Spartans show promise despite 0-3 start
Laurel (17) vs. Beaver Falls (35)
Written: Sep 17, 2011
 By Joe Sager
New Castle News
The Laurel High football team is 0-3 through the first third of the season.
The Spartans, though, just might be 3-0 in the moral victory standings.
Generally, that doesn’t mean much. But, when you face a gauntlet of WPIAL Class AA powers in Aliquippa, Jeannette and Beaver Falls to start the year, Laurel will celebrate any positive accomplishments.
Even though the Spartans dropped a 35-17 decision to the Tigers last night in a Midwestern Athletic Conference clash at Spartan Stadium, Laurel is happy with its progress.
“I think our kids played hard and they enjoyed playing the game. That’s a good thing. I think they have grown,” Laurel coach Jerry Holzhauser said. “They know that they can play; it’s not a matter of the physical nature of the game — it’s about execution. We just have to keep polishing things. The little things will make the difference in tight games. We didn’t do those; there were a few little things that cost us.”
Beaver Falls (2-1 conference, 2-1 overall) took advantage of those opportunities for a handful of big plays. Marcus Cleckley fielded the opening kickoff and rambled 90 yards untouched for a 7-0 lead 12 seconds into the contest.
“It was tough. It was the big plays that got us,” Holzhauser said. “They just executed a few plays exceptionally well. They have some great running backs.”
The Spartans (0-2, 0-3) retaliated with Joseph Johnson’s 26-yard field goal on their ensuing drive.
However, the Tigers’ big-play potential showed again when Trey Hall broke free for touchdown runs of 42 and 46 yards on consecutive BF possessions for a 28-3 edge late in the second quarter.
“Coming off a tough loss last week, we were concerned with our kids stepping up to the plate and rebounding. We came out early and did that,” said Beaver Falls coach Ryan Matsook, a nephew of Shenango High graduate and Rochester head coach Gene Matsook. “It’s a work in progress. When you’re facing a team like Laurel that has so much size up front, you’re not going to get a line surge every play. It’s not that we’re small, but I don’t know as many high school lines that are as big as Laurel’s. I am proud of our kids. We have to get better; we’re not satisfied.”
The Spartans rallied just before halftime as their passing game clicked. Brandon Ritchie capped a drive when he found Josh Dando for 9-yard scoring slant pass to trim the deficit to 28-10 at halftime.
Dylan Jones gave Laurel a jolt in the second half as he burst 70 yards for a score on the team’s first offensive play. That cut the margin to 28-17.
Yet, the Spartans could not sustain the momentum. They had some opportunities, too, after intercepting a BF pass and recovering a Tigers fumble on consecutive possessions, but they were forced to punt both times. The second kick was blocked deep in their own territory. Beaver Falls scored one play later to post a 35-17 lead with 2:50 left in the third.
“I think the blocked punt was a matter of youthful inexperience. We should have called a timeout, so I’ll take that one,” Holzhauser said.
Overall, the Tigers’ defense was strong after allowing the Jones TD run.
“That’s a tough defense; they got pressure on us at times. We made mistakes and that’s something you can’t do against good teams,” Holzhauser said. “There were some mental things and some other things we’ll have to correct in order to beat good teams.”
Hall led Beaver Falls with 139 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries.
Jones racked up 142 yards on 22 carries for Laurel. Ritchie completed 11 of 22 passes for 142 yards.
BEAVER FALLS LAUREL
12 First downs 20
240 Yards Rushing 186
6 Yards Lost 37
234 Net Rushing 149
7 Passes Attempted 22
3 Passes Completed 11
1 Passes Intercepted 1
26 Yards Passing 142
260 Total Yards 291
3-1 Fumbles-Lost 2-0
3-38.5 Punts-Average 1-15
9-70 Penalties-Yards 4-20
BEAVER FALLS 14 14 7 0 — 35
LAUREL 3 7 7 0 — 17
Scoring plays
BEAVER FALLS — Marcus Cleckley, 90-yard kickoff return (Evan Richards kick)
LAUREL — Josh Johnson, 26-yard field goal
BEAVER FALLS — Trey Hall, 42-yard run (Richards kick)
BEAVER FALLS — Hall, 46-yard run (Richards kick)
BEAVER FALLS — Hall, 3-yard run (Richards kick)
LAUREL — Josh Dando, 9-yard pass from Brandon Ritchie (Johnson kick)
LAUREL — Dylan Jones, 70-yard run (Johnson kick)
BEAVER FALLS — Rob Bell, 3-yard run (Richards kick)
|