Crusader Running Game Keys Win At Conotton Valley

Written by Mario Saggio

A running game that struggled through the first half the season keyed Steubenville Catholic Central’s 17-6 victory over Conotton Valley in Bowerston Saturday afternoon. The Crusaders ran through the rain and mud for 210 yards on 65 attempts. Senior fullback Jim Panella led the ground attack with a yeoman-like effort, totaling 116 yards on 31 carries. Classmate Jon Emmerling added 82 yards and a score on 20 rushing attempts.

The visiting Crusaders controlled play throughout, running 83 plays to the hosts’ 48, but missed several scoring opportunities early on that kept the Rockets within striking distance. The Crusader defense came up big, though, in the fourth quarter to preserve the win that moves Central to 2-4 on the season. Conotton Valley falls to 1-5 with the loss.

Senior Joe Fallon’s long return of the opening kickoff gave Central possession at the Conotton Valley 38-yard line, but the Rocket defense recovered a fumble at their own 45 after a sack on the first play from scrimmage. Unable to garner a first down, the hosts punted, giving Central the ball on their own 18.

The visiting Crusaders ran seven straight running plays but an option pitch to the right only gained two yards on fourth-and-three from their own 40-yard line.

Four plays later, the Crusader defense came up with a fourth-down stop of their own, limiting the hosts to a two-yard completion on fourth-and-four from the Central 35.

After garnering a first down, Central was forced to punt. Brenton Colabella’s kick caromed off the back of a Conotton Valley blocker and the alert Crusaders pounced on the loose ball at the Rocket 35-yard line. Emmerling capped off the seven-play drive, all on the ground, when he bounced outside the right end for a one-yard score with 2:16 left in the opening stanza. A mishandled snap resulted in Doug Maslowski’s low kick being blocked, leaving the lead at 6-0.

Central took over at midfield after a Rocket punt and used nine plays to advance to the Conotton Valley 11-yard line where a fourth-and-three pass attempt fell incomplete.

Two runs resulting in negative yardage moved the hosts back to their own seven-yard line before a backward pass in the flat rolled into the end zone, where the Rockets recovered, resulting in a safety with 7:01 left in the half.

Leading 8-0, the Crusaders took over at the Conotton Valley 44-yard line after the free kick. Seven plays later, Central was faced with another fourth down from the Rocket 17, but Brenton Colabella’s pass to Zac Herrington in the right corner of the end zone failed to connect.

The Central defense forced another three-and-out but a holding penalty negated a 20-yard punt return by sophomore Ryan Fletcher that would have put the Crusaders at the hosts’ 20-yard line. Starting from the Conotton Valley 42, the Blue-and-Gold rattled off an 11-play drive, mostly on the ground, that saw them with another fourth-down situation. The Rocket defense stiffened again, stopping Central two yards short of the end zone in the waning moments of the first half.

Just after intermission, Crusader defensive back Steve Mihalyo gave Central excellent field position, picking off Conotton Valley’s first-down pass at the Rocket 29. Again, Central failed to convert as Colabella’s fourth-down completion to Brannt Pieniazek at the 11 fell two yards short of the first-down marker.

On first down, Conotton Valley quarterback Colton Cottis threw to wideout Taylor Bowdish behind the line of scrimmage, and the junior hit a streaking Jeff Masters behind the Central secondary before Fletcher caught him from behind at the Crusader 11.

On third down from the five-yard line, Cottis connected with Masters in the right corner of the end zone, pulling the Rockets within two with 7:49 left in the third quarter. The Central defense preserved the lead, though, stopping Cottis for no gain on the two-point conversion attempt.

The Rockets’ ensuing squib kick was pounced on by the Crusaders at their own 49. Bowdish then came up big again for the Rockets, picking off Colabella’s third-down pass from the 36 at the Conotton Valley one-yard line.

An illegal motion penalty backed the Rockets even closer to their own goal line before Emmerling and Fallon led a host of Crusaders who brought down the Conotton Valley ballcarrier for the second safety of the game.

Neither team could muster any sustained offense over the next several drives before Emmerling came up with another big play for the Crusader defense, intercepting a Cottis pass at the Conotton Valley 28 before being hauled down at the 17-yard line.

The Rockets held tough again, forcing Central to turn the ball over on downs after an illegal forward pass on fourth down gave the hosts’ possession at their own 24. On second down, Fletcher outjumped a Rocket receiver for an interception at the Conotton Valley 36-yard line with 2:42 remaining in the game.

Just when it looked as if the Rockets had stemmed the tide again, they were called for a personal foul because of helmet-to-helmet contact on what had been an incomplete fourth-down pass near the goal line. Although not an automatic first down, the penalty gave the Crusader offense another chance. Despite an ensuing motion penalty, Central took advantage of the reprieve as Colabella hit Pieniazek on a slant for a 20-yard score that sealed the victory. Maslowski’s PAT upped the count to 17-6 with 1:24 to play.

Colabella completed four of his 18 pass attempts for 54 yards, connecting twice each with Herrington and Pieniazek.

Cottis threw for 154 yards, connecting on 8 of his 19 passes. Bowdish completed both of his attempts for 95 yards. Masters latched onto three passes for 82 yards to pace the Rockets.

Conotton Valley hosts Paden City next Saturday afternoon, while the Crusaders hit the road again, facing undefeated Barnesville Friday night at 7:30.