Ursuline cruises on East Tech’s mistakes
The Irish opened the season
with a 59-0 win over
Cleveland East Tech.
By TOM WILLIAMS
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN — Thanks to continuous giveaways by Cleveland East Tech, the most suspense generated during the first half of Ursuline’s football game Saturday was whether the Irish defense could keep scoring pace with the offense.
Ursuline’s offense won that battle, 31-21, as the Irish scored 52 points in the first two quarters en route to a 59-0 victory at Stambaugh Stadium.
Asked if his squad had set halftime scoring record, Ursuline coach Dan Reardon replied, “I don’t know.”
The mention of the Irish’s six fumble recoveries in the second quarter brought a smile.
“I’ve got believe that’s probably a record,” Reardon said. “I’d be surprised if it’s not.
“Our kids played hard, then the game got out of hand early,” Reardon said. “I think our kids did what they were supposed to do — running the football, playing hard on every play, hitting, tackling. When you do that, good things happen.”
Looking for big season
With Week 1 over, defensive lineman Dan Baco, a junior, says the Irish are looking ahead to a big season.
“I would never dream of being ahead 52-0 at halftime, but it just goes to show we’re ready to go,” Baco said. “In the past two years, we haven’t seen a Week 11. We need to make sure we get there this year for our seniors.
“We want to send a message that Ursuline is back, it’s time to gain our respect. We will be in Week 11, we have to, we know we do,” said Baco, who made his presence felt on two of the Ursuline defensive touchdowns.
In the second quarter, Baco broke through the Golden Scarabs’ line to hit quarterback Isaiah Kimmie and strip the ball. Lineman Justin Brown recovered the ball and fell into the end zone.
“I was trying to pursue the ball,” Baco said. “I saw him make a move and my eyes lit up for a second when I hit him. I loved seeing Brown get in there, I love seeing any of my seniors get a touchdown.”
Reardon said, “Brown actually missed the sack but he got lucky because Baco cleaned it up. He ended up in the right place even though he may have made a mistake at first.”
Minutes later, Baco scooped up another Scarabs fumble and raced 19 yards for a touchdown.
“Linemen, we don’t get many chances to score so we when we do it’s always a big deal,” said Baco, who added that he believes his team made a strong statement.
“I hope so — 59-0 is a pretty good message,” Baco said.
Short night for starters
Reardon began subbing freely in the second quarter and he admits that the short night for his starters could have a down side.
“I hope doesn’t come back to haunt us down the road,” Reardon said. “Nothing replaces game experience as far as conditioning goes, the tempo and the frequency of the plays. That is a little bit of a concern.
Starting quarterback Lamar McQueen didn’t mind.
“It’s always good when you can get of early because it means you were doing what you’re supposed to do,” McQueen said. “And it gets other guys into the game.”
The Irish took the lead on their second possession after getting the ball at the East Tech 21. On the next play, Irish McQueen raced for a 21-yard touchdown.
“Once I rolled out, I was thinking of running,” McQueen said. “I saw [wide receiver] L.J. Stevens throw a pretty good block so I found room to get to the end zone.”
Linebacker Nick McGahagan intercepted a Kimmie pass and returned it 22 yards for the Irish’s second score.
The second half was shortened to eight-minute quarters.
williams@vindy.com
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