Crusaders Look to Send Off Seniors on Winning Note
Written by Mario Saggio
Head Coach Gregg Bahen and the Steubenville Catholic Central coaching staff will look to send off the 10 young men who comprise this year’s football senior class on a winning note Saturday night. Those seniors and the rest of their Crusader teammates will take the field once more in 2010 when they host Leavittsburg LaBrae at Harding Stadium.
Suiting up for their final time in the Blue and Gold will be Vince Parise, Cody Lynskey, Garrett Kiedrowski, Matt Sich, Nate Barker, Anthony Barezinsky, Sean Hughes, Josh Tysz, Justin Virtue and Collin Valero.
The Crusaders will be looking to rebound from a 28-6 loss at West Virginia Class AA playoff contender Oak Glen last Friday. The defeat was the eighth that Central has endured through nine games this season.
The visitors from Leavittsburg will bring a 4-5 record to town, but will be riding the momentum of last Friday’s come-from-behind win over rival Girard. The Vikings trailed 21-0 at one point before mounting a 28-point rally to seal the victory.
Veteran Head Coach Bill Bohren pilots the Vikings in their third-ever meeting with the Crusaders. LaBrae shut out Central 47-0 in 2008, and defeated the Crusaders 21-14 in the 2009 regular-season finale at Harding Stadium.
Last year’s game was a homecoming, of sorts, for Bohren. He was the head coach at Steubenville Big Red from 1975-77, compiling a 14-15-1 record, including a 2-1 mark against Catholic Central.
LaBrae returned 14 lettermen from last year’s 4-6 team, including five starters on each side of the ball.
Like the Crusaders, Bohren’s squad has a freshman lined up under center. 6-4, 165-pound Peyton Aldridge took over when junior starter Carrington Herron was injured earlier in the season.
Andrew Sekela, a 6-2, 185-pound senior who rushed 10 times for 37 yards as quarterback in the 2009 contest between these two teams, moved to running back in the offseason.
Joining him in the backfield is 5-10, 175-pound junior tailback Matt Szorady, who scored on a 36-yard run against the Crusaders last year, as well as adding a two-point conversion run. He leads the Vikings with over 800 yards and seven touchdowns rushing this season.
Zach Miller, a 5-9, 175-pound sophomore, keyed LaBrae’s win over Central last season with an 18-carry, 84-yard rushing effort.
Carl Brown, a 6-0, 215-pound sophomore, scored on a 1-yard run and a 57-yard interception in the fourth quarter last week to clinch the win against Girard.
6-2, 165-pound senior Andre Elkins is the main target in the Vikings’ passing game, garnering four touchdowns and close to 400 yards receiving through nine games.
Troy Chieffo, a 5-10, 205-pound junior center, anchors the Vikings’ offensive line.
Defensively, 5-11, 215-pound junior Tyler Carter holds down the middle of the LaBrae front line at nose tackle. He is flanked by 6-0, 180-pound junior Dan Misinay and 6-1, 235-pound Chris Brewer at the tackle spots.
On the ends are Brown and 5-9, 170-pound senior Tyler Davis.
Miller and 5-9, 185-pound senior Aaron Stubbs are the linebackers in LaBrae’s 5-2 set.
Patrolling the secondary are Elkins and 5-9, 145-pound senior Darnell Owens at the corners, with Szorady at strong safety and Sekela manning the free safety spot.
For the home-standing Crusaders, freshman quarterback Brenton Colabella continues to improve and show maturity. Last week against Oak Glen, he completed 14 of 26 passes for 101 yards and a touchdown, while being intercepted once.
For the year, the 6-0, 165-pounder has thrown for over 850 yards and four touchdowns. All four of his scoring tosses have been to 5-11, 175-pound junior wideout Brannt Pieniazek. The duo connected again on a 14-yard scoring play last week.
Pieniazek has hauled in more than 20 passes for over 320 yards through nine games, but a solid and deep corps of wideouts has allowed Colabella to spread the ball around.
Juniors Stephen Mihalyo (5-10, 165) and Joey Irvin (5-9, 160), along with sophomores Zach Herrington (6-1, 160) and Michael Carapellotti (5-10, 155), have become integral parts of the Crusader aerial attack as the season has progressed.
The 5-10, 165-pound Valero, from his tight end spot, has been a solid contributor, as well.
Lynskey, a 5-10, 180-pound fullback, led the Crusaders with 30 yards rushing and three receptions last week. Junior tailback Jon Emmerling (5-9, 175) also snared three passes and added 29 yards on the ground.
The Crusader line has improved as the year progressed, especially when it has come to providing Colabella with ample time to throw. Seniors Virtue (6-0, 285), Tysz (5-10, 180), Barezinsky (5-10, 200), Hughes (5-10, 175). Barker (5-10, 225) and Sich (5-11, 190) have provided toughness and leadership to a unit that has been plagued all year long by injuries.
Defensively, the Crusader secondary limited Oak Glen to five of 15 passing and broke up several pass attempts in their own end zone last Friday.
5-11, 165-pound senior cornerback Garrett Kiedrowski, along with classmate Vince Parise, a 6-1, 175-pound safety, keyed the effort, along with Pieniazek, Herrington, Carapellotti and Mihalyo.
Lynskey and Emmerling were solid from their linebacker spots. Versatile junior Jimmy Panella (5-10, 180), along with Valero, have also been crucial to the Crusader defensive effort.
David Bertoia, a 5-9, 170-pound junior, has provided quality depth to the linebacking unit.
Junior end Jordan Piergallini (6-1, 205) continues to provide solid run support while pressuring opposing quarterbacks.
The Crusader defense has been hampered by injuries throughout the season, but the return of 5-10, 195-pound junior Stephen Callaway has been a boost in recent weeks to the front line.
Aside from the same seniors who have held together the offensive line, several younger players have aided the effort of the Crusader defensive front, including 5-10, 215-pound sophomore Harley Ehrman, who recovered a fumble in the loss at Oak Glen.
Freshman Josh Merriman (5-9, 170) has handled the placekicking, while Colabella has taken over the punting duties, since an injury sidelined starter Alex Bednar, a 6-2, 205 junior.
Kickoff for Saturday’s season finale is set for 7:30 p.m.