CCHS Football Game Results

Saturday, October 22, 2011

New Cumberland (WV) Oak Glen 35, Steubenville Catholic Central 27

WRAP-UP from steubenvillecentralcrusaders.com, published 10/28/2011

Crusaders Tackle 7-1 Oak Glen In Home Finale

Written by Mario Saggio

Saturday night will mark the final home game for eight Steubenville Catholic Central seniors, as the Crusaders entertain Oak Glen at Harding Stadium. The 3-5 Crusaders face a daunting task as the visiting Golden Bears bring an impressive 7-1 mark into the contest.

Head Coach Tony Filberto’s squad just missed the West Virginia Class AA playoffs last year with a 6-4 record. They currently stand ninth in the WVSSAC ratings.

Last week’s 13-6 win over East Liverpool was Oak Glen’s fifth in a row. The Bears opened up the season with wins over Edison (29-28) and Frontier (69-6), before suffering their lone defeat of the season so far, at Indian Creek (34-7).

Since then, they have rattled off victories over John Marshall (33-13), Beaver Local (14-8), Weir High (48-6) and Tyler Consolidated (58-0), before downing the Potters last Friday.

Senior Lucas McDowell (6-2, 205) quarterbacks the Oak Glen offense, pacing the Bears’ potent ground attack with over 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns on 116 carries, including 132 yards and a score in last week’s "Battle of the Bridge."

6-0, 230-pound junior Justin Stivason could also see time under center.

Oak Glen’s big-play threat at wideout is Jeff Hissam, a 5-9, 170-pound senior, who leads the team in receiving with 13 catches for 210 yards and seven touchdowns. He is also a dangerous return man, notching a 40-yard punt return against the Potters.

Joining him at split end is 5-10, 180-pound junior Tyler Steed. Lining up at the slot for the Golden Bears are juniors Trey Smith (5-11, 170) and Clayton Flowers (5-7, 140).

Hard-running Dylan Davis, a 6-2, 230-pound senior, who rushed for 53 yards on 17 attempts last week, mans the fullback spot. Through eight games, Davis has carried 98 times for 536 yards and seven touchdowns.

Senior Dylan Powell (5-11, 180) anchors the Golden Bear line at center, where he is flanked by juniors Jeff Stivason (5-11, 240) and Nate Wright (5-10, 225). Another pair of juniors, 6-0, 240-pound Preston Murray and 5-11, 230-pound Logan Curtis, are the tackles.

Defensively, Powell and Jeff Stivason are the ends in the Bears’ 4-4 alignment, while Murray and 6-0, 215-pound junior Zack Staley line up at the tackle spots.

Davis and 5-10, 190-pound senior Ethan Deletka man the interior of the Oak Glen linebacking corps, while McDowell and Steed roam the outside.

McDowell blocked an extra point and Deletka had a fumble recovery for the Bears’ first score in the win over East Liverpool.

Flowers patrols the secondary from his safety spot, while Hissam, who had a key fourth-quarter interception last week, and Smith are the corners.

Junior kicker Josh Weltner has successfully converted 25 PATs and one field goal on the year.

The Crusaders put together their most complete effort of the season in last week’s dismantling of Weir High. They hope to do the same Saturday night when they honor eight seniors - Brannt Pieniazek, Stephen Mihalyo, Jon Emmerling, B.J. Grandinetti, Alex Bednar, Jimmy Panella, Joe Fallon, and Stephen Callaway - playing their final home game as Crusaders.

Sophomore quarterback Brenton Colabella filled the damp. cold October air with footballs last Friday, completing 19 of 34 attempts for 300 yards and two touchdowns.

The sophomore signal caller also added 68 yards rushing on seven carries, including a 46-yard touchdown gallop in the second half.

On the year, Colabella has completed 92 of 184 passes for 1,313 yards and 13 touchdowns, against just six interceptions.

Junior Zac Herrington leads the Crusaders in receptions with 27, accounting for 254 yards. Seniors Brannt Pieniazek and Jon Emmerling have each gathered in 20 receptions, totaling 460 and 222 yards, respectively. Pieniazek’s total includes a team-leading nine scores.

Michael Carapellotti, a junior, has been at the receiving end of 11 passes, for 216 yards and three scores.

Senior running back Jim Panella has caught six passes for 68 yards, while sophomore Ryan Fletcher has five receptions for 113 yards and a touchdown.

The Crusader ground game, which struggled through the early part of the season, has improved in recent weeks. Panella has carried a team-leading 72 times for 238 yards.

Emmerling has rushed 32 times for 113 yards and two scores, both of which came in last week’s win at Weir High.

The senior paces the Crusader defense with 79 tackles from his linebacker spot. He also has seven tackles for loss, two sacks and an interception to his credit.

Among the rest of the Crusader linebackers, John-Anthony D’Ulisse has been impressive, tallying 29 tackles, two fumble recoveries, and an interception.

Senior end Joe Fallon is second on the team with 69 stops, including 13 for lost yardage, along with 11 sacks and a fumble recovery.

The return of fellow senior Stephen Callaway has been a boon for the Crusader front line in recent weeks, as he has recovered a fumble, recorded a sack, and has three stops behind the line of scrimmage.

Sophomore Jake McCann has the most tackles among the Crusader interior front, notching 22 stops, including two for lost yardage.

Pieniazek is the leading tackler in the secondary with 51, including two sacks and two stops for lost yardage. Sophomore Aleks Porreca has 40 tackes and two interceptions to his credit.

Senior Steve Mihalyo’s five interceptions is tops among Crusader defenders, while Fletcher has picked off three enemy aerials.

The kicking game has been solidified by the presence of junior Doug Maslowski, who has converted 15 of 20 extra point attempts.

Colabella has averaged nearly 34 yards per punt on the sesason.

Saturday night’s 7:00 p.m. contest marks only the second meeting between the two schools. Oak Glen took the initial contest last year with a 28-6 home victory.

Crusader Rally Falls Short Against Oak Glen

Written by Mario Saggio

Steubenville Catholic Central put up a valiant effort against an explosive Oak Glen Golden Bear squad Saturday night at Harding Stadium, but the Crusaders came out on the short end of a 35-27 score.

Brannt Pieniazek’s 49-yard touchdown reception pulled the hosts within one score with just over two minutes left, but the Bears covered the ensuing onside kick before running out the clock and claiming their eighth victory in nine games. With the loss, Central falls to 3-6 on the season.

Oak Glen’s Lucas McDowell was stellar in leading his team to victory. The senior quarterback rushed for 275 yards and two touchdowns on 35 carries. He also completed four of five passing attempts for another 23 yards.

After forcing a Crusader punt on the game’s opening possession, Oak Glen marched 92 yards in 16 plays, all but one via the run. McDowell and fullback Dylan Davis shouldered the load, with the latter getting the visitors on the board from five yards out with 3:08 left in the opening quarter.

Central’s Stephen Callaway blocked the extra point attempt, keeping the lead at 6-0.

The Crusaders answered that drive with one of their own, marching from their own 24 to the Oak Glen one-yard line. After a three-yard loss, Central apparently tied the score on a quick slant from quarterback Brenton Colabella to Michael Carapellotti, but the Crusaders were whistled for an illegal pick.

Colabella then found junior Zach Herrington on a fade route in the right corner of the end zone for an 18-yard score. Again, though, the score was negated by a penalty, as Central was called for a chop block.

Given a reprieve, the Golden Bear defense responded with a sack on fourth down that gave them possession at their own 36.

The Crusaders forced a three-and-out before a short punt by the Bears went out of bounds at the Central 40. From there, the Blue and Gold started a 13-play drive that culminated in senior fullback Jim Panella’s one-yard dive with 4:19 remaining before halftime. Doug Maslowski’s PAT gave the hosts a 7-6 lead.

Starting at midfield, Oak Glen needed only seven plays to retake the lead on Davis’ second scoring run of the night, this one from eight yards out. McDowell, who carried four times for 39 yards on the drive, added the two-point conversion run that upped the Golden Bear lead to 14-7 in the waning moments of the first half.

The visitors received the second-half kickoff and moved from their own 38 to Central’s 39, where they faced a fourth-and-six. McDowell play-actioned and rolled right but was brought down by a blitzing Pieniazek for a two-yard loss.

Oak Glen then returned the favor, sacking Colabella at midfield on third down, forcing a Crusader punt that gave the Bears’ possession at their own 17-yard line. The teams then exchanged punts, with the Crusaders’ offering landing in the hands of Oak Glen speedster Jeff Hissam.

The senior stalwart fielded the punt at his own 36, broke to his left, and then weaved his way through the Crusader coverage en route to a spectacular 64-yard return with 3:27 to play in the third quarter. Josh Weltner’s PAT extended Oak Glen’s lead to 21-7.

Undaunted, the Crusaders answered with a 12-play, 80-yard scoring drive of their own. Colabella connected twice with Jon Emmerling, and once each with Carapellotti, Pieniazek and Panella, who also carried four times on the drive, to move the Crusaders to the Oak Glen 12-yard line. On fourth-and-eight from there, Herrington went up high to bring in Colabella’s pass in the right corner of the end zone.

Maslowski split the uprights to pull Central within 21-14 just 15 seconds before the third quarter expired.

Hissam’s 36-yard kickoff return gave Oak Glen the ball just over midfield, from where McDowell led his time on an eight-play scoring drive, which he capped with a three-yard scoring jaunt on fourth-and-one. Weltner’s extra point put the Oak Glen lead at 28-14 with less than nine minutes to play.

Central punted after three plays, giving Oak Glen the ball on their own 42. After Central’s Stephen Callaway brought down McDowell for a three-yard loss, the Golden Bear signal-caller connected with the elusive Hissam for a 46-yard gain deep into Crusader territory, but the effort went for naught as the visitors were flagged for a chop block.

Two plays later, an errant snap resulted in the Crusader defense swarming the Oak Glen punter at his own 15-yard line.

The Golden Bear defense stiffened, but on fourth-and-goal from the four-yard line, Colabella again connected with Herrington on a fade route to the right corner of the end zone.

Maslowski’s kick was true and Central was back within seven with 3:48 remaining on the clock.

Taking over at their own 35 after the ensuing kickoff went out of bounds, Oak Glen looked as if they sealed the victory two plays later when McDowell faked to Davis and then burst through the Central defense for a 62-yard score. Weltner nailed the extra point that put Oak Glen up 35-21 with 2:09 left.

The Crusaders weren’t about to go down without a fight, though. Sandwiched between a pair of incompletions, Colabella hit Emmerling for a nifty 33-yard gain that put the Crusaders just over midfield. From there, Colabella lofted a deep spiral to Pieniazek, who outfought an Oak Glen defender for the ball, before fighting his way the last 15 yards into the end zone.

Maslowski’s conversion attempt was blocked, though, leaving the deficit at 35-27.

Central then attempted an onside kick but the line drive was covered by Oak Glen at their own 43-yard line.

McDowell’s 27-yard burst seemed to end any Crusader hopes, but the Central defense appeared to recover a fumble after a nine-yard run by Davis on the next play. The officials ruled, however, that he was down before the ball came loose.

McDowell twice took a knee to run out the clock for the victorious Golden Bears, who remain in the thick of the playoff hunt in West Virginia Class AA. Tony Filberto’s squad travels to New Martinsville Friday night to battle defending state champion Magnolia.

Davis added 63 yards on 13 carries for Oak Glen, while Hissam hauled in all four of McDowell’s completions.

For Catholic Central, Colabella completed 23 of the 34 passes he launched for 307 yards. Seven of those hookups went to Pieniazek, for 99 yards. Landing five catches apiece were Emmerling and Herrington, totaling 83 and 58 yards each. Panella and Carapellotti both caught three passes, for 35 and 33 yards, respectively. The former also paced the Crusaders with 27 yards on 13 rushes.

The Crusaders look to end their season on a winning note, when they face Leavittsburg LaBrae at Warren’s Mollenkopf Stadium Saturday at noon.