Current squad follows lead of older brothers

By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- As a younger brother, Mooney High junior Dan McCarthy has seen the best and the worst that high school football has to offer.
His oldest brother, Brian, was a member of the 2001 Mooney team that finished 0-10. His other older brother, Kyle, was the quarterback of the 2004 state championship team.
"The whole 2004 run, that was a really happy experience," said McCarthy, who was a freshman at the time. "It was kind of nice that I didn't have to deal with nerves. I could just watch."
Kyle, now a redshirt freshman at Notre Dame, was a typical older brother, wrestling with Dan and keeping him in his place.
"But we were always good friends," said Dan McCarthy, who, like his brother, plays quarterback and defensive back. "And he's taught me everything I know about football.
"He's helped me teach all the basic reads [at quarterback] and the situations I need to react to. He's been great."
Family connection
McCarthy is one of four players on the Cardinals whose older brothers were on the 2004 team, which went 12-2 and defeated Versailles 28-6 in the championship game.
Senior defensive back Dom Scarnecchia's older brother, Victor, played linebacker and special teams on the 2004 team, while senior wide receiver Jon Moffie's older brother, Josh, was the starting middle linebacker and fullback. Senior wide receiver Ryan Babyak's older brother, also played receiver and special teams.
Scarnecchia and Babyak are now at Miami (Ohio), while Moffie plays at The Citadel.
"I learned a lot from him," said Dom Scarnecchia, who recently got a scholarship offer from Villanova. "I didn't get as nervous around the seniors, so it wasn't a bad situation.
"He was a good brother. He beat me up a lot, but it made me stronger."
Jon Moffie also fought quite a bit with his brother, but nothing has changed over the years.
"We've fought since Day One," Moffie said. "That's all we do. But it was fun when we were playing together because we'd talk [trash] during practice. Having him as a brother definitely helped me and I learned a lot from him."
Moffie also benefited from watching the chemistry of that team.
"Everyone got along," he said. "There were no egos."
Josh Moffie sometimes tries to argue about which team is better, but Jon hasn't taken the bait -- yet.
Remains to be seen
"The season's not done with," Jon said. "We'll see in a couple weeks."
The Scarnecchias also talk on the phone quite a bit and they try to avoid comparisons between the two teams.
"That was a great team," Dom said of the 2004 squad. "We're trying to have our own identity."
The fact that the season isn't over hasn't stopped the older Babyak from doing a little trash-talking.
"He's commented that he's scored more touchdowns than me," said Ryan Babyak, laughing. "He had two and I only have one.
"It'd be good if I could beat him."
McCarthy, who also has an 11-year-old brother named Michael, already has a scholarship offer from Ohio State and could be the first of the three brothers not to go on to Notre Dame. (Brian graduated from there earlier this year.)
But what Dan would really like to do is become the first in the family to go a whole season without losing a game.
"Yeah, I kind of tease him about it a little," he said. "But [Kyle] always says, 'Until you have a ring, you can't say anything to me.' "
scalzo@vindy.com