Published Sunday, Nov. 24, 1996
Steelers 26
Raiders 25
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS
It's 7th heaven for Farrell
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Steelers stop Riverview at Three Rivers
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VICTORY DELIVERS 7TH WPIAL CROWN TO `TITLE TOWN'
By Brad Isles
Herald Sports Writer
If Farrell coach Lou Falconi has his way, his Steelers will be the picked as the underdog in the next two games.
Then they just might be state champs for the second consecutive year.
Ever since Farrell's loss to Rochester in the eighth game of the regular season, which coincided with the loss of standout
Carlos Daniels, the Steelers have gone into most of their games picked to lose.
Instead, they have rattled off four wins in a row, including a 26- 25 defeat of Riverview in the WPIAL Class A Final Saturday at Three Rivers Stadium.
The Steelers will play Moshannon Valley (13-0), 10-6 winners over Cambridge Springs Saturday, next weekend in the PIAA semifinals at a site, day and time to be determined.
The win gave Farrell (11-1) its second-straight WPIAL title,
third of the '90s and seventh in school history. For the Raiders (10-2), it was their second loss in the finals the past three years.
``I love it, I love it,'' Falconi said while looking to the sky. ``Thank God we lost to Rochester. After we lost to Rochester and Carlos (Daniels) went down, we were a lost soul. I told the kids that all day Friday. I told them we were nobody.''
Farrell took a 14-13 lead into halftime, but was greeted by a 66-yard Fritz Tamburro run on the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter and the Raiders led, 19-14.
Falconi then looked to his stable.
``It was all horses in the second half,'' Falconi said. ``Our horses were in there. That was it.''
The Steelers marched 64 yards on the ensuing drive, covering the distance in 10 running plays to regain the lead.
Running back Jason Kennedy began the drive with a 16-yard run. He gave way to fullback Keygen Bryant and Daniels who capped off the drive with a 3-yard dive off left tackle.
``We felt they were running to their strength,'' said Riverview coach Jake Cappa. ``We stunted to their strength, but they were strong enough, and tight enough at the line of scrimmage to not let us through.''
Daniels was playing in his first game since he suffered a broken ankle in the Rochester game. The original prediction had Daniels out for the year. This week Falconi upgraded him to just playing defense. As it turned out, he carried the ball 10 times for 43 yards and scored twice.
``That's a secret we had,'' Falconi said. ``To tell you the truth, we practiced Wednesday and Thursday at (Youngstown State University) and he was limping. Coming on this field I think he forgot about his foot.''
Daniels' second touchdown proved to be the game-winner.
He finished a 17-play drive midway through the fourth quarter on a 5-yard run.
The Steelers rambled to 285 yards on the ground, led by Kennedy who had 121 yards to edge Tamburro by one yard as the game's leading rusher.
Kennedy opened the game's scoring with a 24-yard run on Farrell's first drive. On the play television replays appeared to show quarterback Rennie Gash's knee hitting the turf just before he pitched to Kennedy, who turned what looked like would be a big loss into a big gain _ a touchdown.
In the second half the Steelers knee hitting the turf just before he pitched to Kennedy, who turned what looked like would be a big loss into a big gain _ a touchdown.
In the second half the Steelers used the run to control the clock, not attempting a pass, while running for 162 yards.
``We ran the ball,'' Falconi said. ``We drove it down their throat. Nothing fancy, we pounded them. That's what I'm excited about. We haven't done that since the fourth or fifth game of the year.''
Bryant, who had all of his 61 yards in the third and fourth quarters, helped the Steelers convert 5-of-8 third down conversions, and 3-of-3 fourth down conversions in the second half.
``It was power football,'' Cappa said. ``We had difficult matchups at the line of scrimmage. They did what they had to do to win the game.''
Riverview used the pass just as effectively as Farrell used the run.
Dudczak was 5-for-10 for 89 yards. Ben Erdeljac caught four of those passes for 89 yards, and two touchdowns. He worked on cornerback Chico Pinkins, who was nursing an injured knee and an injured ankle.
Dudczak also got some extra time to throw the ball, after Farrell defensive tackle Dante Newell was dismissed from the game in the second quarter for a personal foul.
Erdlejac got Riverview on the board in the second quarter by blowing past Pinkins down the right sideline and hauling in a 36-yard bomb that gave the Raiders a 7-6 lead.
``We were going to cover him man- to-man,'' Falconi said of Erdeljac. ``We figured Chico could handle him. But he just couldn't.''
His second score was a mirror image of the first, only it was a 37-yard reception that came after Daniels' first touchdown and put Riverview up, 25-20.
``We knew that they would be there,'' Cappa said of the pass plays. ``We set Farrell up for them with the formation. They were great passes.''
Despite giving up Riverview's go- ahead touchdown, Pinkins came back
on the extra point conversion to stuff a Raiders' run attempt just short of the goal line, and that would prove big later.
Pinkins also came up big in the second quarter when he scooped up an Erdeljac fumble and ran 74 yards for the score, giving the Steelers a 14-6 lead.
``I thought our kids did a great job of digging out,'' Cappa said. ``They could have folded up. They didn't, and we countered every score (Farrell) had. We just couldn't get a 2-point conversion.''
In fact, both teams struggled on the conversions, which proved to be the difference in the game. The Steelers and Raiders both converted just one of their four extra point attempts. Riverside kicked for one point after Erdeljac's score in the second quarter, while Lamar Claiborne caught a pass from Gash for two points after Pinkins' fumble return.
Notes: Years ending in six appear to be lucky for the Steelers, who also copped WPIAL crowns in 1976 and '86. Farrell also won WPIAL titles in 1951, '85 and '90. ... Not only did the Steelers have to overcome a banged-up Pinkins and Daniels, but they were forced to play without standout Dante Newell for part of the game after he was ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct.
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Updated Nov. 29, 1996.