43
For starters, Red rolls
But the underdog White put up a fight
By Joe Scalzo
Youngstown
On the third play of Saturday’s YSU spring game, Red team running back Jamaine Cook lost a fumble near midfield, giving the White team — which consisted of backups — a brief chance to dream big.
“I was like, ‘Oh, we’re going to go down and score and put it on these guys,’” said White quarterback Marc Kanetsky, a junior. “And Butler’s going to win the Final Four and [Kelly] Pavlik’s going to knock out Jermain Taylor and all that stuff.”
Alas, the drive stalled at the Red 4, Bob Gratz missed a 21-yard field goal and the Red responded with an 80-yard touchdown drive.
But for at least one half, the Whites gave the Reds all they could handle before falling 48-20 in front of 2,154 fans at Stambaugh Stadium.
“I was glad to see the White team compete a little bit and step up,” Penguins coach Eric Wolford said. “I’ve been an underdog my whole life and I always root for the underdog.
“I saw those guys do some good things.”
Offense dominated the game, with the Red team rolling up 551 yards and the White 308. Kanetsky and redshirt freshman Kurt Hess split time on all but one drive, switching back and forth between the Red and White teams.
Both players were effective, with Hess finishing 19 of 23 for 256 yards and two TDs for the Red and 7 of 10 for 94 yards with a TD for the White.
Kanetsky, a Hubbard High graduate, went 11 of 19 for 82 yards for the White and 9 of 13 for 131 yards and a TD for the Red.
Both quarterbacks’ main target was senior WR Dominique Barnes, who caught 10 passes for 174 yards and two TDs. Sophomore Jelani Berassa added eight catches for 107 yards and a TD for the Red.
Torrian Pace led all rushers with 13 carries for 103 yards and two TDs for the Red, averaging almost eight yards a carry.
“You guys are smart enough to see Torrian will lay it on you,” Wolford said. “You get tired of tackling that boy.”
Cook added 14 carries for 48 yards and two TDs, including one on the game’s final play.
“I started off slow and had to pick it up a little bit,” said Cook. “I just had to be a little more patient toward the end. Throughout the scrimmage I was just running on adrenaline and wasn’t patient and waiting for blockers.”
Redshirt freshman Dan Banna (Canfield) led the White with 10 carries for 93 yards. The White team trailed just 20-13 at halftime.
Senior safety Andre Elliott had eight tackles to lead the Red and almost had an interception on a Hess pass in the fourth quarter.
“We started off kind of slow but we came out with the win,” Elliott said. “We got better and we’re going to continue to get better.”
Redshirt freshman safety Dom Rich (Canfield) had nine tackles for the White, while junior linebacker David Rach [South Range] had two tackles for loss and forced a fumble.
With spring practice over, the team’s attention turns to this summer. The coaches can’t interact much until training camp, so it’s up to the players to make the commitment to get better, Wolford said.
“I’ll know more about what our football team is about, whether it’s lip service or it’s real, this summer,” he said. “If these guys show up, work out, do their 7-on-7s and the things they need to do and bond as a team, I feel pretty good about it.
“And that’s the steps we’ve got to see. That commitment that we need from every player is going to be the difference in this program.”