Second quarter spells doom for Union
Union (14) vs. Western Beaver (47)
Written: Oct 11, 2008
By RON PONIEWASZ JR.
rponiewasz@ncnewsonline.com
Union High started out like a team determined to end a four-game losing streak last night.
The Scotties couldn’t maintain their intensity from the first quarter and it proved costly.
Western Beaver scored 20 second-quarter points to break the game open en route to a 47-14 Big Seven Conference victory.
“The sad part is it’s been part our pattern all year,” Union coach Stacy Robinson said of his team’s start. “We seem to start the game off by playing behind the eight ball.
“We were able to get our defense clicking and we changed up some fronts. The hitting got crisper and we started to hang around.”
Trailing 7-0, Union (0-5 conference, 1-6 overall) advanced to the Golden Beavers’ 10 on a drive that started late in the opening quarter. However, Western Beaver forced Scotties quarterback Mike Pelto into an incompletion on fourth-and-four.
“You have to change your whole defensive game plan to stop Pelto,” Golden Beavers coach Matt Gray said. “He can run and he can throw.
“He’s very comparable to Neshannock’s Josh Brown.”
The Golden Beavers (4-1, 5-2) then methodically marched 90 yards in 10 plays for a 13-0 lead on a Zach Cavalier 2-yard run.
“We missed some scoring opportunities and that started the trend,” Robinson said. “Playing from behind is tough.”
Western Beaver scored on all three second-quarter possessions. The final score of the half came after the Golden Beavers recovered an onside kick. Dustin Creel hauled in a 38-yard scoring pass from Morgan Rice for a commanding 27-0 halftime lead.
“You always expect it to be a struggle,” Gray said. “We were on the road, they were fired up and they played well early on; we finally got going.”
The Scotties had their chances in the second frame. Pelto was picked off on the second drive of the quarter on Western Beaver’s 29 and turned it over on downs with 30 seconds to go in the half on the Golden Beavers’ 32. On fourth-and-inches, Jordan Izzo was hit for a two-yard loss to snuff out that possession.
“That was crucial,” Robinson said. “We’ve got young kids starting on the line. When the bullets are flying, they’ve got to be able to react.
“They blitzed right through the gap and we didn’t block down on them.”
Said Gray, “We centered both of our backers and we pinched with a stunt off the outside. They didn’t pick it up and we got a clean shot in the backfield.”
The Scotties tried to rally in the third quarter down 33-0. Jason Burkes reached the end zone on a 6-yard run and Pelto added a 2-point conversion.
Union recovered the onside kick and Pelto scored on a 1-yard run for a 33-14 deficit with 1:03 to play in the third.
The Golden Beavers secured the onside kick and put the game away with their strong ground game. They amassed 267 of their 378 total yards on the ground.
“We knew they were going to come out and grind it,” Robinson said. “They’ve been doing it for years.
“Their offensive line gets off the ball and they get a push. You have to do that to win.”
Union returns to action at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 18 when it travels to Shenango for a conference clash.
NOTE: Union’s junior high football game at home against Mohawk originally scheduled for 5 p.m. Wednesday has been pushed back to 6:30 p.m.
WESTERN BEAVER UNION
17 First downs 7
302 Yards Rushing 119
35 Yards Lost 20
267 Net Rushing 99
6 Passes Attempted 17
5 Passes Completed 5
0 Passes Intercepted 1
111 Yards Passing 79
378 Total Yards 178
0-0 Fumbles-Lost 2-2
1-32 Punts-Average 2-28
5-60 Penalties-Yards 7-65
WESTERN BEAVER 7 20 6 14 — 47
UNION 0 0 14 0 — 14
Scoring plays
WESTERN BEAVER — Sean Stiffey, 16-yard run (Michael Graham kick).
WESTERN BEAVER — Zach Cavalier, 2-yard run (kick failed).
WESTERN BEAVER — Stiffey, 5-yard run (pass failed).
WESTERN BEAVER — Dustin Creel, 38-yard pass from Morgan Rice (Cavalier pass from Rice).
WESTERN BEAVER — Cavalier, 7-yard run (kick failed).
UNION — Jason Burkes, 6-yard run (Mike Pelto run).
UNION — Pelto, 1-yard run (run failed).
WESTERN BEAVER — Cavalier, 5-yard run (Stiffey run).
WESTERN BEAVER — Joe Dawida, 6-yard run (run failed).
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