Published Friday, Nov. 21, 1997
BACK TO HERALD...
* * *
TEAMS COLLIDE FOR 3RD STRAIGHT YEAR IN CLASS AA
Herald Sports Writer
To say the Wilmington and Tyrone football teams are familiar with each other would be an understatement.
The two teams have not only been atop the Class AA state rankings for the past three years, but they have played each other the past two seasons in the state playoffs.
Well guess what? Tyrone this week took the Harrisburg Patriot-News' No. 1 ranking away from the Greyhounds, which the 'Hounds held most of the season. And to top it off, the two 12-0 teams meet again at 7 p.m. Saturday at Mansion Park, Altoona.
``I think we're fortunate to be in this position, especially after last week,'' said Wilmington coach Terry Verrelli. ``I don't think (the team) would want to play anybody else but Tyrone if they had a preference.''
Tyrone topped Wilmington 14-10 in last year's quarterfinals and 14-7 in the quarterfinals two years ago, so revenge is certainly on the minds of the Wilmington players and fans.
It may seem unfair, but the 'Hounds lost the top spot after a slim 22-17 come-from-behind victory over Karns City last weekend. Some argue that the game shouldn't have been played at all because the weather conditions.
Wilmington and the Gremlins faced off in a virtual blizzard at Veterans Stadium in Erie and played through a steady snowfall. Footing on the turf _ actually the packed snow _ was treacherous.
But the Greyhounds, a quick-strike team all season, did learn one valuable lesson from the game: How to be patient while trailing much of the game.
``Anytime you are in a situation like that, you are concerned,'' Verrelli said. ``We've been a big-play team all year. In the playoffs, we've grown into being patient. We know we're not going to get big plays. We've learned to be patient, move the ball and play four quarters.''
The 'Hounds prevailed after Demetrious Rich scored his second TD of the game with 2:43 remaining. Quarterback Todd Smargiasso hit Rich on a screen pass and Rich did the rest, scrambling for a 43-yard score.
Rich leads all local receivers with 37 receptions for 962 yards and now has 19 TDs. Smargiasso had a stellar game despite the deplorable conditions. He completed 6-of-10 attempts for 170 yards and upped his season total to 1,555 yards on 65-of-96 passing. He has 22 TDs against just one interception.
The 'Hounds struggled on the ground, but that was expected with the poor footing. The team's leading rusher, Doug Dudash, had 64 yards on 18 carries. Jon Tekac, also a 1,000-yard rusher, had just 17 yards on 6 carries.
Nevertheless, Verrelli said that the snow was beneficial in one respect: It was easier to throw the ball rather than if the game would have been played on a muddy track.
``When it's cold, you can throw the ball,'' he said. ``In the mud, you can't do that because the ball gets slimy. (Todd's) done a great job throwing the football.''
Tyrone, which has posted a 37-3 record the past three seasons, defeated Westmont-Hilltop 32-18 last week to earn the matchup with Wilmington, which is a sparkling 36-2 over three seasons, with both losses coming to Tyrone.
Quarterback Matt Sharer is a versatile three-year starter who has played as many as seven positions. Last year he was named a first-team all-state defensive back.
Sharer made the switch to QB, which he played as a sophomore, while still playing safety. Offensively, he has completed 61-of-110 attempts for 1,108 yards with 9 TDs and 2 interceptions. He has also rushed for 642 yards on 94 carries with 8 TDs.
Talented freshman Jesse Jones moved into the starting tailback spot the third week of the season and has produced 779 yards on 107 carries with 6 scores. Joining him in the backfield is fullback Mark Wyland, who at 225 pounds, is a bruiser. He has 1,123 yards on 224 carries and is the team's leading scorer with 31 TDs.
``(Sharer) is just a great athlete,'' Verrelli said. ``The fullback is a great athlete himself. He's big and powerful.''
The winner will play in the western final at Pitt Stadium on Nov. 29. High school football games haven't been played at Pitt since 1982, when the two WPIAL championship games were held there.
Wilmington-Karns City at a glance
Probable starting lineups
WILMINGTON
Offense
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr.
75 Artie Rayner..........OT 6-4 225 10
53 Ryan Gargasz..........OG 6-6 252 12
72 Jay Ferrese............C 6-1 200 12
51 Justin Koi............OG 6-1 220 12
22 Rocky Craley..........OT 6-0 200 12
84 Mike Copper...........TE 6-3 183 10
3 Todd Smargiasso.......QB 6-3 190 12
25 Doug Dudash...........FB 6-0 196 12
4 Jon Tekac.............TB 6-2 196 12
2 Kevin McGinnis........WB 5-10 183 11
21 Demetrious Rich.......WR 5-10 170 12
46 Judd Campbell.........PK 5-9 150 12
Defense
53 Ryan Gargasz..........DE 6-6 252 12
51 Justin Koi............DT 6-1 220 12
57 Brian Meese...........DT 5-11 275 12
55 Willie White..........DE 6-0 220 11
20 Shawn Bauer..........OLB 6-0 170 12
32 Adam Stewart.........ILB 6-2 165 11
2 Kevin McGinnis.......ILB 5-10 183 11
25 Doug Dudash..........OLB 6-0 196 12
21 Demetrious Rich.......CB 5-10 170 12
4 Jon Tekac.............CB 6-2 196 12
3 Todd Smargiasso........S 6-3 190 12
18 Matt Robison...........P 6-3 183 10
TYRONE
Offense
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr.
74 Albert Hammers........OT 6-1 250 11
53 Brian Bonsell.........OG 5-9 222 12
73 Bryan Frye.............C 6-0 194 11
55 Matt Daniels..........OG 5-8 200 12
71 Ken Parks.............OT 6-1 203 12
84 Matt Morrow...........TE 6-1 162 11
12 Matt Sharer...........QB 6-1 192 12
31 Jesse Jones...........TB 6-0 121 9
20 Mark Wyland...........FB 6-2 225 12
30 Jeremy LaRosa.........WR 5-7 163 12
83 Adam Clark............WR 5-4 138 12
Defense
63 Dave Black............DE 6-3 174 12
74 Albert Hammers........DT 6-1 250 11
71 Ken Parks.............NG 6-1 203 12
75 Dave Sharer...........DT 6-0 237 12
64 Shane Cowher..........DE 5-8 180 12
53 Brian Bonsell.........LB 5-9 222 12
55 Matt Daniels..........LB 5-8 200 12
83 Adam Clark............CB 5-4 138 12
84 Matt Morrow...........CB 6-1 162 11
30 Jeremy LaRosa.........SS 5-7 163 12
12 Matt Sharer...........FS 6-1 192 12
Statistics
TEAM
WILMINGTON TYRONE
OFFENSE
2779..........Rushing yards..........2825
231.6..........Per game..........235.40
1579..........Passing yards..........1125
131.6..........Per game..........93.8
96-65-1..........Att-comp-int..........116-64-2
4368..........Total yards..........3950
364.0..........Per game..........329.2
503..........Points scored..........416
41.9..........Per game..........34.6
DEFENSE
967..........Rushing yards allowed..........1709
80.6..........Per game..........142.2
798..........Passing yards allowed..........1717
66.5..........Per game..........143.1
140-61-12..........Opp. Att-comp-int..........255-138-14
1510..........Total yards allowed..........3441
125.8..........Per game..........286.8
84..........Points allowed..........150
7.0..........Per game..........12.5
INDIVIDUAL
Rushing
WILMINGTON _ Doug Dudash 125-1268;
Jon Tekac 95-1041.
TYRONE _ Mark Wyland 224-1123, Jesse Jones 107-779,
Matt Sharer 94-642.
Passing
WILMINGTON _ Todd Smargiasso 96-65-1-1555, 22 TDs.
TYRONE _ Sharer 110-61-2-1108.
Receiving
WILMINGTON _ Demetrious Rich 37-962; Dudash 9-149.
TYRONE _ Jeremy LaRosa 25-585, Adam Clark 12-245,
Wyland 12-112.
Scoring
WILMINGTON _ Dudash 24 TDs; Rich 19 TDs;
Tekac 14 TDs; Judd Campbell 49 PATs.
TYRONE _ Wyland 31 TDs, Sharer 8 TDs,
Jones 6 TDs, LaRosa 4 TDs.
Game-by-game scores
WILMINGTON (12-0)
28..........Laurel.............6
45..........West Middlesex....10
55..........Slippery Rock......0
49..........Hickory............0
13..........Sharpsville (OT)...7
56..........Grove City.........0
56..........Mercer............19
56..........Reynolds..........13
26..........Sharon............12
DISTRICT 10 AA PLAYOFFS
55..........Ft. LeBoeuf........0
42..........Sharon.............0
PIAA AA First Round
22..........Karns City........17
TYRONE (12-0)
27..........Bellwood-Antis....20
14..........Huntingdon.........7
41..........Lewistown.........20
24..........Bellefonte.........6
21..........Bald Eagle Area...14
38..........Central...........14
48......Phillipsburg-Osceola...6
49..........Indian Valley.....27
42..........Upper Dauphin.....12
DISTRICT 5-6 AA PLAYOFFS
41..........Chestnut Ridge.....6
29..........Forest Hills.......0
32..........Westmont-Hilltop..18
