Center pulls away from Mohawk
Mohawk (8) vs. Center (36)
Written: Aug 30, 2008
 SPECIAL TO THE NEWS
Not finishing can finish a football team.
Take Mohawk, for example, in its season opener at Center High School’s Sarge Albert Stadium last night. The Warriors didn’t finish a drive — they were first-and-goal at the 9 early in the second quarter — that would have given them the lead.
Then they didn’t finish off tackles when they seemingly had Center players stopped for minimal gains. That led to some big plays by the Trojans.
The final result of not being able to finish was a 36-8 loss to Center in a Class AA Midwestern Athletic Conference contest.
“How many times did we have them wrapped up and then didn’t finish the tackling,” Mohawk coach Jason Long said. “And then we didn’t do a good job of finishing that drive.”
Mohawk took an 8-0 lead when Center fumbled on the third play from scrimmage and Matt Vogel recovered the ball for the Warriors at the Center 27. Seven plays later, Travis Schubert burst up the middle from 10 yards out and powered his way into the end zone. Schubert then went over right guard for the two-point conversion after Center was called for roughing the kicker on the extra point attempt.
Center then scored on a 14-yard pass from quarterback Preston Dawson to Matt Snyder and a 27-yard run by Ben Cobb with 14 second left in the first quarter to go on top, 12-8.
On the first play following the ensuing kickoff Schubert displayed his power and speed when he went over left tackle, shook free and race 68 yards to the Center 21. Mohawk set up first-and-goal at the 9 after a Center offside penalty. But that’s when things went sour.
A run by Schubert gained just a yard and a pass from Seth Powell intended for Colin Bredl was incomplete. Schubert gained just a yard on third down and an illegal procedure penalty on fourth down pushed the Warriors back five yards. Powell’s pass attempt to Michael Henry was then incomplete.
“When a defense holds a team for four downs and they don’t get a point and they don’t get a first down … you must be doing something right,” Center coach Larry Taddeo said. “You’re right, stopping them there was big.”
Center got a 32-yard field goal from Luca Campos with 2:37 left in the quarter and took a 15-8 lead at the half. But the Trojans were hardly dominating the game.
The start of the third quarter, however, was a disaster for Mohawk.
The Warriors fumbled on the first play from scrimmage and Center took over at the Mohawk 31. A 22-yard pass set up a 9-yard run for a score by Cobb. The extra point made it 22-8, Center.
On its next possession, Mohawk started at its 44 thanks to a nice kickoff return. It was third-and-10 from the Center 45 when the Trojans’ Tyeler Merendo jumped an out route and returned the interception 55 yards for a score. The extra point gave Center a commanding 29-8 lead at 8:18 of the third quarter.
“Take away the first three minutes or so at the start of the second half and maybe we don’t turn the ball over and maybe we hang in a while longer,” Long said. “Certainly, the turnovers killed us.
“We had opportunities to make plays. We didn’t and that cost us. When they got their opportunities, they made them.”
Mohawk did a good job of shutting down Center’s running game. The Trojans managed just 93 yards rushing, but Dawson completed the first 11 passes he attempted and finished 12 of 15 for 187 yards.
“They brought the house (to stop the run),” Taddeo said. “We were in a spread offense and they still brought the house. They gambled (on defense) and we regrouped a little at the half and we had some receivers wide open.”
Schubert paced Mohawk with 119 yards on 15 carries.
MOHAWK,,CENTER
9,First downs,14
146,Yards rushing,93
17,Yards lost,0
129,Nets yards,93
15,Passes Attempted,15
6,Passes completed,12
1,Passes Intercepted,0
49,Yards passing,187
178,Total yards,280
4-2,Fumbles-lost,2-1
3-39.3,Punts-Average,2-45.5
4-18,Penalties-Yards,8=70
MOHAWK,8,0,0,0--8
CENTER,12,3,14,7--36
M-- Travis Schubert 10 run (Schubert run)
C-- Matt Snyder, 14 pass from Oreston Dawson (kick failed)
C-- Ben Cobb, 27 run (run failed)
C-- Luca Campos 32 FG
C-- Cobb, 9 run (Campos kick)
C-- Tyeler Merendo 55 interception return (Campos kick)
C-- Damon Cotton, 12 pass from Dawson (Campos kick)
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