Tigers have Mohawk in the run in loss
Mohawk (28) vs. Beaver Falls (53)
Written: Sep 20, 2014
By Joe Sager
New Castle News
Mohawk knew it was coming most of the time. It just couldn’t stop it.
The “it” was Beaver Falls’ run game. The visiting Tigers racked up 458 yards on the ground to post a 53-28 win in last night’s WPIAL Class AA Midwestern Athletic Conference game.
The Tigers scored on six of their seven possessions — including their first five — and added 301 rushing yards in the first half to take command.
“We have to stop the run. That’s where it all starts,” Mohawk coach Joe Lamenza said. “We have to get healthy and we have to stop the run.”
For Beaver Falls (2-1 MAC, 3-1 overall), the triumph was a positive sign following last week’s 35-0 loss to Beaver and heading into Friday’s clash against Laurel.
“I think up front we got comfortable. We got a couple kids back who didn’t play against Beaver. I thought we settled down and definitely did some good things,” Beaver Falls coach Ryan Matsook said. “Our goal is to get better each week and I felt like we did that tonight. Hopefully, next week that bodes well for us against Laurel.”
Freshman Torian Leak led the Beaver Falls attack with 229 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries. Derrell Carter added 98 yards and a score on six carries.
“It comes down to fundamentals. It doesn’t really matter who is running the ball. If a team is able to come out and run the ball on any given down, it makes it tough,” Lamenza said. “If a team is going to run the ball first, second and third down and gain yardage and get first downs, it makes it tough on the defense. Not much else matters if you can’t stop the run. At any level, you have to stop the run.”
The Tigers raced to a 21-7 lead after the first quarter. They scored two quick touchdowns in the frame, but the Warriors (1-2, 1-3) came back with Codey Barber’s 1-yard TD run to trim the deficit to 14-7.
However, Carter broke a 61-yard TD run less than a minute later to give Beaver Falls the 14-point lead heading into the second quarter.
Jon Kent caught a 14-yard TD pass from Ricky Malutic to cut the Warriors’ deficit to 21-13. But, Mohawk’s defense could not stop the Tigers. They added two more touchdowns to go up 35-13.
Barber’s 3-yard TD run with 1:22 left in the half seemed to give the Warriors some momentum and it trimmed the hosts’ deficit to 35-21.
Once again, though, Beaver Falls answered with its quick-strike offense. Leak found the end zone on a 12-yard run with 14 seconds on the clock to push the lead to 41-21.
“We were able to move the ball pretty well. There were some times in critical situations where we made some mistakes,” Lamenza said. “The bottom line is we gotta stop the run. Until we do that, we’re going to continue to struggle.
Both teams played a scoreless third quarter. The Tigers added two more touchdowns in the fourth. The Warriors capped the scoring with Malutic’s 26-yard TD pass to Spencer McConahy.
Mohawk hopes to bounce back at Beaver on Friday.
“Our kids played hard. The effort was there. They didn’t quit; they played hard to the very end,” Lamenza said. “We have to build on it and try to get better and accentuate the things we do well and eliminate the mistakes.”
(Email: ncsports@ncnewsonline.com)
BEAVER FALLS MOHAWK
20 First downs 13
458 Yards Rushing 126
0 Yards Lost 55
458 Net Rushing 71
9 Passes Attempted 20
4 Passes Completed 7
0 Passes Intercepted 1
122 Yards Passing 188
580 Total Yards 259
4-0 Fumbles-Lost 1-0
2-28.5 Punts-Average 5-35.2
7-53 Penalties-Yards 8-49
BEAVER FALLS 21 20 0 12 — 53
MOHAWK 7 14 0 7 — 28
Scoring plays
BEAVER FALLS — Dwayne Burrell, 15-yard pass from Dalton Cleckley (run failed).
BEAVER FALLS — Torian Leak, 27-yard run (Derrell Carter pass from Cleckley).
MOHAWK — Codey Barber, 1-yard run (Mehmet Iclek kick).
BEAVER FALLS — Carter, 61 yard run (Mason Carothers kick).
MOHAWK — Jon Kent, 14-yard pass from Ricky Malutic (kick failed).
BEAVER FALLS — Pete Lyons, 18-yard run (Carothers kick).
BEAVER FALLS — Javon Turner, 24-yard pass from Cleckley (Carothers kick).
MOHAWK — Barber 3-yard run (Spencer McConahy pass from Malutic).
BEAVER FALLS — Leak, 12-yard run (pass failed).
BEAVER FALLS — Cordell Cummings, 1-yard run (kick failed).
MOHAWK — McConahy, 26-yard pass from Malutic (Iclek kick).
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