Johnson score 3 TDs as Ursuline poundS Farrell

October 5, 2014 at 12:09a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Kimauni Johnson rushed for 137 yards and three touchdowns as the Ursuline High School football team defeated Farrell 48-14 on Saturday at Youngstown State University’s Stambaugh Stadium.

The Fighting Irish defense registered 15 stops resulting in negative yardage, the most during the Larry Kempe head coaching era.

“Our defense has played well all season and I was pleased with our overall play for three of those four quarters,” Kempe said. “We have 77 players and we were able to get 60 into the game today.

“It’s good for them to get a taste of varsity football.”

Johnson’s legs gave Ursuline a strong start.

“I need to thank everyone from the offensive line to our wide receivers because they did an excellent job today blocking for everyone,” Johnson said. “Our offensive line got good push and it was all body-on-body the entire game.

“Farrell came to play, but we just came at them a little harder,” Johnson said. “Our goal is the playoffs but we’re not looking ahead.”

Johnson’s 35-yard run midway through the opening period staked Ursuline (4-2) to a 7-0 lead.

His 12-yard tally at the three minute mark doubled the lead. On Farrell’s ensuing possession, Tyler Leonard recovered quarterback Alex Myers’ fumble in the endzone for a 20-0 advantage.

Myers got Farrell (3-3) on the board with an 80-yard scoring strike to John Jackson, cutting the Irish lead to 20-8.

A scoreless second quarter produced two “three-and-outs” and a fumble.

A potential Farrell score with time winding down was thwarted when Jackson’s 51-yard run ended when he was pulled down by the Ursuline defense on their 17-yard line.

“I thought we came out strong, but lost our focus in the second quarter and that upset me,” Kempe said. “We have to play every quarter of every game with the people that we have.

Johnson’s third score, a 6-yard run 87 seconds into the second half, sealed the Steelers’ fate.

Quarterback Vito Penza strolled into the endzone from 5 yards away midway through the third quarter for a 34-8 lead.

“Ursuline is a championship-caliber program and we felt that we would have to play a near perfect game in order to win,” Farrell head coach Jarret Samuels said. There’s just no such thing as a perfect game.

“We hung in there for 24 minutes but attrition and three turnovers that led to 21 points really hurt us,” Samuels said. “You cannot win with turnovers and in the second half, we felt as if we were hit by a bus.

“We’ll regroup, learn from this game and put our best foot forward the rest of the way.”

A 26-yard interception return by Deion Edwards at 7:59 of the final quarter made it 41-8.

Jackson scored Farrell’s other touchdown on a 57-yard run.

TreZahn Dunlow’s 6-yard touchdown closed out Ursuline’s scoring.

“Our mindset is to go after it, attack it and then tackle it,” Ursuline linebacker Aaryn Jones said. “We did a good job today, but there’s still more work for us to do.”

Of Ursuline’s 255 total offensive yards, 223 came on the ground with Dunlow adding 55 yards on two runs.

Myers was 5-of-12 for 86 yards with one interception for Farrell.