CANTON – Youngstown Cardinal Mooney and Gateway (Pa.) tangled in a game of heavy hitters in the Third Annual Kirk Herbstreit Ohio vs. USA Challenge. The Mooney Cardinals came into the game ranked No. 25 by USA Today, while the Gators were No. 10 in the rankings.
The game featured some of Ohio and Pennsylvania’s top ranked players as well as the country.
Mooney bringing its “Big 5” to the field in seniors Brandon Beachum (Penn State), Taylor Hill (Oklahoma), Michael Zordich (Penn State), Danny McCarthy (Notre Dame) and junior John Simon.
Gateway countered with senior LB Shayne Hale and TB Cameron Saddler.
Mooney (2-0) used a nasty ground attack and smothering defense to pull away for a 27-6 triumph.
The game got off to a slow start as both teams used strong defenses to force several punts and a turnover. Mooney punted it away three times, while Gateway (0-1) was forced to punt just once but turned it over twice in their first three possessions.
Gateway fumbled on its second possession with senior Vinnie Patella recovering for the Cardinals. However, the defending Division IV state champions were forced to punt after just three plays.
The punt forced the Gators to start on their own nine yard line. Sophomore Robert Kalkstein was hounded the next several plays by Simon and Hill. The latter knocked down a pass and then tipped the next pass that led to a Zordich interception.
Mooney set up shop at the Gateway seven yard line and two plays later Zordich punched in from six yards out. Sophomore Ed Reese added the point after.
The stingy Cardinals defense forced another punt and the ensuing drive started at their own 19-yard line.
Coach P.J. Fecko’s crew needed just two plays to go 81 yards. The first play of the drive featured the highlight of the day courtesy of Zordich. The bull-like back broke through eight tackles en route to a 57-yard gain. Dan McCarthy took it from there. The Notre Dame-bound quarterback raced 23 yards for the opening score of the second quarter. Reese connected on the point after giving the Cardinals a 14-0 advantage with 10:32 remaining in the second stanza.
The Pennsylvania outfit hung tough mounting an 8-play drive that featured Saddler running wild. The senior had runs of 50 and 22 yards on the drive.
The drive came to halt when Patella came up with a huge sack that resulted in a nine yard loss. The Gators attempted a field goal that was blocked by Hill.
The Cardinals took over at their own 20. At that point, McCarthy stole the show. The 6-3, 205-pound wowed the crowd on a 33-yard scamper then followed up with a tough 4-yard keeper. This set up McCarthy’s first pass attempt of the night which resulted in a 43-yard six-point strike to senior Tim Marlowe. The point after failed.
As quickly as the Cardinals scored, Gateway answered back in less time.
Mooney attempted and onside kick, but failed to recover and gave the Gators the ball in good field position at their own 46.
Saddler stole the show from here. He cranked out consecutive runs of 19, 14, and 21 yards that dazzled the crowd. His third carry resulted in Gateway’s first points of the contest. The three plays took just 56 ticks. The point after failed leaving the game at 20-6 in Mooney’s favor.
The second quarter ended with another Cardinal punt before each team traded interceptions. Marlowe intercepted Kalksten, while Corey Brown came up with the Gator theft.
The Gators were once again plagued by the turnover to start the second half. Playing without injured star running back Cameron Saddler in the second half, Gateway found it hard to get anything going.
Just two plays into the third stanza the Monroeville-based school coughed it up. Sophomore Ray Vinopal scooped up the fumble on the Gateway 34.
McCarthy inserted the dagger just a minute and 21 seconds into the quarter. He took a keeper around the left end and cruised past the defensive secondary for his second running score of the night. Reese connected on the point after.
The rest of the third was stagnant. Gateway punted on its next possession while Mooney used a 10-play drive to kill most of the quarter before punting.
The Gators next drive ended in just two plays with Marlowe swiping his second Kalkstein aerial.
“Everyone knows about four or five of our guys, but I think people realized tonight that we have a lot of good football players,” lamented the Mooney boss. “Tim Marlowe and Vinnie Patella both played outstanding football games.”
The final quarter, after a Maroon and White punt, saw Gateway put together a 12 play drive that ended the way most of their night went with Patella sacking Kalkstein for a seven yard loss.
“All and all it was a great day,” Fecko said. “It was exciting to play a great program like Gateway and it was exciting to get out of here with a win. I just want to say that all the people involved in this classic did an outstanding job.”
Mooney did most of its work on the ground. The Cardinals rushed 47 times for 265 yards. McCarthy led the way with 22 carries for 125 yards and two scores. Zordich toted the ball eight times for 87 lightings and a trip to pay dirt. Hill finished with six carries for 36.
“Our goal is to get better as team each week and it’s not about anything else,” Fecko relayed. “We have a lot of outstanding kids that earn many accolades, but the great thing about them is the fact they have unbelievable work ethics.”
McCarthy was one of three passing for 43 yards and a score with just one interception on a desperation heave at the end of the half.
The Gators ran for 134 yards. Saddler finished with 127 yards on 17 carries and one score. His work was all done in the first half before going down with an unknown injury.
Kalkstein tossed for 94 stripes on nine of 24 passing. Junior Jeff Parrish was his hit top target with four receptions for 18 yards.
Notes
- Brandon Beachum hyper-extended his knee in the first quarter and did not return to action. He left the game with just two carries for five stripes.
- The murmur around the Fawcett Stadium was about Mooney junior John Simon. One scouting agency observed him “as the best player in Ohio bar none.” I can attest, number 54 has the body of a player in the National Football League at 6-3, 266 pounds.
