Ellwood City runs out of gas against New Brighton
Ellwood City (18) vs. New Brighton (21)
Written: Sep 01, 2012
By Joe Sager
New Castle News
NEW BRIGHTON — Last night’s halftime show at New Brighton did not include any masonry demonstrations.
Nevertheless, it seemed like the Lions built a brick wall during the intermission.
The hosts stuffed Ellwood City Lincoln in the final two quarters to post a season-opening 21-18 win in a Midwestern Athletic Conference game at Oak Hill Stadium.
“We didn’t finish,” Ellwood coach Don Phillips said. “That’s all it is.”
The Wolverines certainly got off to a strong start. They dominated time of possession in the first half and churned up the grass for 205 rushing yards in the first two quarters.
Senior fullback Beau Ewing did his best Mike Alstott impression. Like the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back, Ewing ran all over the interior of the Lions’ defensive line with a punishing, physcial style. Ewing appeared poised for a monster game as he tallied 117 yards and a touchdown on his first eight carries — in the first quarter. He settled for 121 total in the first half, but was limited 28 yards on eight totes in the second half.
“We did some things well, but you have to do it for four quarters,” Phillips said. “We did some things decently in the first half, but we didn’t finish in the second half.”
Likewise, backfield mate Jared Meyers enjoyed a solid first half. Spelling Ewing, the junior racked up 65 yards on five carries — including a 43-yard TD jaunt. He, too, was silenced in the second half as he mustered 14 yards on four carries.
Despite the Wolverines’ ground supremacy, New Brighton stayed close. The Lions scored with ease on the first possession. Following touchdowns on Ellwood’s next three possessions trimmed the deficit to 18-14 with 3:00 left in the second quarter.
The Lions’ offense slowed, too, in the second half, but the defense took command.
“It was great defense in the second half. It’s as good a defense as we’ve played in a long time,” New Brighton coach Joe Greco said. “We challenged our kids at halftime and they responded, especially our seniors. They showed the way. They want to win and it showed in the second half.”
New Brighton clogged the middle of the field, which stifled Ewing, and closed the gaps on the outside, which stalled Meyers.
“The big adjustment was that we challenged them, but we also weren’t reading our keys,” Greco said. “We worked hard on a lot of things all week. Our defensive coordinators got everything straightened out in the second half and got the kids going in the right direction and we made a couple adjustments. But, it was mostly emotional. The kids knew they could do it and they got fired up. We have some enthusiasm and momentum now.”
Gabe Greco’s 33-yard pass to Zach Shuler helped set up the Lions’ go-ahead score. Four Kellen Mackey carries later, he plunged in for a 1-yard touchdown run with 4:41 to play.
The Wolverines were unable to move the ball on their final possession and turned it over on downs.
(Email: ncsports@ncnewsonline.com)
ELLWOOD CITY NEW BRIGHTON
12 First downs 16
269 .........Yards Rushing.........147
18 Yards Lost 32
251 Net Rushing 115
4 Passes Attempted 19
2 Passes Completed 11
0 Passes Intercepted 2
23 Yards Passing 120
274 Total Yards 235
2-2 Fumbles-Lost 4-1
1-34.0 Punts-Average 1-31
5-45 Penalties-Yards 3-25
ELLWOOD CITY 6 12 0 0 — 18
NEW BRIGHTON 7 7 0 7— 21
Scoring plays
NEW BRIGHTON – Kellen Mackey, 1-yard run (Gavin Pritchard kick)
ELLWOOD – Beau Ewing, 7-yard run (run failed)
ELLWOOD – Jared Meyers, 8-yard run (pass failed)
ELLWOOD – Meyers, 43-yard run (pass failed)
NEW BRIGHTON – Matt Fritzius, 2-yard pass from Gabe Greco (Pritchard kick)
NEW BRIGHTON – Mackey, 1-yard run (Pritchard kick)
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