Mistakes, missed opportunities prove costly for Union
Union (0) vs. South Side Beaver (21)
Written: Sep 22, 2008
By DAN IRWIN
d_irwin@ncnewsonline.com
HOOKSTOWN — Union High School made a visit to South Side Beaver Saturday afternoon. But the Scotties never got past knocking on the door.
Despite what head coach Stacy Robinson called senior quarterback Mike Pelto’s “best game” of the season, Union couldn’t rise above a handful of mistakes and missed opportunities and wound up dropping a 21-0 WPIAL Class A Big Seven Conference decision against the Rams.
The Scotties (0-2, 2-2) trailed by only a touchdown heading into the final quarter, but South Side Beaver (1-1, 3-1) used Jordan Potts touchdown runs of 1 yard and 5 yards to put Union away.
Until Potts’ first score, the Rams had crossed the goal line only on their first possession of the game, an 11-play, 57-yard drive capped by Luke Shaffer’s 11-yard run. That left the Scotties with plenty of time to pull even, or perhaps ahead. And at times, it looked like they might.
Pelto had a hot first half, connecting on 5 of 7 passes for 94 yards. However, another apparent completion to Devonta Thomas that would have set Union up inside the red zone was called back because of an offensive pass interference call. The Scotties also failed to convert on a fourth-and-1 chance at the South Side 34 in the first quarter.
The most costly setbacks, though, came on Union’s final two possessions of the half.
After the Scotties had marched to the South Side Beaver 22, the Rams’ Kevin Gergen intercepted Pelto at the 1. Union’s defense held, though, and the Scotties responded with their best drive of the day, highlighted by a 38-yard Pelto-to-Damian Trott connection that gave Union a first-and-goal at the 3. Four plays later, though, Union turned the ball over on downs at the 4.
“We didn’t capitalize when we had various opportunities to get on top and maybe change the momentum and make it a different ball game,” Union head coach Stacy Robinson said. “We self destructed, numerous times.
“I was happy with the kids’ effort. We took a pretty good thrashing last week (in a 39-0 loss to Rochester), but they came to play today. I can’t fault their effort, it’s just the mistakes that did us in.”
Union appeared to have another chance to get in scoring position when, on the second play of the third quarter, Jason Burkes broke loose on a 45-yard run to the Rams’ 15. However, a personal foul penalty on Union and an unsportsmanlike conduct call on South Side resulted in the ball winding up back at the original line of scrimmage, and Union never threatened again.
Meanwhile, the dual infractions kicked off an ugly quarter of football marked by 11 penalties (including two personal fouls and four unsportsmanlike conduct calls on South Side) and four turnovers, two by each team.
“That was the ugliest game I ever saw in my life, until the fourth quarter,” Rams head coach Rich Schneider said. “It was just ugly. That first drive (of the game), we took the ball, marched it downfield and scored, then I don’t know whether our kids relaxed or what happened, but it got ugly.
“I’m just happy our kids came to play in the fourth quarter. I don’t know where their heads were before that.”
Jump starting the Rams’ final frame was Pelto’s second interception of the third period, a pick that William Shiel returned 27 yards to the Union 13. Four plays later, Potts went in for the first of his two scores.
“This is the best game Mike played,” Robinson said, refusing to fault his quarterback. “You could focus on one or two bad throws, but he made a ton of good throws. We just didn’t catch the ball so many times.
“He kept us in the ball game. He’s a competitor. He’ll bounce back. He’s a good football player and he showed that today.”
UNION SOUTH SIDE
8 First downs 14
77 Yards Rushing 214
27 Yards Lost 19
50 Net Rushing 195
20 Passes Attempted 8
8 Passes Completed 2
3 Passes Intercepted 1
120 Yards Passing 50
170 Total Yards 245
2-0 Fumbles-Lost 4-3
5-31.6 Punts-Average 4-34.8
10-85 Penalties-Yards 12-145
UNION 0 0 0 0 — 0
SOUTH SIDE 7 0 0 14 — 21
Scoring plays
SOUTH SIDE — Luke Shaffer 11-yard run (Dan Slaney kick).
SOUTH SIDE — Jordan Potts 1-yard run (Slaney kick).
SOUTH SIDE — Potts 5-yard run (Slaney kick).
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