Crusaders Face Another Playoff Contender in Season Finale

Written by Mario Saggio

The Crusaders of Steubenville Catholic Central close out the 2011 season when they take on Leavittsburg LaBrae at Warren’s Mollenkopf Stadium Saturday at noon.

Central, under first-year head coach Steve Daley, enters the contest with a 3-6 mark. The Crusaders have showed marked improvement during the second half of the season, going 2-2 in that span. The two losses came against playoff contenders Barnesville and Oak Glen.

They will face another team looking to secure a post-season berth in LaBrae. The Vikings, under the direction of veteran head coach Bill Bohren, currently stand eighth in Ohio Division 4 Region 13.

After winning five of their first six games, the Vikings have struggled as of late, dropping three straight contests, including a 50-0 setback at the hands of Girard, the top-ranked team in their region, last week.

Leading the LaBrae offensive arsenal is 6-6, 180-pound sophomore quarterback Peyton Aldridge, who started against the Crusaders as a freshman last year. So far this season, he has accounted for 778 yards and 11 touchdowns through the air.

Averaging 24 points and 295 yards per game, the Vikings throw a mixed bag at opposing defenses, utilizing both a spread passing attack and two-back set that emphasizes the running game.

Leading the LaBrae running game is tailback Matt Szorady, who has run for 935 yards and 12 touchdowns. The 5-9, 170-pound senior also leads the team in receptions with 18. He did suffer an injury in last week’s loss, so his status is uncertain for Saturday.

5-9, 190-pound senior fullback Zach Miller rounds out the LaBrae backfield, while dangerous Carl Brown, a 5-11, 195-pound junior, lines up at flanker.

Paul Zigmont, a 6-0, 170-pound junior, is the Vikings’ tight end. Freshman Justin Jenkins (5-9, 145) and senior Brent Barna (5-8, 155) share duties at split end.

Senior Troy Chieffo (5-11, 205) heads up the offensive line from his center spot. A pair of juniors, 6-2, 190-pound Nate Middleton and 5-10, 195-pound Tyler Wilson, line up at guard.

The tackles are 5-11, 200-pound Dan Misinay and 6-0, 205-pound Tyler Carter, both seniors.

The Vikings employ a 4-4 defense, which is spearheaded by Brown and Szorady at the outside linebacker slots. Lining up inside them are Miller and Middleton.

Carrington Herron, a 6-1, 275-pound senior, holds down one tackle spot, alongside Misinay on the interior of the Vikings’ front line. Zygmont and Carter get the nod at the ends.

5-9, 160-pound senior Aaron Brown starts at one corner, with Barna on the opposite side. Jenkins quarterbacks the secondary from his safety spot.

The Viking defense will try to stop a Crusader aerial attack that has been firing on all cylinders in recent weeks. Sophomore quarterback Brenton Colabella has reached the 300-yard mark through the air in each of the past two games. For the year, the Crusader field general has completed 115 of his 217 attempts for 1,619 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Bolstered by a deep and versatile corps of receivers, Colabella has completed passes to nine different receivers in as many games. Junior Zach Herrington leads the team in receptions, nabbing 32 passes for 312 yards and two scores, both of which came last week.

Senior Brannt Pieniazek paces the Crusaders in receiving yardage and touchdowns, totaling 559 yards and 10 scores so far this season.

Also racking up solid numbers for Central are senior back Jon Emmerling and junior wideout Michael Carapellotti. Emmerling has been steady all year, grabbing 25 passes for 305 yards, while Carapellotti has become a more integral part of the passing game as the season has progressed. His 14 receptions have been good for 250 yards and three scores.

The Crusader ground game has steadily improved after struggling to establish itself early in the season.

Fullback Jim Panella leads Central with 266 yards and two scores on 85 rushing attempts. He also has nine receptions for 101 yards to his credit. The versatile Emmerling has toted the pigskin 33 times for 114 yards and two scores.

The return of senior standout Stephen Callaway from a serious knee injury has bolstered the offensive line in recent weeks.

While the Crusader defense has had it’s share of difficulties, there has been plenty to build on as the season has moved forward. Just as on offense, Callaway has excelled since his return from injury.

Despite missing several games, the senior end has recorded four tackles behind the line of scrimmage, two sacks and a fumble recovery. Senior Joe Fallon has excelled at the other end, having totaled 74 stops (13 for lost yardage), 12 sacks and a fumble recovery.

Emmerling leads the team in tackles from his linebacker spot, garnering 88 stops, including eight for negative yardage, three sacks and an interception.

Sophomore Aleks Porreca, who has seen time in both the secondary and at linebacker, has 46 tackles and two interceptions under his belt. Junior linebacker John-Anthony D’Ulisse has added 29 tackles, two fumble recoveries and an interception return for a touchdown.

Pieniazek leads the secondary with 58 tackles and three sacks, while fellow senior Steve Mihalyo has picked off five enemy passes to lead the unit in that category. B.J. Grandinetti is second in tackles among Crusader defensive backs, totaling 45 on the year.

Junior Doug Maslowski has solidified the kicking game, nailing 18 of 24 extra-point attempts, while Colabella has averaged over 34 yards per punt. Grandinetti has averaged over 25 yards per kickoff return.

Saturday’s contest will mark the fourth meeting between LaBrae and Central, with the Crusaders looking to secure their initial win in the series. The Vikings captured a 57-28 win at Harding Stadium in last year’s season finale.