Shenango blanks Union
Shenango (35) vs. Union (0)
Written: Oct 24, 2009
By RON PONIEWASZ JR.
rponiewasz@ncnewsonline.com
The Shenango High football team was missing a key piece to its offense last night.
But the Wildcats didn’t skip a beat.
Ricky Mathews rolled up 227 yards on 27 carries with three touchdowns as Shenango rolled to a 35-0 Big Seven Conference win over Union.
Mathews’ backfield mate, Anthony Kosciuszko, missed the game with an illness. The duo came into the week ranked 1-2 in the county in rushing. Kosciuszko has 730 yards and 10 touchdowns, while Mathews now has 975 yards and 13 scores.
“Ricky played a great game,” Wildcats coach Ryan Mayo said. “With Kosciuszko being out, we knew pretty much the whole load would be on Ricky.
“He embraced it and did really well.”
Mathews rolled up 194 of his yards in the first half as Shenango built a 22-0 halftime buffer.
“I enjoy getting the ball, it made me really happy,” Mathews said. “Anthony is like my little brother and I said we’d win the game for him.
“Our line did a great job tonight. Without our line, we’re nothing. They stepped a lot for us.”
The victory keeps the Wildcats’ playoff hopes alive. Shenango (3-3 conference, 5-3 overall) needs to beat Laurel on Oct. 31 in the season finale and get some help from South Side Beaver’s opponents. The Rams are (3-2, 5-2).
Shenango was coming off a tough 14-12 setback last week to South Side Beaver.
“I didn’t doubt these kids for a second,” Mayo said. “We gave everything we had last week and we played a good game.
“I didn’t have any worries that we wouldn’t show up tonight. That loss lingered a couple days longer than we wanted it to. When you give that much and come up just short, it just hurts.”
The Wildcats showed no hangover from last week’s setback. Mathews dashed 49 yards untouched down the right sideline for a touchdown on the second drive of the game. Scott McBride hauled in the shovel pass from Joe Colavecchia on the conversion for an 8-0 advantage with 5:57 left in the opening quarter.
Mathews wasted little time getting back in the end zone. Eric Moscipan recovered a Scotties fumble and Mathews raced 38 yards on the next play to Union’s 21. Devonta Thomas caught Mathews from behind on a dive to prevent the score.
Four plays later, Mathews plowed in from eight yards out and Colavecchia hooked up with T.J. Klinesmith for the two-point conversion and a 16-0 lead late in the first stanza.
Shenango took a commanding 22-0 lead with 10:11 remaining in the half on Mathews’ third touchdown.
The Wildcats dominated the first half, registering 193 yards of offense compared to just 34 for Union (0-6, 1-7).
“I knew they were a little bit hungry,” Union coach Stacy Robinson said. “They have some fight left in them. I thought we matched up well with them; I’m surprised we didn’t give a better effort.
“This is probably our worst performance. Maybe the long road we’ve been traveling is starting to take its toll.”
Despite the Scotties’ struggles, Mayo knew the lead wasn’t safe.
“I told the guys at halftime to keep it up,” Mayo said. “Union is dangerous in a lot of ways.
“They have some talented athletes, but they’ve just had some bad luck and misfortune.”
The Scotties got pushed around for the second straight week. Last week, Western Beaver held Union’s ground game to minus 10 yards. Shenango allowed just 136 yards of total offense, 99 of which came on the ground.
“They stuffed us and controlled the line of scrimmage,” Robinson said. “I have to search myself. I’m the coach, and I’m the one responsible for wins and losses. They beat us and they beat us good.”
Shenango pushed the game into the mercy rule with two second-half scores, one each by Eric Moscipan and Aaron Grymes. All five of Shenango’s touchdowns came on the ground.
“If you look at where we were last year running the football and to where we are this year, it’s pretty much the same people,” Mayo said. “Those guys have gotten bigger, stronger and more experienced.
“They’re just doing such a great job that it allows our backs to have a lot of success.”
Union closes out the season at 7 p.m. at Neshannock. The Scotties are still seeking their first Big Seven Conference win since dropping down from the Class AA Tri-County North Conference prior to last season.
SHENANGO UNION
7 First downs 7
291 Yards Rushing 123
15 Yards Lost 24
276 Net Rushing 99
3 Passes Attempted 16
0 Passes Completed 6
1 Passes Intercepted 0
0 Yards Passing 37
276 Total Yards 136
2-1 Fumbles-Lost 5-1
3-31 Punts-Average 3-34.6
4-20 Penalties-Yards 6-46
SHENANGO 16 6 7 6 — 35
UNION 0 0 0 0 — 0
Scoring plays
SHENANGO — Ricky Mathews, 49-yard run (Scott McBride pass from Joe Colavecchia).
SHENANGO — Mathews, 8-yard run (T.J. Klinesmith pass from Colavecchia).
SHENANGO — Mathews, 3-yard (run failed).
SHENANGO — Eric Moscipan, 5-yard pass from Colavecchia (McBride kick).
SHENANGO — Aaron Grymes, 36-yard run (kick failed).
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