Union loses steam against Rochester
Union (12) vs. Rochester (55)
Written: Oct 22, 2016
By Clayton Sauertieg
New Castle News
The Union High football team was simply no match for Rochester on Friday night.
The Scotties showed fight early, but ultimately succumbed to the nonstop pressure put on them by the visiting Rams.
Rochester's relentless run game helped to lead it to a 55-12 WPIAL Class 1A Big Seven Conference win.
After falling behind the Rams 20-0, an 85-yard kick return by Tre'von Charles breathed life into the Scotties (2-5, 3-6). They looked to be building on that momentum just minutes later as Charles picked off an Ian Kouba pass, giving Union the ball back just before half. Then, in a flash, it was gone.
On the following play, Rochester's Chris Hayes took a fumble recovery 28 yards the other way for the score. The Rams' touchdown was a backbreaker for the Scotties, who went into the half down 26-6 and with all the wind let out of their sails.
The second half didn't prove much better for Union, as Hayes found the end zone twice more and the Rochester running game hit full stride, ballooning the lead to 48-12 after three quarters.
"We play football in spurts and we're just not good enough to play in spurts," Union coach Stacy Robinson said. "You'vegot to play your top game, and we made too many mistakes, as usual. That's a recurring theme and obviously it's a problem."
Hayes and fellow running back Caleb Collins were a thorn in the side of the Scotties all night. The duo combined to find the end zone six times and helped Rochester rush for 361 yards. The win clinched the section championship for Rochester (7-0, 8-0) and puts it one game away from completing an undefeated regular season.
"That was our first goal at the beginning of the season," Rams coach and Shenango High graduate Gene Matsook said of the section title. "This is a new group of kids and they're starting a new tradition."
Despite the loss, the Scotties still remain in playoff contention. A win next Friday night over conference foe Shenango would put them in the playoffs for the second consecutive season.
"It's a traditional rival," Robinson said of the game with Shenango. "I'm not going to use this loss as a club to beat them over the head with. Hopefully it's a tool to motivate them to come out and want to win. You know it could be the last game for the seniors or it could not, and surely you don't want to go out with a loss."
(Email: csauertieg@ncnewsonline.com).
Rochester Union
18 First downs 2
382 Yards Rushing 83
21 Yards Lost 60
361 Net Rushing 23
8 Passes Attempted 6
5 Passes Completed 3
1 Passes Intercepted 1
55 Yards Passing 85
416 Total Yards 108
2-0 Fumbles-Lost 1-1
2-27.0 Punts-Average 2-24.0
7-53 Penalties-Yards 3-18
ROCHESTER 6 20 22 7 — 55
UNION 0 6 6 0 — 12
Scoring plays
ROCHESTER – Caleb Collins, 1-yard run (kick failed).
ROCHESTER – Collins, 9-yard run (Ian Kouba run).
ROCHESTER – Collins, 10-yard pass from Kouba (kick failed).
UNION – Tre'von Charles, 85-yard kick return (kick failed).
ROCHESTER – Chris Hayes, 28-yard fumble return (pass incomplete).
UNION – K'Von Huddleston, 63-yard pass from Evan Pinkerton (pass incomplete).
ROCHESTER – Hayes, 49-yard run (Kouba run).
ROCHESTER – Hayes, 5-yard run (Collins run).
ROCHESTER – Darius Goosby, 6-yard run (kick failed).
ROCHESTER – Nick Grossi, 35-yard punt return (Tyreek Sherod kick).
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