Western Beaver's late
rally sinks Shenango
Shenango (21) vs. Western Beaver (26)
Written: Sep 27, 2010
By DAN IRWIN
New Castle News
INDUSTRY — For the second year in a row, Shenango High’s defense made a huge stop at Western Beaver.
But the Wildcats just couldn’t come up with a third.
After denying the Golden Beavers a two-point conversion and preserving a one-point lead with 5:13 remaining, Shenango gave up a touchdown with just 52 seconds left, dropping a 26-21 Big Seven Conference decision Saturday.
A year ago, Shenango (1-1 conference, 2-2 overall) foiled a Western Beaver two-point try in the game’s waning moments to claim a 22-21 win.
“It was feeling a little bit like déjà vu,” Shenango coach Ryan Mayo admitted. “But you’ve got to close it out, you’ve got to move the ball and keep it away from them.
“If they do get it back, you’ve got to stop them, and we didn’t do that.”
Indeed, after halting Jack Balsar inches shy of the goal line to maintain a 21-20 lead, Shenango failed to get a get a first down on its ensuing possession and punted the ball away.
Western Beaver (1-1, 2-2) then marched 76 yards in six plays, with Balsar scoring from 22 yards out. Quarterback Eric Blinn, who finished with 123 yards on 18 carries, uncorked on 36-yard scamper to key the drive.
“Everybody else who was down there (on the extra point stop) is telling me, ‘Coach, he was in,’ ” Western head coach Matt Gray said. “But we talk about it all week long — mental toughness. We can come back from anything.
“We got the ball back with (2:46) remaining and we scored, and there was still a minute left. So our kids were definitely mentally tough and ready to go today.”
Shenango’s inability to grind out a game-ending possession was part of its second-half problems running the ball. The ’Cats had 128 yards on the ground and 10 rushing first downs before intermission, but only 28 yards and no rushing first downs after.
Gray said the Golden Beavers made some defensive adjustments during halftime to slow Shenango’s double-wing attack.
“We took our defensive ends out and put two other linemen in at defensive end and told them crash and cut,” he said. “So they came in and they crashed it and they blew up the lead backs, and they had a hard time running the ball against us in the second half.
“The only time they really moved it against us in the second half, they threw the ball on two pass plays.”
Those throws came from freshman QB Tynen Greer, who played all but the game’s first three series. Aaron Grymes, who hurt his ankle last week against South Side Beaver, started but had to come out.
Shenango took a 7-0 lead on Scott McBride’s 5-yard run in the second quarter, only to fall behind 8-7 on a 24-yard TD breakaway by Blinn one series later.
Greer then took over the ’Cats’ offense and directed it on a nine-play, 41-yard drive capped by Joe Seaburn’s 3-yard run with 10 seconds left in the half.
The Golden Beavers went back ahead, 14-13, on a 25-yard Dustin Creel run early in the third, but Greer completions of 19 and 11 yards to Seaburn keyed a Shenango march that culminated in a 1-yard McBride run.
Balsar’s failure to reach the end zone following a 3-yard Blinn run kept Shenango ahead until his TD one series later. Greer responded with two more completions, including a 21-yard hook-and-lateral on a last-ditch drive, but was intercepted by Balsar as time expired.
“(Greer) definitely showed some moxie,” Mayo said. “He’s got that kind of ability, so that’s a positive to take from the football game.”
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SHENANGO WESTERN BEAVER
13 First downs 14
175 Yards Rushing 333
19 Yards Lost 20
156 Net Rushing 313
9 Passes Attempted 5
4 Passes Completed 4
2 Passes Intercepted 1
50 Yards Passing 37
206 Total Yards 350
0-0 Fumbles-Lost 2-1
3-25 Punts-Average 2-30.5
0-0 Penalties-Yards 5-30
SHENANGO 0 13 0 8 — 21
WESTERN BEAVER 0 8 6 12 — 26
Scoring plays
SHENANGO — Scott McBride 5-yard run (Ronald Davis kick)
WESTERN BEAVER — Eric Blinn 24-yard run (Blinn run)
SHENANGO — Joe Seaburn 3-yard run (Run failed).
WESTERN BEAVER — Dustin Creel 25-run (Run failed)
SHENANGO — McBride 1-yard run (Seaburn run)
WESTERN BEAVER — Blinn 3-yard run (Run failed).
WESTERN BEAVER — Jack Balsar 22-yard run (Pass failed).
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