Scotties keep playoff hopes alive
Union (28) vs. South Side Beaver (14)
Written: Oct 19, 2013
By Dan Irwin
New Castle News
HOOKSTOWN — If Union High reaches the WPIAL playoffs, it will be the hard way.
That, incidentally, is the same fashion in which the Scotties kept their thin hopes alive here last night with a 28-14 Class A Big Seven Conference win over South Side Beaver.
Union (3-4 in league play, 4-4 overall) can reach the postseason only if it defeats Neshannock (6-1, 6-2) next week, and if Western Beaver (3-3, 3-4) loses today and next week against opponents who are a combined 2-13.
That would be almost as tough as Union made things on itself last night.
To be sure, there were the bright spots. Robert Clark returned an interception 29 yards to set up the Scotties’ first touchdown, while also rushing 16 times for 94 yards and two 1-yard touchdowns.
Benjamin Young caught five passes for 68 yards and a 16-yard score, and Union’s defense surrendered just 120 total yards, including 46 on the ground.
On the other hand, the Scotties forced themselves to go 94 yards for a touchdown when they failed to put a man back deep on what ended up being a 56-yard South Side punt in the second quarter.
They scored their third TD only after putting the ball on the ground twice inside the South Side 1 on first and second downs. And even after Clark scored on third down, Union surrended an 80-yard return on the ensuing kickoff to set up the Rams’ first score.
And then there were the penalties — 10 of them for 100 yards, including a fourth-quarter unsportsmanlike conduct call that got David Sadler ejected and left him ineligible for next week’s potentially huge clash with the Lancers.
“It was feast and famine tonight,” Union coach Stacy Robinson said. “We didn’t play good football in all phases of the game, and yet, we were still good enough to win.
“So I’ll take that as a positive, but I’m not happy with our performance at all tonight, from start to finish. We didn’t come out focused.”
Robinson wasn’t anywhere near so philosophical about the penalties.
“You’re supposed to take the high road as a coach and not criticize the officials, but those guys shouldn’t be doing a cricket game,” he seethed. “They’re terrible — both sides of the ball. Their (the Rams’) coach was out on the field complaining, too (South Side was penalized 11 times for 68 yards).
“So it’s not just me belly-aching about them. They need to take some online courses or something. It’s disturbing the way some of those calls are made by some of those guys.”
When the flags weren’t flying, Clark was, despite playing with a leg brace due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament. The injury caused him to miss the season’s first two games, but the senior back seemingly has no issues now.
“I’m getting surgery next month on the 23rd,” Clark said. “It’s been fine. As soon as I got (the brace), I was ready to go out and play with my team. No problems making cuts or anything.”
Clark’s first-quarter interception set up Union’s inaugural score, while Jordan Best’s sack and forced fumble paved the way for the final one. Best dropped Jake Berger for an 8-yard loss, stripping him of the ball in the process. Jullian Johnson recovered, and two plays later, Best bolted into the end zone for 27 yards out.
“After yelling and screaming and correcting, they finally did what we coached them to do all week on those plays,” Robinson said.
“If you do it the way it’s drawn up, it will probably work — and that was a good job on Jordan’s part.”
(Email: d_irwin@ncnewsonline.com)
UNION SOUTH SIDE
15 First downs 8
179 Yards Rushing 81
14 Yards Lost 35
165 Net Rushing 46
13 Passes Attempted 12
7 Passes Completed 5
2 Passes Intercepted 1
88 Yards Passing 74
253 Total Yards 120
2-0 Fumbles-Lost 4-1
3-35 Punts-Average 3-46
10-100Penalties-Yards 11-68
UNION 0 14 7 7 — 28
SOUTH SIDE 0 0 8 6 — 14
Scoring plays
UNION — Benjamin Young, 16-yard pass from Anthony Rush (Kody Smith kick)
UNION — Robert Clark, 1-yard run (Smith kick)
UNION — Clark, 1-yard run (Smith kick)
SOUTH SIDE BEAVER — Hunter Beaumont, 2-yard run (Jake Berger run)
UNION — Jordan Best, 27-yard run (Smith kick).
SOUTH SIDE BEAVER — Beaumont, 11-yard pass from Nathan Block (pass failed).
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