Mooney set for Harding on Saturday

By TOM WILLIAMS
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- Six years have passed since the last time the Mooney High football team enjoyed a win over Warren Harding.
That's right, even last year when Coach P.J. Fecko's Cardinals won the Division IV state title, Mooney lost to the Raiders at Mollenkopf Stadium, 22-20. (Their only other 2004 loss was to Cleveland Benedictine.)
So are the Cardinals (3-0) pumped for their first (of two) Steel Valley Conference games?
Center Colin Chambers says they are.
"We've lost to Harding the past five years, so this game is definitely important to us," the Cardinals senior said. "They beat us the past two years by two points [because of] stupid mistakes. That gives us [plenty of] determination to beat them on Saturday."
The Raiders and Cardinals will kick off Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Youngstown State University's Stambaugh Stadium.
Up and down
Mooney, the top-ranked team in this week's Associated Press poll of Ohio's Div. IV teams, opens SVC play after three solid wins (22-10 over Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit, 21-14 at Buffalo St. Francis and 42-14 at East Cleveland Shaw).
Chambers says Mooney's record isn't a bonus or a surprise.
"We all knew in the offseason that we had to work harder because we had a lot of young guys stepping up," Chambers said. "And we have a lot of guys in new positions. It's not that it came easy last year, but we don't have the experience that we had last year."
On the other hand, Harding -- the Div. I powerhouse that earned Maurice Clarett, Prescott Burgess and Mario Manningham Big 10 scholarships over the past four years -- has stumbled to a 1-2 start. (The Raiders pounded Cleveland JFK 49-22 then lost 18-10 to Akron Buchtel and 28-21 to Strongsville.)
Record deceiving
Fecko says the Raiders' record is a little deceiving.
"In their past two games, they are playing [well] enough to win, they've had some bad breaks," Fecko said. "The ball wasn't bouncing their way."
After playing three teams not from the Mahoning Valley, Fecko said his players can't help but be inspired to play a local team.
"Sometimes you can get caught up in a big rivalry or that you lost to them last year," Fecko said. "I'm a big believer in staying focused on yourself."
Entering the season, Fecko's biggest concern was inexperience in replacing the many starters from last year's team who graduated. He says his younger players are progressing nicely.
Because of how he feels his players are maturing, Fecko said he's not surprised by the 3-0 start.
Team has progressed
"At the beginning of the season, I don't know that I would have been telling anybody that we'd be 3-0, but they've done a good job of progressing," Fecko said. "The whole team has done a good job of battling back, overcoming adversity and playing hard."
Fecko was referring to how the Cardinals trailed twice against Walsh Jesuit and once against Shaw.
"Last year, there were some games where we dropped down early," Fecko said of the Cardinals' rallying skills. "I think it's an attitude that's formed from last year and the year before that. Nobody gets nervous."
Key transfer
A key replacement is quarterback Derrell Johnson, who played for Campbell Memorial before transferring to Mooney.
"Derrell has really meshed with the seniors," Chambers said. "He worked hard in the offseason to learn the plays we run and he's made a lot of progress.
"And the guys are just becoming more and more comfortable with Derrell at quarterback," Chambers said. "He can really do some special things.
"He's the kind of player who can make a play out of nothing, Chambers said. "He can turn a broken play into a gain. All he needs is one block and he's gone, so we want to do our part to spring him loose."
Johnson's speed was a key factor in Mooney's season opening win over Walsh Jesuit as he scrambled about 100 yards to score a 60-yard touchdown.
"He's obviously has big shoes to fill," said Fecko referring to Kyle McCarthy's graduation. "He's done well so far, he's made good decisions, he's playing hard and aggressively.
"And he's not trying to do too much," Fecko said. "He's taking care of what he has to do and trusting that everyone around him will do what they're supposed to do."
When Johnson first joined the Cardinals, Fecko sensed the senior was used to trying to take on more than his fair share of responsibilities.
"I think we've worked that out of him," Fecko said.
williams@vindy.com