Bellaire has the air taken out of it

By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
STEUBENVILLE -- Midway through the third quarter, Mooney High junior Michael Zordich dropped back in coverage from his linebacker spot, looked into the quarterback's eyes and started to move. When he saw Bellaire senior Nick Rocchio fire the ball in his direction, his eyes got big, his hands grabbed the ball and he started running.
Fifty yards later, Zordich had the first defensive touchdown of his career, the Cardinals' defense had its third touchdown of the game and Mooney had a 42-7 lead.
It was that kind of night. And Zordich gave his defensive coordinator, Ron Stoops, a huge part of the credit.
Knows defense
"He's a genius," said Zordich following Friday's 49-7 win over the Big Reds in a Division IV state semifinal at Harding Stadium. "The guy knows what he's talking about."
The Cardinals (13-0) advanced to the state championship game for the third straight season and will play Plain City Jonathan Alder at 11 a.m. next Friday at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium in Massillon. The Pioneers defeated Oak Harbor 24-7 in the other semifinal.
It's the first time a Mooney team has advanced to three straight championship games. The Cardinals made it to the state semifinals from 1980-82, winning titles in 1980 and 1982.
"We lost last year and it left a bad taste in my mouth," said Zordich, who also carried 10 times for 62 yards and a touchdown. "We've got some unfinished business."
Mooney has a chance to become just the second team in school history to go undefeated and win a state crown -- the 1980 team went 12-0 and won the second of the Cardinals' five titles -- and, as always, it's doing it with defense.
"Our defense has played well all year," said Mooney coach P.J. Fecko. "The guys did a great job all night. The whole unit played well."
Repeat defeat
Mooney, which defeated the Big Reds 20-13 in last year's state semifinal, forced six Bellaire turnovers (five of them interceptions) as the Cardinals flushed, flustered and flattened Rocchio all evening. Rocchio was playing with a hip pointer and it's safe to say it didn't get better as the night went on.
"Mooney's a great football team," said Bellaire coach John Magistro, who will retire after 22 seasons with the Big Reds. "Things kind of snowballed on us."
It started early in the first quarter when Rocchio passed to wideout Jayson Keyser near midfield. Keyser was immediately stripped by Zordich and junior linebacker Brandon Beachum scooped up the ball and ran 56 yards for the touchdown. Two plays later, Mooney junior Taylor Hill picked off a shovel pass by Rocchio and scampered 34 yards untouched to make it 14-0. (Incidentally, Hill's only other defensive touchdown in his career came on a fumble recovery in last year's state semifinal at the same stadium.)
"There's something about this environment with all these fans that just gets me pumped up," said Hill, who also blocked one punt, came close to two others and pretty much created havoc all night from his defensive end position. "They were good, but I think I was too fast for them and I was able to get around the edge [all game]."
Hehr, Salreno intercept
Senior cornerback Jason Hehr added two interceptions and senior Lou Salreno added another as Mooney held Bellaire (13-1) to its lowest point total of the season. The Big Reds had scored at least 23 points in every game and had not given up more than 26 points.
"We never expected anything like this," said Hehr. "But our defense is the backbone of our team. And defense wins championships."
Senior Mike McGlone added a sack, a tackle for a loss and a pass break-up, seniors Tony Brunetti and Dom Scarnecchia were terrific in pass coverage and junior safety Dan McCarthy had a sack and had a few key tackles in coverage.
McCarthy, however, did more damage on offense, running 12 times for 103 yards and breaking free for a 66-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Senior Jamelle Bowers added a 52-yard TD and finished with 85 yards on nine carries as the Cardinals outgained Bellaire 344-54 on the ground.
QB's night
Rocchio, who replaced All-Ohioan Nate Davis and threw for more than 3,000 yards this season, completed 20-of-41 passes for 198 yards and a touchdown. His main target was senior Trey Masciarelli, who had six catches for 76 yards.
"Our guys up front were outstanding," said Hehr. "We knew they were going to rush [Rocchio] and have him scrambling all night."
Now the Cardinals, who were the state's top-ranked team in Div. IV in the regular season, will try to finish the job next week. Mooney fell to Coldwater 33-9 in last year's state final and it's clear the defeat still stings. The Cardinals won't get another chance at Coldwater -- it lost to Oak Harbor in the second round -- but that doesn't mean last year's loss won't serve as motivation.
"I can't wait," Zordich said. "It's gonna be great."
scalzo@vindy.com
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