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Rebuilt Irish line triggers offense
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The big guys started to come together when Ursuline played Mentor Lake Catholic.
By TOM WILLIAMS
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN — Coming off an undefeated season and Division V state title, Ursuline High football coach Dan Reardon knew his team’s chances of repeating depended on the development of a rebuilt offensive line.
“How quickly they mature is going to be a big factor in how quickly we have success,” Reardon said before the season.
The Irish offensive line had one-and-a-half starters returning (center David Rossi, left tackle Zach Conlan) and some huge holes to fill as Dan Baco, Matt Krause and Josh Bermann graduated last spring.
Rossi, a senior who played middle linebacker as a sophomore on the 2007 Ursuline team that finished state runner-up, was back as center.
Conlan, a junior who Reardon says started about half of the 2008 games, returned at left tackle.
Joining them up front were Joe Wess (left guard), Greg DeMario (right guard) and Pete Wearsch (right tackle).
Also getting playing time up front are junior Michael Zappa and sophomores Troy Vasquez-Atkins and Ty Vasquez-Atkins.
As the Irish prepare for Friday’s state semifinal playoff game against undefeated West Lafayette Ridgewood, Reardon said the linemen’s performances have been key to Ursuline’s third-straight extended season.
“We knew we had a chance to have a good offensive line,” Reardon said. “It was just a matter of getting those guys some experience for them to develop.”
After a convincing 46-22 win over Div. II Columbus St. Charles, Ursuline stumbled, losing to Pittsburgh Central Catholic (49-22) in a West Virginia Classic and then to Div. II Mentor Lake Catholic (35-21).
Rossi said the Irish weren’t discouraged because of playing quality opponents.
“Not at all,” said Rossi when asked if a Week 14 game seemed distant after the 1-2 start. “We knew we had [a strong finish] in us. It just took us a while to getting rolling.
“Once we were rolling, we felt no one was going to stop us.”
The Irish took off with blowout wins over Bedford, St. Thomas Aquinas, Canton Central Catholic and Akron Buchtel.
Reardon said the coaching staff feels the offensive line came together early.
“If you look back at the Mentor Lake Catholic game even though we lost, we felt the offensive line played well as a whole,” Reardon said. “That’s when it started to click, I think. Really from that point forward, we felt that they got better and better just about every single week.”
In Week 9, Ursuline (9-3) went toe-to-toe with undefeated archrival Mooney, losing 27-22, before closing with a 38-24 win over Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary.
In three playoff wins to capture Region 17, the Irish have outscored their opponents, 123-42.
“We’re very, very pleased with their effort and their performance down the stretch,” Reardon said.
Conlan was named to the all-district first team and Rossi the second team.
“That’s what we expected out of them,” Reardon said. “Both have played a lot of football for us over the past several years.”
Conlan, who is 6-feet tall and weighs 300, said he’s most impressed with how DeMario has developed.
“He’s probably our smallest lineman, [less than] 200 pounds,” Conlan said. He’s been working his tail off.”
Rossi, who is 5-11, 210, said the linemen “had a great offseason and we just had to become close on and off the field ... with hard work and dedication.”
Conlan said, “We knew we would have to come together [quickly]. So, far, they’ve done a good job. We’re not the biggest guys out there but we work hard.”
Like Rossi, DeMario (5-9, 195) and Wess (5-10, 210 pounds) are seniors. Wearsch (6-1, 227 pounds) is a junior.
Senior tailback Allen Jones keys the Irish offense. So far, he has 2,006 yards on 243 carries and 27 touchdowns. In last Friday’s 47-28 win over Cuyahoga Heights, Jones scored four times and gained 180 of his 237 yards in the second half.
“It’s awesome to block for a guy like Allen,” Rossi said. “Even if you don’t have a great block every time, Allen has the ability to spring one loose by himself.”
Conlan said watching Jones, Akise Teague or quarterback Paul Kempe run for long gains “is the best feeling in the world. On the big touchdowns, it’s not all Paul Kempe or Allen Jones. Up front, we made it happen.”
Offensive linemen aren’t often noticed unless penalties bring back long gains. Asked what motivates someone to give up linebacking for hiking, Rossi said, “Playing on the ‘O’ line, you get to take out a lot of aggression. It’s just all about the camaraderie with your other brothers on the ‘O’ line, just playing tough and nasty football.”
With school out for Thanksgiving, Rossi said the team plans to treat this week like any other.
“We’ll come together on Thursday,” Rossi said. “The ‘O’ line has a couple of pregame rituals that we will follow through. We’ll practice early and then [celebrate the holiday] later.”
With a win Friday, the Irish celebration would carry over into next week.
wiliams@vindy.com
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