W. PA. FOOTBALL New Castle turns back Yough, 13-6

Stephen Whetzel's 91-yard opening kickoff return set the pace for the 'Canes.
By CHUCK HOUSTEAU
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Former New Castle High coach Lindy Lauro was honored before the Red Hurricanes' home opener at refurbished Taggart Field.
Lauro spoke to the huge crowd on hand to dedicate the new field turf at the New Castle Stadium and implored them to continue to support Hurricane football as they always have in the past.
& quot;You fans are the greatest, Lauro said. & quot;Make sure you get off your duffs and support this football team tonight. & quot;
Those home fans had plenty to cheer about moments later when New Castle kick returner Stephen Whetzel took the opening kickoff and raced 91 yards untouched for a touchdown that sparked a 13-6 win over the Yough Cougars.
& quot;We were looking for something positive right off the bat, & quot; said current coach Frank Bongivengo Jr. & quot;We needed something like that [kick return] to spark our team.
& quot;Stephen's a great player. He had a great return and the guys did a great job of blocking to get him free, & quot;
Bongivengo said. & quot;That helped us get over the hump after last week. & quot;
New Castle lost last week to Kittanning in its season opener.
Lots of turnovers
New Castle and Yough battled evenly after that kickoff in a game marred by turnovers.
The Hurricanes turned the ball over four times to upset a fine running game that featured four running backs.
Tim Wilkes rushed for 60 yards, while Donald Cleckley added 57. Jeremy McGee tacked on 49 rushing yards while fullback Jordan Haybarger rushed for 28 yards.
Yough countered with an equally good offensive attack that featured tailback Cody Wilson and the passing combination of quarterback Justin Shaffer and receiver Brad Janiro.
But the Cougars were also unable to hold on to the football and handed it back to New Castle five times.
Cougars cut lead
Yough cut the New Castle lead to 7-6 in the third quarter when Wilson raced 14 yards to a score. The Cougars completed two-point conversion pass was ruled an illegal forward pass and New Castle clung to a slim lead.
The Hurricanes took possession of the football at its own 43 when Tom Burkett recovered a Cougar fumble and New Castle put the game away.
Clinching touchdown
The Canes marched 57 yards on 16 plays before Haybarger scored from a yard out to put New Castle up by seven points.
Shaffer led the Cougars back down the field in the final minutes but Sam Plyler's interception sealed the win.
& quot;I give all the credit in the world to these kids, & quot; Bongivengo said. & quot;They battled the whole game and I couldn't be more happy, especially coming here tonight to open up this new field.
"It's a new time and a new era of New Castle football. & quot;