CCHS Football Game Results

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Wheeling (WV) Central Catholic 31, Steubenville Catholic Central 14

WRAP-UP from steubenvillecentralcrusaders.com, published 10/1/2011

Crusaders Host Undefeated Wheeling Central

Written by Mario Saggio

Coming off a disappointing 22-14 Homecoming loss, Steubenville Catholic Central will look to turn things around when they host perennial West Virginia Class A powerhouse Wheeling Central Catholic Saturday night at Harding Stadium.

The Crusaders enter the contest at 1-3 after seeing a 14-0 first-quarter lead evaporate against Toronto last Saturday night. It was Central’s third straight loss after tasting victory in their season opener.

Quarterback Brenton Colabella threw for two touchdowns last week, giving him nine scoring tosses on the season. The Crusader sophomore has completed 48 of 87 attempts for 767 yards. He has been intercepted four times.

On the receiving end of those two scoring spirals last week were senior Brannt Pieniazek and junior Michael Carapellotti. The former has caught 12 passes for 293 yards and six scores, while the latter has totaled 84 yards and two touchdowns on four catches.

Junior wideout Zac Herrington, who paced the Crusader receivers last week, has snagged 14 passes for 135 yards. Senior back Jon Emmerling boasts eight receptions for 153 yards, while fullback Jim Panella has five catches for 62 yards.

The Crusader running game has struggled through the first four games. Panella has the lone rushing touchdown for Central and has accumulated 63 yards on 24 rushing attempts.

On the other side of the ball, Emmerling leads the Crusaders with 43 tackles from his linebacker spot, including five for negative yardage and one sack. Panella is next in tackles among the linebacking corps with 24, including two quarterback sacks.

Senior end Joe Fallon paces the defensive front, having tallied 38 stops with six of those for losses, as well as a team-leading eight sacks. Fellow end Alex Bednar has added 18 tackles and a fumble recovery.

Sophomores Jake McCann and Jimmy Joe Mort lead the interior of the Crusader defensive front in tackles, followed by junior Geno Taglione and Stephen Butto.

Pieniazek heads the secondary with 29 tackles and two sacks, followed by seniors B.J. Grandinetti with 23 stops. Sophomore Aleks Porreca leads Central with two interceptions, to go with his 22 tackles, while senior Steve Mihalyo has recorded 17 stops and an interception.

Colabella has averaged nearly 36 yards per punt and junior Doug Maslowski has converted nine of 11 PATs.

Head Coach Mike Young’s Maroon Knights sport an undefeated record after four games, having beaten Bellaire (31-13), Edison (32-20), Weirton Madonna (41-23), and Bridgeport (27-6).

Sophomore quarterback Parker Henry (5-9, 160) has excelled in running the Knights’ spin series, amassing 466 yards and five touchdowns on 62 rushing attempts.

Seniors wingback Gino Bianconi (5-10, 165) has added 344 yards and six scores on 45 carries. 5-8, 160-pound senior Andrew Keane starts at the other wingback slot for Wheeling Central.

Erik Gompers, a 6-1, 180-pound senior, lines up at fullback, with classmate Ian Yahnke (5-8, 140) manning the split end spot. Junior Braxton Nolte (5-11, 225) is the starting tight end.

Seniors David Stanley, a 5-11, 205-pound tackle and Ian Iuliucci, a 5-9, 190-pound guard, stand out on the offensive line. Sophomore tackle Coty Knechz (5-8, 180) and junior guard Nick Naumann (5-9, 195) line up on the other side of center Derek Yocke, a 5-7, 190-pound sophomore.

Defensively, Nolte and 6-1, 200-pound senior Patrick Biega are the ends on the Maroon Knights’ front line. Seniors Brandon Gast (6-2, 275) and Seth Yost (5-9, 230) man the interior.

Keane and Gompers are the starting outside linebackers, while Naumann and sophomore Gary Gwynn (5-11, 165) start on the inside.

In the secondary, Bianconi and Yahnke hold down the corner spots with Michael Pleva, a 6-2, 170-pound junior at safety.

The Crusaders hold an 18-12-4 advantage over Wheeling Central, but the Maroon Knights have been victorious in the last five meetings, including a 41-0 win at Wheeling Island Stadium last year.

Kickoff for Saturday’s contest is set for 7 p.m.

Strong Second Quarter Sparks Maroon Knights Past Crusaders

Written by Mario Saggio

Undefeated Wheeling Central Catholic scored three times in the second quarter against Steubenville Catholic Central to break open a close game on their way to securing their fifth win of the season, a 31-14 verdict.

The Maroon Knights, West Virginia’s top-ranked team in Class A, held a 10-0 first-quarter lead against a scrappy Crusader squad before pulling away prior to halftime. Catholic Central, whose record now stands at 1-4, put up two scores in the fourth quarter of Saturday night’s contest at Harding Stadium.

Following the opening kickoff, the visitors drove deep into Catholic Central territory before junior linebacker John-Anthony D’Ulisse recovered a Knight fumble at the 23-yard line. After Andrew Keane returned the favor, gobbling up a Crusader bobble on the 48-yard line, Wheeling Central’s offense kicked into high gear, getting their first score of the night on Keane’s 38-yard scamper. Bradley Cottrell’s PAT upped the lead to 7-0.

Ian Yahnke’s interception and return to the Central 24 on the Blue-and-Gold’s next possession set up Cottrell’s 37-yard field goal that extended the lead to 10-0. The Maroon Knights second-quarter outburst started when Gino Bianconi capped a four-play, 33-yard drive after a Crusader punt, scoring from two yards out. Cottrell converted his second PAT of the night.

One possession later, Bianconi burst through the middle of the Crusader defense and outran the secondary for a 55-yard scoring jaunt. Cottrell again split the uprights for a 24-0 margin with 8:14 left before intermission.

Wheeling Central’s final score of the half, and game, came on Keane’s one-yard plunge. Cottrell remained perfect with his fourth extra point kick of the night.

With both teams substituting liberally in the second half, the Crusaders found the end zone twice in the fourth quarter. Following a Maroon Knight fumble on their own 32, Crusader quarterback Kyle Laukert optioned the ball to sophomore back Ryan Fletcher while being tackled and the latter worked his way down the left sideline for a 24-yard touchdown with 10:36 remaining. The two-point conversion attempt failed.

The Crusaders regained possession on their own 28 after forcing another Maroon Knight fumble. On second down, Laukert eluded a strong Wheeling Central pass rush before lofting a deep ball to Fletcher, who had worked his way behind the Knights’ secondary. The sophomore latched onto Laukert’s spiral and sprinted to pay dirt, completing the 69-yard scoring connection. On the two-point conversion attempt, Laukert hit Fletcher in the right flat to finalize the score at 31-14.

The victors racked up 321 yards rushing on 64 carries, with Bianconi’s 94 yards on 22 carries setting the pace. Keane added another 55 yards on six carries, The Maroon Knights only threw the ball five times, completing three for 106 yards.

The Crusaders could only muster 47 yards rushing on 30 attempts. Fletcher tallied 30 yards on two carries while senior Jon Emmerling added 14 on four carries.

Through the air, starter Brenton Colabella completed four of six passes for 24 yards, hitting Zac Herrington twice, Emmerling and Brannt Pieniazek once each.

Wheeling Central returns to action Friday night against Pittsburgh Oliver, while the Crusaders travel to Bowerston for a matchup against Conotton Valley Saturday afternoon at 1:30.