DISTRICT 10 FOOTBALL
FRIDAY, Nov. 11

ERIE – It's title time in Tigertown today -- again.

For the third consecutive season, the Sharon High football team has been crowned as District 10 Class AA champion following Friday night's 35-0 humbling of Erie County League giant Girard.

"We've played the Cincinnati Moeller's, we've played the Dayton Dunbar's and, hey, they've got great football players. But never have I seen a team with that kind of speed. Never! Never!'' Girard head coach Mina George gushed regarding Sharon.

George should know. Prior to taking the Girard job five seasons ago, he guided Cathedral Prep for 16 years.

"I expect them to be in the (state) championship game. It's gonna take one heckava football team, or a collapse by this football team, for them not to win a state championship,'' he said of Sharon, which outgained Girard, 475-77.

From his midfield, post-game Veterans Memorial Stadium vantage point, Sharon head coach Jim Wildman was reserved.

"I would say, a year ago at this time, the celebration was probably much longer, and tonight it was a celebration, but I think this group of kids knows there are other steps to take.''

By virtue of the victory, Sharon (10-1) -- winner of 10 consecutive contests -- will meet the winner of today's Karns City-Brockway game in the opening round of the PIAA playoffs. Site, date and time will be announced.

Despite a baker's dozen penalties and eight fumbles -- four of which were lost -- the Tigers mauled Girard (9-2) with their patented big-play offense, parlaying Carmone Parchman's 24-carry, 289-yard rushing performance. His 28-yard scoring sprint snapped a scoreless stalemate midway through the first frame, and in addition to his touchdown, the senior sped from scrimmage for gains of 14, 17, 26, 12, 64, 13 and 57 yards. Only a few untimely penalties prevented Parchman from surpassing the 300-yard plateau, and he carried only twice in the fourth frame, the last occasion with approximately 10 1/2 minutes remaining.

Parchman now has rushed for 3,937 yards, and he surpassed the likes of Greenville's Andy Blatt (3,677), Hickory's Andre Coleman (3,710), Sharon's Marko Jackson (3,812), and Hubbard's Frank Harris (3,9520 on The Herald's career rushing list and currently stands seventh.

"Actually, Carmone was playing a little hurt tonight,'' Wildman related. "But in spite of that, again, I've said it before, the guys up front (Joe Simko, Kevin Harris, Wade Vogan, Ryan Rodemoyer, Jeremy Jewell and James Barnett) did an outstanding job of creating some seams for him, and when he gets in the open field, obviously, he's dangerous.''

The Tigers extended their lead to 14-0 with 20 ticks remaining in the opening period when Marlin Jackson sprinted 34 yards off a reverse after a classic ball fake by quarterback Mike Schneider. Barnett then caught Schneider's 2-point conversion toss.

Jackson, who verbally committed to the University of Michigan, added his second score three plays into the second stanza when a high center snap sailed over punter Clay Brocious' head and the latter simply was beaten to the ball -- lying harmlessly in the end zone -- by Jackson, resulting in a touchdown. Parchman then tacked on a 2-point conversion run for a 22-0 bulge a minute-and-a-half into the quarter.

Despite four major penalties and a Jackson fumble, Sharon silenced the Girard gathering when Schneider and Terrance Phillips collaborated on a 13-yard pass play 25 seconds prior to intermission, as the Tigers took a 28-0 bulge into the locker room.

Ironically, Sharon's most sustained drive of the evening -- a second half-opening 14-play, 49-yard 6-minute, 36-second march -- did not result in a score, but ended on downs at the Yellow Jackets' 32-yard line. However after a scoreless third period, Parchman's 57-yard sprint on a third-and-9 play from Sharon's 38-yard line ultimately set up Marcus Smith's 2-yard burst. Jim Morocco's conversion kick with 10:14 remaining set the 35-point mercy rule in motion.

Paced by Parchman, Sharon amassed 422 yards rushing, while the Tigers tamed Girard 1,386-yard rusher Adam Podufal, limiting him to 83 yards on 23 totes. In all, Sharon stung the Yellow Jackets' prolific offense (309 yards and 19 points per game), as Girard generated only 77 total yards on 43 plays, less than two yards per play.

"The offensive line, they were all sophomores a year ago (and) it was a question mark at the beginning of the year,'' Wildman related, continuing, "and it's been a marathon, not a sprint. But we have good coaches -- (Bo) Reichard, (Bill) Sham and (Dan) Schneider -- that work with (the offensive line) and have been patient with them and they're good teachers, first, and they're great coaches, second, and week by week, (the line has) gotten better and better, and that's the name of the game.''

Annexing a third consecutive D-10 title was an ambition, Wildman (197-73-6) admitted.

"It's something that we talked about during the week, of course knowing that a District 10 championship gave us an opportunity to take another step up the ladder.''

That's 10 rungs and counting.

Notes: In addition to hauling in a TD pass, Phillips registered a pair of quarterback sacks, while Kevin Harris added one. ... Sharon was penalized 13 times for 106 yards in losses; Girard, once for eight yards. ... the Tigers lost half of their eight fumbles. ... Smith rushed for 62 yards on eight fourth-quarter carries. ... Parchman now has 61 career touchdowns and equalled Sharon school single-season standard by scoring his 32nd against Girard. He shares the mark with Marko Jackson and Michael Archie.

———
DISTRICT 10 CLASS AA
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
GIRARD....0....0....0....0....0
SHARON....14....14....0....7....35
Scoring plays
S — Parchman, 28 run (kick failed)
S — Jackson, 34 run (Barnett pass from Schnedier)
S — Jackson, fumble recovery in end zone (Parchman run)
S — Phillips, 13 pass from Schneider (run failed)
S — Smith, 2 run (Morocco kick) ....

Team stats
SHARON............ GIRARD
20....First downs....4
422....Rushing yards....70
53....Passing yards....7
10-4-0....Att-comp-int....4-1-0
475....Total yards....77
8-4....Fumbles-lost....3-2
13-106....Penalties-yards lost....1-8
Individual stats
Rushing: SHARON — Parchman 24-289, Smith 8-62, Jackson 1-34, Schneider 7-16, Schweiss 3-14, Wiley 1-7. GIRARD — Podufal 23-83, Mason 1-7, Belmondo 1-4, Carson 6-1, Gnacinski 1-(-6), Weidler 7-(-19).
Passing: SHARON — Schneider 10-4-0, 53. GIRARD — Weidler 4-1-0, 7.
Receiving: SHARON — Jackson 2-35, Phillips 2-18. GIRARD — Belmondo 1-7.

Usually when a team is trailing by only one point at halftime, you wouldn't think anything that happened in the first half would be a big deal. It certainly was Friday night at Blackhawk High School.

A controversial referee's call right before the end of the half spelled doom for the Farrell High Steelers against Monaca.

"That call before half that gave them a touchdown killed us," said an upset Farrell coach Lou Falconi, shortly after a heart-breaking 30-22 loss in the WPIAL Class A playoffs. The controversial call came with seconds to play in the half, when Farrell had apparently stopped Monaca running back Billy Marshall short of the goal line.

But one referee, and only one referee, surprisingly signaled touchdown. The score came with only 8 seconds left in the half and tied the game at 22-22. Keith Bloom's point after made it 23-22 at intermission. If it had not been called a touchdown, Monaca had no time outs left and wouldn't have been able to get off another play, sending the Steelers to the lockerroom with a 22-16 lead over the team that had beaten them 21-0 earlier in the year.

"I couldn't believe it," said Falconi. "The kids couldn't believe it. The chain gang on the sidelines were shaking their heads and laughing. When the referees got together after the call, the guys in the (coaches) box said, 'They're going to call it off.' But then they ruled it a touchdown.

"When I asked the ref what happened, he said he thought he saw the runner break the plane (of the goalline). That's when I knew he was wrong.

"At halftime the kids were crying. They said they stopped them. That really took the momentum away from us."

And momentum was certainly on Steelers side after a brilliant first half that saw Farrell give the favored Indians much more than many people had expected.

Monaca jumped out to a quick lead after recovering a fumble on the opening kickoff at the Steelers 29-yard line. Then on a fourth-down play from the Farrell 24, a draw play fooled the Farrell defense and Monaca running back Eric McPhilomy took it the distance. A two-point run by Dan Egan made it 8-0 with 9:49 remaining in the first quarter.

But Farrell was unfazed and came right back with a vengeance. Starting at their own 29 after the kickoff, the Steelers moved to paydirt in only six plays. The final two plays were a screen pass from quarterback Petey Craig to running back Alan Claiborne for 25 yards and a 30-yard sprint by Kennard Davis. Davis was sprung loose by a block from running mate Justin Odem. Claiborne carried on the PAT to tie the count.

That score came with 5:44 remaining in the first quarter, but the Steelers would put two more TDs on the board before the start of the second stanza, both by the senior Davis. On a fourth-down play, he tallied on a 36-yard pass from Craig and on the final play of the period rambled 71 yards for a score.

A PAT run from Craig after the long TD run gave the Steelers a 22-8 lead and had the Monaca faithful in shock. Unfortunately it didn't seem to bother the team.

The Indians came right back after the ensuing kickoff and marched 53 yards to score on a 4-yard run by Egan. Luck was on the Indians side on the PAT as a low snap was bobbled by holder Anthony Antolin, but Antolin picked the ball up and ran it in for two points.

That set up the halftime controversy. Monaca had moved to within the 1-yard line with little time left. On a third down play, the Steelers defense stopped quarterback Matt Harley inches from the goal and the Indians called their final timeout with 12 seconds left.

Marshall appeared to have been stopped before the goal, but the ref awarded the touchdown.

Farrell didn't appear to be the same team after halftime. The third period was marred by miscues, including two lost fumbles for Farrell and one by Monaca.

But the Indians scored another touchdown early in the final frame on a 1-yard run by Marshall and the PAT kick by Bloom made it 30-22.

Farrell had two more possessions, but couldn't get anything going and Monaca finally ran out the clock.

"I'm really proud of my team," said Falconi. "They gave everything they had out there. My senior leaders (Marcellino) Manilla and Mark Rupnik did a great job. Monaca is a better team and if we played 10 times, they would win most of them. ... I just hate to see the season end on a referee's call."

NOTES: Davis rushed for 99 yards on 7 carries. He was over the 100-yard mark, but a couple of big losses on reverses hurt the total. He finished the season with 1051 yards. ... Farrell finished the year 7-4 and Falconi lifted his career record to 177 wins, 63 losses and 5 ties. Monaca moved to 10-1. ... McPhilomy led the winners with 122 yards on 22 carries, his seventh straight game with 100-plus yards.

SATURDAY, Nov. 12

ERIE -- Sometimes you get the bear; sometimes the bear gets you. ... Turnabout is fair play. ... What goes around comes around. ... Revenge is a dish best-served cold.

OK, there's not enough clichιs to emphasize the main point: The determined Sharpsville High Blue Devils -- with minds on a similar upset against them two years ago -- shocked Kennedy Christian, 14-7, Saturday afternoon in the District 10 Class A Championship.

"I'll tell you one thing -- there was only one greater feeling and that's when we won state," said a beaming Sharpsville coach Paul Piccirilli, fighting his way through a throng of well-wishers who stormed the field in a wave of Blue and White at the final whistle of the game at Erie Veterans Memorial Stadium.

It was obviously a big difference from the disappointment Piccirilli experienced after being on the lower end of the final score in the 1998 D-10 title game. Sharpsville came in as the Mercer County Athletic Conference champ and a heavy favorite, but lost 6-3 to KC. This time around, Kennedy wore the MCAC crown after thumping the Blue Devils, 31-10, only four weeks ago. The Devils came away with their third D-10 championship in four years.

Piccirilli challenged his defense to stop the Golden Eagles and their big gun, Justin George. "We looked at the films and we were just a step behind in making tackles that game." he said.

The defense even exceeded his expectations, holding the high-powered Eagles to only two first downs for the entire title tilt. Other than one 87-yard run that set up Kennedy's lone score in the third quarter, the Devils pretty well held their ground.

"We were afraid of the big play," said Piccirilli, "but I have to give a lot of credit to (assistant coach) Joe Joseph and the defensive part of our game. They shut down George except for one play.

"Although I don't normally like to do it, we put an extra man in the box (the middle of the defense between the ends). We had nine in the box. We forced them to pass and they didn't connect on any passes (actually 1 for 3 yards.)"

Sharpsville dominated the first half on both sides of the ball. And they took advantage of a Kennedy miscue to set up their first score when Devils' linebacker Ron Haywood recovered a fumble by Eagles' Phil Doyle at the KC 25.

Eric Major, who ran with reckless abandon in chalking up 126 yards on 18 carries for the game, got the short drive started with a 15-yard burst. Three plays later, Haywood scored from 4 yards out and the PAT kick by Ray Rotell made the count 7-0 with 4:58 remaining in the opening stanza.

The rest of the half remained scoreless, but not without some excitement. Late in the first quarter, Brian French blocked a Rotell punt, following a high snap, and Eagles B.J. Jarrett sucked in the ball at the Sharpsville 28.

But the Devils defense rose to the occasion and pushed the Eagles backward, forcing a punt. So stifling was the Devils "D" that Kennedy didn't get their initial first down of the game until George ripped off a 23-yard burst with 2:29 remaining before intermission. Kennedy had only 31 yards total offense in the half.

But with George on your side, a one-touchdown lead is never enough for the opponent. With KC backed up to their own 11, the senior speedster -- PIAA state gold medalist in the 200-meter dash last spring -- ripped off an 87-yard gain to the Sharpsville 2 before being hauled down by Bill Stiger who had the angle to stop a TD. But two plays later, Dan Harris carried the final 2 yards for a score. Steve Hough's extra-point kick knotted the count with 6:15 remaining in the third period.

Defenses dominated the rest of the way, but the Blue Devils came up with the one big play that changed the course of the game and the season for the two teams. Facing a third-and-13 from the KC 41, Piccirilli reached into his bag of offensive tricks.

Quarterback Bill Stiger dropped back to pass and the offense rolled left, drawing the KC defenders with them. Right end Rotell delayed, then ran out to the right with no Kennedy defenders within 20 yards. Stiger lobbed the ball to him and Rotell outraced the closing Kennedy players to the end zone. Rotell's kick made it 14-7 with 8:49 remaining.

"We were a little afraid of that play," said Piccirilli. "If its picked off, it's the game. I was just praying that no one caught on. Stiger kind of floated one out there and I was thinking, 'Get there, get there.' ... Rotell, for a sophomore has good speed."

Kennedy had two more possessions, but couldn't move the ball. They had one more chance after forcing Sharpsville to punt with 1:51 remaining. But a high, short punt took a funny bounce on the artificial turf and caromed off a hard-charging George. The Devils recovered and ran out the clock. Sharpsville would have had a first down anyway because the KC rushers roughed the punter.

"The blame is mine," said a highly disappointed KC coach John Turco, pulling himself away from a lockerroom of tearful Golden Eagles. "The kids did nothing wrong. Offensively, I didn't have them ready. If you don't move the football, you don't win football games. It's my fault."

Turco talked highly of his seniors and said, "Kids like that you just don't forget." Putting it in perspective during his emotional postgame talk to the team, he told the kids, "If this is the worst thing that happens to you in your life, you're lucky."

Meanwhile, the underclasssmen-laden Blue Devils are looking ahead to the PIAA Class A playoffs and a first-round clash with undefeated Curwensville, which upset the state's No. 1-ranked team Clarion Friday night. But they aren't looking ahead just yet.

"Curwensville is big and bad, but I don't care if they're the best team in the state," said Piccirilli. "Tonight we're going to rock. We'll start worrying about them Sunday."

NOTES: Mistakes played a major role in this game as Kennedy fumbled 5 times, losing 3. While each team gave up an interception -- picked by Nick George of the Eagles and Mike Kulka of the Devils -- but Sharpsville lost no fumbles. ... Justin George gained 135 yards on 13 carries in his final game and ended his brilliant senior season with a total of 1,551 yards on 213 carries. For his career, which included three seasons at Lakeview, he picked up more than 3,500 yards. ... Sharpsville improved to 8-2, while Kennedy closed out at 9-2.

ERIE -- Wilmington High head football coach Terry Verrelli has won his share of district championships during his 23-year tenure. But there has been no greater Greyhounds gridiron gratification than Saturday evening's 16-7 District 10 Class AAA upset of Greenville.

"This is about as good as it gets!" Verrelli admitted while standing amid Veterans Memorial Stadium midfield well-wishers. "For these kids to beat an experienced team like that (Greenville), it ranks among the top, I'll tell you that.

"This is just incredible, it really is! It definitely ranks among the top wins that I've ever had," the venerable Verrelli, who directed Wilmington teams to four consecutive D-10 crowns during the 1990s, admitted.

Wilmington was coming off a season in which it advanced to the D-10 AA title tilt before bowing to Sharon; however, the Greyhounds returned only a scant starter, Mike Oestreich, from that squad. Conversely, defending D-10 titlist

Greenville boasted a 23-senior-laden roster.

Brandon Whiting set the tone for Wilmington's win exactly one minute into the contest when he burst 91 yards on the game's third play from scrimmage and Phil McCann tacked on the first of his two successful conversion kicks for a 7-0 edge. Matt Coad then doubled that margin midway through the second stanza when he perfectly executed a misdirection-counter play, pirouetting 180 degrees, then sprinting 50 yards untouched down the near sideline.

With Wilmington enjoying that 2-touchdown edge, the offense was afforded a somewhat conservative cushion while allowing The Hounds Hammer defense to dictate for the duration. Greenville, a team averaging 380.5 yards and 41.6 points per game entering the contest, was limited to 206 total yards on 55 plays, including just 62 yards rushing -- less than a quarter of its average (252) through the season's first nine games.

The Trojans' lone TD occurred with only 52 seconds remaining on the first-half clock as quarterback Sammy Young engineered a 7-play, 77-yard scoring drive, culminating in his 11-yard touchdown toss to Gio Vendemia. Dennis Reynolds' conversion kick halved Greenville's deficit to 14-7 at intermission.

Perhaps most pivotal, however, was the manner in which Wilmington dictated second-half field position, as Greenville's possessions started from its own 31-, 22-, 9-, 11-, 47- and 23-yard lines, and the Trojans amassed only 79 total yards of offense during the game's final 24 minutes. Greenville's great ground game actually was upstaged by an uncharacteristic passing fancy, as Young attempted 26 passes, compared with 29 Trojans totes on the ground. Two of Young's passes were picked off by Jonathan Hall and Matt Krawchyk, equalling the number of interceptions he threw during Greenville's first nine games combined.

"Field position -- especially when you're playing a great football team -- field position is everything," Verrelli noted. "We did have some (good) field position, and I think it was due to our own play and it worked out well.''

The second half's lone score was another by-product of The Hounds Hammer imposing its will.

Sixty-nine seconds into the final frame, Young -- facing a second-and-12 situation from his own 7-yard line -- dropped back into the end zone, felt his pocket collapsing, and elected to throw the ball out of bounds in an effort to avoid the sack. However officials ruled that he intentionally grounded the ball, thereby awarding Wilmington a safety for a crucial 9-point differential that required Greenville to score twice in the final 10:51.

It never materialized.

Although the victory validated Verrelli and his Greyhound gridders, it proved agoznizing for Greenville head coach Bob Stone, who admitted, "We couldn't run the football, and when we can't run the football, we've got a problem. The problem was not running it early and we weren't throwing it well early in the game, either. So between those things and a couple of defensive breakdowns, that was the ballgame.

"In a ballgame like this, every weakness shows up, and it certainly showed up tonight, where our weaknesses are," Stone said.

Wilmington was coerced into 10 punts, but the Greyhounds generated 255 total yards, led by Whiting's game-high 16-carry, 146-yard rushing performance. Verrelli assessed,

"I said before, that to win this game we're going to have to move the ball offensively, and we moved it enough --- nothing to brag about -- but we moved it enough to win the game, and we played super defense.

"We had to stop that pitch-power of their's -- they're not going to stop running it until you stop it, and even then they won't (stop), probably" Verrelli, referring to Greenville, continued. "But we did a great job on it, and I think that was the difference, really."

Notes: Wilmington (10-1) now faces Pittsburgh City League champion Perry Traditional Academy -- a 34-14 winner over Allderdice on Saturday -- next weekend at a date, site and time to be announced in the opening round of the PIAA playoffs. ... Oestreich was credited with a pair of sacks and Jason Lane another for the Greyhounds. ... Brian Riley and Mike Stephens recorded sacks for Greenville (9-1). ... Verrelli's career mark at Wilmington improved to 153-82-3, while Stone, also in his 23rd campaign at the Trojans' helm, is now 192-45-6. ... The Trojans almost had the distinction of touting a 1,000-yard rusher in Erik Adams (1,347), a 1,000-yard passer in Young (1,427) and a 1,000-yard receiver in Vendemia (959). ... Whiting's TD was his 24th of the season.

The Hubbard Eagles and the Medina Highland Hornets were so evenly matched, most people expected a close game. However, not many people who traveled to the newly constructed Ravenna Stadium in Ravenna, Ohio, expected a 6-3 Hubbard victory completed in just over two hours, including the halftime show.

"Our kids played hard up front," praised Hubbard head coach Jeff Bayuk. "These kids from Highland were really strong and you could tell they spent a lot of time in the weight room, but so do our kids. In the end, it was just a matter of desire."

"At the end of the game, our lack of depth hurt us," said Medina head coach John Hopkins. "A lot of our guys play offense and defense, but I give Hubbard's coaches, staff and players credit for a great game." The deciding score didn't come until just under four minutes remained on the clock. Hubbard (9-2) had received the ball just before the end of the third quarter on a Jason Martin punt, and sustained the drive through most of the fourth frame, the longest drive in the contest. Quarterback Marty Kanetsky called his own number on a third-and-1 on Highland's five and bulled in backward for the touchdown. The extra point snap was bobbled and David DeSantis' attempt fell incomplete, but the margin of victory was provided.

Penalties late in the game crushed any chance the Hornets had of making a comeback. Quarterback Ryan Sir Louis had just completed his longest pass of the night, a 20-yarder to running back Adam Snook, but an illegal block killed the drive.

Medina's (8-4) field goal came in the second quarter after they received a short Gabe McKee punt on the Eagles' 42. The moved the ball to the 20, where Matt McDaniel split the uprights with 6:35 to play in the first half.

Both teams played great defense, with fewer than 300 yards of total offense between both teams.

"We play defense until something comes up offensively," said Bayuk. "We spend a lot of time on our defense, and we don't spend a lot of time on offense. We run basic plays and we hope we can push the ball, play good defense and not make mistakes."

Hubbard will now play the winner of the Copley/Akron-Hoban game in the state quarterfinals at a place and time to be determined.