’Cats crank it up a notch after halftime
Union (7) vs. Shenango (35)
Written: Sep 27, 2014
By Ron Poniewasz Jr.
New Castle News
The second half has been good to the Shenango High football team this year.
Last night was no different for the Wildcats.
Shenango turned it on in the final 24 minutes to pull away for a 35-7 Big Seven Conference road win over Union.
The Wildcats (3-1 conference, 3-2 overall) outscored the Scotties (1-3, 1-4) 21-0 in the second half and outgained the hosts, 126-54.
“We talked at halftime about trying to muscle them a little bit more. When we went to the two tight end set it seemed to help us. We just executed better,” said second-year Shenango coach Mike Commesso of the second half. “For some reason we exploded in the second half, just like we did against Rochester. Both games were 14-7 at the half and we ended up with big halves.
“I don’t how to explain it, but credit our coaching staff for the adjustments at halftime.”
The Wildcats, who finished with 15 first downs, had just five in the first half.
“Union was doing some nice things in the first half to slow down our running game,” Commesso said. “They were stacking the box pretty tight. We came out and we tried to do some things to loosen them up a little bit to make some space for our running backs.
“We did a couple of things that worked out in the second half. I credit them for coming out and fighting the way they did in the second half.”
Shenango ran the ball 26 times in the second half and threw it just twice.
“It’s no mystery. We know people are going to come after us,” Scotties coach Stacy Robinson said. “It’s just a matter of if we can adjust and get the job done. We got it done in spurts, but you can’t play football in spurts. You have to be consistent.
“The second half is when they came out and the test of wills started to take place. It’s a tough thing when people are laying on you and pressing on you all night. You have to decide what you’re going to do.”
Union knotted the count at 7 when Logan Schuller hauled in a 9-yard scoring aerial from Anthony Rush on fourth-and-goal with 7:34 left in the first half. Garrison Bell added the conversion kick.
The teams traded punts later in the half. But Shenango capitalized on the Scotties’ boot.
Hunter Waskin hauled in the line-drive punt and weaved through Union defenders to score on a 45-yard punt return with 3:42 left in the opening half. Dylan Kleckner added the conversion kick to give Shenango a 14-7 advantage, which it carried into the half.
“That was real key. We couldn’t get our offense going,” Commesso said. “That allowed us to go into halftime with confidence. In high school, confidence is everything. We go in 7-7, we might not have confidence to come out in the second half. That was huge.”
Said Robinson, “That was a backbreaker. We’re slugging it out with them. They had us on our heels at times, but they didn’t knock us down. Special teams can hurt you. It’s part of the game.”
Union took the second-half kickoff, but gained just nine yards in three plays and punted it to Shenango. The Wildcats took control with a 10-play, 72-yard drive that culminated in a Tyler Root 22-yard scoring run, his second touchdown of the game. Kleckner’s kick pushed the tally to 21-7.
Both of the Wildcats’ second-half passing attempts came on that drive.
“They’re ground oriented and they tried to dump a pass or two in there on us,” Robinson said of Shenango. “We played well in spurts in the first half. For the size mismatch up front, I thought our guys were doing pretty good. Then we start blowing assignments and not doing what we’re supposed to do all week and it caught up to us.”
Waskin scored his second touchdown of the game to open the fourth on a 6-yard run and Vince Turco closed the scoring with a 2-yard touchdown tote. Kleckner collected the point-after boots each time.
Union mustered just nine first downs and 151 yards of total offense.
“That was our best defensive game of the year,” Commesso said. “Hopefully we’re coming together a little bit. That’s good news.”
Both teams are at home next week in conference action. Riverside is up next for Union and Shenango will square off against South Side Beaver.
(Email: rponiewasz@ncnewsonline.com)
SHENANGO UNION
15 First downs 9
159 Yards Rushing 95
26 Yards Lost 44
133 Net Rushing 51
9 Passes Attempted 24
6 Passes Completed 12
1 Passes Intercepted 0
65 Yards Passing 100
198 Total Yards 151
2-0 Fumbles-Lost 1-1
3-32.3 Punts-Average 6-30
9-59 Penalties-Yards 10-64
SHENANGO 7 7 7 14 —35
UNION 0 7 0 0 — 7
Scoring plays
SHENANGO — Tyler Root, 3-yard run (Dylan Kleckner kick).
UNION — Logan Schuller, 9-yard pass from Anthony Rush (Garrison Bell kick).
SHENANGO — Hunter Waskin, 45-yard punt return (Kleckner kick).
SHENANGO — Root, 22-yard run (Kleckner kick).
SHENANGO — Waskin, 6-yard run (Kleckner kick).
SHENANGO — Vince Turco, 2-yard run (Kleckner kick).
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