Spartans mix it up in victory
Laurel (38) vs. Western Beaver (19)
Written: Oct 08, 2012
By Dan Irwin
New Castle News
INDUSTRY — Through three quarters-plus Saturday, Laurel High used aerial dominance to hold off Western Beaver.
But with the game on the line, the Spartans returned to their program’s signature ground attack and scored two fourth-quarter TDs in two minutes to salt away a 38-19 WPIAL Class A Big Seven Conference victory.
The win kept Laurel’s playoff hopes alive by moving the Spartans (3-2 conference, 4-2 overall) into a fourth-place tie with Union.
With leading rusher Matty Conway sidelined by injury, junior quarterback Josh Dando was the star early on. By the time Laurel had built a 17-7 lead three minutes into the second half, Dando had completed 9 of 14 passes for 149 yards. Wide receiver James Steele shared that spotlight, with a 47-yard reception good for Laurel’s second touchdown and a 25-yarder that set up the first: a 1-yard run by Dalton Rosta.
Noah Wertz’s 34-yard, first-quarter field goal had opened the scoring.
The Golden Beavers (0-5, 1-5) led briefly at 7-3 when quarterback Hunter Rocknich countered Wertz’s field goal with a 48-yard touchdown run. They also rallied to pull within 17-13 four plays after Steele’s score on a 53-yard pass from halfback Steve Robison to Nick Miller.
That’s when the Spartans defense turned in their own aerial gem, with corner Raymond Scala intercepting Zach Perry’s wounded duck pass out of the end zone and returning it 8 yards to paydirt.
“They were putting a lot of people up to stop the run, leaving single coverage on receivers,” Laurel head coach Jerry Holzhauser said of his team’s initial reliance on the pass. “We hoped that we could get some people open with that in man coverage.”
Steele, who finished with four catches for 90 yards, was perhaps the poster child for that plan.
“With his speed, if he gets out in the open, no one’s going to catch him,” noted Dando, who was 10 of 17 for 153 yards overall.
Even with Laurel up 24-13 after Scala’s pick-six, and with Roknich sitting out most of the second half with an icebag on his neck, Western Beaver wouldn’t go away. Perry found Miller on a 72-yard scoring hookup, and the Golden Beavers were back within a touchdown at 24-19.
That’s when Laurel went to the ground.
A six-play scoring drive featured just one pass by Dando and five carries by Rosta, including a 44-yarder on an option play that prefaced his second TD two plays later on a 3-yard run.
“It was a wide-open field, and there was just like three people outside of me, and I just went right in between,” Rosta said of his breakaway. He finished not only with 100 yards on 16 carries, but also as Laurel’s only healthy starting running back after William Hughes left the game with an injury in the third quarter.
Western Beaver then went three-and-out, and Dando raced 50 yards to paydirt on first down, giving him a heady 116 yards on 13 carries to match his passing success.
Overall, Laurel rushed for 137 yards in the second half, compared to 92 in the first.
“If you can move the ball on the ground, I still think that’s the name of the game,” Holzhauser said. “Running the ball, and stopping the run — that’s what wins football games.”
*****
LAUREL WESTERN BEAVER
15 First downs 11
234 Yards Rushing 225
5 Yards Lost 18
229 Net Rushing 207
17 Passes Attempted 9
10 Passes Completed 4
0 Passes Intercepted 1
153 Yards Passing 167
382 Total Yards 374
2-1 Fumbles-Lost 3-1
1-33 Punts-Average 4-25.8
4-35 Penalties-Yards 9-65
LAUREL 3 7 7 21— 38
W. BEAVER 7 0 7 6 — 19
Scoring plays
LAUREL — Noah Wertz, 34-yard field goal.
WESTERN BEAVER — Hunter Roknich, 48-yard run (Robert Rannone kick).
LAUREL — Dalton Rosta, 1-yard run (Wertz kick).
LAUREL — James Steele, 47-yard pass from Josh Dando (Wertz kick).
WESTERN BEAVER — Nick Miller, 53-yard pass from Steve Robison (Kick failed).
LAUREL — Ray Scala, 8-yard interception return (Wertz kick).
WESTERN BEAVER — Miller, 72-yard pass from Zach Perry (Run failed).
LAUREL — Rosta, 3-yard run (Wertz kick).
LAUREL — Dando, 50-yard run (Wertz kick).
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