Shenango's hot start enough to push it to WPIAL quarterfinals
Shenango (23) vs. Springdale (10)
Written: Nov 07, 2015
By Andrew Koob
New Castle News
The first 24 minutes were almost perfect for the Shenango High football team.
The second half wasn’t as clean, but the Wildcats did enough to walk away with a 23-10 victory over visiting Springdale in Shenango’s WPIAL Class A opening playoff game Friday.
Shenango (8-2) came out firing in the first half, taking a 20-point lead into the halftime break. Hunter Waskin pushed carries of eight and nine yards into the end zone, followed by a Jason Wallace four-yard score before heading to the locker room.
As a team, the Wildcats rushed for 198 yards on long drives of 13, 10 and seven plays on the three scoring drives.
The Wildcats stuck to their offensive game plan of taking the air out of the ball throughout the game, rushing 43 times compared to eight passing attempts. Waskin was the main beneficiary of the run-heavy offense, posting team-highs with 113 yards and two scores on 16 carries.
The rest of the Shenango backfield got its chance to shine as well. Jason Wallace followed with 56 yards and an four-yard score on 12 carries, while Tyler Root rushed for 72 yards on 11 tries.
“Our line did amazing. There were open holes everywhere, we owe that to them,” Waskin said. “All of the backs ran hard, ran into the holes that we were supposed to and got it done.”
The Shenango defense was just as successful in the first half, forcing a turnover on downs in its own territory and then intercepting a pass to quell the final Springdale drive of the second quarter. The Wildcats held the Dynamos to just 86 total yards in the first 24 minutes of the contest.
Those dominant performances didn’t quite carry over to the final two quarters. Springdale (5-5) ramped up its offensive attacks, but the Wildcats defense bent, yet never fully broke.
Following an interception of Evan Kendall at the Springdale 12, the Dynamos marched to the Wildcats’ 11 in search for their first points.
Shenango held strong, holding Springdale to just three points on a 24-yard Logan Panza field goal. The Dynamos then recovered an onside kick and were in position to change the complexion of the game. A fourth-and-one stop at the 35-yard line, however, gave the boost the Wildcats needed to carry them to victory.
“That was very big, it could have been 20-10 if they drive down and score, then it’s a different ballgame,” Shenango coach Mike Commesso said. “That was a big stop, I credit the defense for hanging in there. We were a little undersized, but they hung tough.
“It was the two turnovers, the interception and the onside kick. They had all of the momentum, they kept us off the field and they did a good job. Credit to them.”
Kicker Dylan Kleckner showed his range, nailing a 42-yard field goal to extend the Wildcats’ lead to 20 points again.
Springdale would get its first touchdown with less than four minutes remaining, a Ben Sowinski two-yard drive over the goal line in garbage time.
“It’s a matter of facing adversity, we faced a little of that in the second half and I thought we responded well,” Commesso said. “Sometimes you just have to give the other team credit, I thought they executed in the second half.
Added Waskin, “There were too many turnovers. We came out too confident, I think, we needed to come out a little stronger than we did. We have to play all out, all game.”
The Wildcats continued to make big plays on third down, converting on eight of their nine chances. Those included a third-and-15, which was erased by a Root 17-yard run, and a third-and-10 wiped away after a Kendall pass to Ricky Lanigan.
Shenango now prepares for champion vs. champion matchup against the Tri-County South’s top team in Frazier. The Commodores narrowly edged South Side Beaver in a 33-32 overtime victory.
(Email: AKoob@ncnewsonline.com)
SPRINGDALE SHENANGO
9 First downs 22
189 Yards Rushing 258
16 Yards Lost 9
173 Net Rushing 249
6 Passes Attempted 8
3 Passes Completed 4
1 Passes Intercepted 1
58 Yards Passing 75
231 Total Yards 346
1-0 Fumbles-Lost 1-0
2-31 Punts-Average 0-0
6-40 Penalties-Yards 3-35
SPRINGDALE 0 0 3 7 — 10
SHENANGO 7 13 0 3 — 23
Scoring plays
SHENANGO — Hunter Waskin, 8-yard run (Dylan Kleckner kick).
SHENANGO — Waskin, 9-yard run (Kleckner kick).
SHENANGO — Jason Wallace, 4-yard run (kick failed).
SPRINGDALE — Logan Panza, 28-yard field goal.
SHENANGO — Kleckner, 42-yard field goal.
SPRINGDALE — Ben Sowinski, 2-yard run (Panza kick).
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