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Game Previews | Game Recaps | Photos | Video Highlights
OHSAA football: Chagrin Falls takes advantage of five SVSM turnovers, advances to Division III state semifinal
Click Here to read Mike Beaven's story from The Akron Beacon Journal
Click Here to view The Akron Beacon Journal photo gallery
Click Here to read Eric Barnes story about the game from SportsInk.com
Click Here to view the Cleveland.com photo galleryTim Rogers
The Cleveland Plain DealerBEDFORD, Ohio — Chagrin Falls stayed on the path it has followed all season. St. Vincent-St. Mary lost its quarterback, and lost its way. Chagrin Falls again proved it can play up a notch and defeated SVSM, 30-12, on Friday in a Division III regional championship game at Bedford's Bearcat Stadium.
Playing in Division III after finishing as the Division IV state runner-up in each of the past two seasons has not hampered the Tigers. They will take a 13-0 record into next week's state semifinals against Youngstown Cardinal Mooney, which defeated Dover, 70-44. The Tigers took advantage of five SVSM turnovers Friday. They turned what had been a defensive struggle for three quarters into one-way traffic over the final 12 minutes as they scored 14 straight points while keeping the Irish off the scoreboard for the final 24:35.
SVSM quarterback Kevin Besser was injured with 7:53 remaining in the second quarter. Coach Dan Boarman thought it was a medial collateral ligament injury. Chagrin led, 9-7, at the time and Besser had completed 2 of 5 passes for 46 yards. He did not return. "Losing your quarterback obviously changes your game plan," said Boarman. "But you can't make that many turnovers against a team like Chagrin Falls. If you do, you are going to lose."
With a strong wind coming out of the south, Chagrin senior Alex Hallwachs kicked field goals of 21, 28 and 31 yards in the first half. SVSM (10-3) countered with a stunning 78-yard run by Sae'Von Fitzgerald and a safety when the ball was snapped over the head of Chagrin Falls punter Anthony DeCamillo and out of the end zone. SVSM led, 12-9, at the half.
With Besser sidelined, the Irish offense struggled. They were held to 265 total yards. The Tigers' defense never let the Irish establish consistency. "That has been what we've done all season," said Chagrin coach Mark Iammarino. "If you look at all our big games this season -- Aurora, West Geauga and our playoff games -- our defense has carried us." One of the biggest plays of the game was a punt by DeCamillo that went 65 yards in the air and hit the turf like a rock, rolling another 6 yards before it was picked up by Franshon Bickley, who lost 7 yards trying to find a crack in the coverage.
It was just another example of special teams being a key part of a defense. Chagrin Falls took the lead for good in the third quarter after its defense, sparked by seniors Mike Tozzi and Dan O'Kane, forced a second straight three-and-out. Quarterback Tom Iammarino, son of the coach, found DeCamillo over the middle for a 15-yard gain on a third-and-12 play with a little less than five minutes to go in the quarter.
Jack Campbell gained 11 yards on one play and running mate Bradley Munday gained 16 on a reverse that put the ball at the Irish 1-yard line. From there, Vidmer, who also made several key plays at linebacker, bulled over to give the Tigers a 16-12 lead. Campbell, a hard-running junior, led all ball carriers with 123 yards on 22 carries. Munday finished with 55 yards on seven carries. Iammarino completed 9 of 18 passes for 84 yards. Fitzgerald led SVSM with 121 yards on 11 carries. Bickey and Jordan Hargrove each caught three passes for a combined 108 yards.
Besser leads St. Vincent-St. Mary over Lake Catholic
Click Here to read The Akron Beacon Journal article about the game
Click Here to view The Akron Beacon Journal photo gallery from the game
Click Here to read Rick Charles' story about the game from SportsInk.comTim Warsinskey
The Cleveland Plain DealerBEDFORD, Ohio -- St. Vincent-St. Mary receiver Jordan Hargrove has seen quarterback Kevin Besser play well before. This was different. "Kevin was perfect, in my eyes. It's playoff time. He was focused," Hargrove said. Besser's arm and the SVSM defense were close to perfect Friday in a 31-14 regional semifinal victory over Lake Catholic at Bearcat Stadium. SVSM (10-2) advanced to its first regional final in nine years, and will play Chagrin Falls (12-0) for the Division III, Region 9 title next Friday at a site to be announced Sunday. "To beat Lake Catholic is one of the most recent, greatest things we've accomplished," Besser said. "It was the most physical team we've played in a while."
Besser took his share of hits -- he was sacked four times -- against the Cougars. But the 6-3, 200-pound senior completed 15 of 24 passes for 287 yards and two touchdowns -- both to Hargrove in the first half -- and he threw two interceptions. "We kind of knew their game plan. They like to blitz a lot and we knew we could pass on them," Besser said. Lake Catholic has a history of aggressive defensive play, and the Cougars knew it was a risk against Besser. "He's as good a quarterback as we've faced all year, and he's probably one of the best in the area," Lake Catholic coach Mike Bell said. "He's big, strong and he's got a very accurate arm."
Hargrove and fullback/defensive back Matt Matuska missed last week's win over University School because of injuries, but they had big games Friday. Hargrove caught five passes for 143 yards, including touchdowns of 63 and seven yards that gave the Fighting Irish a 14-0 halftime lead. Matuska's 31-yard touchdown run up the middle extended the lead to 21-0 in the third quarter. He also recovered a fumble on defense. "The key was our chemistry -- getting everybody back," Besser said. "We had a couple of people hurt last week and it kind of hurt. We came back this week and showed what we got."
The Cougars (10-2), whose only other loss this year was a two-pointer to Walsh Jesuit, completed a remarkable season, given that it graduated 21 starters last year. "The [17] seniors' commitment was second to none," Bell said. The Cougars were unable to overcome four turnovers -- all in the second half -- as well as an SVSM defense that kept Lake Catholic's running game in check.
Lake Catholic seemed poised to make a couple of runs in the second half, but were derailed by mistakes. The Cougars drove inside the SVSM 25 yard-line on its first two possessions of the third quarter, but came away empty. It was stopped on downs and lost a fumble. Lake Catholic answered Matuska's TD run with a 72-yard touchdown drive, capped by Jon Stepec's 1-yard plunge.
The Cougars fumbled and threw an interception in the fourth quarter. Besser threw an interception between those turnovers. SVSM's Antonio Manfut kicked a 25-yard field goal, and Dante Booker returned an interception 28 yards for a touchdown and a 31-7 lead. Lake Catholic's Aaron Phillips scored on a 50-yard run in the final minute. "We wanted to break the [regional] jinx," SVSM coach Dan Boarman said. "It's a big step for our program."
SVSM Overcomes Ailments, Overpowers University School in Div. III Quarterfinal, 27-14
Click Here to read Brian Lavrich's story about the game from Sun News
Click Here to read George Thomas' story about the game from The Akron Beacon Journal
Click Here to read Joe Joestrzemski's story about the game from SportsInk.comTim Rogers
The Cleveland Plain DealerHUNTING VALLEY, Ohio -- No Jordan Hargrove. No Matt Matuska. No let up. Playing big and physical teams like Buchtel, Youngstown Mooney and Youngstown Ursuline is bound to leave some marks and St. Vincent-St. Mary was no exception. Battered and bruised, the Irish limped into Scovil Field but limped out with a 27-14 victory over host University School on Saturday in a Division III regional quarterfinal game.
Wide receiver Hargrove and running back Matuska, two of SVSM's best players who also play pivotal roles on defense, were nursing sore shoulders and did not play. That thrust responsibility on players such as receiver Franshon Bickley, quarterback Kevin Besser, running back Sae'Von Fitzgerald and the Irish defense to get the Irish (9-2) into next week's semifinals against Lake Catholic at a site to be determined Sunday.
All three performed well. Bickley, a 5-7, 145-pound junior, caught four passes for 109 yards and uncorked a 40-yard punt return for a touchdown in which the Preppers (9-2) seemed to be caught napping. He also played a significant role in the secondary. Fitzgerald gained 95 hard-earned yards on 14 carries. Place-kicker Antonio Manfut had field goals of 33 and 21 yards.
One of Bickley's receptions covered 52 yards and led to the decisive score in the third quarter. Leading, 20-0, Bickley split the defense and was prevented from scoring by a tackle from behind by Declan Starret at the Preppers' 13. Two plays later, Besser, who completed 10 of 17 passes for 161 yards and no interceptions, raced five yards around right end, knocking over the pylon with his dive into the end zone.
The Irish defense did not give up a first down until midway through the second quarter and kept US off the scoreboard until 50 seconds remained in the third quarter when junior Kevin Smith scored on a 19-yard run. The Preppers scored again with one second remaining when quarterback Tyler Eden hooked up with Jordan Barham on a 42-yard scoring play. Too little, too late.
Sophomore Dante Booker, whose father starred at Ellet in the early 1990s and went on to play two years at Auburn, made several key defensive plays, joined by senior Brent Myers, sophomore Aaron Adkins and senior Matt Perry. The loss of Hargrove and Matuska wasn't a big concern for Bickley and Booker.
"We came out of practice ready to go," said Bickley. "This was a team effort and I was just happy to be a part of it. I look at Jordan as our main receiver and I'm just happy that I was able to be a factor in today's game." Booker, who spent a substantial amount of time in University School's backfield, said, "We came in a little banged up, but we came through. But, we have a tough team coming up next week." The Preppers hurt themselves with several dropped passes. Eden completed 14 of 37 throws for 157 yards.
Youngstown Ursuline 42, St. Vincent-St. Mary 31
Kevin Besser threw for 364 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for another, but visiting St. Vincent-St. Mary (8-2) could not overcome a late turnover in a loss to Ursuline. Junior Jordan Hargrove set a school record with 13 receptions in the game for 188 yards, three yards short of a record for yardage. Senior Brent Myers had 25 total tackles: 18 solos, 3 for loss. Senior defensive lineman Matt Olszewski had 14 total tackles, and Sophomore linebacker Dante Booker had 14 total tackles as well, 2 for loss and one fumble recovery.
St. Vincent-St. Mary 17, Buchtel 14: Defense, Running Game Carry Irish Past Griffins
George M. Thomas
The Akron Beacon JournalClick Here to view the photos from the game on Ohio.com
AKRON, Ohio — Points were hard to come by Friday night as Buchtel and St. Vincent-St. Mary scrounged around on defense at John Cistone Field in Akron. In a game that featured scrappy defense on both sides and some truly special special teams play on the part of the Griffins, the Irish (8-1) came away with a 17-14 victory. The two teams traded tough hits and punts for the better part of the first half, before the Irish broke through with under a minute left in the second quarter. With St. V-M quarterback Kevin Besser nursing a knee injury suffered last week, it wasn’t realistic to expect him to be at his offensive best.
“It took away our ability to run Kevin. We ran him a little bit, but we were a bit leery,” Irish coach Dan Boarman said. “We knew we were going to have to run the ball, plus Buchtel was giving us some things run-wise.” Besser instead managed the Irish to victory, not trying to do too much. He received plenty of help and a heaping dash of luck. The help arrived in the form of a nine-play, 29-yard drive that resulted in a 31-yard field goal for the Irish with 51.7 seconds left in the first half. Some coaches might be content to go into the half behind by three points, but not Buchtel coach Ricky Powers. He’s always expressed confidence in his players and showed it when the Griffins (5-4) got the ball back on the ensuing kickoff.
With first-and-10 at their own 24, Buchtel’s quarterback Chris Davis dropped back and fired a laser-deep pass that came up a bit short — just short enough for St. V-M senior defensive back Sal Faetanini to leap and grab the ball. Faetanini set the Irish up at their own 40 with more than 40 seconds left in the half, precious ticks of the clock that they used to their advantage. But Boarman wasn’t about to nurse the lead.
After a 15-yard completion on a screen and two subsequent incompletions, Besser handed the ball off to running back Matt Matuska, who took it inside the numbers. Just before Matuska reached the end zone, Buchtel’s Ernie Calhoun punched the ball out. Matuska recovered the loose ball in the end zone and the Irish led 10-0. “When I played at Michigan and we played Notre Dame, they would always get the lucky bounce,” Griffins coach Ricky Powers said. “It’s just the luck of the Irish. It’s really living up to the name.”
Matuska wasn’t done. He eventually scored the winning touchdown on a 59-yard dash. “I was looking to not go out of bounds because coach says never go out of bounds. I was looking for a cut-back lane and it was there,” said Matuska, who gained 152 yards on 14 carries and the two touchdowns. Given the game’s early tone, it wouldn’t have been surprising to see the 10-0 advantage the Irish held at halftime stand up.
Buchtel can thank its defense for keeping the Griffins in the game and punter Marnayre Drummond’s foot for almost helping them come back to win it. Late in the fourth quarter with the Irish ahead 17-7, Drummond nailed the ball 62 yards to trap the Irish at their own 4 yard-line. Three plays later, St. V-M fumbled and Davis eventually punched it in from the 1-yard line to cut the Irish lead to 17-14. From there, the Irish offense ran the clock down.
It was still a victory in which Boarman can thank his defense, which held Buchtel to 162 total yards, and the running game. “We’ve been playing pretty good offense, but the defense came to play tonight,” he said. “They carried us tonight.”
Youngstown Cardinal Mooney again trips up St. Vincent-St. Mary
Tim Rogers
The Cleveland Plain DealerAKRON, Ohio — The first quarter was OK and the fourth quarter was OK. The middle two quarters? Ah, not so hot. The St. Vincent-St. Mary football team continued to bang its head against the wall -- so to speak -- against nemesis Youngstown Cardinal Mooney on Friday, losing, 41-21, in front of a stunned crowd at Green Street Stadium. Mooney took advantage of some sloppy tackling and its overall team speed to beat SVSM for the 19th time in the last 20 meetings. The lopsided score was probably a surprise for fans of both teams.
It was the first loss of the year after seven straight wins for the Irish, ranked third in The Plain Dealer Top 25 and third in Region 9 of the Division III computer standings. Mooney, ranked eighth in the state by the Associated Press and fourth in Region 11, improved to 5-2. More significantly, Irish quarterback Kevin Besser went down with an injury to his left knee while trying to score on a short-yardage situation in the third quarter.
Besser entered the game as the team's most productive offensive player, having accounted for more than 1,500 yards through the air and on the ground. If he is lost for the season, it might be more costly than the loss to Mooney, a seven-time state champion. The Irish have Buchtel and Youngstown Ursuline, another traditional power, remaining on the schedule. Besser, who was replaced by sophomore Aaron Bushner, completed 10-of-15 passes for 100 yards and engineered SVSM's lone touchdown drive of the first half. The 6-3, 200-pound senior spent the rest of the game with an icepack on his knee.
"It was his knee, but the extent of the injury is a vast unknown," head coach Dan Boarman said of Besser's injury. "Hopefully, he'll be OK." Even a healthy Besser for an entire 48 minutes might not have been enough against Mooney, which rolled up 436 yards of offense while limiting the Irish to 294 yards. The brightest spot for the Irish was back Sae'Von Fitzgerald, who gained 136 yards on 11 carries.
Junior Marcus McWilson got the Cardinals off to a flying start, returning the opening kickoff 75 yards to the Irish 25. Four plays and a favorable unsportsmanlike conduct penalty later, the 6-0, 195-pound McWilson was in the end zone on a 3-yard run. The Irish were able to retaliate, moving 76 yards in 12 plays as Besser completed six straight passes to juniors Franshon Bickley and Jordan Hargrove for 42 yards. Fitzgerald gained 22 yards rushing, including the final seven yards on a burst up the middle. SVSM was aided when a Mooney sack was negated by a face-mask penalty. The big play in the drive was a 21-yard completion to Bickley, who juked two defenders for additional yardage after the catch.
Mooney scored 27 unanswered points over the next two quarters and twice stopped the Irish one yard shy of the end zone on goal-line stands. "You have to put the ball in the end zone," said Boarman.
McWilson, junior Justus Ellis-Moore and senior Roosevelt Griffin keyed a ground game the Irish never solved. Ellis-Moore delivered the most damaging blow in the second quarter when the 5-7, 175-pound back caught a short pass over the middle and went 92 yards for a touchdown. The score came three plays after Mooney's defense had stymied the Irish on a fourth-and-one play at the Mooney 5. The catch and run made the score 24-7 with 2:47 to go in the half.
Quick Strike St. Vincent-St. Mary Runs Past Marion Harding
Cleveland.com
The visiting Irish, ranked No. 3 in the Division III state poll, had little trouble improving to 7-0 as senior quarterback Kevin Besser passed for 178 yards and three touchdowns. Junior wide receiver Franshon Bickley caught four passes for 142 yards and two scores. Marion Harding stands 3-4.
Denny McPherson
The Marion Star
MARION - Marion Harding had the desire, but not the execution Friday night against state-ranked and unbeaten Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary. The visiting Irish brought along their speedsters to Marion, and they made big plays that dazzled the Presidents in a 62-13 SVSM victory. Harding held a 40-17 edge in plays from scrimmage in the first half, but was down 42-6 at the half. The Irish came into the contest 6-0 and ranked third in the state Division III Associated Press poll."St. Vincent-St. Mary is pretty good," Harding coach John Cupps said. "They are now 7-0 for a reason. "Obviously, the final score is not what we had wanted and we've got to get better, but I'm proud of our kids' effort and the way they competed. They didn't quit. The desire was there, and at the end of the day that's all I can ask of them." A pair of Presidents miscues that turned into touchdowns and a pair of quarterback sacks that stopped a Harding drive deep in Irish territory helped Akron SV-SM to a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter.
A low snap on a punt attempt turned into an Akron first down on its 49-yard line, and the Irish scored two plays later as Kevin Besser passed 42 yards to Franshon Bickley. After Harding (3-4) was stopped on downs by the QB sacks after reaching the Irish 17, lightning struck again for SV-SM as Sae'Von Fitzgerald scored on a 55-yard reverse on the second Irish play from scrimmage. A Harding fumble on its next possession gave SV-SM the ball at the Presidents' 11, and in just three plays the Irish were back in the end zone. Besser passed 17 yards to Jordan Hargrove for the TD, and one snap of the ball into the second quarter Akron was up 21-0.
After another Harding possession that gained many yards but ended with a punt, Besser passed to Bickley for a 62-yard TD. Bickley outraced several Harding defenders on the play. Trailing 28-0, Harding benefited from a 47-yard kickoff return by Noah Kelder and a pair of personal-foul penalties on SV-SM to take possession of the ball at the Akron 35-yard line. On third and 10 from the Irish 15, Shawn Tyler found L.J. Scott open for a touchdown pass. Harding's PAT kick was blocked and it was 28-6.
Kick-return speed then burned the Presidents as a long kickoff bringback set the Irish up for a one-yard touchdown run by Matt Matuska. Two minutes later, Tyler Bischof took a Harding punt back 53 yards for a 42-6 halftime lead. The effort of SVSM's speedsters was boosted by a lack of sound tackling by Harding defenders.
"In the first half, they hit some big plays and we missed some tackles, and the score got out of hand fast," Cupps said. "In the second half, the score was too lopsided for us to overcome." Akron added TDs in the third quarter on runs of two and 31 yards by Austin Manna and Dan Shisler, respectively. Newman Williams hit the end zone from three yards away in the final quarter for the Irish.
Harding added its other touchdown in the third quarter. After a pass interception by Trey Price, a 22-yard run by Keyontay Rogers helped the Presidents get into Akron territory. Tyler connected with Scott a few plays later on a 12-yard scoring strike and Tim Clark kicked the PAT. Scott had a big night for Harding with 110 rushing yards on 25 carries to go along with his two TD receptions. Rogers rushed for 74 yards on 19 carries.
St. Vincent-St. Mary 41, Garfield 14: Undefeated Irish continue their roll
Michael Beaven
The Akron Beacon JournalThe state-ranked St. Vincent-St. Mary football team continued its offensive onslaught Friday night. Visiting Garfield entered John Cistone Field at Green Street Stadium and caught a firsthand glimpse of the Fighting Irish’s abilities to pass and run the ball. Senior Matt Matuska scored three touchdowns, and senior quarterback Kevin Besser threw two touchdown passes to guide the Irish to a 41-14 victory.
St. V-M (6-0) took control early, leading 14-0 after one quarter and 28-0 at halftime. Garfield (1-5) avoided a shutout with two fourth-quarter touchdowns. “We played pretty well,” St. V-M coach Dan Boarman said. “Time of possession was way in their favor, but they only had about 60 yards in the first half.
“I thought we performed well offensively. I think with the first group, we only had to punt it one time and didn’t turn it over except for that one punt return. We executed well. That is the big thing. We got the ball to who we needed to.” Matuska rushed six times for 68 yards and caught a 45-yard touchdown pass from Besser. “It feels really good to get back on track with our offense,” Matuska said. “We got everything rolling like we practiced. I think our closeness as a team is key. We are like one big family.”
St. V-M, ranked No. 3 in the Division III state poll, entered Friday averaging 44 points a game. It relies on an experienced offensive line with seniors Evan Gorbach, Matt Olszewski, Stewart Smith-Thomas, Tyrell Robertson, Matt Perry and Drew Laury consistently opening up holes. “They are great,” Matuska said of the linemen. We owe everything to them. They are very talented as a group, and our [senior] fullback Austin Manna deserves a lot of credit, too.”
Irish senior Sae’Von Fitzgerald rushed up the middle for a 47-yard touchdown with 10:02 remaining in the first quarter to open the scoring. Matuska extended the Irish lead with a 1-yard touchdown run with 1:49 to go in the first quarter and a 51-yard touchdown run to the left side with 5:14 left in the second quarter.
Matuska’s 45-yard touchdown reception from Besser came with 54.9 seconds remaining in the second quarter. Besser connected with junior Jordan Hargrove on a 15-yard touchdown pass to make the score 34-0 with 9:03 left in the third quarter. “I think we played well as a unit tonight,” Perry said. “We had some things clicking. “We got our running game going again. It is a good thing to have that going for two weeks in a row, and the passing game was good like it usually is. It was a good offensive performance.”
Manna rushed for a 14-yard touchdown with 6:01 to go in the third quarter, and Irish senior Antonio Manfut followed with his fifth point-after kick. “Putting up 41 points is great,” Olszewski said. “We have really stepped up this year, and we are 6-0.” Seniors Brent Myers, Tyler Bischof and Perry were key defensively for St. V-M. Besser completed 9-of-12 passes for 130 yards, Hargrove had five receptions for 50 yards and Fitzgerald gained 66 yards on three carries.
St. Vincent-St. Mary Uses Ground Game to Keep Archbishop Hoban Winless
Joe Maxse
The Cleveland Plain DealerClick Here to view the Akron Beacon Journal photo gallery of the game.
AKRON, Ohio — In a game of push and shove, St. Vincent-St. Mary proved it had just enough leverage to get past bitter rival Archbishop Hoban.
With its high-scoring offense held in check during the first half, the Irish decided to muscle down with its running game after the break. The strategy worked, as SVSM, ranked No. 4 by The Plain Dealer, bulled its way to a 17-14 victory against the still-winless Knights on Friday night at the University of Akron's InfoCision Stadium. "We had never been down before," said SVSM two-way senior lineman Matt Perry, whose 5-0 club trailed, 7-3, at halftime. "I'm not going to lie, some of the guys were upset. We've got to keep our heads up and deal with adversity. We had to run the ball down their throat."
The Irish, who had been averaging 51 points, did just that, as they used the one-two running punch of seniors Sae'Von Fitzgerald (74 yards) and Matt Matuska (67 yards) to grind out the victory. The Irish had scoring drives of 67 and 54 yards on their first two series of the second half, then used up all but 12 seconds of the clock on their third drive to close out the Knights. "We weren't really surprised to have to run," said Matuska, whose 3-yard touchdown run put his club in front to stay, 10-7, midway through the third quarter. "We made the adjustment and were prepared. We practice a balanced offense."
The Knights, now 0-5, had the upset brewing after holding the halftime lead. They had forced three turnovers and looked to continue putting the squeeze on the potent Irish offense. But SVSM found the will to maintain ball control. "It's just another tough loss for us," said Hoban coach Ralph Orsini. "They made enough plays, and we didn't to pull off the upset. We had the opportunities.
By winning for the fifth straight year, the Irish lead the all-time series, 18-17. They looked to be in good shape when Fitzgerald hauled in a 15-yard scoring pass with two minutes left in the third quarter for a 17-7 lead. But the Knights put together a 79-yard, 16-play drive that was capped by a 1-yard touchdown by junior running back DarShaun James with 6:53 to play.
SVSM then used up nearly all the clock in moving 50 yards to the Hoban 4 before giving up the ball on downs. "I don't care if you are 4-0 or 0-4, it's the Hoban game," said SVSM coach Dan Boarman. "We took what they gave us. They had a lot of guys in coverage, and we thought we could run the ball."
The Irish finished with 269 yards of offense, 198 coming on the ground. Hoban was limited to 116 yards, getting only 46 yards on the ground. The Knights took the lead when quarterback Dominick Orsini found junior tight end Jimmy Martter in the right corner of the end zone on a 3-yard scoring toss with 1:47 left in the first quarter. The Irish answered with a 37-yard field goal by Antonio Manfut one minute into the second quarter.
St. Vincent-St. Mary 56 - Euclid 14
Senior Kevin Besser threw four touchdown passes and rushed for another for the host Fighting Irish (4-0) in a win over the Panthers (0-4). Junior Jordan Hargrove caught five passes for 101 yards and a touchdown and senior Sae’Von Fitzgerald rushed for a touchdown for the Irish. Seniors Matt Matuska and Austin Manna and junior Franshon Bickley each caught touchdown passes for the Irish. It was the 150th career win for Irish coach Dan Boarman.
St. Vincent-St. Mary 39 - St. Johns College 14
Senior Kevin Besser threw four touchdown passes and rushed for another for the host Fighting Irish (3-0) in a win over St. Johns College from Washington D.C. Besser was 17-of-22 for 234 yards and no interceptions and junior Jordan Hargrove caught three touchdown passes for the Fighting Irish.
St.Vincent-St. Mary gets big plays, big score, big win over Walsh Jesuit
Tim Rogers
Cleveland.com
Click Here to view the Cleveland.com photo gallery
CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio — For the past few years the football rivalry between Walsh Jesuit and St. Vincent-St. Mary has featured hard-fought, low-scoring games with the two teams never combining to score more than 31 points. Then came Friday. On a night that was as hot as Hades, so too, were the teams. The two parochial powers took turns dropping remarkable plays on one another and traded potential knockout punches as if they were in a ring until the visiting Irish came away with a 48-46 victory on a suffocating night in Conway Memorial Stadium.
"Wow," were the first words out of the mouth of SVSM coach Dan Boarman, whose team, ranked seventh in The Plain Dealer Top 25, has scored 109 points in two victories. "Wow. It was a great night to be a spectator. You have to give Walsh credit for coming back. That was a great high school football game." Walsh Jesuit coach Gerry Rardin, whose team is eighth in the Plain Dealer poll, wasn't as wowed. "I expect our defense to play a whole lot better than that," he said. "That was a disappointing, pitiful performance by our defense. St. V is good, but for crying out loud, that many points? But, we'll get it done this week in practice."
The teams combined for 927 yards of offense, 577 by the Irish and 350 by the Warriors (1-1). All 94 points were scored in the final three quarters. The decisive touchdown came from SVSM running back Matt Matuska, who swept around left end on a 77-yard run with 2:35 to play, giving the Irish a 48-39 lead. Just as they had for the entire second half -- after falling behind, 28-3, in the first -- the Warriors fought back. They went 65 yards in five plays, scoring when senior quarterback Nick Wargo found junior Crissean Caver with a 44-yard pass. Ross Martin, who got the Warriors on the scoreboard with a 27-yard field goal, added his sixth point-after to cut the deficit to the final margin.
"I knew it was going to come down to the very end," said Matuska, who finished with 169 yards and four touchdowns on 13 carries. "But, I wasn't going to let them catch me." When 94 points are scored, the heroes come from the offense. SVSM quarterback Kevin Besser completed 14 of 18 passes for 322 yards and three touchdowns. Walsh Jesuit's Wargo completed 11 of 16 for 248 yards and five touchdowns. SVSM junior receiver Jordan Hargrove caught six passes for 160 yards and one touchdown. Walsh's Caver pulled in five passes for 156 yards and three touchdowns.
All the action didn't come through the air. Walsh Jesuit junior Doug Lewis opened the second half with a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, getting momentum back on the Warriors' side. Later, Lewis returned another kickoff about 80 yards. He was headed for another score when he fumbled, but the ball flew into the arms of junior lineman Kinosha Spencer, who lugged it to the 1, from where Wargo scored on a quarterback sneak.
St. Vincent-St. Mary 61 - Purcell Marian 13
On a sunny Saturday afternoon in Cincinnati, the Fighting Irish of St. Vincent-St. Mary defeated the Purcell Marian Cavaliers in the first meeting between these two teams. The Irish jumped out to a quick 40-0 lead in the first half and never looked back, finishing the game with a score of 61-13. Senior quarterback Kevin Besser was 7-of-9 for 165 yards with two touchdowns to junior Jordan Hargrove and ran for another as the visiting Fighting Irish offense racked up 441 yards. The Fighting Irish defense forced three turnovers and held the Cavaliers to eight total yards at halftime.
1st Quarter
SV - Hargrove 21 pass from Besser (Thomas kick)
SV - Besser 7 run (kick failed)
SV - Hargrove 19 pass from Besser (Bickley pass from Besser)
2nd Quarter
SV - Lockett 4 run (run failed)
SV - Fitzgerald 7 run (kick failed)
SV - Matuska 5 run (Uecker kick)
3rd Quarter
PM - Moore 20 pass from Korthaus (kick failed)
4th Quarter
SV - Uecker 2 run (Uecker kick)
PM - Burnett 55 run (Jones kick)
SV - Bushner 62 run (Uecker kick)
SV - N.Bischof 61 Int. (Uecker kick)
