By ERIC FORTUNE

sports@vindy.com

AUSTINTOWN

Austintown Fitch couldn’t afford to fall to 0-3 to start the year.

Falcons head coach Phil Annarella felt his offensive line needed to step up if the Falcons were going to right the ship.

Challenge answered as Fitch rolled up 392 yards of total offense as they rolled past the Louisville Leopards 42-21.

“We had challenged our offensive line this week,” Annarella said. “We wanted to get a couple of these other backs loose besides Joey Zielinski, who had been our leading rusher. That was the goal. It looks like they stepped it up.”

Zielinski still led the way with 88 yards rushing on 12 carries.

But it was also Lance McKeever adding 74 yards on the ground with Randy Smith and Jakari Lumsden adding 65 and 51, respectfully, as the Falcons (1-2) finished with 304 yards on the ground.

The game proved to be more interesting in itself as the scoreboard never displayed a running clock, but that didn’t slow down the Falcons.

They scored on their first three possessions of the game and five of their first six and were nearly flawless in their execution.

Fitch started the game off with an eight-play, 70-yard drive with Smith’s 5-yard run giving the Falcons an early 7-0 lead.

After blocking a Louisville punt, the Falcons punched it three plays later on Lumsden’s 3-yard run to make it 14-0.

On the first play of the second quarter, Zielinski hit Maeson Vernon from 24 yards out to make it 21-0 as the Leopards (0-3) had just 31 yards of total offense at that point.

The Leopards though responded on their ensuing possession marching 79 yards to cut it to 21-7 after Jared Mathie found Davis Burick down the sideline for 32 yard grab.

“They’re a good team, too,” Annarella said. “They threw the ball extremely well. That’s always an issue. They give people fits doing that. They always score a lot of points.”

The Falcons missed a chance to increase their lead on their ensuing possession as their drive stalled at the Leopard 22. It would be the only time in the first half as they didn’t punt until midway through the third quarter.

Louisville seemed poised to get back into the game marching 25 yards to the Falcon 47 only to turn the ball over.

“That’s what we told the kids,” Annarella said. “We challenged them. We told them, ‘We have to answer. They scored. Now we have to answer.’ ”

Zielinski ran it in from six yards out to make it 28-7 eight plays later as the Leopards never got any closer than three possessions throughout the second half.

“He’s clutch for us, not just offensively, but defensively,” Annarella said. “We tried to spell him a bit tonight at quarterback just because he doesn’t leave the field. He’s just a bright, intelligent football player. He does a lot of good things for us.”

The Falcons will look to continue their winning ways and see where the season goes from here as they play a winless Warren Harding at Mollenkopf Stadium.

“Let’s hope,” Annarella said. “That’s the goal. I’m sure with Harding next week and everyone after that might give us different thoughts, but we’ll be happy about the game tonight. We’ll worry about getting ready for Harding in the morning.”