Published Thursday, Dec. 4, 1997
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Sharpsville bids for `A' state crown
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BLUE DEVILS PLAY RIVERSIDE AT 2 P.M. FRIDAY IN ALTOONA
Herald Sports Writer
Some coaches will tell you they'd rather their team be lucky than good.
Riverside High School head football coach Steve Armillay's club possesses so much raw ability, he simply likes to pit his athletes versus your's and allow that situation to determine who's better.
However, Sharpsville's Paul Piccirilli will be the first to admit his club has benefitted, at times, from fortune as much as talent during its playoff run. And he is hoping that combination will be enough for his Blue Devils to upend top-ranked Riverside in the PIAA Class A championship game, 2 p.m. Friday at Altoona's Mansion Park Stadium.
``You not only have to be good to get this far, but have to be lucky, too,'' Piccirilli pointed out in reference to goal-line stands and last-second field goals that have afforded his club this opportunity.
Conversely, Riverside (13-1) has run roughshod, having outscored opponents by a composite 548-128 margin. In district and state playoff action, the Vikings have beaten four foes by an aggregate total of 149-31.
Quarterback Harry Armstrong and tailback Jeremy Ransom lead the Vikes. In the regular season's latter stages they, respectively, surpassed the career 4,000-yard passing and 4,000-yard rushing plateaus in the same game.
``The one scary thing about them is they pass and run on an equal basis,'' Piccirilli said.
``We've been pretty consistent all year,'' Armillay said. ``We have some outstanding young men who've made plays all year. Offensively, Armstrong and Ransom have been the keys to our football team.
``Balance has made us successful, and that's why we've been able to score quite a few points,'' Armillay (55-60-1 in two Riverside stints) related. ``Offensively, we're gonna throw the ball 15-22 times and run the ball 15-22 times, unless we can get more plays in. But we try to stay balanced. We're an I-formation team. We don't fool around, we're not kidding anybody.
``When you have great players and they do the right things, you look pretty smart as a coach.''
``They're very impressive,'' Piccirilli said. ``They run from a no-back set, to trips, to run-and-shoot, to motion. They do it all. They throw the ball down the field. Their quarterback's about 6-2, and he can run the ball well, too. They can power you or spread you open, and he throws to every receiver on their team. Their size along the front is bigger than anything we've faced in the last two weeks.
``That's what's making it difficult. Some teams are one-sided and you can stack up against them. But now we have to have 11 guys who can adjust to both the pass and run.
``The one thing we're not sure of is: Is our quickness gonna be a real plus, or are we gonna have to adjust?
``They're really big on the offensive line (averaging approximately 244 pounds across), but not as fast as our defensive fronts. We're hoping our quickness takes over. When (Armstrong) goes back to pass, we're going to use a lot of different blitzing schemes to force him to throw on the run. We've seen in some of their games where he goes back and has all day and he'll double- and even triple-pump, has all the time in the world to throw. We can't have that or we'll get killed.''
Heart of the Devils' aggressive defense is ``mighty mite'' Tom McMath, an all-state wrestler, a 150-pounder who relies on quickness to negate the opponent's size. He and 175-pound Brian Watson are quite a contrast to thier fellow linemates Andy Lewis (255 pounds) and Jason Oman (305).
Jim Tucker, Justin Napotnik, Brian Watson and Mike Germano are active linebackers, with Brad Watson, Willie Friday and John Napotnik roaming the defensive backfield.
Another key to containing Riverside's offense will be how successfully Sharpsville's offense moves the ball.
``Defensively, we're gonna have to get a couple breaks, force some turnovers,'' Piccirilli said. ``And even along the Wilmington lines (the Blue Devils' lone loss), we're gonna have to try to control the ball to keep it away from their offense. We'll be looking to use the clock, move the ball, and score. And the big play is also gonna be a plus. But I think we need to control the clock to give ourselves a chance.
``They lose a lot of size on defense, compared to what their offense is. But with Reggie Burns out (torn MCL knee ligament), that definitely hurts us because we have nobody with that kind of speed that can be a counertpart to what they do. So Justin Napotnik's gonna have to take the brunt of the offensive load, along with his brother (John) and Brian Watson and Justin Lucas. They'll just have to play a super game for us even to have a chance.''
Riverside uses a 4-3 defensive scheme, anchored by 255-pound tackle Joe Kowalski, the Big 11 Conference defensive player of the year, although Armillay said, ``We may have to alter it some because of the (Blue Devils') wing-T.
``Defensively, I don't know if we can be quite as aggressive. We're quick, but I don't know if we're quicker than this team.
``Obviously, they have a very good quarterback, so we'll see if we can match up with the challenge they present with their passing game,'' Armillay said of Sharpsville. ``They're gonna pose some challenges and opportunities for us to overcome, and we're looking forward to the competition.
``But defensively, we'll have to try to stay basic and contain Napotnik _ the fullback and the quarterback. We'll have to try to keep (John Napotnik) inside, keep him from getting outside, because he has quick feet and a great release and doesn't need a lot of time to throw the football.''
John Napotnik is The Herald coverage-area's all-time career passing leader (4,460 yards), sophomore Justin Natpotnik has amassed 1,182 yards rushing this season. But the Napotnick's are the first to tell you it all starts up front, where guys like Brad Sarchet, Andy Lewis Bryan Weber, Josh Hamder, Tony Petricini and Jason Oman open the holes for the run and provide the protection for the pass.
As game time approached, both coaches waxed philosophic.
``In a big game, what it boils down to is, you have just a few days to prepare, and they're like us: We're both coming off wins (in the regional finals), and there's not a lot of time to look at a team. So we're just gonna play basic football. We're just gonna try to stay out of our kids' way and let 'em play and have some fun,'' Armillay said.
``I can only promise one thing,'' Piccirilli said in conclusion. ``I won't make any predictions, but we will give you 200 percent and leave every bit of energy on that field. Then at halftime, we'll re-load our energy and go out again.
``If that's not good enough to win the game, so be it.''
Sharpsville-Riverside at a glance
Starting lineups
SHARPSVILLE
Offense
No. NamePos. Ht. Wt. Yr.
12 Brad Sarchet............TE 5-10 150 12
79 Andy Lewis...............T 6-0 255 12
52 Bryan Weber..............G 5-11 215 11
72 Josh Hamder..............C 6-0 210 12
56 Tony Petricini...........G 5-7 180 12
74 Jason Oman...............T 6-4 305 11
9 John Napotnik...........QB 5-8 160 12
32 Justin Napotnik.........FB 5-8 160 10
1 Brian Watson............RB 5-10 175 12
29 Justin Lucas............SB 5-10 170 11
80 Mark Ramsey.............SE 6-2 185 12
50 Aaron VanZanten.........PK 6-0 190 11
Defense
1 Brian Watson.............E 5-10 175 12
79 Andy Lewis...............T 6-0 255 11
74 Jason Oman...............T 6-4 305 11
24 Tom McMath...............E 5-7 150 12
44 Jim Tucker..............LB 5-11 175 12
32 Justin Napotnik.........LB 5-8 160 10
1 Brian Watson............LB 5-10 175 12
22 Mike Germano............LB 5-5 140 12
25 Brad Watson.............CB 5-10 160 11
28 Willie Friday...........CB 5-7 175 12
9 John Napotnik...........FS 5-8 160 12
25 Brad Watson..............P 5-10 160 11
RIVERSIDE
Offense
No. NamePos. Ht. Wt. Yr.
33 Brian Jones.............TE 5-11 205 12
70 T.J. Hudak...............T 6-2 225 11
55 Joe Kowalski.............G 6-1 255 12
64 Jeff Ransom..............C 6-0 210 11
78 Jim Obidinski............G 6-2 275 10
77 Kris Karnis..............T 6-5 290 12
81 Eugene Gallagher........SE 6-1 180 11
12 Harry Armstrong.........QB 6-2 205 12
15 Jeremy Ransom...........TB 6-1 190 12
46 P.J. Gronski............FB 5-9 180 10
23 Ryan Oustrich...........FL 5-9 165 11
36 Tim McNulty.............PK 5-11 175 11
Defense
42 Ryan Ott.................E 6-1 185 11
72 John Harrison............T 5-10 250 11
55 Joe Kowalski.............T 6-1 255 12
70 T.J. Hudak...............E 6-2 225 11
33 Brian Jones.............LB 5-11 205 12
54 Steve Thomas............LB 5-9 185 12
32 Nathan Thomas...........LB 5-10 205 11
22 Mark Jones..............CB 5-8 165 11
23 Ryan Oustrich...........CB 5-9 165 11
21 John Jezorwski........SS/P 6-2 190 12
18 Billy Kyttle............FS 5-10 175 11
TEAM
SHARPSVILLE RIVERSIDE
OFFENSEINDIVIDUAL
Rushing
SHARPSVILLE _ Justin Napotnik 191-1182; Reggie Burns 139-776;
John Napotnik 63-335.
RIVERSIDE _ Jeremy Ransom 282-2141; P.J. Gronski 64-229.
Passing
SHARPSVILLE _ John Napotnik 193-122-8-1767, 19 TDs.
RIVERSIDE _ Harry Armstrong 207-112-8-2043 yards, 24 TDs.
Receiving
SHARPSVILLE _ Brian Watson 34-549; Mark Ramsey 30-375;
Justin Napotnik 27-456.
RIVERSIDE _ Eugene Gallagher 46-674; Brian Jones 22-492;
Mark Jones 15-341.
Scoring
SHARPSVILLE _ Justin Napotnik 25 TDs, 150 points;
Ramsey, Burns 9 TDs, 54 points each; Aaron VanZanten 30 PAT, 3 FG, 1 TD, 45 points.
RIVERSIDE _ Ransom 40 TD, 1 PAT, 242 points;
Tim McNulty 62 PATs, 62 points; Brian Jones 9 TDs, 54 points;
Mark Jones 8 TDs.
Game-by-game scores
SHARPSVILLE (13-1)
38...............Union City...........0
35...............Conneaut Lake........0
47...............West Middlesex.......0
31...............Kennedy Christian....7
7...............Wilmington (OT).....13
43...............Mercer..............16
29...............Cambridge Springs...14
53...............Saegertown..........24
56...............Cochranton...........8
DISTRICT 10 A PLAYOFFS
31...............Linesville...........8
14...............Cambridge Springs....7
PIAA A PLAYOFFS
27...............Clarion..............6
17...............Bellwood-Antis......15
18...............Riverview............0
RIVERSIDE (13-1)
35...............Lake Lehman..........0
48...............Honesdale...........14
21...............Valley View..........6
53...............Lakeland.............0
20...............Abington Heights....21
35...............West Scranton.......14
35...............Scranton Prep........8
48...............Dunmore..............7
62...............North Pocono........21
42...............Scranton.............6
DISTRICT 2 A PLAYOFFS
39...............Mid-Valley...........3
33...............Bishop O'Reilly......0
PIAA A PLAYOFFS
42...............Shenandoah Valley....0
35...............Southern Columbia...28
