Cornell heeds coach’s advice to finish off Shenango
Shenango (7) vs. Cornell (32)
Written: Oct 10, 2011
By Dan Irwin
New Castle News
Finish, Ryan Mayo and Ed Dawson emphasize, is not what people speak in Helsinki.
It’s what you do to play winning football.
Dawson’s Cornell team overcame a slow start to hand Shenango a 32-7 setback Saturday night in Big Seven Conference action. Mayo’s Wildcats, meanwhile, failed to complete a trio of second-quarter scoring threats, turning the ball over all three times.
“We can’t put four good quarters together right now,” said Mayo, whose team saw its playoff hopes all but evaporate by falling to 1-3 in league play (2-4 overall). “Even a couple of the games we won, we haven’t been able to play a complete football game.
“I think some of it is youthful mistakes, but bottom line is you’re not going to be a playoff football team turning the ball over as much as we did.”
The Wildcats jumped out to a quick start, holding Cornell (3-1, 4-2) to a three-and-out on the Raiders’ game-opening series, then scoring on a 44-yard Joe Seaburn run. Seaburn finished with 81 yards on 14 carries and caught three passes for 40 yards, but played only sparingly after being injured midway through the third quarter.
The ’Cats held a lead into the second quarter, even after giving up a 1-yard Shawn Owens’ run on Cornell’s next possession. A failed two-point conversion try kept Shenango up, 7-6.
The Wildcats appeared ready to extend their lead on their next series, driving as far as the Raiders’ 20 before Dorian Maynard intercepted Tynen Greer and returned the ball 85 yards for a score. It was Maynard’s fifth pick in his last three games.
“It couldn’t have come at a better time,” Dawson said. “We were kind of getting gouged a little bit. The timing was beyond perfect to make that play, and the kids also had the presence of mind to stick with it and block; that the play’s not over and finish it.
“We’re very big on finishing every play, we stress that every day, every rep.”
Though the 12-point swing put Cornell up 12-7, Mayo wasn’t panicking.
“It’s a momentum breaker, but it’s not the end of the world,” he said. “You’re down five, you get the football, and we’d been moving the football successfully.
“It’s four quarters. It’s definitely a momentum swing but you’ve got to push forward and play well regardless of up or down.”
Shenango, though, turned the ball over two more times in the quarter to halt drives to the Raiders’ 32 and 12 yard lines, respectively. The ’Cats also lost a third-quarter fumble at their own 25, setting up an 11-yard B.J. Lipke TD run two plays later that put Cornell up 26-7.
The Raiders added touchdowns on a 25-yard pass from Owens to Lipke and a 4-yard Owens run. The latter was set up by a 42-yard scamper by Derrick Johnson, who had 132 yards rushing on just six carries.
“We played well in spurts defensively, we really did,” Mayo noted. “But they seemed to manage one big play per drive. We’d hold them and that one big play would cost us.”
*****
CORNELL SHENANGO
15 First downs 14
302 Yards Rushing 232
36 Yards Lost 16
266 Net Rushing 216
13 Passes Attempted 11
3 Passes Completed 6
1 Passes Intercepted 2
48 Yards Passing 41
314 Total Yards 257
0-0 Fumbles-Lost 4-2
2-40.5 Punts-Average 2-38
6-58 Penalties-Yards 3-20
CORNELL 6 14 6 6 —32
SHENANGO 7 0 0 0 —7
Scoring plays
SHENANGO — Joe Seaburn, 44-yard run (Ronald Davis kick).
CORNELL — Shawn Owens, 1-yard run (pass failed).
CORNELL — Dorian Maynard, 85-yard interception return (run failed).
CORNELL — B.J. Lipke, 25-yard pass from Owens (Owens run).
CORNELL — Lipke, 11-yard run (run failed).
CORNELL — Owens, 4-yard run (run failed).
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