If you can take one lesson away from Cardinal Mooney’s 35-20 beatdown of Steubenville last Saturday, it’s this: Even without Dan McCarthy, the Cardinals should win their second straight state title.

The main reason? Defense.

Mooney forced four turnovers in the first half of last week’s game, which is a lot different than saying Steubenville committed four. The Cardinals ripped the ball out on three fumbles, while Penn State-bound linebacker Michael Zordich made a terrific play to get an interception, batting the ball in the air and catching it on the ground.

This was no fluke. This was a well-coached, aggressive defense making plays. Ron Stoops, whose father was the architect for Mooney’s first four state championship defenses, has put together a unit that forces its opponents to play perfect, which is pretty much impossible. Even in Mooney’s closest game this season, a 21-17 win over Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary, it was the offense and the special teams that played poorly over the first three quarters, falling behind 17-0.

When you combine Mooney’s defense with an overpowering offensive line and one of the best running backs in the state in Brandon Beachum, you can afford to lose someone like McCarthy. Beachum, incidentally, was named the national player of the week by Rivals High for his 237-yard performance against Big Red.

Can you imagine another team in the state losing the front-runner for Mr. Football and not missing a beat?

Me neither.

Consequently, can you imagine Mooney losing one of its next two games?

Me neither.

UMooney was in a similar situation two years ago when it lost quarterback Derrell Johnson to an ankle injury in the state semifinals. The difference is, this year’s Cardinals team is better-equipped to deal with the loss.

The 2005 offense was basically built around RB Nate Burney and Johnson. When it lost Johnson, it lost its offense. (Although, considering how good that Coldwater team was that year, it might not have mattered.) Tim Marlowe stepped in last Saturday and Mooney barely missed a beat.

UThere aren’t many better stories this year than Lamar McQueen’s emergence at Ursuline.

Before transferring in the offseason, McQueen went 3-27 in his three years at Wilson. He’s already won 11 games this season. There’s always going to be grumbling whenever a public school player transfers to a parochial school (and it’s not always unjustified), but is there any question this has been a good move for McQueen and the Irish?

USpeaking of the public/parochial debate, there are 17 public schools and seven parochial schools remaining in the postseason.

Also, four of the AP poll champions are still alive: Cincinnati St. Xavier, Cardinal Mooney, Marion Local and Hopewell-Loudon.

UI felt pretty proud when I saw Ohio State running back Chris “Beanie” Wells, an Akron Garfield High graduate, run for 222 yards in last weekend’s win over Michigan.

My late father was a Garfield graduate, as is my brother-in-law, and I remember how proud my dad was when Wells committed to OSU a couple years ago. My dad never got to watch him play — he died of cancer before Wells’ first college game — which is too bad. He would have been a huge fan.

UFinally, today being Thanksgiving and all, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention one of the things I’m most grateful for: my job.

My dad was an Akron cop for almost 25 years and he always told me I could do anything I wanted to in this world, except become a cop. My father was a huge sports fan and he read the Akron Beacon Journal every morning, even when it infuriated him (which it often did). He passed down his love of newspapers and sports to his youngest son.

If it weren’t for him, and if it weren’t for all the Vindicator’s wonderful readers, I might have to actually work for a living. So to everyone who picks up our paper, whether it’s for the ads, the comics, the obits or even to yell at me, I’d like to say thanks.

XJoe Scalzo is a sportswriter for The Vindicator. Write him at scalzo@vindy.com.