Sto-Rox storms past ’Cats in opener
Shenango (20) vs. Sto-Rox (38)
Written: Sep 02, 2012
  By Dan Irwin
New Castle News
Severe weather in the area extended halftime by nearly an hour Saturday night at Shenango High’s Glenn “Pop” Johnston Stadium.
Only a few drops of rain, though, ever fell on the facility’s Frank Bongivengo Field. Apparently, the lone storm brewing nearby was in the locker room of visiting Sto-Rox.
After managing just two touchdowns and a seven-point lead over the first two quarters, the Vikings scored twice within 23 seconds in the third and went on to roll to a 38-20 WPIAL Class A Big Seven Conference win.
Sto-Rox had seen its game-opening touchdown drive — capped by a Lenny Williams 5-yard run — countered when Shenango’s Tyler Welsh returned the ensuing kickoff 85 yards for a 7-6 Wildcats lead. The Vikings reclaimed their advantage on the third play of the second quarter, when Brendan Blair capped a 14-play, 80-yard march with a 1-yard run.
It stayed that way until intermission, which didn’t end until the third-quarter kickoff about 9:30 p.m. The ’Cats received the kick, only to go three-and-out and set up a third Sto-Rox touchdown five plays later, on a 38-yard pass from Williams to Javelle Kirkland.
The Vikings’ lead went from 20-7 to 26-7 less than half a minute later when Yusef Chandler sacked Shenango quarterback Brian Tanner on first down, causing a fumble that Chandler scooped up and returned 21 yards to the end zone.
“We had some time to regroup,” Sto-Rox head coach Dan Bradley said of the halftime delay. “I think some of our young guys were a little nervous (the first half), we had some false starts and some of that stuff.
“We had to overcome mistakes during our drives, which made them longer, and we also had some breakdowns on special teams (Shenango also recovered an onside kick following Welsh’s return).”
The Vikings’ two quick scores, Shenango head coach Ryan Mayo noted, seemed to turn the tide of the game.
“(At halftime), we were pretty much where we thought we should be,” he said. “Obviously, you’d rather be up than down seven, but we were within striking distance and we were OK with that.
“We needed to come out and execute the first drive of the second half ; we thought that was critical. We didn’t, and after that, it seemed like our confidence waned.”
When Sto-Rox followed that misfire with two quick scores, the ’Cats’ had taken another direct hit.
“That was a huge momentum swing,” Mayo said of the Vikings’ fumble return. “At that point, it’s 20-7, and we’re still in it, but any time you turn the ball over, especially for a touchdown, that’s a dramatic emotional swing.”
Matt Pherson’s blocked punt, followed four plays later by a 4-yard Welsh TD run, enabled Shenango to close to within 26-14 on the first play of the fourth quarter. However, the Vikings countered with touchdowns on their next two possessions, on a 51-yard pass from Williams to Elisha Bonner and a 1-yard Marcus Jackson run.
Welsh closed out the scoring with his third TD, this one a 2-yard run that came with 58 seconds left and upped his night’s rushing total to 65 yards on 10 carries.
Williams, meanwhile, carried 12 times for 98 yards and a touchdown while completed 13 of 23 passes for 231 yards and two scores.
******
STO-ROX SHENANGO
19 First downs 6
236 Yards Rushing 103
28 Yards Lost 30
208 Net Rushing 73
23 Passes Attempted 8
13 Passes Completed 2
0 Passes Intercepted 0
231 Yards Passing 11
439 Total Yards 84
3-0 Fumbles-Lost 2/1
1-29 Punts-Average 6-33.3
12-96 Penalties-Yards 4-30
STO-ROX 6 8 12 12 — 38
SHENANGO 7 0 0 13 — 20
Scoring plays
STO-ROX — Lenny Williams, 5-yard run (Kick failed).
SHENANGO — Tyler Welsh, 85-yard kickoff return (Ronald Davis kick).
STO-ROX — Brendan Blair, 1-yard run (Javelle Kirkland pass from Williams).
STO-ROX — Kirkland, 38-yard pass from Williams (Kick failed).
STO-ROX — Yusef Chandler, 21-yard fumble return (Pass failed).
SHENANGO — Welsh, 4-yard run (Davis kick).
STO-ROX — Elisha Bonner, 51-yard pass from Williams (Pass failed).
STO-ROX — Marcus Jackson, 1-yard run (Kick failed).
SHENANGO — Welsh, 2-yard run (Run failed).
|