By Joe Scalzo

Ursuline has the weapons and the patience to survive tough game situations.

YOUNGSTOWN — Although Ursuline has been an overwhelming favorite for the Div. V state title since August, some observers have levied an odd criticism against the Irish over the last few weeks.

Namely, if they’re so good, why are some of their games so close?

“I think people get to the point with Ursuline where they say they should beat everybody 50-0 and that should be the score by the end of the first half,” said Mooney coach P.J. Fecko, whose team lost to the Irish 10-7 in Week 9. “Those scores aren’t common in the first half.

“And the teams they’re playing, they want to win. They’re good teams, too.”

Ursuline (12-0) is outscoring teams 36-9 this season, which is impressive but can’t quite match the margin of their opponent this weekend, Kirtland. The Hornets (12-0) have beaten teams 45-11.

But that’s misleading, said Warren Harding coach D.J. Dota. The teams are different and the schedules are different.

“Their [Ursuline’s] schedule really benefits them getting into the playoffs,” said Dota, whose team lost to the Irish 33-7 in Week 6. “The type of coaching they see, plus the type of programs they play against help prepare them.”

The Irish did not play a Div. V team until the postseason, and seven of their opponents were in the upper three divisions. Kirtland, meanwhile, has not played a team above Div. IV, with seven of their opponents in Div. V or VI.

But that’s only part of the story. Unlike Kirtland, Ursuline doesn’t have a high-powered offense. The Irish prefer to spread the ball around to a bevy of running backs, while relying on their defense and special teams to make plays. You might be able to hang with them for a half, Fecko said, but most teams will eventually wear down.

“They’re very patient and they’re very consistent,” said Fecko. “A lot of games might be 7-7 at the end of the first half or something along those matters and then it ends up being 36-7.”

When Dota watched films of the Irish, he was impressed by all their playmakers on defense and in the return game. The latter came as no surprise to Dota, since Reardon coached special teams when he was an assistant at Harding.

“It’s not a high-profile offense although they have some breakaway guys who can take it to the house when they get a chance,” Dota said. “But the defense and special teams really scared us because at any moment, they could score.

“They’re like Ohio State in that they get points when they get them, but they rely on great defense and special teams to win games.”

Ursuline’s best return men are senior Dale Peterman and junior DeAndre Harris, who are both Div. I level players.

Defensively, the key guy is junior lineman Jamel Turner, a major Div. I recruit who Dota called “ferocious.”

“Jamel is a force to be reckoned with,” said Dota. “He’s a really good high school football player who makes a lot of big plays in a lot of games.”

Dota’s Raiders couldn’t do much with the Irish defense — Harding lost 33-7 — and Kirtland’s biggest challenge will be adapting to Ursuline’s speed and talent advantage. The Hornets prefer to spread the ball to several different weapons and quarterback Ben Madden often keeps plays alive with his feet. But he’ll have less time to throw and fewer open receivers, which means he’ll have to keep his mistakes to a minimum.

“They don’t do anything to kill themselves,” Dota said of Ursuline. “They execute well, they’re sound, they have great speed. ...

“They’re just a really solid football team.”

Two weeks ago, Ursuline found itself tied with Cuyahoga Heights 7-7 at halftime.

Since it was a first-round home playoff game against a (seemingly) overmatched team, a lot of people looked at that score and wondered if the Irish had been overhyped, ignoring the fact that the final score was 27-7.

Fecko, however, believes games like those reveal Ursuline’s strength.

The Irish don’t have to play their best to win because they don’t panic when things aren’t going their way.

“Ursuline doesn’t get nervous about things,” said Fecko. ““People can come out with emotion and play that way for the first quarter or maybe the first half, but after that it wears off.

“Ursuline keeps playing defense and offensively they start to wear teams down. After that, it kind of tumbles. The momentum shifts and they start to roll. And that’s why Ursuline’s going to win a state title.”

scalzo@vindy.com