Published Sunday, Nov. 30, 1997
BACK TO HERALD...
Blue Devils 18, Raiders 0
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Sharpsville dispatches Riverview
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ON DECK IN CLASS A STATE TITLE TILT IS NO. 1 RIVERSIDE
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Sharpsville tickets available Tickets for Sharpsville's PIAA Class A championship game against Riverside Friday at 2 p.m. in Altoona will be on sale from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday through Wednesday at the high school. |
Herald Sports Writer
ERIE _ Back in mid-August, many Mercer County scholastic gridiron observers believed come the first Friday in December the local area would again be represented in the PIAA Class A championship game. However, the majority of those folks presumed it would be 2-time titlist Farrell making its bid for a 3-peat.
So it might come as a surprise to most, following Farrell's having been dethroned in the WPIAL semifinals, that the county's claim to a Class A state title tilt berth remains steadfast.
And just as coaches are fond of reminding players, ``Act like you've been there before,'' perhaps the only group unfazed that the Sharpsville High School football team will be the county's '97 state-wide representative is the close-knit circle of Blue Devils' faithful.
Sharpsville quarterback John Napotnik (9) has his eye on and the ball heading to Brian Watson (1) as Justin Lucas (29) blocks.
(Gene Paulson/Herald)
Sharpsville's Tom McMath (24) and Mike Germano (22) take out the legs of Riverview's standout running back Lucas Heakins (1).
(Gene Paulson/Herald)
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By virture of the victory, the third-ranked Blue Devils (13-1) will meet No. 1 Riverside (13-1) for the Class A crown at 2 p.m. Friday at Altoona's Mansion Park.
``As a coach, you always dream of a chance to play for state, and our dream's fulfilled tonight,'' Sharpsville head coach Paul Piccirilli said amid a midfield mob of well-wishers. ``Unbelievable!''
Minus four starters for reasons ranging from injury to academics, Sharpsville nonetheless garnered its ninth consecutive triumph in extending its school single-season standard for wins and its initial state grid championship game berth.
``We knew as a team, that with those guys out, we still had enough quality guys to play (Riverview) tough, but they went above and beyond the call of duty,'' Piccirilli praised. ``But when you've got 11 guys that play with the intensity and the heart that I've said we've got, it makes up for size and whatever else another team shows.''
Minus backfield stablemate Reggie Burns, sidelined by a torn medial collateral knee ligament, Napotnik saved his season-best performance for the brightest stage of his fledgling prep career.
``I knew that our other ballcarriers in the backfield, they really didn't get the ball too much this year,'' Napotnik said. ``And my coach told me earlier in the week, `They might be keying on you all the time.' And I thought it was a challenge and I was proud, I wanted that challenge.''
And the sophomore was the fulcrum of all three Blue Devils' scores.
Following a first-frame fumble by Riverview running back Lucas Heakins at his own 14-yard line, Sharpsville capitalized immediately. Napotnik's brother, senior signal-caller John, beat a blitz by audibilizing and handing off to his brother, who burst up the middle for a 9-yard TD run on a third-and-5 play with 4:17 left in the period.
The Blue Devils extended their lead to 12-0 at intermission as Justin Napotnik fueled a 12-play, 64-yard march that covered 6:05 by carrying eight times for 37 yards. Following a Riverview punt, John Napotnik engineered the drive and capped it by connecting with Mark Ramsey _ streaking across the back line of the end zone _ for a 7-yard scoring strike as the lanky receiver outleaped Heakins for the TD.
After a scoreless third quarter, Riverview's deepest second-half penetration took the Raiders to Sharpsville's 32-yard line with approximately 81/2 minutes remaining. But on a fourth-and-1 play, regional wrestling champion Mike Germano shot in and applied one of his best double-leg takedowns to 210-pound Raider running back William Anderson, effectively ending the contest.
``Their quickness was unbelievable,'' Riverview head coach Jake Cappa said. ``They had a number of kids who were out of the game, but they were extremely quick.
``We're a team that made it here with three losses,'' noted Cappa. ``And some of the things we did today is why we had three losses. But Sharpsville created those things. They were well prepared for us. They stopped an outstanding running back, they stopped a pretty decent passing game, (and) we did not take control of the line of scrimmage.''
Justin Napotnik, who also pilfered a pair of first-half Justin Dudczak passes from his outside linebacker's slot, then sealed the deal by bursting up the middle 44 yards on a second-and-5 play following Germano's recovery of a Dudczak fumble with 3:32 left in the fourth frame.
``Oh, for a senior, this is like a dream come true, man! This is awesome!'' said John Napotnik. ``When I was a little kid, I always dreamed about this. And legitimately at the beginning of the year, we knew we had a shot to get this far. This was one of our goals, you know? And we accomplished it and we're going to Altoona to win! That's what we're doing!''
His coach concurred. When asked if his club exceeded his expectations, Piccirilli replied with a sly smile,
``Nah, nah, nah. We knew from the first time we put our pads on this year we had something special. We never realized it was gonna come to something this special,'' Piccirilli admitted. ``But they're unbelievable.''
Notes: Heakins, who entered the game with 1,965 yards rushing, was limited to 23 yards on 15 carries, with his longest run from scrimmage being 15 yards. He was apparently ejected following Brad Watson's interception of Dudczak with 69 seconds remaining in the game, as Heakins attempted to scuffle with several Sharpsville players. ... Riverview (10-4) gained just 49 yards on 20 first-half plays and had its 7-game victory skein halted.
PIAA Class A Semifinals
RIVERVIEW 0 0 0 0 0
SHARPSVILLE 6 6 0 6 18
Scoring plays
S _ Justin Napotnik 9 run (kick blocked)
S _ Ramsey 7 pass from John Napotnik (run failed).
S _ Justin Napotnik 44 run (kick failed)
Team stats
RIVERVIEWSHARPSVILLE
6.......First downs.......14
56.......Rushing yards.......193
37.......Passing yards.......34
13-5-3.......Att-comp-int.......14-7-0
0-0.......Sacks-yards lost.......1-5
93.......Total yards.......222
2-2.......Fumbles-lost.......2-1
6-40.......Penalties-yards lost.......1-15
Individual stats
Rushing:
SHARPSVILLE _ Ju. Napotnik 30-172, Bn. Watson 5-12,
Jo. Napotnik 6-6, Lucas 2-3;
RIVERVIEW _ Dudczak 5-29, Heakins 15-23,
Geppert 1-7, Anderson 6-(-3).
Passing:
SHARPSVILLE _ Jo. Napotnik 14-7-0-34:
RIVERVIEW _ Dudczak 13-5-3-37.
Receiving:
SHARPSVILLE _ Bn. Watson 3-17, Ramsey 2-15,
Ju. Napotnik 1-11; Sarchet 1-(-9);
RIVERVIEW _ Beynon 5-37.
