Niles wins behind Ganyard

Saturday, August 26, 2006 The junior had an interception, a fumble recovery for a TD and ran for 108 yards. By JOE SCALZO VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF NILES — As a frustrated Bud McSuley spoke with reporters at midfield following Friday's game, Niles junior running back Nate Ganyard walked over, drawing the Girard coach's attention. "Hats off to this young man," McSuley said, pointing to Ganyard. "He's going to college on the two tapes from games against us." Last year, in a 34-24 win over the Indians, Ganyard recovered three fumbles and returned two for touchdowns. He nearly equaled that effort during Friday's 28-16 win at Bo Rein Stadium, returning an interception 64 yards to the Girard 3-yard line early in the first half (he scored two plays later) and later returning a fumble 97 yards for a touchdown. Oh, he also had 108 yards rushing, including a 47-yard TD run. Not bad. "He has a knack for being at the right place at the right time," said Niles coach Phil Annarella. Girard couldn't capitalize Of course, the result could easily have been different had Girard found a way to capitalize on several scoring opportunities. The Indians were just 1-for-5 inside the red zone, turning the ball over on three of those possessions. They also had a 37-yard touchdown pass called back because of an illegal block in the back, dropped 11 passes and struggled with their tackling. "You've gotta make plays," McSuley said. "We didn't." The Red Dragons weren't perfect either — Niles gave up 368 yards to Girard's spread offense — but they played well when it counted. "[Girard's] not a fun team to prepare for anytime, but especially in the opener," said Annarella, who praised the work of his assistant coaches, especially defensive coordinator Bart Dockry. "I'm glad they're past us." Niles senior Walt Krezeczowski played well on both sides of the ball, forcing the fumble that Ganyard returned for a TD on defense and running 11 times for 112 yards at quarterback on offense. (The passing game needs work — he completed just 1-of-8 for 11 yards — but hey, it's the opener.) Game-clinching score Krezeczowski's biggest play came midway through the fourth quarter. With the Red Dragons clinging to a 21-16 lead with just under seven minutes remaining, Krezeczowski faked a handoff, ran through the right side of the Girard defense, broke a couple tackles and raced 50 yards for the game-clinching score. The Niles' defense survived a scare in the closing minutes — senior Vince Caicco intercepted Girard quarterback Scooter Hargate's pass in the end zone with two minutes to go — and the Red Dragons came away with two things: a win and a lot to work on. "Our boys were tired at the end, so we need to run more and improve our conditioning," said Ganyard. "And we got lazy on a couple plays. There were plays when we didn't block and when the backs didn't find the holes. "In every aspect, we have to step up." Sparks Indians Hargate, who started at Ursuline as a sophomore and backed up Brett Dutton at Girard last season, played a terrific game. Hargate ran 25 times for 123 yards and completed 13 of 33 passes, completing throws to six different receivers. "He's an outstanding quarterback," said Annarella. "He's reads the coverages well and he'll sit in the pocket. He's not afraid to take a shot." Kyle Stadelmyer was his main target, catching three passes for 72 yards, while Marty Brinker had two catches for 60 yards, including a 39-yard out and up touchdown catch just before the half. scalzo@vindy.com