CARDINAL MOONEY vs. COLDWATER

Game time: Saturday, 3 p.m. at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium, Massillon.
TV/Radio: Sports Time Ohio; WNIO-AM 1390.

Mooney (14-0)

21Mentor10
27Monroeville (Pa.) Gateway6
34Akron Hoban0
49Warren Harding0
40Mentor Lake Catholic14
21Buffalo (N.Y.) St. Francis0
31Cleveland Benedictine17
21Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary17
37Ursuline14
28Columbus Watterson0

Playoffs

30Coshocton6
28Akron SVSM7
35Steubenville20
28Marion Pleasant0

Scouting report: The Cardinals are 43-14 in 21 postseason appearances, winning state titles in 1973 (AAA), 1980 (II), 1982 (II), 1987 (III), 2004 (IV) and 2006 (IV). They’ve played in the last four Div. IV state championship games, falling to Coldwater in 2005. They’ve since won 28 straight games. “I think the seniors have done a great job of keeping everyone focused,” said Mooney coach P.J. Fecko, who is 71-27 in eight years at the school. “We had all that attention in the winter and spring last year and it really picked up in the summer. Against Mentor and in the Herbstreit Classic [against Gateway], things really started to unfold in a big way. We have great leadership on this team and everyone’s a team player.” Two of Mooney’s opponents are playing for state championships this weekend: Mentor (Div. I) and Ursuline (Div. V). The Cardinals were ranked first in the final AP regular season poll. The Cardinals, ranked eighth in the country by USA Today, are winning the way they always do — with running and defense. Div. IV defensive player of the year Michael Zordich, a Penn State recruit, leads the team with 109 tackles, including 161⁄2 for loss, on a unit that can suffocate teams. Defensive lineman Taylor Hill, a first team All-Ohio selection, is second with 95 tackles, including 14 for loss. Quarterback Tim Marlowe, who has replaced Dan McCarthy (a Notre Dame recruit who is out with a neck injury) the last two games, is a lockdown corner and the fastest player on the team. Junior defensive lineman John Simon (who has offers from Ohio State and Notre Dame) can overpower linemen. Offensively, the Cardinals usually run out of an I-formation or the shotgun. “We do a little bit of everything,” Fecko said. “We run a bunch of different ways out of a bunch of different sets. Name the way you can run it, we’ve done it.” All-Ohio tailback Brandon Beachum (Penn State) has been terrific in the postseason and leads the team with 244 carries for 1,569 yards and 17 TDs. Zordich, a bruising fullback, has 973 yards on 129 carries with 10 TDs. Senior Brandon Ericsson, also an All-Ohioan, leads a strong, powerful offensive line. “They have a great tradition and they’ve obviously been there before and know what it takes to be successful,” Coldwater coach John Reed said of the Cardinals. “They’re extremely talented athletically and the coaches get the most of our their players.”

Coldwater (13-1)

21Kenton7
14Marion Local35
49New Bremen7
37Anna8
42St. Henry0
35Parkway14
60Minster0
49Versailles14
45Fort Recovery7
51St. John’s7

Playoffs

43Jonathan Alder14
59Kettering Alter52
63Clinton-Massie14
56Westfall14

Scouting report: Coldwater is 30-11 in 13 postseason appearances, winning a state title in 2005 and finishing second in 1998 and 2000 (to Ursuline). The Cavaliers were ranked 11th in the final AP poll. They averaged 45 points per game in the regular season and 55 points per game in the postseason — both best among the 12 state finalists. Reed is 142-28 in 13 seasons. Junior quarterback Cory Klenke has thrown for 2,394 yards and 29 TDs, while senior Ryan Geier has 52 receptions for 994 yards and 11 TDs and junior Tony Harlamert 51 catches for 756 yards and 10 scores. Harlamert also has carried 124 times for 764 yards and 27 TDs. Of the teams Mooney has played, Coldwater’s offense probably most resembles Mentor’s spread attack. “But they’re still very different,” Fecko said. “Each team is set up different and has their own identity.” Linebacker Adam Homan, the younger brother of OSU’s Ross Homan, leads the team with 113 tackles, while Justin Bruns and Mark Steinbrenner each have 108. Tyler Kunk has 87 tackles, including 151⁄2 for loss, and Klenke has a team-high nine interceptions. “We don’t have those big kids,” Reed said. “We don’t have a defensive lineman that weighs 300 pounds. We have to rely on quickness.” The Cavaliers’ lone loss came against Div. V state finalists Marion Local. Both are in the Midwest Athletic Conference, which has put two teams in the state finals every year since 2003. “I think having played on the biggest of stages for us is a big help,” Reed said. “The younger players can get a big help from their teammates, who can share what it takes to maintain their composure in a big setting like that.”

Vindicator staff report