Ursuline vs. Ready

Gallery

The Irish will play Friday in
Massillon for the state title.

By TOM WILLIAMS

VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF

CANTON — For the second time in eight seasons, the Ursuline High football team will compete for a state football championship.

The brutal strength of their linemen powered the Irish to a 28-6 victory Friday over Columbus Bishop Ready in a state semifinal game at Canton Central Catholic’s Klinefelter Stadium.

“This is very exciting,” lineman Justin Brown said after the Irish limited the Knights to one yard rushing in the second half. “I don’t know what to say right now — I’m speechless. And I’m a very talkative person.

“It’s a feeling that I can’t express right now,” Brown said. “I don’t know what to say except we’re going to state, and I’m so excited.”

Brown and his defensive linemates let their second-half actions substitute for words as they hounded Ready quarterback Brock Brown for three sacks and shut down the Silver Knights’ offense.

“We missed a couple of tackles in the first half so our coaches talked at halftime about delivering,” said Brown, a senior whose final varsity game will be in the Division V state finale against Maria Stein Marion Local on Friday. “We came out and delivered a lot.”

The key to Friday’s win was how quickly the Irish scored after the Silver Knights took a 6-0 lead with 1:36 to play before halftime.

Senior quarterback Lamar McQueen marched the Irish 74 yards in six plays for the tying touchdown. McQueen threw a strike to senior wideout Ross Revella, who was in stride in the end zone when he caught the pass.

Michael Metzinger’s extra point with 17 ticks to go before halftime put the Irish ahead for keeps.