By Steve ruman

sports @vindy.com

NILES

Struthers coach Curt Kuntz had a simple message for his team as it prepared for a Week 4 game against Niles.

“Don’t make mistakes,” Kuntz told them. “We’re not a big-play team. We believe in putting our best 11 on defense and doing simple things on offense.

“The last couple of weeks we had long drives, but we kept making mistakes that cost us.”

It was the Red Dragons who were mistake-prone Friday night, and Struthers responded with one successful long drive after another in a 27-0 win at Bo Rein Stadium.

Struthers (2-2) turned a narrow 7-0 halftime lead into a second-half rout thanks to three Niles turnovers.

Sophomore quarterback A.J. Musolino was efficient both on the ground and through the air for the Wildcats. He rushed for 88 yards on 11 carries, while completing 7 of 8 passes for 63 yards. Musolino threw two touchdown passes.

Senior Luke Witkowski, playing in his second game after having to sit out two games because of an ineligibility issue, rushed for 98 yards and a pair of TDs on 24 carries.

“It was a nice team win — everyone contributed,” Kuntz said. “We did the little things right, and we capitalized on their mistakes. This was Struthers football.”

After a scoreless first quarter, Struthers put together its first sustained drive. After a missed Niles field goal attempt, the Wildcats drove 80 yards to paydirt on 13 plays. The drive was capped when Musolino connected with Anthony Clark on a 12-yard pass.

Niles (1-3) fumbled on its first possession of the second half, and Struthers quickly responded with a Witkowski 5-yard touchdown run.

Struthers’ second possession of the third quarter ate up nearly 7 minutes of the clock. The 13-play drive ended with a Musolino-to-Austin Yemma 15-yard touchdown pass. Following the ensuing kickoff, Niles ran just one play before an interception gave the Wildcats the ball at their 35. This time, they put together a 14-play, 65-yard drive capped by a Witkowski 1-yard run.

“Niles likes to toss it around, we wanted to get the ball and run it a bit and keep our offense out there,” Kuntz said. “Our defense made big plays, then our offense did exactly what we wanted it to do.”

Kuntz said he believes Musolino’s performance is a sign of things to come.

“A.J. is a special athlete and he is going to be a special player sooner rather than later,” Kuntz said. “It’s the little things that he is still learning. Once he starts feeling more comfortable back there, we’ll rely on him more and more.”

Niles was limited to just 119 yards. Tyler Srbinovich led the Dragons with 55 yards on 11 carries. However, the Red Dragons were hurt in the passing game, completing just 1 of 9 passes and throwing three interceptions.

“I don’t think the scoreboard shows how hard our kids played tonight,” said Niles coach Brian Shaner. “But that many turnovers at any level won’t allow you to win.

“Struthers controlled the clock and controlled the game.”