Rochester blanks Union
Union (0) vs. Rochester (39)
Written: Sep 13, 2008
By RON PONIEWASZ JR.
rponiewasz@ncnewsonline.com
Union High football coach Stacy Robinson wanted to be back in the Big Seven Conference about four years ago.
Robinson got his wish, but it was a little too late for his liking. Last night, his Scotties opened conference play against the best Class A has to offer.
Brian Beightley scored two first-quarter touchdowns to lead Rochester to a 39-0 Big Seven victory over Union. The Rams are ranked No. 1 in the WPIAL by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and No. 3 in the state poll by the Patriot-News of Harrisburg.
The Scotties (0-1 conference, 1-2 overall) last competed in the Big Seven Conference in 2001 before joining the Class AA Tri-County North. This is their first year back in Class A in the Big Seven.
“We had some players that could line up and give them a run for their money,” Robinson said. “It’s a different brand of football. In the past, we were able to rise up and play in the Big Seven and we’re going to have to find a way to do that again.
“Rochester is a good football team. That ranking is not by accident. It’s well-deserved. They know how to play down there.”
The game marked the return to Lawrence County for Rams’ head coach Gene Matsook. Matsook is a 1981 Shenango graduate.
“It’s always great to get up here,” Matsook said. “There’s good people up here in Lawrence County.
“It was nice to see people come on the field and say hi to you and welcome me back to the county; it’s a positive thing.”
In fact, Robinson and Matsook played against each other in high school and have coached against one another when their respective teams competed in the Big Seven in 2001, a 35-7 Rams win.
“Gene has been getting the best of me lately,” Robinson said. “He’s always been a competitor and I have to give credit where credit is due.”
Beightley rolled up 129 yards rushing on just five carries, all of which came in the first half. He did not see any action after intermission as the entire second half was played under the mercy rule.
“Beightley stepped it up for us,” Matsook said. “He’s a hard worker and a dedicated kid.”
The Rams (1-0, 3-0) did all their scoring in the first half. They rolled up 318 yards in the opening half and finished with 408 total.
“They did anything they wanted to early on against us,” Robinson said. “They came out with some intensity that our kids haven’t faced for years.”
Said Matsook, “Getting up on them was very important. I think we showed a lot of maturity tonight. We were ready to play and we did what we had to do.”
Union struggled throughout the first half, managing just 114 total yards in the first 24 minutes.
The Scotties’ initial first down came by penalty and they didn’t earn their next one until midway through the second quarter. However, a fumble gave the ball back to the Rams.
“We thought we could come out and do some things but we just weren’t able to generate some offense,” Robinson said.
Union had a tough time holding on to the ball throughout the contest. The Scotties fumbled the ball six times, losing possession on two of them.
Scotties quarterback Mike Pelto rumbled for 35 yards on nine carries, while Matt Moore accumulated 31 yards on four attempts. Moore got his yardage mostly in the fourth quarter.
Union returns to conference action at 12:30 p.m. Sept. 20 at South Side Beaver.
ROCHESTER UNION
13 First downs 7
372 Yards Rushing 107
9 Yards Lost 32
363 Net Rushing 75
2 Passes Attempted 12
2 Passes Completed 6
0 Passes Intercepted 0
45 Yards Passing 39
408 Total Yards 114
2-1 Fumbles-Lost 6-2
2-36.5 Punts-Average 5-27
4-35 Penalties-Yards 4-25
ROCHESTER 19 20 0 0 — 39
UNION 0 0 0 0 — 0
Scoring plays
ROCHESTER — Terry Gettings, 6-yard pass from Brandon Gray (Jonathan Moore kick).
ROCHESTER — Brian Beightley, 2-yard run (kick failed).
ROCHESTER — Beightley, 41-yard run (pass failed).
ROCHESTER — Trey Johnson, 64-yard run (Derek Gallagher pass from Jason Adamson).
ROCHESTER — Chad Pennington, 2-yard run (kick failed).
ROCHESTER — Jonathan Harvey, 3-yard run (kick failed).
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