Saturday matinee rout blowout for Sharpsville, Walsh gets torched

To appreciate the degree of domination regarding the Sharpsville High football team’s 51-0 victory over Archbishop Walsh on Saturday afternoon at McCracken Field, consider the Olean, N.Y. visitors dressed only 23 players in uniform, but that figure still exceeded the Eagles’ net yards rushing total (18).

Sharpsville amassed 334 total yards and 15 first downs on 44 plays from scrimmage, compared with respective totals of 57, 5 and 36 for Archbishop Walsh, a school that only recently rejuvenated its football program after a hiatus.

Twelve players took turns toting the ball for the Blue Devils, who were led by freshman Joe Perrine’s 5-carry, 64-yard rushing performance that included a 33-yard scoring sprint in the game’s final minute. Ronnie Harwood contributed 63 yards and 8- and- 2-yard TD runs on only eight carries, while Eric Major added 43 yards rushing and 1- and 23-yard scores and a 52-yard punt return that set up Haywood’s second score.

The dominant Blue Devils (2-1) tallied four touchdowns in the game’s first 11 minutes en route to a 28-0 lead, extended that to 38-0 at intermission -- by which time the PIAA’s 35-point "Mercy’’ rule had long since taken effect -- then tacked on a pair of second-half scores.

"When you pick up a team like this -- and we were scrambling for games; they called us after reading our (announcement) on the Internet, and that’s how the game became available -- we had no idea what they were like, but fortunately, even though (the first unit) didn’t get a lot of work, the young kids got some game experience,’’ explained Sharpsville head coach Paul Piccirilli. "But we were blessed tonight; we had no injuries.’’

In addition to Haywood, Major and Perrine, Derek Songer scored on a 43-yard first-period sprint, Jeff Watson tallied in the second stanza from six yards out, and Ray Rotell successfully converted all five of his conversion kicks and drilled a 38-yard second-quarter field goal.

Since suffering a season-opening setback to Western Beaver, Sharpsille has posted 92 points during the last two weeks in wins over Brookfield and Archbishop Walsh. But Piccirilli seemed preoccupied with what might await on the horizon.

"We’re gonna try to pick up Springfield Local for next week, which is a son-of-gun team, which will help us out,’’ he related. "The nice thing about any kid: It doesn’t matter who you play, I think having two weeks off ... if you play any sport, you want to play the next game -- you don’t want the ‘bye’ week -- and it’ll only make us tougher in the end.’’

Piccirilli said he will learn by Tuesday -- contingent upon a teacher’s strike settlement in the Jackson-Milton district, Springfield Local’s next scheduled opponent -- whether or not the contest will become a reality. The tentative date would be next Saturday.

Notes: Blaise Iorio and Chad Bucciarelli combined for a third-quarter sack of Archbishop Walsh (0-3) quarterback Kellen Dwyer, while Rotell added a 9-yard sack later in the period. Perrine also pilfered a second-period Dwyer pass.

Tigers bulldoze Grove City

Shutout is 12th largest in history

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PARCHMAN RUNS FOR 197 YARDS AND 5 TOUCHDOWNS

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By Nathan Summers
Herald Sports Writer

The last thing Grove City wanted to do was to find itself in a track meet Friday at Tiger Stadium -- especially in the driving rain.

But the state’s No. 1 ranked Tigers gave the Eagles little choice, rifling off 27 unanswered points in the first quarter alone en route to a 63-0 shelling, the area’s 12th-biggest shutout of all time.

"These games are games that you still come out with the same kind of nervousness and butterflies," Sharon coach Jim Wildman said, "because you don’t know how your kids are going to respond. They know they’re playing an 0-2 team that got beaten badly last week -- you have to be able to play well against anybody."

It was a banner evening for Sharon’s quartet of superstars, led for the second straight week by the unstoppable legs of Carmone Parchman, who showed speed far beyond Grove City’s defenders.

In all, he scored five touchdowns -- including strolls of 59, 51, 8, 5 and 4 yards -- on 197 yards rushing.

Adding to that was Michigan-bound WR/DB Marlin Jackson, who snatched a 38-yard fumble recovery in the first quarter, before toting a slot reverse 51 yards for another score in the third.

For the Tigers (2-1), it was the culmination of a 454-yard outing, while Grove City managed just 39 total yards, all on the ground. Grove City compounded its problems by losing five fumbles.

Tigers QB Mike Schneider had another effective outing in the victory, completing 7-of-13 passes for 140 yards and a touchdown.

Eagles QB Chad Pratt was 0-for-7 with an interception in the steady drizzle.

According to Wildman, the win was part of a great week of preparation by the Tigers.

"We have 68 players," Wildman said. "Our ninth and tenth grade coaches are making it a point to get both groups used to running the plays and the defenses."

The second-stringers had plenty of chances for playing time, as Sharon rolled up a 50-0 halftime edge and forced a running clock for the entire second half.

In a game that saw big play after big play from the Tigers, Sharon scored less than three minutes into the game to take the lead that would never be touched. It was, perhaps, the most sustained drive of the contest, which required a mere six plays to reach the end zone.

Parchman scrambled for 31 yards on the first play from scrimmage, a harbinger of things to come as the speedy back weaved in and out of tackles. He added totes of 11 and 14 yards before jogging in from the 5-yard line to make it 7-0 with 9:09 to play in the opening quarter.

Grove City initially looked good, opening its first drive with a 19-yard shot up the middle by Justin Robinson. But QB Chad Pratt fumbled the next snap, which Jackson lifted from the turf and carried to the end zone to make it 14-0 after Jim Morocco’s extra point.

"I’ve just been patient, waited for my turn," Jackson, who was held out of the end zone last week in Sharon’s 52-8 rout Cardinal Mooney. "It came along and I did it, I got in the end zone."

The lead expanded to 21-0 and 27-0 later in the quarter. Sharon’s second drive stalled when the Tigers failed to convert on fourth-and-3, but it was one of the precious few stops the Eagles would make.

The Tigers needed only two plays from scrimmage to make it 21-0 when Schneider handed a reverse to Jackson on the Sharon 49, and he easily broke the left corner and zoomed in for the score.

After Grove City punted on the following drive Parchman, who easily broke the 100-yard plateau in the first quarter, needed just a single carry to make it 27-0, shaking three tackles at the line before dashing 59 yards for another TD and an insurmountable edge. Nothing changed in the second quarter, as the Tigers tacked on 23 more points.

After the lead jumped to 30-0 on Morocco’s 28-yard field goal to open the second, Schneider avoided a heavy Grove City blitz on a fourth-and-6 by dishing a nice pass in the flat to Justin Schweiss, who broke one tackle and tiptoed down the sideline for a 42-yard touchdown that made it 37-0.

Three plays from scrimmage later, Grove City again committed a costly turnover when Tim Dixon fumbled and John Reay scooped up the ball and returned it to the 4-yard line, setting up another easy TD tote for Parchman and a 43-0 edge.

Grove City went 3-and-out again, and Sharon needed only three plays from scrimmage to cap the halftime scoring with a gargantuan 50-0 lead. Schneider connected with Jackson on his only catch of the night, and ducked around three tacklers before being hauled down at the 8-yard line from where Parchman again cradled the ball to paydirt for his fourth TD of the half.

Terrance Phillips, bound for Penn State next fall, made five catches for 54 yards, but made his play of the game when he broke loose on his lone carry of the game, a 51-yarder that capped the scoring at 63 in the third quarter, after Parchman’s identical 51-yard trot.

Notes: Grove City extended a scoreless drought with Sharon to better than three years, including losses of 47-0 and 45-0 in the last two meetings. It was the seventh biggest shutout in Sharon football history. ... Sharon’s toughest test yet will be waiting in 3-0 Columbus-Bishop Watterson next Friday.

Hubbard smothers Kennedy

Anthony Smith and Jerad Jordan amassed 304 yards rushing between them and split four touchdowns, as Hubbard humbled Kennedy, 25-0, at Hubbard Memorial Stadium.

Smith streaked for gains of 43 and 38 yards on his first two totes and ended with a 20-carry, 191-yard effort that included 3- and 9-yard scores, while Jordan jolted KC for 113 markers on 16 attempts and tallied TDs of 1 and 44 yards. And with quarterback Marty Kanetsky completing half of his dozen passes for 127 additional yards, Hubbard (3-1) amassed 440 total yards and 18 first downs. Defensively, Hubbard harassed Kennedy Christian quarterback Ryan Squatrito into a 4-for-15 passing performance and permitted only 59 yards rushing and 84 total yards.

Regarding Smith, whose first two carries set up the Eagles’ first-period scores en route to a 12-0 margin 7:18 into the contest, Hubbard head coach Jeff Bayuk allowed, "That really set the tone for the whole night. ... Anthony really came to play tonight.

"That’s our outside zone play that we’ve been working on, and we were fortunate that they jumped into a ‘60’ (6-man) look up front and we were able to get the corner and it worked for us a couple of times,’’ Bayuk, a Kennedy Christian alumnus, related. With Hubbard coercing Kennedy into punts on its first three possessions, the host Eagles extended their edge to 18-0 2½ minutes into the second stanza when Smith culminated a 9-play, 80-yard, 4-minute, 39-second drive by sweeping left end for nine yards. On the march, Kanetsky completed passes of 38, 24 and 16 yards to David DeSantis, Jordan and John Dominic, respectively. Following a scoreless third period, Hubbard concluded the scoring when Jordan burst 44 yards up the gut with 7:43 remaining to play and DeSantis kicked the Eagles’ lone successful conversion. Kennedy Christian head coach John Turco was more miffed by his club’s lack of physical play than the actual loss, as the Golden Eagles were guilty of numerous arm tackles that Smith and Jordan literally ran right through.

"We just didn’t play a very good football game (and) we just weren’t physical enough when you play against a really good opponent,’’ Turco began. "You can get away not being physical if you’re gonna play people that aren’t very tough, but when you play against somebody like Hubbard, you’ve gotta tackle, and we didn’t tackle.’

Bayuk was particularly encouraged by how Hubbard responded to last week’s loss to Struthers. "I will say this: We had a very, very intense week of practice,’’ Bayuk began. "Coming off last week’s game with Struthers, we really tried to get the kids very focused on what we wanted to do and get better, and this week we definitely got better.

"We talked about this game being a game of passion -- you’ve got to play it with passion -- and we played it on both sides of the ball tonight, that way,’’ Bayuk concluded.

Notes: Nick George recorded an interception for Kennedy (2-1), while Brian French was credited with a sack. For Hubbard, Mike Homer and Donnie Smith each sacked Squatrito while McKee pilfered a pass. ... Turco assessed, "We never want to lose, we don’t go into a game expecting to lose, so it was a disappointment we didn’t do better with our tackling. The second half was a little bit better, and (Bayuk) certainly didn’t call off the dogs because he kept his group in there ‘til there was two minutes left in the game and he left his defense in the whole game.’’

Greyhounds lower the ‘Hammer’ on Rockets

Friday night, the Greyhounds racked up 373 yards and surpassed the 40-point plateau for the third consecutive week while routing Slippery Rock, 55-21.

Junior halfback Brandon Whiting anchored Wilmington’s ground attack, running for 126 yards and 3 touchdowns. Meanwhile, split end Matt Krawchyk pulled in three passes for 104 yards to lead the Greyhounds’ improving pass attack. Krawchyk also returned a kickoff 77 yards for a third-quarter TD.

“I think that our offensive strategy is to have everyone part of it,” Wilmington head coach Terry Verrelli said. “Tonight, it was Krawchyk and Whiting. Last week it was Jonathan Hall. They all contribute; they play together as a team.”

Meanwhile, Slippery Rock relied upon the legs of tailback Adam Kniess. The senior ran for 124 yards on 31 carries, returned a kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown and also scored on a 48-yard reception. He also thwarted a Wilmington (3-0, 2-0) scoring opportunity with an interception in the end zone and also handled Slippery Rock’s punting chores.

Kniess’ kick return knotted the contest with 7:35 left in the first quarter after the Greyhounds had seized a 7-0 lead on Whiting’s 9-yard touchdown run.

However, Wilmington counterpunched quickly, marching 59 yards in 24 seconds. Whiting rambled 35 yards on a drive-opening speed-option, while Craig Copper broke free from the pile and raced 24 yards to paydirt on the ensuing play. Craig McKaness’ second of five extra points gave the Greyhounds a 14-7 advantage.

Wilmington boosted the lead to 20-7 with 8:19 remaining in the half when Whiting scored from the Slippery Rock 31 on a counter trap.

The Greyhounds put themselves in scoring position by converting a 3rd-and-11 at midfield as quarterback Matt Coad connected with Whiting for an 18-yard gain.

“(Wilmington’s) a very good team and very well-coached,” Slippery Rock head coach Brendan Smith said.

The visitors opened the second half in typical fashion, grinding out a 10-play, 65-yard drive which Coad capped with a 1-yard sneak. Coad and Krawchyk hooked up twice on the drive, accounting for 54 of the 65 yards.

“Coad’s coming around,” Verrelli said of his senior quarterback. “We’re just a hair off with our passes and we’ll get that straightened away.”

Friday night, the Greyhounds completed 4 of 9 attempts for 122 yards. Mike Oestreich then caught Coad’s 2-point conversion pass, inflating the lead to 28-7. However the Rockets (1-1, 1-2) continued to battle, slashing their deficit to 15 with 4:17 remaining in the third quarter. On 3rd-and-8, Slippery Rock quarterback Luke McCaffrey found an open Kniess, who weaved his way into the end zone, completing the 48-yard pass play.

“Tonight, we were a little bit disoriented,” Verrelli said. “I’m not happy with the way we played defensively, but we’ll straighten that out.”

After Krawchyk’s kick return put the ’Hounds ahead 35-13, McCaffrey moved the Rockets 68 yards in 13 plays with Kniess’ 1-yard plunge and Mark Matson’s 2-point reception, closing the gap to 14. “He’s a real good running back,” Verrelli said of Kniess. “You’re never going to stop him. They had a good passing game. Offensively, they were able to move the ball a little bit throwing it and running with him.”

However, the Rockets’ special teams faltered, as Wilmington’s Brian Baer returned Darin Dick’s kickoff 80 yards untouched to dash Slippery Rock’s hopes. The Greyhounds then polished off the victory with Whiting’s 23-yard sprint and reserve quarterback Nick Sheehan’s 37-yard run on an option keeper.

Notes: Slippery Rock nose tackle Adam Hogg was injured on a first-quarter kickoff — his lower leg was placed in an air cast.

by the training staff

... Zach Sarver led Slippery Rock with seven catches for 92 yards.