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STEEL VALLEY CONFERENCE: Ursuline Irish edge Mooney Cardinals
Mooney Vs. Ursuline 2008
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Mooney QB Alex Zordich gets caught behind the line of scrimmage and winces in pain as #15 Ursuline Dominique Coleand #53 Ursuline's Mike Herns bring him down hard in the third quarter
10/17/2008 Mooney vs Ursuline
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By Pete Mollica
Ursuline clinches SVC crown
The Cardinals were unable to produce a turnover in the 10-7 loss.
YOUNGSTOWN — The big sign on the field before the game read “Youngstown Battle Ground,” and that’s just what fans at YSU’s Stambaugh Stadium got Friday night in the 50th anniversary of the rivalry between Ursuline and Cardinal Mooney.
Ursuline (9-0) remained undefeated and locked up a home game in the Division V playoffs in a couple weeks. The Irish scored early and then held off a late Mooney rally to post a 10-7 victory before more than 8,000 fans.
The victory also locked up the final Steel Valley Conference championship for the Irish (2-0).
Defense was the name of the game, and both teams were outstanding. However, four turnovers by the Cardinals (7-2, 1-1) proved to be the difference in the contest. Ursuline did not commit a turnover in the game.
“Our defense played outstanding tonight and they’ve been doing it all year long,” Ursuline coach Dan Reardon said.
“We did the things we needed to do defensively, while we struggled somewhat on offense other than a couple of plays, but that’s what you expect when you play Mooney,” Reardon said. “You know that you’ll have to earn every yard you get and the same goes for our defense. That’s what happens when you have to great defenses out on the field.”
Ursuline came up with three big turnovers in the first half, two of them by defensive back Dale Peterman, who recovered two fumbles. The biggest one came in the final minutes.
Trailing 10-0 with about six minutes remaining, the Cardinals drove from their own 15 to the Irish 11 and they had to do it with the pass.
But on third down from the 11, Mooney quarterback Alex Zordich was rushed hard and tackled by senior linebacker Dominique Cole. Zordich fumbled with senior Dan Baco picking up the loose ball and returning it to Irish 48.
Mooney came right back after forcing an Ursuline punt to finally score when Zordich hit junior wide receiver Donald D’Alesio on a 23-yard scoring toss with 1:23 remaining.
But when the Cardinals’ onside kick attempt was recovered by Peterman, the Irish were able to run out the clock.
“Ursuline is an outstanding football team,” Mooney coach P.J. Fecko said. “They did a good job of protecting the ball and put some points on the board. We just hurt ourselves with turnovers and penalties and those are things that you just can’t do against a team like Ursuline.”
The Ursuline win also snapped a six-game losing streak against the Cardinals, but Reardon said that played no part of this victory.
“It felt good get to get the victory,” Reardon said. “It was just two great football teams out there battling and what happened four, five or six years ago had no bearing on what happened here tonight.”
Ursuline got on the scoreboard first on its initial drive of contest and there was a little bit of luck involved in the results.
Starting at their own 20, the Irish found themselves with a second and 12 at the 18 when junior quarterback Dawalyn Harper fired a pass intended for Peterman.
But the ball was tipped in the air and senior Justin Austin, who was trailing the play scooped it out of the air and raced 53 yards to the Mooney 29.
The Irish could get no closer than the Mooney 9 and senior kicker Kevin Patrick came on and converted a 26-yard field goal.
“It [the pass] was a big play in the game because it allowed us to kick the field goal which turned out to be the deciding points,” Reardon said. “There are times when it pays to be a little lucky.”
After that drive the defenses took over and neither team threatened again until the third quarter.
After the Irish stopped the Cardinals on a fourth down play at the Ursuline 25, they took over and in three plays reached the 35. On first down, Allen Jones broke off tackle and found a big hole, got behind the defenders and outraced everybody 65 yards for the touchdown.
“Maybe we should have thrown the football early in the game more,” Fecko said. “At the end, we moved the ball well and were in position to at least kick a field goal before we turned it over. Still we came back and scored right after that and if we get the onside kick who knows what might have happened.”
mollica@vindy.com