Numbers irrelevant as Laurel,
Shenango prepare for battle
Written: Oct 23, 2008
  By JOE SAGER
ncsports@ncnewsonline.com
Forget that one team has a slim chance of making the postseason.
Throw out the fact that both squads have combined for just five wins.
Actually, pretty much everything before 7:30 p.m. tomorrow will be irrelevant at Laurel High’s Spartan Stadium.
That’s because it’s the annual Laurel-Shenango clash.
“Laurel is our rival. That’s why we play them the last game,” Shenango coach Ryan Mayo said. “Our kids know most of their kids and vice versa. Our kids are really excited about it.”
So are the Spartans.
“I don’t know how far back this rivalry goes, but I remember when I played, the Laurel-Shenango game was big. It’s been big for a long, long time,” Laurel coach Jerry Holzhauser said. “It’s the last regular-season game of the year and it means a lot to the kids, especially the seniors.”
It’s also important because Laurel (2-4 conference, 2-6 overall) still has a slim shot at earning one of the WPIAL Class A Big Seven Conference playoff berths. The Spartans can clinch a postseason reservation with a win against the Wildcats, a South Side Beaver loss to Western Beaver on Saturday and a Neshannock loss to Union tomorrow night. If there is a three-way tie between Laurel, South Side and Neshannock, South Side would go on Gardner Points.
So, in a way, this is a “playoff” game for Laurel.
“We’re treating it like the Laurel-Shenango game, really. That, itself, is all it should take,” Holzhauser said. “I am sure the Shenango kids are going to be pumped up. If things go our way, maybe we can get a bonus out of it.”
Shenango is coming off a 12-6 win over Union, snapping a five-game losing streak.
“The season hasn’t gone the way we wanted it to, but, last week, we were able to put some things together,” Mayo said. “It definitely should help our confidence going into this game.
“We scored 12 points last week, but 12 is not nearly enough,” he continued. “We had a couple drives stalled with penalties. If we fix those, we would have had a pretty productive day.”
Meanwhile, the Spartans are coming off a second straight loss — 35-13 at Western Beaver.
“We know that we have to play excellent football to win, whoever we play in this league. Anything less is a variable that can cost you the game,” Holzhauser said. “The motivation going into a game — it’s me against the guy across from me for four quarters. I don’t think they’ll be thinking about the playoffs during the game; they’ll be thinking about execution and winning those individual battles that can ultimately get you to win the war.”
There are similarities between the rivals. They can attack through the air via a spread formation or pound the ball on the ground. Anthony Kosciuszko leads the Shenango rushing attack with 441 yards on 84 carries to rank seventh in Lawrence County. Laurel’s Robert Jones is right behind him with 424 yards on 98 attempts.
In the air, the Spartans appear to have the edge with Tyler Forbes, who ranks third in the county in passing with 821 yards. Jake Dando leads the county with 40 catches for 566 yards.
“I think both teams are very similar, philosophically,” Mayo said. “We both do a little bit of everything. Their quarterback is a very good player and he’s the person we’re most concerned with; Dando is a really good receiver that can cause matchup problems. They have a balanced attack, so you can’t key on one area.”
Shenango’s Joe Colavacchia has passed for 390 yards and Ricky Mathews leads the ’Cats with 11 receptions for 163 yards.
“They have a good quarterback and two excellent running backs with real good speed. They have a lot that we have to defend,” Holzhauser said. “Defenisvely, they show you a lot of different fronts. They have kids who run to the football.
“I don’t think you have to be real fancy. We have to play sound defense,” he continued. “We’ve played eight games, so we have to be ready for anything. Special teams should be big, too. It’s all about execution in all phases of the game.”
Laurel lost two key members of its line last week when junior center Robert Hites and sophomore tackle Patrick Young left the game with leg injuries. Their status is uncertain for this week.
“We really don’t know yet,” Holzhauser said. “By this point in the season, everybody is banged up and we’re banged up as much as you can get.”
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