Penalties doom Ursuline vs. Steubenville

By Ryan Buck

sports@vindy.com

Ursuline vs Steubenville

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Steubenville

Ursuline coach Larry Kempe wants to wait a day before analyzing the game film from Friday night’s clash with Steubenville. He did not need that long to assess his team’s performance, however.

“Too many penalties,” an exasperated Kempe said before departing the Harding Stadium turf. “That is our Achilles’ heel right now in regards to every big game that we’re in, we commit too many penalties and we can’t be successful.”

Steubenville capitalized on four Ursuline turnovers and 15 penalties to grind out a 14-9 win in a bizarre game between two Northeast Ohio powers.

With the game tied at seven, Big Red backup quarterback Dimitri Collaros relieved injured starter Mandela Lawrence-Burke in the second half and engineered the go-ahead scoring drive.

The Irish defense — especially their stout defensive line — held a usually potent Steubenville offense to a mere 88 yards rushing and their special teams consistently won the day, but the game and scoreboard, which was not functional for most of the evening, belonged to the Big Red.

Three fourth-quarter Ursuline drives began with great field position, but concluded in heartache. Vito Penza’s last minute heave for receiver Marcus Mosley was intercepted by Steubenville defensive back Lucas Herrington at the Big Red 5 yard line with 30 seconds left to seal the win.

“I saw [Penza] looking my way and I tried to break back out of the way because I knew he was going for the end zone,” Herrington said, “so I just took off after it and got it at the highest point.”

Steubenville struck first when receiver Niko Petrides carried a perfectly-timed double reverse 74 yards to the 1 yard line before Donte Brown punched it in for a 7-0 lead with 4:58 remaining.

On the resulting kickoff, Irish return man Dakota Hobbs fielded a failed pooch attempt and sailed past the Big Red coverage team for a 74-yard tying score.

With the game clock inoperable on Steubenville’s gaudy home scoreboard, Penza nearly broke a highlight reel scramble for a touchdown but was tackled at the 5.

Collaros, the younger brother of former University of Cincinnati standout Zach, spotted Petrides across the middle on third-and-8 from the Ursuline 26 for a 14-7 lead.

“I saw Niko open and I threw it up to him,” Collaros said. “I go where my team takes me and let them lead the way.”

On first and 10 from the Big Red 12, Herrington snared a deflected Penza pass with 1:10 remaining in the game.

After Petrides kneeled a punt in the end zone for a safety, the Irish again had a potential game-winning drive in their grasp.

Hobbs returned the free punt — a 55-yard blast off the foot of Big Red punter Tevon Brown — before Herrington’s game-sealing interception.

The Irish had three possessions begin inside Steubenville territory and three more beyond their own 40.

“I think what you have to do as a football player is let the game come to you and not force the game,” Kempe said. “And we’re forcing the game right now.

“We’re not very fundamentally good right now.”

Ursuline was docked 119 yards in penalties while Steubenville accounted for 88 yards on 12 penalties.