’Canes’ win over Ambridge puts them in playoffs
New Castle (35) vs. Ambridge (18)
Written: Oct 24, 2009
 By JOE SAGER
ncsports@ncnewsonline.com
AMBRIDGE — New Castle High wanted to complete its march to the playoffs last night.
So, the Red Hurricane put the ball in Keith Keene’s hands.
The senior stomped all over the Bridgers in a 35-18 triumph to close Parkway Conference action at Moe Rubenstein Stadium.
In the process, New Castle (4-2 conference, 6-2 overall) wrapped up the conference’s last playoff spot.
“We wanted to win the game and we wanted to know for sure that we have a playoff spot and let the chips fall where they may,” New Castle coach Frank Bongivengo Jr. said.
Keene rambled for 149 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. He sparked the ’Canes with 85 yards on eight carries in the second half.
“The playoffs were what we were shooting for all season,” Keene said. “Our line picked it up real well in the second half. We just started moving the ball and they couldn’t stop us.”
New Castle scored first when Darrian Rice scampered into the end zone from the 9 with 4:47 left in the first quarter.
The Bridgers (1-4, 3-5) struck back on Wally Rideout’s 3-yard run late in the second quarter. The PAT kick sailed wide, though, which preserved the ’Canes’ 7-6 lead.
However, the ’Canes went up 14-6 with 2:52 left in the second quarter. Johnny Matarazzo lofted a 21-yard fade pass to Jajuan Jay for a touchdown.
Tim Reynolds sparked the Bridgers with a 66-yard touchdown run on the team’s first possession of the second half. The two-point conversion failed, which left New Castle with a 14-12 edge.
Keene and the ’Canes responded in a big way later in the quarter. They marched 67 yards on five plays paced by some bruising Keene runs.
“I just saw the holes and I started hitting them,” Keene said. “That’s what we have to do — keep picking it up.”
The speedy tailback culminated the drive when he plunged in from the 2 for a 21-12 New Castle lead.
“He started getting hot and the line started moving them a little bit. We said we’d keep feeding him the ball until they stop him. We fed him the ball the whole way down the field,” Bongivengo said. “He really ran the ball hard, especially in the second half. Our line was able to give him a little bit of room to go and, if he gets a little room, he goes. He ran the ball extremely hard in the second half and made a lot of people miss. He broke a lot of tackles.”
The ’Canes delivered their second major blow to Ambridge’s confidence on the Bridgers’ next drive. Latrell McKnight snuffed out a screen pass, made a leaping grab of Zach Nichi’s pass and rambled 30 yards into the pay station for a 28-12 advantage.
“That was a great play. We worked against that tight end screen all week and he read the play well,” Bongivengo said. “He is a good athlete; he’s not just a big lineman. He made a great, athletic play.”
New Castle capped its scoring when Marcus Carter hauled in a 43-yard pass from Matarazzo. Ambridge countered with a late touchdown of its own.
Nevertheless, the ’Canes wrap up their regular season next week at Mohawk. They will see how the rest of the Parkway Conference teams finish to learn what playoff seed they will get from the loop.
NEW CASTLE AMBRIDGE
16 First downs 12
253 Yards Rushing 191
29 Yards Lost 4
224 Net Rushing 187
21 Passes Attempted 14
15 Passes Completed 7
1 Passes Intercepted 1
189 Yards Passing 99
413 Total Yards 286
1-0 Fumbles-Lost 1-0
3-24.3 Punts-Average 5-38.8
10-107 Penalties-Yards 8-51
NEW CASTLE 7 7 7 14 — 35
AMBRIDGE 0 6 6 6 — 18
Scoring plays
NEW CASTLE — Darrian Rice, 9-yard run (Spenser Rapone kick).
AMBRIDGE — Wally Rideout, 3-yard run (kick failed).
NEW CASTLE — Jajuan Jay, 21-yard pass from Johnny Matarazzo (Rapone kick).
AMBRIDGE — Tim Reynolds, 66-yard run (pass failed).
NEW CASTLE — Keith Keene, 2-yard run (Rapone kick).
NEW CASTLE — Latrell McKnight, 30-yard interception return (Rapone kick).
NEW CASTLE — Marcus Carter, 43-yard pass from Matarazzo (Rapone kick).
AMBRIDGE — Devay Owens, 38-yard pass from Zach Nichi (pass failed).
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