Sharek propels Spartans’ rout of Warriors
Mohawk (13) vs. Laurel (53)
Written: Oct 04, 2014
By Andrew Koob
New Castle News
Maybe the Mohawk football team knew it was coming. Maybe the Warriors just couldn’t stop it.
Laurel running back Clayton Sharek would motion from the left end of the offensive line behind quarterback Jake McDougal. The snap would come and McDougal would hand the ball off to Sharek just before he arrived on his left side.
Three times the Spartans ran that play in the first quarter. Sharek scored all three times.
The senior tailback finished with 107 yards and four touchdowns on 12 carries as Laurel put points on the board early and often in a 53-13 Midwestern Athletic Conference win over Mohawk.
“Everybody was getting on their blocks and I just had good rolls,” Sharek said. “Their defensive ends were coming up the field so I just cut underneath of them and it was a wide-open field.”
Sharek had Laurel’s first four touchdowns from 15, 16, 15 and 10 yards out Fellow senior running back Matty Conway scored the next two touchdowns, from 30 and 24 yards in the third quarter to put the Spartans up 40-6. Conway finished the game with 65 yards on nine carries.
Overall, the Spartans finished with 361 yards on the ground.
“Our kids came out focused,” Laurel coach Brian Cooper said. “I thought the intensity was great at the beginning of the game and I thought we were winning the battle at the line of scrimmage. There were holes open for our backs and they were running hard. We played extremely well in that first half with the intensity and overall blocking effort. They were cutting and getting up the field right away and that makes a big difference.”
Laurel was able to get big gains in bunches, with nine rushes going for 15 or more yards.
“We have to stop the run, we haven’t stopped it all year,” Mohawk coach Joe Lamenza said. “I thought Laurel did a nice job, they got it going on offense. We just couldn’t stop the run.”
Mohawk tailback Cayne Yakubik scored twice, from 26 and 17 yards away in the third quarter, for the Warriors’ lone scores of the game.
The Warriors were held to 132 yards rushing, 114 coming in the third quarter when the game already was well in hand.
Both squads sent in their backups in the fourth quarter as the skies opened up and the rain started to fall. Laurel was still able to dominate on the ground, with two more scores. Dylan Hinkle hit the sideline for a 74-yard touchdown and Devin Lewis capitalized on a fumble recovery by the defense with a four-yard score.
“We tried to work everybody and try to get them to improve the whole way through,” Cooper said. “The young kids go in there and run the ball just as well, that’s a great tribute to those guys. They keep working and are focused on everything. Overall, it was a great team win tonight.”
Mistakes were plentiful for both sides, as the Spartans and Warriors combined to commit 25 penalties for 213 yards. Those infractions hurt Mohawk the most as two touchdowns, a 95-yard kickoff return and a 31-yard run, were called back due to penalties. The Warriors still scored on the drive, but took precious time away from a comeback possibility.
“There were some questionable calls but that didn’t cost us the game,” Lamenza said. “We just have to get better at the fundamentals.”
(Email: A_Koob@ncnewsonline.com)
MOHAWK LAUREL
16 First downs 12
405 Yards Rushing 155
44 Yards Lost 23
361 Net Rushing 132
4 Passes Attempted 20
2 Passes Completed 13
0 Passes Intercepted 2
19 Yards Passing 149
422 Total Yards 263
4-1 Fumbles-Lost 3-2
2-38 Punts-Average 5-26.8
9-100 Penalties-Yards 14-113
MOHAWK 0 0 13 0 — 13
LAUREL 21 6 13 13 — 53
Scoring plays
LAUREL — Clayton Sharek, 15-yard run (pass failed).
LAUREL — Sharek, 16-yard run (Jake McDougal run).
LAUREL — Sharek, 15-yard run (Noah Wertz kick).
LAUREL — Sharek, 10-yard run (kick failed).
LAUREL — Matty Conway, 30-yard run (pass failed).
MOHAWK — Cayne Yakubik, 26-yard run (kick failed).
LAUREL — Conway, 24-yard run (Wertz kick).
MOHAWK — Yakubik, 17-yard run (John Zagotti kick).
LAUREL — Dylan Hinkle, 74-yard run (kick failed).
LAUREL — Devin Lewis, 4-yard run (Andrew Perry kick).
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