Undefeated Mooney upended Ursuline 37-14 for the SVC title.

By JOE SCALZO

VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF

YOUNGSTOWN — After watching teammate Michael Zordich twice break long runs, only to get caught from behind on the 1-yard line, Mooney senior Taylor Hill was asked if he plans to tease him.

“Yeah, I think I’ll mess with him a little about that,” Hill said.

Countered Zordich: “Taylor messes with me all the time. So that’s nothing new.”

If the Cardinals are struggling to carry the heavy expectations surrounding them this season, they haven’t shown it. Playing against arch-rival Ursuline Friday at Stambaugh Stadium, Mooney’s defense suffocated the Irish en route to a 37-14 win, clinching its fourth straight Steel Valley Conference title.

“Our guys played really well,” said Mooney coach P.J. Fecko. “It’s always exciting to win the Steel Valley title. There’s so much surrounding this game and I thought everyone did their part.

“They played really good team football.”

But, as always, Mooney’s “Four Horsemen” stepped up. Hill, an Oklahoma recruit, was a terror on the defensive line, recording a sack and three more tackles for losses as Mooney (9-0, 2-0) held Ursuline (7-2, 1-1) to just one first down in the first half.

“We had a great week of practice,” said Hill. “We were intense all week and that carried over into the game.

“We knew they were good, but we expected to do really well.”

Zordich, a Penn State recruit, led Mooney’s offense with 17 carries for 134 yards and a 1-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. That score was set up by a 63-yard run on the previous play that ended with Zordich getting knocked out of bounds at the 1. Then, in the game’s closing minutes, Zordich recovered an Ursuline onside kick and returned it 44 yards before getting knocked out at the 1. Two plays later, Matt Lyden scored on a 2-yard plunge.

“Of course you had to ask about those,” Zordich said, smiling. “I’m used to it. I get the hard, rough yards and then the tailback and the quarterback get all the glory.”

Since he mentioned it, senior running back Brandon Beachum (Penn State) finished with 87 yards on 15 carries and three touchdowns. The fourth member, Dan McCarthy (Notre Dame), intercepted one pass and broke up another as the Cardinals won their sixth straight game in the rivalry.

The win was meaningful not just because it came against Ursuline, but also because it came against a local team. Since Fitch and Boardman officially joined the Federal League in football in 2004, the Cardinals have not played a Mahoning County team other than Ursuline — a stretch of 52 games.

“We finally get to play against faces we know,” said Zordich, whose team has won 23 straight games. “It’s a ton of fun and it’s nice to know I’ve never lost to Ursuline in my four years here.”

Ursuline senior quarterback Lamar McQueen led the Irish with 66 yards on 15 carries with a touchdown and also completed 10 of 20 passes for 143 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Running back Darrell Mason had just 31 yards on seven carries as the Irish struggled to move the ball against the Irish defense.

“In the first half we had a couple guys open [on pass plays] and we overthrew them,” said Ursuline coach Dan Reardon. “We needed to hit those and on defense we needed to get a couple more stops.”

Still, the Irish’s playoff hopes are alive. But with a road game against Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary next Friday, things don’t get any easier.

“We’ve got a big challenge ahead of us next,” said Reardon. “We’ve got to rebound from this and take care of business.”

scalzo@vindy.com