Ellwood squanders lead, chance at third place in loss to Riverside
Ellwood City (7) vs. Riverside (14)
Written: Oct 29, 2011
 Special to the News
This was not the way Ellwood City Lincoln coach Don Phillips wanted to enter the playoffs.
The Wolverines had a spot in the WPIAL Class AA playoffs secured before last night’s contest at rival Riverside. An Ellwood City victory coupled with a Beaver Falls loss to Beaver would make the Wolverines the No. 3 team out of the Midwestern Athletic Conference for the postseason.
Third-place teams from a conference are usually paired against conference runners-up in the first round of the playoffs, which will be held this coming Friday. That would have been good for Ellwood City.
Neither thing happened.
Riverside scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns before a Senior Night crowd at its Memorial Stadium to down Ellwood City, 14-7. And Beaver Falls defeated visiting Beaver, 18-0. All of which makes the Wolverines the No. 4 team out of the MAC for the playoffs.
“That means we’ll probably play a conference champion on the road,” Phillips said.
And that is never an easy task.
The WPIAL pairings meeting is 7 p.m. Monday at the Radisson Hotel in Green Tree. That’s when the Wolverines will learn where they will play in the first round. With its victory, Beaver Falls earned a home game in the first round. Beaver is the No. 3 team out of the conference with undefeated Aliquippa the MAC champion.
Riverside scored the winning touchdown with 1:33 left to play. Evan Hart bulled his way into the end zone from 2 yards out and quarterback Devon Kelosky connected with Tom Mansfield on a pass for the 2-point conversion.
The Panthers went 80 yards in nine plays for the winning score after blocking a 31-yard field-goal attempt by Ellwood City’s Scott Lewis. They took over the football with 4:34 remaining.
“The thing that scared me was there was just four minutes left and on a muddy field you don’t know,” Riverside coach Tom Liberty said. “I’m 50-some years old and this is making me older.”
The big play on the winning drive came on fourth-and-5 from the Ellwood City 43. Kelosky hit Gig Jewell on a pass that carried to the 26. One play later, Mansfield went off the left side for 21 yards to put the ball on the 2.
What bothered Phillips was he told his players that Riverside would be juiced for the game because the Panthers were not going to the playoffs … and because of the backyard rivalry.
“This was their playoff game. We talked about that all week,” Phillips said of Riverside. “Our kids did not, did not believe me when I told them that we’d be in for a tough game.”
The contest was scoreless at the half, which also bothered Phillips. In the first quarter the Wolverines were first-and-goal at the Riverside 5 but came away empty when quarterback Julian Cox was intercepted on third down.
The next time Ellwood City had possession it moved to the Riverside 17 but Lewis missed a 34-yard field-goal attempt.
“We are down around the 10 or 15 or whatever it was the first two possession. You’ve got to score,” Phillips said. “One a field like this (muddy) in a game like this you have to take advantage of the opportunities you have. We didn’t do that.”
Ellwood City (5-3 conference, 6-3 overall) looked as if it would take control of the contest at the start of the second half. It went 57 yards in four plays after recovering an onside kick attempt by Riverside. Devon Siegfried hauled in a 12-yard pass from Cox in the end zone and Lewis tacked on the extra point at 10:25 of the third quarter.
Riverside made it 7-6 when it drove 57 yards in six plays with Hart scoring on a 2-yard run with 9:57 left to play. The Panthers went for two points to try and take the lead but Mansfield was stopped short of the goal line.
Two pass interference penalties helped Ellwood City move from its 35 to the Riverside 10. But Cox was sacked on a third-and-7 play and Brent Mulneix blocked the field-goal attempt.
“If we get the field goal it gives us a little more control over what was going on and the momentum stays with us,” Phillips said.
While Riverside’s offense produced in the fourth quarter, it was the Panthers’ defense that won the game. Ellwood City was held to just eight first downs and only 43 yards rushing. The Wolverines inside counter plays were stuffed for the most part.
Riverside finished the season 5-4 overall and 4-4 in the conference. The Panthers won their final four games.
“The second half of the season we found our identity. I wish I knew at the beginning of the year what I know now,” Liberty said. “The seniors built a foundation for us. I’m glad we sent them off with a great memory.”
(E-mail: ncsports@ncnewsonline.com)
ELLWOOD CITY RIVERSIDE
8 First downs 13
57 Yards Rushing 158
14 Yards Lost 19
43 Net Rushing 139
9 Passes Attempted 16
4 Passes Completed 4
1 Passes Intercepted 1
117 Yards Passing 84
160 Total Yards 223
0-0 Fumbles-Lost 3-0
6-35.3 Punts-Average 5-31
7-55 Penalties-Yards 9-100
ELLWOOD CITY 0 0 7 0 — 7
RIVERSIDE 0 0 0 14 — 14
Scoring plays
ELLWOOD CITY — Devon Siegfried, 12-yard pass from Julian Cox (Scott Lewis kick).
RIVERSIDE — Evan Hart, 2-yard run (run failed).
RIVERSIDE — Hart 2 run (Tom Mansfield pass from Devon Kelosky).
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