but it's an important part of the game."
Many computer points
Mooney (7-1) will most assuredly hold onto its top spot in the Region 13 computer ratings. SVSM (5-3), which plays host to Ursuline in the season finale, was third in the region this week.
Walker said he had been getting close to SVSM's punter all game and decided it was time to make an all-out effort.
"I got a good jump off the snap," Walker said. "[The offensive lineman] wasn't stepping out good, and I could just shoot the gap."
Once Walker made his play, it was up to Littlejohn, also a senior, to complete it.
"I was blocking on the play, and when I saw Robert block it, I just went after the ball," he said.
Why did he pick up the ball and not just fall on it?
"I knew it was zero-zero," said Littlejohn, smiling, "so I tried to score."
Kandray kicks well
To top off the sequence, after Mooney was hit with a 15-yard dead-ball penalty, kicker Will Kandray added what amounted to a 36-yard extra point.
Kandray also punted well, averaging 36 yards on eight attempts.
Other than that exciting sequence, neither team had a legitimate scoring threat.
Mooney's Nate Burney rushed 27 times for 103 yards, becoming the school's second all-time leading rusher behind Ted Bell, but the Cardinals finished with just 131 total yards.
And they had 76 yards in penalties.
"We were trying to be persistent [on offense] and get a swing in field position," Fecko said. "Every time we would get it going, we'd get it called back on a penalty."
The Irish finished with 176 total yards but were just 3-for-13 on third downs (0-for-5 after halftime) and committed two second-half turnovers in addition to the blocked punt.
A needed victory
The closest the Irish got to the end zone was the Mooney 31 early in the game.
"We knew it was going to be a defensive struggle," Fecko said. "That was one of the best defenses we've faced."
And with a matchup against rival Ursuline on the schedule next Friday and the Cardinals coming off their first loss of the season, it was a needed win.
"It was important for us to get back on track," Fecko said. "We had been playing good, and we've just got to get it going. This is going to be something to give us momentum."
Indicative of the first half was Mooney's first possession of the game. The Cardinals ran seven plays in a drive that lasted more than four minutes -- and thanks to a holding penalty and sack -- gained 2 yards.
The Cardinals had 75 total yards in the first half; Burney rushed 16 times for 65 yards.
SVSM had 82 total yards in the first half, including 64 on the ground.
todor@vindy.com