Union fails to capitalize on opportunities
Union (14) vs. Chartiers-Houston (35)
Written: Sep 04, 2011
Union fails to capitalize on opportunities
By JOE SAGER
ncsports@ncnewsonline.com
HOUSTON, Pa. — Union was scheduled to play one foe last night, but wound up facing three.
The Scotties expected to take on a solid Chartiers-Houston team, but they certainly didn’t expect to to battle a blanket of extreme humidity as well as themselves. The combination of the warm weather, turnovers and the homestanding Buccaneers resulted in a 35-14 Chartiers-Houston triumph in the non-league opener for both teams.
“Our kids aren’t here for moral victories, but, hey — the story is we have 25 guys and we just got worn down,” Union coach Stacy Robinson said. “We can’t afford to make mistakes. We had a few opportunities to make it a game or put them on their heels, but we didn’t capitalize.”
Union had a chance to seize some momentum early in the contest. On Chartiers-Houston’s first drive, the Buccaneers fumbled at the Scotties’ 5, but they recovered and punched the ball in for a 7-0 lead.
On Union’s ensuing possession, Chartiers-Houston forced a fumble and pounced on the ball. Then, the hosts marched 57 yards on five plays on the stunned Scotties and pushed the lead to 14-0 with 21 seconds left in the first quarter.
“That was one of the big blows. We were game,” Robinson said. “It just takes its toll on you. They have a lot of big boys and we have a lot of juniors. We’re not here to make any excuses. The loss is frustrating. A different time, a different place and a few more people and maybe we come out with a different result.”
The Buccaneers made it a 21-0 game with 4:32 left in the first half when Mykel Dorsey plunged in from the 2.
Union broke the shutout with 49 seconds remaining on the clock. Quarterback Joe Salmen rolled to his right and threw the ball across the field to the deep left corner of the end zone. Clifford Clark hauled it in for the score.
The Scotties appeared poised to trim the deficit to a touchdown early in the third quarter. They marched deep in Chartiers-Houston real estate before Daniel Lis picked off Salmen’s pass at the 2 and returned it all the way down to Union’s 2. One play later, Garrett Vulcano ran in for a 28-7 advantage.
“That was a big turnaround because they had the momentum and were deep in our territory. If they would have scored there, it’s anybody’s game, so that was a big play,” Chartiers-Houston coach Terry Latsko said. “Turnovers always play a big part in the game. I was upset with our couple because I thought it gave them some momentum. But they are a part of game and we were able to recapture the momentum.”
Lis put the game out of reach with a 4-yard run in the final stanza to boost the lead to 35-7.
Clark capped the scoring as he hauled in a 44-yard bomb from Salmen with 2:52 on the clock.
“I thought we had some good coverage, but I thought their quarterback did a good job. The receivers made some good catches, too,” Latsko said. “There were a couple times the quarterback put the ball right where it needed to be in tight coverage and, unfortunately for them, they didn’t come down with it. I think they are a quality team. They have a lot of athletes. It’s a shame they don’t have the numbers to add to it. But, they have a good core of players and they’re going to win some games this year.
“It’s nice to get the first one. It helps going into the second week of the season. We have a tough one coming up against Shenango.”
Salmen led Union with 210 yards passing. Clark had six catches for 116 yards. However, the Scotties were limited to 22 positive yards on the ground.
“Joey did a good job. Coming in, I thought we could get some people open if we had the time,” Robinson said. “We got a lot of people who can go catch the ball, but we just can’t throw every down. They kind of pinned their ears back, at times, and sent some heat and killed some drives with it.”
UNION CHARTIERS-HOUSTON
12 First downs 22
62 Yards Rushing 315
40 Yards Lost 1
22 Net Rushing 314
22 Passes Attempted 9
13 Passes Completed 4
1 Passes Intercepted 0
210 Yards Passing 69
232 Total Yards 383
1-1 Fumbles-Lost 4-2
3-33 Punts-Average 2-37
4-25 Penalties-Yards 7-60
UNION 0 7 0 7 — 14
CHARTIERS-HOUSTON 14 7 7 7 — 35
Scoring plays
CHARTIERS-HOUSTON — Jevone Hairston, 5-yard run (Travis McCarty kick).
CHARTIERS-HOUSTON — Garrett Vulcano, 8-yard run (Zac Hamilton kick).
CHARTIERS-HOUSTON — Mykel Dorsey, 2-yard run (Hamilton kick).
UNION — Clifford Clark, 15-yard pass from Joe Salmen (Salmen kick).
CHARTIERS-HOUSTON — Vulcano, 2-yard run (McCarty kick).
CHARTIERS-HOUSTON — Daniel Lis, 4-yard run (Hamilton kick).
UNION — Clark, 44-yard pass from Salmen (Salmen kick).
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