Ellwood drops finale to Beaver
Ellwood City (12) vs. Beaver (49)
Written: Oct 25, 2014
By Joe Sager
New Castle News
Injuries continued to mount last night for the Ellwood City Lincoln High football team.
So did the defeats.
Beaver racked up 522 yards of total offense and cruised to a 49-12 win over the Wolverines in a WPIAL Class AA Midwestern Athletic Conference game at Helling Stadium.
“We are so beat up with injuries,” Ellwood City coach Don Phillips said. “We were literally just trying to hold on as much as we could hold on.”
Already playing without fullback/linebacker Paul Lutz, Ellwood saw wide receiver Carlo Agostinelli and quarterback D.J. Barrett both sidelined in the first half.
“We’re just beat up,” Phillips said. “I think they’re going to be fine, but it may take a little while.”
The Bobcats’ offense had little difficulty scoring. The guests reached the end zone on their second possession and an interception led to their second score and a quick 14-0 lead.
The Wolverines (3-5 conference, 4-5 overall) responded with a touchdown late in the first quarter. Barrett found Logan Sarver for a 10-yard scoring pass to trim the deficit to 14-6 with 40 seconds left in the frame.
However, a long Beaver kickoff return allowed the squad to punch the ball in for another touchdown with three seconds remaining in the opening stanza. It boosted the Bobcats’ lead to 21-6.
Darius Wise broke free for a 51-yard TD to give the guests a 28-6 halftime advantage.
Beaver (6-2, 7-2), which wrapped up a tie for second in the MAC as well as a home playoff game, scored on its first two possessions of the third quarter. Zach Royba’s 46-yard quarterback keeper gave the guests a 42-6 lead and initiated the 35-point mercy rule.
The Bobcats tacked on a late TD, but Ellwood freshman quarterback Andrew O’Brien capped the scoring with a 70-yard run.
Now, the Wolverines turn their attention toward regrouping for next season.
“We have some kids that can play. Our problem is we need some linemen. We do have some kids back there, but we need to gain more of them. Right now, you don’t go anywhere without a line. Everybody we’ve play this year that has beaten us has proven that,” Phillips said. “There a lot of kids who have been on the field. A lot of the skilled kids are back. Like I told the kids on the field, it’s time to reflect about where we’ve been and where we need to go. It’s time to heal. We’ll give them a good period of time to heal before we get into the winter lifting. We need some time to let those bodies recover.”
Beaver kept Ellwood running back Nick Ioanilli in check. He finished with 80 yards on 13 carries, picking up 45 of them on one early run. Ioanilli pushed his county-leading rushing total to 1,143 yards on 129 carries.
“That has to be your focus. He is a good player and he deserves that attention,” Beaver coach Jeff Beltz said. “He got the one run; we’re just glad he didn’t keep it going.”
Wise paced the Bobcats with 103 yards and three touchdowns on nine carries. Royba had 96 yards and two scores on five totes.
(Email: ncsports@ncnewsonline.com)
BEAVER ELLWOOD CITY
20 First downs 11
373 Yards Rushing 181
8 Yards Lost 22
365 Net Rushing 159
23 Passes Attempted 19
12 Passes Completed 6
0 Passes Intercepted 1
157 Yards Passing 83
522 Total Yards 242
1-0 Fumbles-Lost 1-0
3-36 Punts-Average 7-38
10-90 Penalties-Yards 5-46
BEAVER 21 7 14 7 — 49
ELLWOOD CITY 6 0 0 6 — 12
Scoring plays
BEAVER — Julian Vandusen, 22-yard run (Luke Scheidemantel kick)
BEAVER — Darius Wise, 2-yard run (Scheidemantel kick)
ELLWOOD CITY — Logan Sarver, 10-yard pass from D.J. Barrett (kick failed)
BEAVER — Wise, 1-yard run (Scheidemantel kick)
BEAVER — Wise, 51-yard run (Scheidemantel kick)
BEAVER — Zach Royba, 1-yard run (Scheidemantel kick)
BEAVER — Royba, 46-yard run (Will Connelly kick)
BEAVER — Sam Loza, 48-yard run (Connelly kick)
ELLWOOD CITY — Andrew O’Brien, 70-yard run (run failed)
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