Published Sunday, Nov. 23, 1997
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PIAA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS
Greyhounds 35, Golden Eagles 28
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GREYHOUNDS GAIN REVENGE ON OLD NEMESIS TYRONE
By Brad Isles
Herald Sports Writer
ALTOONA _ If Wilmington was frustrated with losing to Tyrone the last two years in the PIAA Class AA quarterfinals, the 'Hounds more than made up for it in the second quarter of their matchup Saturday night.
Trailing 14-0, the Greyhounds erupted for 28 unanswered points in the second frame of their PIAA quarterfinal game Saturday night en route to a 35-28 victory over Tyrone before 3,698 paid fans at Mansion Park Stadium in Altoona.
``I've said before it's an unusual situation to play the same team three years in a row,'' said Wilmington coach Terry Verrelli. ``We just want to move on to the next level. I'm not sure we wanted to play Tyrone so much as we wanted to move on.''
Wilmington defensive end Willie White grabs Tyrone quarterback Matt Sharer as he tries to dive for extra yards.(Jean Neice/Herald)
Wilmington moved to 13-0 and will play South Park (11-1), which was a 38-6 winner over Shady Side Academy Saturday. The two teams will battle in the Western Finals at Pitt Stadium Saturday at a time to be announced.
Wilmington's speed was too much for the Eagles (12-1) in the second quarter as the 'Hounds put their quick-strike offense on display. Wilmington had consecutive scoring drives that featured plays numbering four, four, 10 and one, respectively.
``We have been a big play team all year,'' Verrelli said. ``But right now they're playing with heart. The ability is there but when you make it this far, everybody has ability. This team just has a tremendous amount of heart.''
After Tyrone quarterback Matt Sharer scored on a 1-yard dive to make it 14-0 moments into the second frame, the Greyhounds finally found their offense.
Limited to 25 total yards in the first quarter, the 'Hounds amassed 221 in the second. They finished with 410 total yards.
Doug Dudash ignited the quarter rout, scoring on a 41-yard run at the 10:45 mark. Judd Campbell's kick made it 14-7.
Wilmington held Tyrone on its next drive and took over at midfield after a punt. On second down Todd Smargiasso hit Dudash for a 45-yard gain. The next play Jon Tekac went up the middle for the score. The conversion failed.
Tyrone got the ball again, but the 'Hounds Hammer held and their offense took over at their own 25.
Wilmington embarked on a 10-play drive, which Demetrious Rich capped with a 19-yard run around right end. Dudash's conversion run made it 21-14.
The 'Hounds built on their lead just before halftime when Rich set up a score by picking off a Sharer pass and returning it 47 yards to the Eagles' 8-yard line. With only four seconds, Smargiasso then connected with Dudash who did the rest. Campbell's kick made it 28-14.
``That second quarter was a killer,'' said Tyrone coach John Franco.
The 'Hounds didn't begin the game on a positive note. On their first possession, Smargiasso threw just his second interception the season. On the return, Wilmington was flagged for a facemask setting up Tyrone at the 'Hounds' 33.
The Eagles gained two yards on its first three plays. Then on fourth down, Sharer hit Jeremy LaRosa for a 28-yard gain. The next play, Mark Wyland rumbled in from three yards out and Scott Gummo's kick made it 7-0.
Tyrone struck again on its next possession, again aided by long Sharer passes. On first down Sharer connected with Matt Morrow for a 28-yard gain to put the Eagles in Wilmington territory. Two plays later, Sharer again connected with LaRosa for a 21-yard gain. Sharer capped the drive with a 1-yard dive. Gummo's kick made it 14-0.
Sharer was 9-of-13 for 129 yards, but his biggest mistake _ the ball Rich intercepted _ came with time winding down in the half.
``We thought the receiver was open,'' said Franco. ``The quarterback got hit as he released the ball and that caused the ball to flutter up. Without him getting hit, we might have had six.''
The Eagles made a strong attempt to get back into the game on its first drive of the second half. Wilmington put together a 16-play drive to open the third quarter, however, Rich fumbled on the 3-yard line and Tyrone recovered.
Wyland rambled for 16 yards on first down and then added a 41-yarder on the next play. The Hammer fell again, stopping the Eagles on the next three plays. Then on fourth-and-4 at the Wilmington 34, Justin Koi wrapped up Sharer for a seven-yard loss and the 'Hounds regained control of the game. But not for long.
Tyrone held Wilmington on its next possession and took over at its own 38. Sharer found Morrow for an 11-yard gain and later hit freshman Jesse Jones for a 15-yard gain.
Sharer got the Eagles down to the Wilmington 23 with a 9-yard strike to Morrow. Two plays later, Wyland capped the drive with a 9-yard run. Gummo's kick pulled the Eagles within seven at 28-21. Wyland finished the game with a game-high 103 yards on 15 carries.
But it wasn't enough for the Eagles as Dudash clinched the victory with a 9-yard run with 56 seconds remaining. He helped set up the play by sacking Sharer on a third-and-6 play at the Eagles 24. The play set up fourth down on which Sharer threw incomplete.
``He doesn't have one heart, he has two,'' Verrelli said of Dudash.
Sharer finished the game 14-of-23 for 215 yards and hit Adam Clark on a 10-yard scoring play with 8 seconds remaining. Gummo's kick made it 35-28. The onside kick failed and the 'Hounds had the victory. And revenge.
``We beat them two years in a row,'' Franco said, ``And they had all their kids back. Those kids gutted it up. I think maybe they had it in the back of their mind that `we can't beat these guys.' But when you're in the playoffs, you're a championship team. When championship teams play, it's going to be tough.''
Dudash led the 'Hounds offense with 102 yards on 18 totes. Tekac added 80 yards on 12 carries and Rich had 85 yards on 11 carries as Wilmington amassed 282 yards on the ground. Smargiasso was 4-of-7 for 107 yards in the half with 2 INTs. He finished 6-of-12 for 115 yards.
PIAA Class AA Quarterfinals WILMINGTON 0 28 0 7 35 TYRONE 7 7 0 14 28 Scoring plays T _ Wyland 3 run (Gummo kick) T _ Sharer 1 run (Gummo kick) W _ Dudash 41 run (Campbell kick) W _ Tekac 7 run (pass failed) W _ Rich 19 run (Dudash run) W _ Dudash 8 pass from Smargiasso (Campbell kick) T _ Wyland 9 run (Gummo kick) W _ Dudash 9 run (Campbell kick) T _ Clark 10 pass from Sharer (Gummo kick) Team stats WILMINGTON TYRONE 21...........First downs...........15 282...........Rushing yards...........115 128...........Passing yards...........215 12-6-2...........Att-comp-int...........23-14-1 1-9...........Sacks-yards lost...........3-15 410...........Total yards...........330 1-1...........Fumbles-lost...........2-1 7-60...........Penalties-yards lost...........5-35 Individual Stats Rushing: WILMINGTON _ Dudash 18-102, Rich 11-85, Tekac 12-80, Smargiasso 6-13, McGinnis 1-2; TYRONE _ Wyland 15-103, Jones 3-7, Sharer 6-5. Passing: WILMINGTON _ Smargiasso 12-6-2-128; TYRONE _ Sharer 23-14-1-215. Receiving: WILMINGTON _ Tekac 3-57, Dudash 2-53, Rich 1-18; TYRONE _ LaRosa 6-109, Morrow 3-48, Wyland 2-5, O wens 1-28, Jones 1-15, Clark 1-10.
