Ursuline completes 10-0 regular season

By Joe Scalzo | October 29, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

Ursuline vs. SVSM

Team

Record	Div.	Conf.
2/8	Div. IV	Independents

By Joe Scalzo

scalzo@vindy.com

AKRON

With the top overall seed in Division V, Region 17 already in hand, the Ursuline High football team had nothing to play for Thursday night.

Except, of course, perfection.

“We’ve been talking about being perfect all year,” said senior tight end Jordan Markota. “Nothing less.”

Thanks to a near-perfect night from Akise Teague, Ursuline polished off its second undefeated regular season in the last three years with a 24-7 win over St. Vincent-St. Mary at John Cistone Field.

“We were going for the win,” said Ursuline coach Dan Reardon. “It’s funny because you hear NFL teams talk about [resting players] and I’m not a guy who believes in that.

“If you’re competing, you try to compete. I also think that maintaining momentum when you have it is very, very important.”

Teague, a Mr. Football candidate, ran 16 times for 158 yards and two touchdowns also caught three passes for 66 yards to lead Ursuline (10-0). He could have added another touchdown in the game’s final minutes, but after picking up a first and goal at the SVSM 1 with less than two minutes left, quarterback Paul Kempe took three knees rather than run up the score.

“Let me tell you, he’s [Teague] as good as I’ve seen,” said SVSM coach Dan Boarman, who coached a Mr. Football in Delone Carter when he was at Copley in 2005. “I told their coach if he’s not Mr. Ohio in football, I’ve got to see who is.”

The victory was Ursuline’s fourth straight over SVSM, although it didn’t start perfectly. After giving up three first downs on defense in the opening minutes, Ursuline’s first offensive series left it backed up at its own 4. On the first play, Kempe got the snap in the end zone, scrambled right, then came back left and threw a pass directly into the arms of a SVSM defender, who dropped it.

Two plays later, things went a little better as Kempe hit Teague for a 55-yard pass. Five plays after that, Kempe got the ball on a double reverse, hitting Markota for a 27-yard TD that gave Ursuline a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.

“We saved it all year,” Markota said of the play. “I’ve been asking for it every game and [the coaches] said, ‘Just wait, just wait.’

“It finally happened.”

Defensively, Ursuline held SVSM’s potent offense — and do-everything senior Doran Grant — to just 54 yards rushing and 126 total. Grant scored SVSM’s lone touchdown with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter on 13-yard TD pass, cutting the deficit to 17-7.

“Their offense is unbelievable,” Markota said. “Grant might be one of the best players we’ve ever played.

“It’s dynamic and they’ve got a lot of weapons but we practiced hard and got it done.”

Ursuline put the game away on the ensuing possession with a five-play, 61-yard drive, capped by a 43-yard run by Teague (who had run for a 49-yard TD the play before that was called back by penalty).

“Obviously, they’ve got a good football team,” said Boarman, whose 6-4 team had already clinched a Division III playoff spot. “I think that’s the best [Ursuline team] I’ve seen in the last three years.”

Considering Ursuline won state titles the past two, that’s high praise. And anything less than another one would be a disappointment.

“We want to be a perfect 15-0,” Markota said. “We’re ready to play.”

URSULINE 24, ST. VINCENT-ST. MARY 7

Ursuline71007—24

SVSM0007—7

First Quarter

URSULINE — Jordan Markota 27 pass from Paul Kempe (Jeff Podolsky kick), 3:26

Second Quarter

URSULINE — FG 30 Podolsky, 10:51

URSULINE — Akise Teague 2 run (Podolsky kick), 3:18

Fourth Quarter

SVSM — Doran Grant 13 pass from Kevin Besser (Chris Motley kick), 9:48