By Pete Mollica

YOUNGSTOWN — Good football teams will find a way to win even when they aren’t playing their best football. Such was the case Saturday night for Ursuline High.

The unbeaten Irish (11-0) struggled through three quarters before scoring twice in the final quarter to post a 27-7 victory over Cuyahoga Heights in a Division V Region 17 opener at Youngstown State’s Stambaugh Stadium.

The victory puts the Irish into the regional semifinal contest next Saturday against Gates Mills Gilmour Academy, a 48-21 winner over Creston Norwayne. The site of that contest will be determined today.

“I don’t think there is anyone in our locker room who feels like we played up to our potential tonight,” Ursuline coach Dan Reardon said. “It was a sloppily played football game and we managed to come out with a win.

“But, we’re still playing.”

Cuyahoga Heights scored an easy touchdown on the game’s opening drive, but the Ursuline defense and special teams came back and helped win the game.

The Irish scored their first score in the second quarter on a 74-yard punt return by senior Dale Peterman. Then the defense came up with three interceptions and a fumble recovery that sparked the second-half rally.

“Maybe this was a wake up call for this football team,” Reardon said. “We take great pride in the fact that we were a plus-18 in the turnover margin going into tonight’s game and we had done a great job of taking care of the football, although we didn’t do that very well tonight.

The Irish fumbled twice, losing one and had a pass intercepted, but the defense came to the rescue each time.

Ursuline held the Redskins (9-2) to 97 yards rushing and that included a 62-yard touchdown run by junior quarterback Zach D’Orazio on the game’s opening drive. Ursuline also allowed just 56 yard passing.

But the Irish offense struggled also, gaining 151 yards rushing and just 52 passing, most of the rushing yards came in the second half.

“They were stacking up a lot of people in the box and that made it difficult to run the football inside,” Reardon said. “They’re a good football team, you don’t win nine games if you aren’t.”

The Redskins came out and shocked the Irish early. After three short runs, D’Orazio rolled out on the option, tucked the ball and cracked a seam in the Irish defense, broke into the clear and outraced everyone 62 yards and in less than a minute the Irish trailed 7-0.

Ursuline came right back and marched right back getting to the Redskins 26 after a 17 yard pass from Paul Kempe to Dominique Cole. On the next play, junior tailback Allen Jones broke loose for a touchdown, but the play was called back because of an illegal block.

The Irish had to settle for a field goal try, but Kevin Patrick was wide right from 22 yards out.

Ursuline wasted a big break on the next series when D’Orazio fumbled and Jamel Turner recovered at the Redskins 19.

Ursuline got to the Redskins 6, but on second down Dawalyn Harper was intercepted by David Bronza at the goal line. He returned it to the Irish 43. But again the defense held.

Early in the second quarter, the Irish forced a punt and Peterman hauled it in at his own 26, broke outside and found an opening and went all the way 74 yards for the game-tying touchdown.

Cuyahoga Heights had an opportunity to take the lead in the final seconds of the half, but kicker Rebecka Schafer missed a 24-yard field goal attempt that bounced off the left upright.

In the third quarter, the defense came up with another big play for the Irish as Alex Menton intercepted a pass at the Redskins 13-yard line.

After a big loss on the first play and later a five-yard penalty the Irish had to score from the 16 yard line on a nifty run by DeAndre Harris.

Ursuline finally put together a solid offensive drive late in the third period. Starting from their own 45, they stayed mainly on the ground behind the running of Harper and on the second play of the fourth quarter Harper rolled out and rambled 27 yards for the touchdown.

The Ursuline defense came up with two more interceptions in the final quarter, one by L.J. Stevens and the second by lineman Dan Baco, who was rushing the passer and picked off a shovel pass at the Redskins 20. That set up the final score which came on a five-yard run by Allen Jones.

mollica@vindy.com