CRUSADERS FACE CRUCIAL ROAD TEST IN REGULAR-SEASON FINALE
Written by Mario Saggio
Steve Daley and his Fighting Crusaders will have plenty riding on Friday night’s road tilt in New Martinsville as Steubenville Catholic Central looks to secure their first postseason berth since 2007 with a win over home-standing Magnolia. That will be no small fete as the Blue Eagles enter the contest riding the crest of a seven-game winning streak after a 21-20 loss to Linsly in the opening week of the season.
Central hopes to bounce back from a heart-wrenching 21-20 loss last Saturday that saw Weirton Madonna score the game’s final 14 points, notching the winning score with just 30.7 seconds remaining. Magnolia, meanwhile, posted a 46-6 home win over Barnesville, a team that the Crusaders had beaten 63-14 earlier in the season.
The only other common opponent for Friday night’s combatants is Weir High. Central trounced the Red Riders 53-8 one week after the Blue Eagles rolled to a 51-12 victory.
Friday will mark the third-all time meeting between the Blue Eagles and Crusaders, who won both meetings back in the mid 1940s.
Mark Batton’s high-flying Eagles reside in fourth place in the WVSSAC Class A playoff rankings, having outscored their eight opponents by a margin of 269-108. Directing the Magnolia attack will be 6-1, 165-pound senior Tanner Hanna, who threw for one score and ran for another in the win over Barnesville.
His favorite target is flanker-slot man Stephen Rogalski, an athletic 5-11, 170-pound senior. Seniors Ryan Walton (6-0, 180) and Gage Deem (5-11, 165), along with freshman Kyle Ritz (6-0, 190) constitute the rest of the Magnolia receiving corps.
Junior tailback Kage Rohde (5-9, 180) garnered 109 yards and four touchdowns on just seven carries last week, while also catching a scoring pass.
He is joined in the backfield by 5-10, 185-pound classmate Drew Keller at fullback, who added 86 yards and a score on his 15 rushing attempts against Barnesville.
Cole Scckman, a 6-1, 290-pound junior center, is the biggest of the Blue Eagle linemen. The Wrights - Jared, a 5-9, 190-pound senior, and Logan, a 5-8, 200-pound junior - line up at guard, while a pair of seniors, 6-0, 190-pound Samuel Shreve and 6-1, 190-pound Robert Walker, hold down the tackle spots.
Defensively, Seckman and 6-4, 240-pound junior Brandon Clegg man the interior of the Eagles’ four-man front. Ritz, Jared Wright, and 6-0, 275-pound junior Stephen White rotate at defensive end.
Rohde and Keller line up at inside linebacker, with 6-0, 190-pound senior Zachary Arrick and 5-9, 175-pound junior Jacob Brill on the outside.
Hanna and Walton are the corners, while Deem represents the final line of defense from his safety spot.
Despite the loss to Madonna, the 6-3 Crusaders still find themselves in the midst of the Ohio Divsion VI, Region 21 playoff chase, holding the eighth and final qualifying spot. A win over Magnolia would clinch a postseason berth and possibly bump Central up to the seventh spot in the region.
Central’s potent spread attack has led the Crusaders to almost 41 points per game. Junior quarterback Brenton Colabella has thrown for 2,108 yards and 25 touchdowns on 129 of 213 passing. Despite leading Division VI in attempts, he has only thrown five interceptions, while ranking second in touchdown passes, yardage and completions.
His favorite target, rangy senior Zach Herrington, leads the division in touchdown receptions with 10. His 37 receptions and 664 yards both rank third in Division VI.
Fellow senior Kyle Laukert has accounted for five scores and 532 yards on 28 catches, putting him among the division’s top ten in each category.
Junior Ryan Fletcher’s has latched onto 26 passes, resulting in 387 yards and three scores, while senior Michael Carapellotti’s 19 catches have been good for 206 yards and four touchdowns.
The Crusaders have amassed 1,129 yards and 23 touchdowns on the ground, with senior tailback Doug Maslowski leading the way with 811 yards and 15 touchdowns on 104 carries.
Sophomore Stone Romano and junior Luke Potenzini (three touchdowns) have been solid at fullback.
Junior Jake McCann has been a stalwart on the defensive front, recording 35 tackles - four for negative yardage - along with four sacks and a safety. Senior Geno Taglione is next among the linemen with 26 tackles, followed by junior Marty Engle with 19. Stephen Butto and Jimmy Joe Mort have provided quality play, as well.
A pair of sophomores, Chris Murphy and Stone Romano, lead the linebacking corps in tackles. Of Murphy’s 51 stops, seven have been behind the line of scrimmage, to go with five sacks and four fumble recoveries. Romano leads the team in sacks with six, among his 47 tackles, 10 of which have been for negative yardage.
Senior linebacker Kevan Zapolnik also has 10 tackles for negative yardage among his 36 stops.
Junior safety Aleks Porreca leads the team in tackles with 52, as well as stops for negative yardage with 11. He also has an interception and fumble recovery to his credit. Classmate Ryan Fletcher has posted 49 stops and is tied for the team lead in interceptions with three.
Laukert and junior Khalil Jones also have three pickoffs each from their corner positions.
Romano has converted 26 of his 30 extra point attempts, while Maslowski has made 10 of 13. Colabella averages over 33 yards per punt.
The return game has also been strong, with Jones and Fletcher handling both punts and kickoffs. Jones averages nearly 33 yards per kickoff return and 14 yards on punts. Fletcher averages over 25 yards taking back kickoffs.
Friday night’s contest kicks off a 7:30.