He also tacked on a pair of 2-point conversion runs.

Brandon Pavone's 3-yard first-period run and Ray Rotell's conversion kick had given Sharpsville (0-1) a short-lived 7-0 first-quarter edge.

Late Friday

"It's disappointing, naturally, I wished we could've played better defensively,'' admitted York, "but they're young kids and they're gonna make mistakes.''

Friday night shocker in Sharon

Highly-touted Tigers fall to Ursuline

RUNNING ATTACK PROVES EFFECTIVE FOR THE IRISH

By Ed Farrell
Herald Assistant Sports Editor

The Sharon High football team's goal for the 2000 season remains unchanged; however, the tale of the Tigers' campaign come December will be written in a slightly altered version from that which was scripted during the preseason.

Youngstown-Ursuline utilized the two-pronged rushing attack of Terrence Graves and Justin Adams and saavy signal-caller Josh Swogger's smarts and tamed the Tigers, 27-17, Friday night.

"I think we wore them out,'' second-year Irish head coach Jim Vivo began. "We knew going in that our conditioning in the offseason was gonna pay off. (Sharon) had two scrimmages: One time they went 20 plays and the second scrimmage they went a half. I knew when it was warm out, I thought we caught a break. We just wore them out. Our line played excellent; I think we rushed for, probably, 300 yards. That's a great, great team, that's a hellava team. We're lucky we got ‘em early, because down the line they're gonna be a lot better,'' he said regarding Sharon.

Despite coming off a 5-5 campaign and entering Tiger Stadium against what some preseason prognosticators picked as the team to reach the PIAA Class AA pedestal, Ursuline was undaunted as the Irish amassed 267 rushing yards. Graves garnered 73 first-half yards, finishing with 94, while Adams -- unseated as Ursuline's starting tailback by Graves -- posted a game-high 110 markers, including 63-, 19- and 5-yard scoring sprints.

The last of his trio of TDs culminated a 12-play, 61-yard game-clinching drive that consumed 6 minutes and 11 seconds.

Following Adams' second score, the Tigers were trailing 20-17 with approximately 10½ minutes remaining when Carmone Parchman burst for 12 yards and a first down at Ursuline's 39-yard line. However he fumbled on the play, with Brandon Brown recovering for the Irish.

The pivotal play in the ensuing scoring drive occurred on fourth-and-2 from Sharon's 28, when Swogger rolled right and outraced Terrance Phillips, pursuing from the backside, for a 12-yard drive-sustaining first down. Five plays later, Adams added the clincher with 4:04 remaining in the fourth frame.

"It's called ‘power pass' -- we were trying to get the tight end (Louis Irizarry) to the flag -- and the up-back was open; we were in stack-I. But ‘knucklehead' (Swogger) wanted to run it ‘cause he likes to run people over and he scares the heck out of me every time he does it,'' Vivo affectionately admitted regarding his 6-foot-5, 230-pound senior. "He's as good as anyone in the state, if not better. He's going to Washington State (today). They've offered him a scholarship ... ‘‘

After a lackluster first half in which he completed only 3 of 9 passes for 35 yards, Swogger turned in 4-for-6 second-half marksmanship for 53 yards and he took only one sack and was not intercepted.

Ursuline finished .500 last year but won four of its final five outings, and notched its second straight win of the new season. And from the outset, the Irish indicated the proud program has returned to its former formidable status. In five plays, highlighted by Graves' 43-yard sprint, the Irish covered 67 yards in 87 seconds, with Graves garnering the score from three yards out.

Sharon responded on its second series, set up by a 28-yard Parchman punt return to Ursuline's 23-yard line. Two plays later Mike Schneider connected with James Barnett for a 21-yard scoring strike and the first of Jim Morocco's pair of conversion kicks enabled the Tigers to take a 7-6 lead with 6:25 remaining in the first frame.

Sharon extended its lead to 14-6 on the second stanza's second play. In eight plays following a shanked 13-yard Irizarry punt, the Tigers tallied on a 9-yard Schneider-to-Phillips TD toss.

The Tigers seemed determined to extend their lead, advancing to Ursuline's 28-yard line approximately midway through the second quarter, but Schneider's fourth-down pass, intended for a double-teamed Phillips, went awry and the Irish immediately responded. On the second play of the ensuing series, Adams exploded out of a midfield scrum and sprinted 63 yards down the left sideline, drawing Ursuline within 14-12 after a failed 2-point conversion pass attempt.

A 34-yard third-period Morocco field goal with 4:05 left, after Schneider was sacked on a third-and-goal play from the 7-yard line, extended the lead to 17-12, but Sharon was shut out for the duration.

With exactly four minutes remaining in the quarter, Ursuline embarked on a 9-play, 73-yard scoring drive, highlighted by a 28-yard Swogger-to-Jimmy Riley pass play on third-and-15 from Sharon's 47. On the next play, Adams swept left end for his second score, then he caught Swogger's 2-point conversion pass as the Irish assumed a 20-17 margin with 11:36 remaining to play.

Vivo observed, "It's just a great win for our program. We've come so far. I told our kids before the game, ‘Sept. 22nd, 1999, they beat us at YSU, 24-0. They've got the same team coming back and we had the same team coming back. Our program has come a long, long way, but we know we still have a long way to go. ... But we've won six out of our last seven and I think we've got ‘em where we want ‘em. We've got great senior leadership. ‘‘

Despite his disappointment, Sharon mentor Jim Wildman was completely composed.

"It's never fun to lose the first one, but, hey, I said all along that Ursuline's a good football team. They're well-rounded offensively, they're experienced, they had a good recruiting year, and we knew going in that it was gonna be a tough opener.

"I think we played well in spurts,'' Wildman continued in his assessment, "but lacked consistency on both sides of the ball. You can look at key penalties, the fumble or whatever, but the bottom line is they made more plays than we did.

"At halftime we felt pretty good, we thought they were kind of tired,'' Wildman said regarding Ursuline. "But they had the two fresh kids and I think the experience of their offensive line showed in the second half.

"We're not gonna dwell on (the loss),'' Wildman emphasized. "We'll watch the film (this morning), and learn from it, and that's why God made Monday through Thursday -- to get a little bit better. We'll get ready and we'll get going.''

By Ed Farrell
Herald Assistant Sports Editor

HUBBARD -- They were not quite in midseason form yet in Hubbard on Friday night.

Game programs did not contain a roster for visiting Cleveland-based John Hay, and the Memorial Stadium public address system failed to function during the first half. Even the Hubbard High football team struggled somewhat during a tentative opening quarter.

However Hubbard's opening-game anxiety dissipated by the second stanza, and the Eagles soared to a 36-8 non-league, season-opening win.

Although not completely pleased with his club's performance, Hubbard head coach Jeff Bayuk was not disappointed, either.

"We saw some pretty bright spots from some people we need to come through for us down the line,'' Bayuk, the veteran mentor summarized.

Junior tailback Anthony Smith glided for 101 yards rushing, including a 31-yard first-quarter scoring sprint which snapped a scoreless deadlock, and he also stripped the second half-opening kickoff 90 yards as Hubbard assumed a 30-0 bulge 13 seconds into the third period.

"He's a player; we know he's a player,'' Bayuk said of Smith, who sprinted for 922 yards as a sophomore last year in leading the Eagles to the school's initial playoff berth. "But we were pretty pleased with Antonio Owens and the way he came out of the blocks tonight at the (backup) tailback; Jerry Yoder did a really nice job for us at wide receiver (catching a pair of passes for 45 yards), that was a nice bright spot ... and Marty Kanetsky did a really nice job at quarterback, too (completing 3 of 7 passes for 66 yards and rushing 22 yards on a handful of carries).''

With Jared Jordan tallying twice on runs of 4 and 36 yards and kicking three conversions to complement Smith's score, Hubbard amassed 185 total first-half yards. Conversely, John Hay was limited to minus-17 yards rushing and 18 total yards on 35 plays from scrimmage. The Eagles ended with 301 total yards, including 260 on the ground led by Smith and Jordan, who added 74 yards rushing.

Cleveland-John Hay quarterback Jason Cain, flushed from the pocket and forced to throw on the run most of the night, labored through a 7-for-26, 43-yard passing performance. He twice was intercepted and sacked twice.

John Hay finished with 116 total yards on 55 snaps. The Hornets stung themselves with a handful of fumbles and four turnovers, while yielding a first-half safety when the center snap sailed over punter Terrell McCann's head, handing Hubbard a 16-0 lead with 8:54 remaining in the half.

John Hay's lone highlight occurred with 9:12 remaining when Larry Wright, on a fourth-and-5 play, sprinted 15 yards for the Hornets' only score, capping a 10-play, 73-yard drive. Cain connected with Greg Woulard for a 2-point conversion to conclude the scoring.

Hubbard was penalized a half-dozen times for 40 yards in losses and commited a half-dozen fumbles -- including two muffed punts -- losing the ball on three occasions. Kanetsky also was sacked once and tossed an interception.

"I'd like for us to be a little stiffer on defense, I really would,'' Bayuk began. "I think we made some mental errors, some linemen problems, and things like that that we really have to work on. But my biggest concern always is, ‘Are we gonna hit people?' We hit tonight, we didn't back down; these guys (John Hay) are much improved from last year. So I think we've got a long way to go, but I think we're on the right trail.''

Notes: Gabe McKee and Adam Jablonski recorded interceptions for Hubbard, while Lidel Hilson and Mike Rexroad were credited with sacks. ... Bayuk, a Kennedy Christian High and Thiel College product, is Hubbard's all-time winningest head football coach with a 58-33 ledger. He was groomed at Ursuline under legendary head coach Dick Angle. ... Hubbard is the defending Trumbull Athletic Conference champion and is coming off a 9-1 campaign.