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Game Previews | Game Recaps | Photos | Video Highlights
STVM 42, Bellevue 21 – Irish win Division III state title
By: Michael Beaven
The Akron Beacon JournalClick Here to read News & Notes about the game from Ohio.com
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CANTON: St. Vincent-St. Mary proved beyond any doubt Saturday that it is the top Division III high school football team in Ohio this year. Spectators have gushed over the speed on the St. V-M team in recent weeks, and for good reason, with an abundance of it on both sides of the ball. While junior Parris Campbell Jr. flashed his speed Saturday at Fawcett Stadium, junior Newman Williams displayed his strength as they combined to lead St. V-M to a 42-21 victory over Bellevue in the Division III state championship game before a crowd of 9,109.
Campbell rushed for three touchdowns and gained 165 yards on 14 carries. Williams rushed for two touchdowns and also intercepted a pass. “I have to give Bellevue a heck of a lot of credit, they kept hanging in there,” St. V-M coach Dan Boarman said. “It took us awhile to finally ice this game. They are a fine football team and a well-coached football team.
“I just want to say something about my team, and I want to emphasize the point, team. Every week it seems to be somebody different, or a different part of the offense or defense that takes over and takes control. That has been the beauty of this season. We haven’t had to just depend on one side of the ball or on one person. Today showed that.”
Williams’ first rushing touchdown came on a fake punt when he rumbled 41 yards to make the score 28-14 with 1:05 remaining in the third quarter. He broke four tackles and dragged one defender into the end zone to electrify the crowd and give the Irish (13-2) momentum over the Redmen (13-2). “Newman made just a tremendous run on the fake punt,” Boarman said. “He ran over that kid at the end to score. That is just being hungry for the goal line.”
Said Williams: “I gotta give credit to the people up front that blocked for me and sprung me open. When I got free, like Coach said, I was hungry for the goal line.” Williams proceeded to intercept a pass by Redmen senior quarterback Jalen Santoro on the ensuing possession. Five plays later, Williams rushed for a 5-yard touchdown on fourth-and-3 with 9:29 to go in the fourth quarter to make it 35-14.
Bellevue led 7-0 with 4:29 remaining in the first quarter after Santoro tossed a 27-yard touchdown pass to senior Trent Stamm on a flea-flicker that included senior Dalton Jarvis on fourth-and-5. St. V-M struck 30 seconds later to tie the score at 7-7 when Campbell sprinted down the sideline 47 yards for a touchdown with 3:59 to go in the first quarter.
“It is not just me, it all comes back to my team and my o-line,” Campbell said. “I have to give a shout out to Fresh [senior Fransohn Bickley] on my first touchdown. If he was not there, I probably would not have scored. He held off a defender for the longest time. I thank him for that and my o-line has been amazing all year.” The Irish took a 14-7 lead with 9:04 to go in the second quarter, when Bickley caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Clayton Uecker. “This is a great feeling,” said Uecker, who completed 11-of-19 passes for 154 yards. “I have been dreaming about this since I was a little kid. It hasn’t really sunk in yet.”
The Redmen knotted the score at 14-14 with 2:10 to go in the second, when Santoro tossed a 13-yard touchdown pass to Jarvis on fourth-and-4. Campbell scored on a 1-yard run with 48 seconds to go in the second to give the Irish a 21-14 halftime lead. Williams’ heroics in the second half put Bellevue in a tough spot, but Santoro connected with senior Derek Smith for a 27-yard touchdown with 8:40 left in the fourth quarter. Campbell concluded the scoring with a 23-yard touchdown run with 5:56 to go. Santoro rushed for 53 yards on 32 carries. He completed 15-of-25 passes for 184 yards.
“He was elusive and the best word would be sneaky,” Boarman said. “He is a good running back and a tough kid. You have to be pretty tough to be hit by these guys.” Irish junior Travonte Junius forced a fumble in the fourth quarter that junior Dante Booker recovered. Freshman Tyrece Speaight intercepted a pass in the second quarter.
Booker had eight solo tackles to lead a defense that includes junior twins Aaron and Anthony Adkins, juniors Corey Whaley, Nathan Bischof and Tyler Moran, seniors Eric Prologo and Mike Pruiett and sophomore Vince Lockett. “This is the best way we could have ended our season,” senior receiver Jordan Hargrove said. “We are state champs. We were confident, but not cocky, as coach Boarman says.”
St. Vincent-St. Mary returns to glory days by defeating Dover to reach Division III state football final
By: Tim Rogers
The Cleveland Plain DealerClick Here to read a special article about Irish QB Clayton Uecker
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Massillon, Ohio — Maybe it was the presence of former legendary coach John Cistone in the press box or maybe the presence of former All-Ohioan Frank Stams doing color commentary in the television booth. Most probably, though, it was the presence of too much Parris Campbell. And too much Clayton Uecker, Jordan Hargrove, Mike Pruiett and Fransohn Bickley. And too much Dante Booker, Eric Prologo, Vince Lockett, Corey Whaley and the Adkins twins, Aaron and Anthony.
Simply, it was too much St. Vincent-St. Mary. St. Vincent-St. Mary returned to its state championship glory days on Saturday in Paul Brown Tiger Stadium when it overwhelmed Dover, 48-13, in front of 4,806 fans in a Division III semifinal game to advance to its first state championship game since 1988. The Irish (12-2) will play Bellevue for the state championship on Saturday at 11 a.m. in Canton’s Fawcett Stadium. Bellevue (13-1) upset fourth-ranked Dayton Thurgood Marshall, 34-33, Saturday.
The Irish held nothing back in eliminating the Tornadoes, who were making the first state semifinal appearance in school history. They dominated both sides of the ball. "This was probably one of our best games of the season," said SVSM coach Dan Boarman, who played for Cistone at the old St. Vincent and is in his sixth season as head coach. "I can’t point to one aspect or the other. We played well offensively and defensively. We were solid all the way around."
Offensively, the Irish rolled up 490 yards, 346 on the ground. They turned the ball over twice but were rescued by the defense. Defensively, they gave up 357 yards to a potent Dover attack but surrendered just two touchdowns to a team that had scored nearly 500 points in 13 games. More importantly, the defense forced three turnovers (two fumbles, one interception) and the offense scored after each one. The "wolf pack" defense also had six sacks resulting in a loss of 51 yards, with tackle Aaron Adkins and end Prologo getting three each.
"It was all there tonight," said Aaron Adkins. "The defensive line came to play and we were all in synch. I think we are one of the fastest defenses in Ohio. I really believe that." Campbell, a junior, led everyone with 147 yards rushing and four touchdowns, including a momentum-turning 94-yard bolt on the first play after a Dover punt had pinned the Irish on their 6-yard line in the first quarter.
"Right before the play, my coach told me to hit the hole and then bounce it outside because we had an extra guy out there," said Campbell, 15. "I saw the hole and I got up in there and it was history after that." Campbell, who ran the second leg on the school’s 800-meter state championship relay team last spring, also had scoring runs of 6, 4 and 17 yards. Pruiett, a 5-11, 205-pound senior, had his most productive game of the season with a 132-yard effort on 13 carries that included a six-yard scoring run in the final quarter. Quarterback Uecker hooked up with his favorite receiver, senior Hargrove, for seven completions for 96 yards while completing 12 of 16 passes.
"Honestly, no sir, but it’s nice when you have an easy game," said Hargrove, when asked if he thought the game would go as smoothly as it did. Whaley keyed the defensive cause with an interception that set up SVSM’s first touchdown and a fumble recovery that led to a 3-yard scoring run by Lockett in the third quarter. Booker, being recruited by many Division I schools, recovered one fumble and caused another. His fumble recovery came as a result of a hit by Prologo early in the second quarter. Two plays later, Campbell scored from six yards out. The Tornadoes then turned the ball over on their next possession when Booker hit Jake Dummermuth after a short completion at the Dover 28. Whaley recovered and Lockett scored five plays later.
St. Vincent-St. Mary Overpowers Chagrin Falls to Win Div. III Regional Final
By: Tim Rogers
The Cleveland Plain DealerClick Here to view pictures on Cleveland.com
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The effectiveness of the St. Vincent-St. Mary offense and the players who produce it is undeniable. The defense made an undeniable mark on Saturday, too. Disrupting and frustrating the Chagrin Falls offense at practically every turn, the Irish swarmed their way to a 34-7 victory in a Division III regional championship game in Solon's Stewart Field. It was the school's ninth regional title -- its first since 2001 -- and sends it to next week's state semifinals against Dover at a site to be determined today.
"They came to play," SVSM coach Dan Boarman said of his defensive unit, which held the Tigers to 249 yards of offense while intercepting a pass that might have been the play of the game. "It's been that way all year. They are fast and quick and they get to the ball." The Irish also recorded six sacks as defensive end Eric Prologo and nose tackle Tony Adkins had two each and Travonte Junius and Mike Pruiett had one each. Linebackers Newman Williams, Vince Lockett and Dante Booker also were in on more than their fair share of plays.
Junius, a 6-3, 185-pound junior, had the interception that put what little momentum that was up for grabs solidly in SVSM's corner late in the third quarter. With Chagrin Falls (11-2) battling to stay in the game with all it had, Junius was the guy who applied the needle to the Tigers' balloon. Trailing, 20-7, Chagrin moved from its 5-yard line to its 46 where it faced a third-and-4. That's when Junius reached up at the line of scrimmage and snatched a Tommy Iammarino pass. With virtually no one in front of him he ran to the Chagrin 5 before being hauled down from behind.
The Irish scored two plays later to extend their lead to 20 points. "I really wasn't expecting an interception in that situation," said Junius, one of the fastest players on a defense full of fast players. "When I caught it I just ran."
It's not as if the SVSM offense went into hiding. Quarterback Clayton Uecker completed 13 of 23 passes for 242 yards and one touchdown. As usual, Fransohn Bickley and Jordan Hargrove were the targets, with Hargrove catching six passes for 103 yards -- including a 26-yard reception to open the scoring -- and Bickley had five receptions for 119 yards.The Irish took a 13-0 lead in the second quarter. After Williams thwarted Chagrin's bid for a first down with a tackle behind the line, Uecker completed three straight passes for 25 yards and Parris Campbell Jr. covered the final 7 yards, sweeping the right side and simply outrunning two Chagrin defenders.
Chagrin did not wilt. With Iammarino completing five consecutive passes for 74 yards, it scored in 10 plays to cut the deficit to 13-7 by halftime. Iammarino completed 21 of 41 passes for 249 yards. "They did a great job up front," Chagrin Falls coach Mark Iammarino said of the SVSM defense. "We felt if we put a lot of guys in the (pass) route we'd be able to move. We didn't protect as well as I would have liked so we didn't get to throw on rhythm and that upsets the passing game. We tried to run the ball at times and we didn't do a very good job of that either. They handled us up front. My hat's off the them."
Irish Roll Into Regional Final - St. Vincent-St. Mary 54, Hubbard 14
Tom Williams
Special to Akron Beacon JournalClick Here to view pictures on Ohio.com
Click Here to read an article from the game on Cleveland.comAUSTINTOWN: Already rolling, the St. Vincent-St. Mary football team enjoyed a second quarter for the ages. The Fighting Irish scored touchdowns on their first three possessions in the second 12 minutes in Saturday’s 54-14 victory over Hubbard in a Division III regional semifinal at Austintown Fitch Falcon Stadium.
The Eagles (8-4) were unable to stop the Irish combination of quarterback Clayton Uecker and wide receiver Fransohn Bickley who hooked up for four touchdown passes in the first half. Asked if he was surprised after the Irish (10-2) scored on their first six possessions, Irish coach Dan Boarman said no. “We can play with anybody,” Boarman said. “I’ve told them all year — the only people who are going to beat them are themselves. We’ve got some kids who can play football. When they come ready to play, nobody can stop us.”
Ahead 19-7 after Bickley scored on receptions covering 14, 14 and 10 yards, the Irish broke the Eagles when Eric Prologo intercepted a Brandon Harb pass and returned the ball to the Hubbard 4. On the next play, Parris Campbell Jr. scored. Following Hubbard’s next punt, Bickley caught Uecker’s next pass near the Hubbard 35, then shed two tacklers for a 68-yard touchdown. Another Hubbard three-and-out set up the Irish’s next big play as Mike Pruiett raced for a 74-yard touchdown.
Uecker, who completed 16-of-21 passes for 317 yards and a school-record six touchdowns, agreed this was his best performance of the season. “It felt great,” Uecker said. “I’m just looking forward to next week.” Uecker also broke the single-season passing yard record for St. V-M that was set last year by Kevin Besser with 2,324 yards. Uecker now has 2,463 yards.
Jordan Hargrove also broke a school record for receptions held by LeBron James with 57. Hargrove caught five passes for 78 yards and a touchdown and has 61 catches this season. The Eagles were unable to stop the Irish’s potent offense. “It didn’t feel real; it felt like a [nightmare] almost,” Hubbard senior lineman Tyler Korenyi-Both said. “I felt like we were always a step behind them. They had that one step of speed that we did not have.”
After watching the Irish score on their first two possessions, the Eagles climbed back into the game — briefly. The Eagles produced a 63-yard, nine-play drive capped by Harb’s 15-yard touchdown pass to Darnell Tate that sliced the Irish lead to 12-7. “They were one of the quickest teams I’ve ever played,” said Harb, who also plays safety. “The angles to get on them was real hard [to figure]. We didn’t see that very often this year.”
St. Vincent-St. Mary's defense swarms Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin in football playoffs
Bill Mayville
Special to The Cleveland Plain DealerClick Here to read the Akron Beacon Journal article on Ohio.com
Munson Township, Ohio - Too many weapons on offense, tough defense, too much speed. That was the story of Saturday's Division III, Region 9 semifinal playoff game, as sixth-seeded St. Vincent-St Mary rolled to a 49-23 win over No. 3 Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin at Lion Stadium. Among quarterback Clayton Uecker, running back Parris Campbell Jr. and wideouts Fransohn Bickley and Jordan Hargrove, the St. Vincent-St. Mary offense has a number of ways to attack a defense. In this game, they put all those weapons to work, with Campbell Jr. and Uecker leading the way.
Uecker was 16-of-27 for 349 yards and four touchdown passes, while Campbell found the end zone four times, including a 58-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage that set the tone early. "We knew we were fast, and Parris has speed and he obviously used that tonight," St. Vincent-St Mary coach Dan Boarman said. Campbell carried eight times for 129 yards and three touchdowns, and caught two passes for 60 yards and one touchdown. Bickley added 114 yards and two touchdown receptions, and Hargrove caught three passes for 70 yards and one score.
The Irish offense showed its big-play, quick-strike capabilities several times during the game, racking up five plays of 40 or more yards for the game. Three of their scoring plays came on plays of 50 or more yards. "We did what they gave us," Boarman said. "They packed the box, so we said, 'OK, try to catch us on the outside.'" While St. Vincent-St Mary's offense was rolling, the Irish defense was also dominating and swarming to the ball. They kept the NDCL offense on its heels for most of the game, and the Lions struggled to find ways to move the ball consistently.
"It's pretty typical of a lot of our positions, and when you look at it defensively, I don't think they could handle our speed defensively either," Boarman added. "Going into this game, we knew that would be a problem for them." "I think we've played defensively two bad quarters all year," Boarman said. "One against Mooney and one against Massillon.
"Defensively, we've played really well, really solid." NDCL (8-3) was led by Nicholas Evans, who carried 19 times for 103 yards. Quarterback Robbie Nash was 12-of-26 for 119 yards and one touchdown, and added another touchdown on a one-yard run late in the game. St. Vincent-St Mary (9-2) advances to the semifinals of the Division III, Region 9 playoffs, and will take on seventh-seeded Hubbard, who knocked off No. 2 Niles McKinley.
St. Vincent-St. Mary 16, Youngstown Ursuline 14 - Irish Figure Out Way to Beat Ursuline
Fred Clay
Special to The Akron Beacon JournalThe curse is over for Dan Boarman. And his St. Vincent-St. Mary team will march into the state football playoffs as a result. In Boarman’s six years as St. V-M coach, his teams have always come up short against the two Youngstown schools on their schedule. That all changed Friday night. Sophomore Vince Lockett intercepted Ursuline’s desperation fourth-down pass with 48 seconds left, and the Fighting Irish (8-2) clinched a Division III playoff berth with a 16-14 victory at Green Street Stadium before a chilled and rain-soaked but ecstatic crowd.
“Got the Youngstown monkey off my back,” Boarman said. “Been here six years and I haven’t beaten either them or [Cardinal] Mooney. We play them both every year and finally got them off our back. That’s been the tough one. “We needed this to get in the playoffs. That locks us in now. If we didn’t win, we would have had to have some things happen. We wanted to take care of ourselves.” As Boarman pointed out, the defense made the difference and junior lineman Travonte Junius contributed the big plays, holding Ursuline to 152 total yards. It was the second lowest point total all season for Ursuline (6-4), also called the Fighting Irish, which had already clinched a spot in the Division V playoffs.
But it wasn’t decided until the end. After a punt, Ursuline had driven from its own 32-yard line to St. V-M’s 33. On fourth-and-11, quarterback Christopher Durkin threw down the middle, and Lockett stepped in front of the intended target at the 20, making a clean catch and returning it 10 yards. Ursuline had no timeouts left, and St. V-M ran out the clock. “I just tried to put the team on my back, and I had to step up big and I did it,” Lockett said. “And it felt amazing.” Lockett, a two-way player, also played quarterback much of the time from the Wildcat formation, rushing 16 times for 63 yards, including a 4-yard touchdown run that made it 16-7 with 6:11 left in the third quarter.
“We actually organized [the Wildcat] for Massillon,” said Lockett, of the previous week’s 44-23 loss. “And it was effective so we brought it back tonight, and it was effective again.” Lockett’s score was set up by Fransohn Bickley’s 28-yard punt return to the Ursuline 23. Then senior quarterback Clayton Uecker hooked up with Jordan Hargrove on a 17-yard pass to the 4. Ursuline came back on its next possession, as Durkin found Shawn Cole on a 15-yard scoring pass, cutting the margin to 16-14 before both defenses clamped down in the fourth quarter. St. V-M never trailed after Uecker hit Joe Weber over the middle as the senior tight end turned it into a 47-yard touchdown to cap the Irish’s initial possession of the game.
Dylan Labbe’s extra point made it 7-0. “It feels great to make it to the state playoffs,” Uecker said. “That’s been our goal all year. It’s the best feeling ever.” A blocked punt by Sha’Haun Williams gave Ursuline the ball on St. V-M’s 15 early in the second quarter. Five plays later, Tramain Thigpen ran 4 yards for the tying score. Labbe’s 25-yard field goal then capped a 68-yard drive to put St. V-M up 10-7 with 1:30 left in the half.
Massillon 44, St. Vincent-St. Mary 23: Tigers earn victory with big second half
Michael Beaven
The Akron Beacon JournalClick Here to read the story from Cleveland.com
Click Here to view pictures from Ohio.comMASSILLON: Securing a victory and gaining more playoff points in the computer rankings is like gold this time of year for a high school football team. Massillon felt like it was in Fort Knox on a rainy Friday night at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium when it beat visiting St. Vincent-St. Mary 44-23 before a crowd of around 5,000. The Tigers (8-1) rallied from a 17-13 halftime deficit to defeat the Fighting Irish (7-2) and gain additional playoff points in Division I, Region 2.
The loss hurts the playoff hopes of St. V-M, who is fighting for a playoff berth in Division III, Region 9. The Irish will host Youngstown Ursuline on Friday night. “We have to play four quarters,” St. V-M coach Dan Boarman said. “We just kind of imploded there in the second half.”
Senior Ryne Moore rushed for two touchdowns and gained a career-high 176 yards on 33 carries. Moore had 29 yards on 11 carries in the first half. “Moore is a physical runner, a grinder. We expect that out of him,” Massillon coach Jason Hall said as an extravagant fireworks show took place over the scoreboard in the south end zone. “We had to handle some adversity,” Hall added. “They came out in a little Wildcat package there that we hadn’t seen with double-tights. We went into halftime and made some adjustments, and we stopped it and got them out of that in the second half.
Senior Kentrell Taylor gave the Tigers a 30-23 lead following a 93-yard interception return after a tipped pass with 5:18 to go in the third quarter. “It was a huge play,” Hall said. “We just had turned the ball over. ... It was a great play by Trelly. Just like I told him, your big players make big plays. I couldn’t ask for anything more. He has been battling a little hamstring issue.” Massillon took a 6-0 lead in the first quarter when senior Kyle Kempt threw a 36-yard touchdown pass to senior Zach Volzer.
Kempt threw three interceptions in the first half with junior Newman Williams, junior Dante Booker and senior Fransohn Bickley each snagging one for the Irish. Senior Dylan Labbe converted a 27-yard field goal to cut St. V-M’s deficit to 6-3 in the second quarter. The Irish led 17-6 after Williams rushed for a 9-yard touchdown, and senior Mike Pruiett rushed for a 2-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
Kempt tossed a 58-yard touchdown pass to Tigers junior Marcus Whitfield at the 4:20 mark in the second quarter. St. V-M had a 17-13 lead at halftime. Massillon took a 20-17 lead after a 14-yard touchdown run by Moore in the third quarter. The Tigers extended their lead to 23-17 with a 27-yard field by sophomore Andrew David.
It took just 12 seconds for the Irish to tie the score at 23-23 after a 93-yard kickoff return by junior Parris Campbell Jr. Massillon scored the final three touchdowns via Taylor’s interception return, a Moore 2-yard run and a 31-yard pass from Kempt to senior Gareon Conley. “In the first half we came out slow and didn’t play as hard as we could,” Conley said. “At halftime, the captains gave us a good speech and got us fired up. “We came out [in the second half] and beat them in all three phases of football. We played like Tigers.”
St. Vincent-St. Mary 56 - Barberton 7
Senior Parris Campbell rushed for 123 yards and three touchdowns, and senior Fransohn Bickley caught a touchdown pass and had a 65-yard punt return for a touchdown to lead the host Fighting Irish (7-1). Senior Clayton Uecker threw three touchdown passes and freshman Markus Hurd had a 10-yard touchdown run.
St. Vincent-St. Mary 70 - Marion Harding 20
Senior Clayton Uecker threw three touchdown passes, two to senior Fransohn Bickley, and the host Fighting Irish (6-1) easily rolled the Presidents. Freshman Markus Hurd had a 65-yard touchdown run and a 48-yard interception return for a touchdown for the Fighting Irish.
St. Vincent-St. Mary 41 - Northwest 7
The Fighting Irish (4-1), ranked seventh in Division III, struck through the air and on the ground in a nonleague road victory that kept the Indians winless. Quarterback Clayton Uecker was 8-of-17 passing for 109 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Parris Campbell gained 128 yards and scored twice on 19 carries while Vince Lockett added 68 yards and two touchdowns on 14 attempts.
Irish roll over Knights to retain Shillelagh Trophy
By Michael Beaven
The Akron Beacon JournalClick Here to view pictures from the Akron Beacon Journal from the game
Click Here to read Joe Magill's story about the game on Cleveland.comSimply put, St. Vincent-St. Mary was just too fast and powerful for Archbishop Hoban, and the final score reflected that with the Irish winning 48-20 before a crowd of 6,073 at InfoCision Stadium on the campus of the University of Akron. St. V-M retains the Shillelagh Trophy, which is presented by the Ancient Order of Hibernians, for the sixth year in a row after Hoban won the previous nine matchups.
“It’s no secret we knew coming into the season we have skilled kids who can catch the ball and run,” St. V-M sixth-year coach Dan Boarman said. “Our defense is fast too. It’s fun to watch them.” Senior quarterback Clayton Uecker completed 17-of-24 passes for 329 yards and three touchdowns for the Irish (4-1). Seniors Mike Pruiett, Fransohn Bickley and Jordan Hargrove each had one touchdown reception.
“Playing Walsh is fun, but it’s nothing like playing your main rival,” Uecker said. “For us, it’s Hoban. This is probably the most pumped I have ever been.” Irish junior Parris Campbell Jr. rushed for three touchdowns and gained 65 yards on 16 carries. “I’m just very happy,” Campbell said. “I’m overwhelmed actually. Last year I didn’t really get out there on the field much because I had several talented seniors in front of me. I got to show people tonight what I could do.”
Each defense asserted itself early in the game. Hoban senior defensive lineman Jolewis Washington forced a fumble and then recovered the ball on St. V-M’s first play from scrimmage on the 21-yard line with 11:52 to go in the first quarter. Three plays later, Irish junior Nathan Bischof intercepted a pass to quell a scoring chance for the Knights (0-5).
“We didn’t take advantage of the turnover,” Hoban coach Ralph Orsini said. “Not scoring there hurt us.” St. V-M took a 7-0 lead after Uecker’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Pruiett with 3:09 remaining in the first quarter. The Irish edge grew to 13-0 when Campbell rushed for a 7-yard touchdown at 11:32 in the second. Irish junior Dante Booker snagged an interception about five minutes into the second quarter, and after a 15-yard penalty, St. V-M had the ball on the Hoban 20-yard line. Campbell rushed for a 6-yard touchdown five plays later, and the Irish led 20-0.
St. V-M extended its advantage to 27-0 on its next possession when Uecker and Bickley connected on an 89-yard touchdown pass. Washington recovered another fumble at 2:45 in the second. Four plays later, senior Dominick Orsini threw a 38-yard touchdown to senior Alex Muster and Hoban trailed 27-7 going into halftime.
Campbell added a 3-yard rushing touchdown in the third. Irish senior Eric Prologo and junior Aaron Adkins combined on a sack later in the quarter, and Prologo recovered a fumble and sprinted 30 yards for a touchdown. “It was an all-around team effort,” Prologo said. “Aaron caused the fumble and I picked up the ball and ran with it.” Orsini threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to junior Nathan Horning in the third and rushed for a 1-yard touchdown in the fourth.
St. Vincent-St. Mary Suffers Blowout Loss to Cardinal Mooney
Plain Dealer and Sun News Staff Reports
It was a rough Friday night of football when St. Vincent-St. Mary traveled to Youngstown Cardinal Mooney. Marcus McWilson rushed for 131 yards and three touchdowns in a 41-15 nonleague romp for the defending Division III state champion Cardinals (2-2), ranked No. 9 in the state poll. Quarterback Clayton Uecker was 23-for-39 for 251 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions for the Fighting Irish (3-1), ranked No. 1 in the state and seventh in The Plain Dealer.
St. Vincent-St. Mary Holds Woodridge Scoreless for Big Win
By Tyler Goddard
Ohio.com CorrespondentA steady offensive attack by St. Vincent-St. Mary, led by quarterback Clayon Uecker, was too much for Woodridge to overcome at home Friday night. The senior led the Irish offense while the defense left the Bulldogs scoreless in the 48-0 victory at Woodridge Stadium.
The Irish did most of their damage early, leading 28-0 after the first quarter. St. Vincent-St. Mary’s offense was highlighted in that first quarter by a pair of touchdown passes by Uecker along with an 83-yard touchdown run by Parris Campbell Jr.
One of Uecker’s touchdown passes included a school-record tying 95-yard touchdown completion to senior wide receiver Bickley. The pass tied the longest scoring reception in school history, when Dan Gillooly caught a pass from Dick Hamlin in 1948. “We executed what our game plan was,” St.V-M head coach Dan Boarman said. “We wanted to go after their corners. I think we had a little more speed than they did.”
The Irish exhibited a dominant effort on the defensive side of the ball as well, by stifling the Bulldog offense all night long and never allowing them to sustain a scoring drive. “We know that we can run on defense, but we aren’t very big,” Boarman said. “I was proud that we shut that team out because that team can score some points.” Woodridge (2-1) made its best attempt to stop the St.V-M offensive barrage when Devonte Fellows intercepted a pass by Uecker in the second quarter in hopes of sparking a Bulldog comeback.
However, the Irish quickly regained possession, and Uecker continued to have his way with the defense by completing a 71-yard pass to Jordan Hargrove in stride for his third touchdown pass of the first half. “We did start to double out on those guys and try to mix up the coverages, but they just out ran us,” Woodridge coach Eric Ervin said.
St. V-M took a 41-0 lead into halftime, which the offense generated 456 total yards through the first two quarters of play. The second half looked a lot like the first for both teams. Campbell ran for a 14-yard touchdown to cap a long scoring drive and increase the lead to what would be the final score of 48-0.
Uecker completed 12 of 18 passes for 243 yards and three touchdowns. Campbell added two rushing touchdowns to go along with 170 yards rushing. “Uecker has really gotten into the flow with all of our receivers,” Boarman said. “He’s a first year starter and he’s learning.” Ervin said the only positive coming out of the game is that it’s a sign the team needs to get better. “Your either going to rise to the challenge next week against a big opponent for us or your not,” Ervin said. “Some guys will rise to that challenge and some guys will not. Woodridge will look to rebound against Mogadore next week.
St. Vincent-St. Mary takes a second to run away from Walsh Jesuit
By Tim Rogers
The Cleveland Plain DealerClick Here to read Mike Beaven's article on Ohio.com
Click Here to view a photo gallery of the game on Ohio.comAKRON, Ohio — The streak of close and competitive games between St. Vincent-St. Mary and Walsh Jesuit came to a close Friday, and it ended in resounding fashion. Host SVSM scored 21 points during the final five minutes of the first half and cruised to a 49-10 victory in front of a packed house at Green Street Stadium.
Led by its dynamic duo of Jordan Hargrove and Fransohn Bickley, the Irish didn't let up after taking a 28-10 halftime lead -- the same score at the break a year ago in an eventual 48-46 SVSM win -- and coasted to their second straight victory. The Irish, ranked 11th in The Plain Dealer Top 25 poll, have outscored their first two opponents, 94-10.
The 49 points are the most ever given up by a Walsh Jesuit team, surpassing the 48 it surrendered in this game last year. It was a second straight discouraging loss for the Warriors, who gave Canton McKinley all it could handle in last week's season opener before falling, 34-28. It was also the most lopsided decision in the recent Walsh-SVSM series since 2004, ending a streak of seven games that had been decided by seven points or fewer.
Hargrove, a 6-0, 180-pound senior, caught seven Clayton Uecker passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns. Bickley only had one reception, but it went for a 34-yard, backbreaking touchdown as it came with just 14 seconds remaining in the first half and capped a six-play drive that covered 80 yards in 2:02. The 5-8, 145-pound senior also contributed an 81-yard punt return during a 28-point third quarter, eluding two tacklers at the point of the reception and getting a big block from junior Tyler Moran that sent him flying down the SVSM sideline.
Uecker, a 6-5, 205-pound senior, completed 12 of 15 passes for 179 yards and three touchdowns. Walsh, ranked 13th in The Plain Dealer poll, struck first on a 23-yard field goal by Mike Knoll and got a scintillating 59-yard run for a touchdown from junior Bryan DiCillo in the third quarter, which cut SVSM's lead to 21-10.Bickley nullified that with his touchdown reception about two minutes later, but it was Hargrove's final catch of the game that was the play of the night. It was the kind of grab that makes college recruiters salivate.
"He threw it up there, and I went and got it," Hargrove said of his acrobatic catch over a defender that went for a 60-yard score. "I didn't do anything I wasn't supposed to do. We had great practices all week. Practice hard, play hard." Uecker, who shared playing time last week with Aaron Bushner, shook his head when asked about his two receivers. "It's amazing," he said. "They do everything. They get open and they catch everything. They make my job a lot easier." The SVSM defense, led by junior linebackers Newman Williams and Dante Booker, held the Warriors to 271 yards.
St. Vincent-St. Mary 45 - Purcell Marian 0
Senior quarterback Clayton Uecker completed 11 of 19 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown as the Fighting Irish posted the shutout over the Cincinnati school. Junior tailback Parris Campbell rushed for 79 yards and three touchdowns and also had an interception. Senior Jordan Hargrove corralled seven receptions for 111 yards and a touchdown while junior linebacker Dante Booker led the defense with 12 tackles.
