Defense does it all for Sharpsville Blue Devils

By Lynn Saternow
Herald writer

Someone once said, "The best defense is a good offense." Obviously they weren't talking about the Sharpsville High Blue Devils.

Proving the reverse to be true -- the best offense is a good defense -- the Blue Devils advanced in the PIAA Class A football playoffs with a brilliantly executed 7-0 opening round victory over previously unbeaten Curwensville Saturday night at Sharon High School.

"The defense is flying to the ball like I've never seen," said a happy coach Paul Piccirilli. "We've said all year that if we don't make mistakes on offense we have a chance."

And that's the game-plan the Blue Devils followed to perfection in stunning the District 9 champions, who outmanned Sharpsville size-wise, but couldn't cope with the speed of the District 10 titlists.

"Sharpsville played a whale of a game," said a disappointed Golden Tide mentor Andy Evanko during a terse interview as he raced off the field with his team. "They're a good team. Our kids have nothing to hang their heads about."

The cold weather conditions dictated the early play as the two teams felt each other out in the first quarter. In fact, Curwensville ran three straight offensive series without a first down and Sharpsville ran a pair before moving the sticks for the first time with only 1:49 remaining in the period.

But that first down also fueled a drive which resulted in the only score of the contest. Starting at the Curwensville 49, the Devils took 9 plays to reach paydirt, with junior halfback Ron Haywood scoring on a superb 13-yard run as he broke two or three tackles on his way to the end zone. Ray Rotell booted the point after and with 11:38 remaining in the half, Sharpsville had all the points they would need.

"We were conservative after that first score," said Piccirilli. "Their line is so much stronger than ours. But we're quick off the ball. Our first three steps off the ball are as quick as anybody's."

Conservative worked. It worked so well that the Devils were able to control the ball for most of the first half and didn't allow the high-powered Golden Tide a single first down. At the intermission, Sharpsville had gained 111 yards, while holding Curwensville to 9.

The second half was more of the same. Curwensville didn't notch its initial first down of the contest until about 3 1/2 minutes remaining in the third period and it took a trick play to do it. Receiver Adam Donahue took a pitch on an end-around and then pulled up to pass. He found Josh Keely at the Curwensville 40 for a 25-yard gain as Keely went up between two defenders to pull in the completion.

But that was the highlight of the day for Curwensville, other that the outstanding punting of Donahue whose booming kicks probably helped keep Sharpsville from scoring more. But field position was still on the side of the Devils all night as the Golden Tide never advanced the ball into Sharpsville territory the entire game on offense.

The Devils did score on another 13-yard run by Haywood with just over a minute remaining in the game, but the play was called back by a holding penalty and Sharpsville ran out the clock.

So dominating was the Sharpsville defense, that Curwensville (11-1) was able to manage only 70 yards the whole contest. And rightfully so, Piccirilli praised his defensive coordinator Joe Joseph.

"He's done a super job from Day 1," said Piccirilli. "The guys are finally understanding on defense where they are supposed to be. At the start of the year, it seems the kids were never in the right position. Now they're holding their lanes and taking away the cut backs."

Piccirilli admitted that making the playoffs as a wildcard team out of the Mercer County Athletic Conference gave his club the momentum they needed.

"It all started with that (D-10 first round) Union City game," said Piccirilli, who guided the Blue Devils to the state title in 1997. "Everybody starting playing together. And then after that big win over Kennedy ..."

On offense, quarterback Bill Stiger played a masterful game for the Devils. While he completed only 2 of 11 passes, he never put the ball where it had a chance of being picked off. And he scrambled to gain 70 yards on 13 carries. Haywood was the workhouse as he gained 80 yards on 25 totes.

Defensively, Mike Kulka led the charge from his linebacker position and appeared to be constantly in the Curwensville backfield. The defensive line of Blase Iorio, Matt Holsopple, Chad Bucciarelli and Shawn Taylor dominated their bigger foes.

"We'll be rockin' again tonight in Sharpsville," said Piccirilli. "I don't care who we play or where we play next, we'll start worrying about that tomorrow."

Actually the 9-2 Devils be playing Windber, a 10-7 victor over Bishop Carroll Saturday. The game will probably be played in Altoona, although no official site has been named.

For Curwensville, the game was a big disappointment after their 23-0 whipping of Clarion last week, the then No. 1-ranked team in the state.

BROOKVILLE -- It was a Tigers’ trifecta on Saturday afternoon.

Overcoming an early deficit against a quality opponent, on the road, in the opening round of the PIAA playoffs, the Sharon High football team staged a 14-6 triumph over Karns City at Brookville Area High School.

By virtue of the victory, Sharon (11-1), winner of 11 consecutive contests, will renew a rivalry with defending Class AA state champion Tyrone -- a 28-3 winner over Bellwood-Antis -- next weekend at a site and time to be announced. Last year Tyrone tamed the Tigers, 24-7, at Altoona’s Mansion Park.

On a day in which prolific Carmone Parchman was limited to 88 yards rushing, the Tigers turned to Terrance Phillips, who passed for one touchdown and caught another as Sharon amassed 198 yards passing, highlighted by Mike Schneider’s 9-for-15, 158-yard performance.

In addition to a 39-yard touchdown toss to Marlin Jackson, the Penn State University-bound Phillips caught six passes for 127 yards, rushed twice for 29 yards, and from his stand-up end slot was part of a defense that haunted the Gremlins’ ground game, allowing only 115 yards. Sharon stymied the District 9 titlists, coercing Karns City (9-3) into a trio of turnovers while yielding only 163 total yards, or 3.26 yards per play.

"I’ll say this: Six or seven, maybe eight weeks ago, people back in Mercer County were saying, ‘Geez, Wilmington only beat Karns City, 3-0. What’s the matter with Wilmington?’ I’ll tell you this: Nothing was wrong with Wilmington. Karns City’s an awfully good football team and we beat an awfully good football team,’’ summarized Sharon head coach Jim Wildman (198-73-6). "My hat is off to them. I said before, they’re a well-coached football team, and for us to beat them is great preparation as we take another step.’’

Sharon’s skein of six shutouts in its previous seven starts ended less than seven minutes into Saturday’s contest when Jim Belles’ 57-yard sprint off the option set up quarterback Erik Fuhrer’s 1-yard plunge at the 5:10 segment of the first frame.

However Belles’ fumble approximately two minutes later also set the stage for Sharon’s initial score.

Phillips, after taking Schneider’s pass behind the line of scrimmage, pivoted and passed 39 yards to a back-peddling Jackson on the second stanza’s first play, knotting the count at 6. Despite being penalized twice on the drive, Sharon parlayed Parchman’s 33 yards rushing on a half-dozen carries that helped sustain the march, and the first of Jim Morocco’s pair of placements provided the Tigers with a 7-6 lead.

Later in the period, following Fuhrer’s 36-yard punt, Phillips capped an 11-play, 80-yard, 5-minute, 45-second scoring march by hauling in a 5-yard, third-and-goal Schneider aerial, and Morocco’s conversion kick extended Sharon’s lead to 14-6.

Highlighting the drive, Phillips made the first of two diving catches, this on Schneider’s third-and-6 pass for a 27-yard drive-sustaining gem, and Schneider also collaborated with Jackson for 32 yards on a third-and-7 play from Karns City’s 37-yard line. In the first half, Sharon succeeded on half of its eight third-down attempts.

A second-half defensive standoff saw Sharon stifle Karns City. The Gremlins’ half-dozen drives ended on three punts; a fumble which was recovered by Justin Schweiss; on downs at Sharon’s 31-yard line, and on Sam Faylo’s interception of Fuhrer’s fourth-and-5 pass from his own 25-yard line with 2:40 remaining.

In the second half, the Gremlins gained only 88 yards, but did have their opportunities.

Late in the third period, following Morocco’s 36-yard punt, Karns City advanced to Sharon’s 17-yard line, but Billy Graham’s fumble was recovered by Schweiss, and Wildman attributed it to, " ... the heat that we kept on their passer in the fourth quarter ... ‘‘

"I know we’re gonna be good, and I know we’re gonna be playing these guys (Sharon) again next year, barring a lot of injuries, so that’s what our young kids are gonna have to focus on, moving on,’’ summarized first-year Karns City head coach Ed Conto, whose club was playing without three injured starters.

"It’s not a fluke. We’re just a young football team (with) a first-year coaching staff coming together. We took the program over late in the spring and we didn’t have a chance to work on a lot of technique this summer; it was more putting things in, and that’s what kind of cost us today. We weren’t 100 percent on things like pass coverage, which we’re gonna get better at,’’ Conto promised. "Their kids made some super catches, but there’s a couple little things, if we work on, we’re gonna be better. We were right with the guy, but we took our head off him and he fades away and catches the ball. It we look where we’re supposed to look, we make the play; it’s that close. That’s something we’ll be better at next year, guaranteed.’’

For the second straight week, Sharon was penalized for more than 100 yards in losses -- 18 times for 155 yards against Karns City -- and Wildman observed,

"I saw more yellow (flags) out there today than I’ve seen, I think, in the last 11 or 12 weeks. I’m sure some of them were there, but I saw a lot of ‘mystery’ calls. I saw more offensive pass interference called in one game than I’ve seen, maybe, in 24 years.

"But to overcome that, along with beating an awfully good football team, I think is a credit to our kids,’’ Wildman continued. "We played defense when we had to; we got a first down when we had to -- they took the run away in the first half; we went to the pass. Mike got the protection he needed, Mike threw the ball well, and the guys that can catch it did a great job of doing what they’re taught to do.’’

Regarding a rematch with Tyrone, Wildman concluded,

"I feel good about it. When you stub your toe, you always like a chance to redeem yourself, and when I got back (Friday) night at 12:30 (a.m.), Marlin ... the first question he asked was, ‘Tyrone or Bellwood-Antis?’ and I said, ‘Tyrone,’ and he said, ‘Good.’

"These kids want a second shot at them.’’

Get into a shoot-out with Pittsburgh City League power Perry, experts forewarned, and Wilmington would be the fourth-straight District 10 team to fall victim to the Commodores’ express in as many years.

Well, the Hounds had a different agenda Saturday as they pulled off a remarkable, if improbable, victory over Perry Saturday at Hickory High Stadium, 37-25.

It was a win in which Wilmington (11-1) matched the Commodores (11-1) score for score and clinched it with timely defense. It also exacted a measure of revenge for District 10. Perry defeated D-10 foes the past three years -- Greenville in 1997 and 1999 and Oil City in ‘98.

The Hounds’ victory sets up a game with Bradford in the PIAA Class AAA quarterfinals next weekend at a site and time to be announced. Veteran Commodores coach Gus Catanese ends his 21-year reign with a loss.

"You never know what to expect from watching a team on film," said Wilmington coach Terry Verrelli. "You don’t know if you’ll be able to move the ball. But we had a game plan that worked."

Holding a precarious 30-25 lead with 3 1/2 minutes remaining, Wilmington’s Jon Hall picked off a Damien Cornish pass at midfield and raced 50 yards untouched into the endzone.

The play capped a crazy sequence of events over the previous few series, and it also locked up the game for Wilmington.

"That was a blow," Catanese said. "It seemed like we had them on the run, but that was a turning point. Those things happen and they’re out of your control."

Perry opened the fourth quarter trailing 28-17 after Wilmington’s Brandon Whiting raced 69 yards for a score as the third period waned. Undeterred, Cornish led the Commodores on a five-play, 66-yard drive he concluded by hitting Kareem Fergeson on a 22-yard scoring strike. The ensuing conversion left Perry down by five with 11:23 left.

Just over two minutes later, Cornish completed a pair of passes to get to the Hounds’ 35 yard line. On second-and-4, sophomore center Justin Victor snapped the ball over Cornish’s head. The quarterback snared the ball back at the 50 and unloaded an incomplete pass to escape trouble. Going from the shotgun on the next play, Victor again snapped the ball over Cornish’s head. This time, Cornish crumbled under a heavy Wilmington rush and the Commodores were forced to punt.

The Hounds couldn’t capitalize and punted on their next possession, but it turned out to be a blessing. On first-and-10 at the 18, Victor snapped the ball over Cornish’s head for the third straight time and the ball rolled out of the endzone for a safety to make it 30-25 with 4:03 left.

Perry then tried an onside kick, but was penalized for being offside on the play. That proved to be a blessing for the Commodores as they decided to kick it deep. The ball took a backwards bounce which they recovered at the Hounds’ 45.

But Cornish was sacked on the first play and Baer stepped in front of the second down attempt to seal the win.

Cornish ended the game completing 13-of-26 passes for 291 yards. He started the game slowly, throwing incompletions on his first six attempts. But he rallied from there to connect on 11 of his next 15 tries to keep the Commodores in the game. He hit Mike Reid six times for 80 yards and Eric Wicks twice for 95 yards.

Those numbers don’t reflect how dominant the Hounds defense was most of the game.

Wilmington held Perry without a first down until the 15 second mark of the first quarter. That first down also marked the first time the Commodores crossed midfield. Wilmington held Perry to a punt, a fumble, a punt, a blocked punt, a turnover on downs and a punt its first six possessions. The Hounds, meanwhile, were able to capitalize on Perry’s ineptitude.

After Wilmington’s Jason Lane recovered a William Graham fumble at the Commodores’ 24 early in the first quarter, it took the Hounds just two plays to get on the board. Brandon Whiting raced around right end untouched for his first score and Phil McCann added the first of his five extra points to make it 7-0.

After forcing Perry to punt on its next possession, the Hounds covered 37 yards on five plays, capped by a 10-yard Jonathan Hall score to make it 14-0 with 3:19 left in the first quarter.

Wilmington actually had a chance to put another score on the board, this time late in the half, but a fumble negated the effort and led to Perry’s first score.

On second-and-8 at Perry’s 13, quarterback Matt Coad lost the ball on the snap and the Commodores pounced on it. Cornish and the Perry offense finally found a crease in the Hounds defense as the first half wound down.

The Commodores racked up 71 of their 109 first-half yards on a seven play drive that ended on a 35-yard pass play from Cornish to Vaughn Rivers with 1:13 left until intermission.

The Hounds made it 21-7 with a 10-play, 71-yard drive capped by a 1-yard Coad dive. Perry rallied with a seven-play, 47-yard drive that Cornish concluded with a 7-yard scamper. After holding the Hounds to a punt, Perry used a seven-play drive to pull within four points, but only after a timely defensive stand by Wilmington.

Getting to the Hounds’ 10, the Commodores could get no farther and settled for a 26-yard John Harris field goal to make it 21-17 with 1:53 left in the third. The stand inspired the Hounds offense, as did Whiting’s 69-yard sprint on third-and-8.

Whiting finished the game with 149 yards on 19 totes as the Hounds racked up 233 yards on the ground. Hall chipped in 52 yards on 12 carries.

The world has moved pretty fast for the Wilmington High football team over the last couple of weeks. Tonight, it will be moving a great deal faster.

Coming off a whirlwind victory over Northwest Conference titan Greenville, the freshly-crowned District 10 AAA champion Greyhounds (10-1) have had little time to gloat.

Coach Terry Verrelli’s team spent the week trying to prepare for the flat-out speed and athleticism of Pittsburgh City League champion Perry Traditional Academy, Wilmington’s opponent at 1 p.m. Saturday in the opening round of the PIAA playoffs at Hickory High School.

Both teams experienced surprises in their respective championship tilts last weekend. Wilmington exceeded expectations by playing a mammoth game on defense to hold off the Trojans, 16-7.

Conversely, the Commodores were a heavy favorite for their third City League crown in four years, but an improbable nine fumbles gave Allderdice every opportunity before Perry’s defense finally shut the door and let its offense run wild for a 34-14 victory.

Despite coming off what could have been their worst game in two seasons, the Commodores (11-0) bring, perhaps, more speed and depth on both sides of the ball than Wilmington has seen, or at least since it faced Mercer County Athletic Conference foe Sharon in the regular season.

"Our thoughts are that they have speed everywhere on the field," Verrelli said of Perry. "Speed takes care of itself. They spread you out. They use their talent well. It makes you cover everyone one-on-one when everyone’s a threat, so it’s very difficult.’’

Perry, led by 21-year head coach Gus Catanese, shut out its first six opponents this season (261-0), and outscored its opposition by a total of 429-33 heading into last week’s league championship. But according to Catanese, any team at this level cannot be taken lightly.

"If they beat Greenville, you know they’re a pretty good football team," said Catanese, who has announced he will retire at the end of his team’s playoff run.

"Down here, all you hear about is the WPIAL. But I know, because I have friends up there, they play tough football up that way."

The game could well be decided by two great defenses. Although Wilmington had, arguably, the toughest defense in the MCAC, allowing just 140.2 yards and 6.3 points per game, Perry’s backbone, too, has been its defense, perhaps even more so. In fact, Perry allowed a minuscule 87.9 yards and 4.7 points per week. In their championship win over Allderdice, the Commodores allowed only six first downs on 136 total yards.

The win was keyed, however, by Perry’s secondary, which picked off five passes. Omar Burtch gave his team life when he returned one of those picks 54 yards for a touchdown and a 7-7 tie. Eric Wicks’ pick led to Perry’s next TD in the second half.

"I’m hoping that was just kind of a blip on the screen," Catanese said of the game the Commodores nearly fumbled away. "I’ve never seen anything like that. It’s hard for me to imagine us fumbling four times in the first quarter (Saturday). If we do, we’re going to pack it up and go home. Wilmington just doesn’t make mistakes on defense.

"The kids we have are so loose. They say, ‘Oops, we fumbled. Let’s go on.’ They take it much better than I do. I think that’s good, because they’ve gotten over it.""I think that their type of offense is more care-free," Verrelli said. "And they probably do fumble more than the average team. But they know that they can make a big play later on."

Wilmington will need a strong outing from its rushing tandem of Brandon Whiting (1,179 yards, 24 TDs) and Jonathan Hall (690 yards, 8 TDs).

As a team, the Greyhounds’ (233.5 yards/game) hold a decided edge in rushing over the Commodores (192.5). Greyhounds QB Matt Coad (37-for-88, 645 yards, 5 TDs) has been consistent all season long, but he will need to be actively looking to ace receiver Matt Krawchyk (19 receptions, 358 yards) to give the offense another dimension.

Perry’s offensive depth starts, but does not end, at quarterback. From the beginning of the season, Catanese has alternated seniors John Harris (33-for-66, 750 yards, 10 TDs) and Damian Cornish (31-for-63, 732 yards, 13 TDs). Catanese has shown that he will use them interchangably, even during the game. The duo combined for 1,659 yards (150.8 ypg.) on 70-of-131 accuracy.

Last week, Harris started the game against Allderdice before Cornish orchestrated the decisive second half. The gamble paid off, as Cornish delivered a 13-yard TD strike to tight end Kareem Ferguson (14 receptions, 295 yards, 8 TDs) to put the Commodores ahead 14-7, and later hooked up with wideout Mike Reid for a 52-yard scoring play.

"We’ve gone with two people at every skill position all year," Catanese said. "Our slot backs (Reid and Rivers) have been big. Out of that position we have done very well. Reid and Rivers have split time. They’re staying fresh and are giving us production. Ferguson has also done a great job."

According to Verrelli, preparation is much more difficult for a team that Wilmington has never actually gotten on the gridiron with.

"Watching them on film, it’s very difficult to prepare. With Greenville, one of the things that helped me was that we scrimmaged them. You know what hurts you, and what you have to do to counter that. I didn’t see that on the film. I think that’s the case. We don’t really know that will work."

The Perry rushing attack is led by tailback William Graham (615 yards, 15 TDs), Kelvin Drewery (513, 10 TDs) and Rivers (412). Padding an already solid receiving corps are Wicks (17 receptions, 477 yards) and Brandon Perzelle (8, 213).

Catanese admitted that for the first time, he can realistically see the end of his last season coming.

"I think for the first time since the season started, it’s getting a little scary to me," he said. "Each practice could be our last, and each game could be our last. And we are preparing like it could be. But anything can happen."

Catanese probably joins all Perry football fans in wondering what it will be like to have a new face pacing the sidelines next year.

"I think about it a lot," he said. "Next year, what’s going to happen when there’s a coach there with my kids, and he should be calling this play, and I know he should be calling this play? I have to button my lip.

"My biggest concern at the beginning of the season was, ‘What if things don’t go our way?’ I don’t know if I could have lived with myself if we had gone 5-5. Actually, the kids are playing loose and we’re coaching them loose. (After winning the City League title), there is no need to win a state championship, no matter how nice it would be."

On the Wilmington side, beating Greenville gave the Greyhounds perhaps the same pressure release.

"I think there isn’t any question that we’ve played beyond what we were expected to," Verrelli said. "But that’s a tribute to these kids. Personnel-wise, Greenville had more talent and more experience, but when you play together, you can accomplish incredible things. You need a little luck, and you need things to go your way. And that’s the case here, too. We are outmanned, but I think we can win."

Notes: A pair of great kickers could help to make a difference, especially with two great defenses going head-to-head. Wilmington’s Phil McCann is currently second on the Greyhounds in scoring with his 47 extra points and 50 points. On the other side, Perry’s Harris has made an even bigger dent with his foot, booting a perfect 7-for-7 in field goals and 52-for-52 in extra points on the season. ... Although two of Perry’s five lost fumbles last week were charged to Graham, the senior made amends by breaking loose for a 66-yard fourth-quarter TD to ice the game. Verrelli led the ‘Hounds to WPIAL Class AA crowns in both 1987 and ‘88. ... The Commodores did not get another shot at Greenville, last week’s favorite and certainly one of Perry’s favorites over the years. The Commodores, in their third straight trip to states, edged the Trojans in the opening round last year, 27-17, and pummeled them 41-0 in ‘97. ... Verrelli added that this season’s success has been extra special, given that defensive coordinator Scott Shearer helped the ‘Hounds incorporate a new defense. "He has really grown this year," Verrelli said of Shearer. "What’s happened is that we’ve just been able to do everything without mistakes."