GIRARD HOLDS ON TIGHT TO KEEP VICTORY

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GIRARD OH- One of the most historical rivalries since the 80s is underrated in the Battle of 422 between two Trumbull county neighbors in the Girard Indians and Niles McKinley Red Dragons.  This season Girard finished their first nine games on the winning end with a 6-3 record, but the Dragons weren’t as fortunate as they came in with a two and seven record.  However just like all rivalries, you’re either one a 0 or 0 and one at the end of the night.  Niles had beat Girard the last three seasons, but this time the Indians were looking to end that streak.  Big names have played in this game in the past like Mark Waid and Chris Parry, but only one can come out on top.  

 

The first half was a high back and forth scoring spree.  It started with Girard going to the bag of tricks as Bobby Alejars found Connor Strain in the end zone off a Philly Indians special making it 7 to 0.  Niles would not go away however as Antuan Gardner, still wearing that cast in his right arm powered through from two years out making it tied at seven.  Gardner continued his comeback tour as this time he took it 20-yards, evading a couple tackles making it 14-7.  But the Indians would not go away as Dominick Tollone found Anthony Bengala showing off his Randy Moss hopps and taking it for a big touchdown tying it all at 14.  Niles would end the first quarter with a score too when Anthony Budak found Nathan Coots on a hitch in which he invaded a couple tacklers and headed to pader making it 21-14. 

 

Girard moved down the field to start their part of the second half, as Michael Palmer took it in from one-yard, tying it back up at 21 all.  Gardner broke through again with his third touchdown of the night from four-yards out, but the extra point was no good by Keyshon Talley making it 27-21. That is when Palmer took it in for another touchdown and with the Zachary Morris extra point, it was now a one point 28-27 lead heading into the half.  The second half did not see a scoring frenzy as the second half had. Alejars would score in the endzone for Girard with the PAT making it an eight point 35-27 lead.  Niles came back with a touchdown of their own in the middle of the fourth, but the failed two point conversion off the trick play made it 35-33.  Niles would not get the ball back as Girard wasted time and got the first down making the final 35-33 and winning back to back seasons against the Red Dragons for the first time since 2017-2018.  

 

Stats: 

Dom Tollone 260 yards passing 3 Touchdowns. 

 

Michael Palmer: 209 rushing yards touchdown.  

 

Anthony Budak: 137 passing yards and a touchdown.  

 

Antuan Gardner: 178 rushing yards and four touchdowns.  

 

Up next: 

Niles finishes their season 2-8 and 0-7 in Northeast 8 and will get ready for off season lifting to prepare themselves for 2023. Girard finishes the regular season 7-3 and 4-3 in the NE8 and will await their team in the playoffs. 

 

After the game, YSNs Ian O’Brien caught up with coach Pat Pearson about the big victory and their mindset looking forward to the playoffs. This will be coach Pearsona sixth playoff appearance since taking over as head coach in 2014.  

 

*contributed by YSNs Ian O’Brien*

 

 

URSULINE OWNS THE NIGHT; HOLDS OFF MOONEY

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YOUNGSTOWN, OH- There’s not much that Ursuline can do these days that they haven’t done before.  Last night was not one of those nights, as the Irish did defeat Cardinal Mooney for the fourth consecutive time- a feat that had not been accomplished in the nearly seven decades leading up to this year’s matchup by a final score of 13-7.

However, it wasn’t easy.

These games rarely are.

Ursuline came out looking like they were going to roll their cross-town rivals jumping out to an early 10-0 lead in the first quarter.  Jack Ericson scampered up the middle for 20-yards to put the Irish up 2 scores in the opening stanza, and the way it would remain all the way to the second half.

Coming out of the locker room, Mooney had a spark.  Following an electric kickoff return by the Cardinals, Junior QB Ashton O’Brien quickly connected with Alec Delsignore to get him involved in the offense, which would include a 15-yard strike from AOB to Delsignore to bring the game within 3.  O’Brien would finish 13-21 for 151 yards with that score, and three interceptions.

Ursuline would rack up 358 yards of offense, but was held to only one trip to the endzone in the contest- something that was out of the ordinary for this up-tempo offensive juggernaut.

Mooney would have opportunities to tie or take the lead throughout the second half, but the stout Irish defense led by Ty’Req Donlow would stomp out the flames that the Cardinals continued to fan.  Donlow supplied one of the biggest plays of the game late in the contest when he chased down Ashton O’Brien on a third and short for a loss of 13.

The Irish finish the season 8-2 and await finalization of the bracket with West Branch and Salem’s contest on Saturday night which has secondary point implications for Canfield and other teams in the region.  Mooney finishes a tough schedule at 4-6 and projects to be in the playoffs on the road next Friday night.

YSN will have both playoff games available along with many others with the Playoff Power Pass on October 28th.

NOT DONE YET: SOUTH RANGE RED HOT HEADED TO WEEK 11

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HUBBARD, OH- In what has become rivalry week for the Northeast 8 Conference, Hubbard and South Range locked horns again, and while the Eagles’ stout defense slowed down the high-octane offense, it could not stop the Raiders from earning another NE8 Crown with a 28-0 final tally to finish out another 10-0 season.

The Raiders spread out their scoring efforts like a slot machine putting up 7’s in each of the four frames on a perfect fall evening in Hubbard.

Billy Skripac got the Range on the board just over two minutes in the first when the senior QB sprung into the endzone from four yards out making it 7-0.

The next score game was just before the half when Skripac connected with Shane Lindstrom from 44 yards out to double up the score at 14-0.

With 3:36 to go in the third quarter, Skripac would use his legs from a yard out to plunge into the endzone for his second rushing touchdown of the night and post up a 21-0 score over the Eagles.  South Range would wrap up the scoring and the conference in the fourth when the “E-Train” Blake Ewert followed his line into paydirt for a 1-yard score and to put the game away 28-0.

South Range’s offense was held relatively in check considering the video game numbers they’ve had the rest of the season, finishing with 319 total yards on 38 total plays.  Skripac would finish the night as the top performer with 8 of 12 completions for 175 yards through the air along with a score, 49 rushing yards, and two trips to the Touchdown Cafe.

Blake Ewert would be a perfect compliment to the rushing attack with 13 carries and 40 yards, while Lindstrom got loose again on one carry for 46 yards to go along with his 72 yards on 3 receptions.

Defensively, Nick Plunkett led the defense with an astounding 7 tackles, JD Crouse had four and a half tackles including a sack and a tackle for loss.  Bailey Ryan also had 4.5 tackles including 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack.

For Hubbard, Nik Hendrix went 13 for 23 through the air for 42 yards, while Garland Warren led the way on the ground with 31 yards, Ben Wilcox had 30 yards added to the 63 total yards of rushing on the night.

Mason Hodge led the Eagle defense with 6.5 tackles, while Ben Wilcox gave the Raider backfield fits throughout the night with 4.5 tackles including 1.5 TFLs.

Both teams anxiously await their playoff opponent, South Range (10-0) finishes at the top of their region in Division 5, while Hubbard(6-4) appears to hold the 14 seed, and perhaps will setup a second meeting with Girard in Week 11.

YSN will have both playoff games available along with many others with the Playoff Power Pass on October 28th.

 

CHANEY CHARGES INTO POSTSEASON

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YOUNGSTOWN OH- The final week of the regular season saw a lot of great rivalry matchups across the network. The Steel Valley Conference didn’t skip out on that either as all four teams were in action against one another. Mooney and Ursuline fought tooth and nail in the Holy War and Chaney and East met in the Youngstown City Classic at Rayen Field. The Cowboys came in with a near perfect season and a top-four spot in the postseason on the line and the Golden Bears came in with a singular win on the season coming via a Mooney forfeit earlier in the season. The postseason was still in reach if East could pull of the week 10 upset.

That would not be the case as the Chaney Cowboys showed their dominance once again this season over their city rivals. Chaney never blinked and got out to an early 21-0 lead in the game and turned on the cruise control in route to a 34-0 shutout for the Cowboys defense. They were led offensively by backup quarterback No. 16 Drew Gault who was able to control the game both through the air and on the ground against the Golden Bears. He grabbed a handful of yards on the ground but shined through the air as he connected with DJ Waller and Jaquan Johnson on a pair of 25-plus yard touchdown throws. Future Bearcat Jason Hewlett also pulled in a pick-six on the defensive side of the football field. Justin Amill-Austin and Jawan Freeman both punched in rushing touchdowns as well. The Cowboys won the battle on the scoreboard, but they had their problems holding on to the football as a pair of fumbles both landed in the lap of the Golden Bears.

While East had struggles scoring Friday night, they were able to put together a few nice drives against one of the top defenses in the region. Thomas Davis was a workhorse all night long getting every big play on the ground for the Golden Bears offense. They didn’t have a drive of over twenty yards until the fourth quarter against the Cowboys as they drove down the field before failing to convert on a fourth and long.

East falls to (1-9) in week 10 for the second time in as many years under Head Coach Mark Assion. Their season comes to a close as they needed a win to sneak in as the 16-seed for the postseason. Chaney moves to (9-1) after their rivalry win. This is the first time they’ve had home field advantage in the postseason in over twenty years. Their week 11 matchup will be announced on Sunday.

*Contributed By YSN’s Alek Koberna

CANFIELD CRUISES BY BOARDMAN IN WEEK 10

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CANFIELD, OH- The Canfield Cardinals hosted former AAC opponent Boardman to close out the regular season. The Cardinals jumped out in front early, and never looked back.

Canfield started the ballgame off with a Broc Lowry touchdown from 13 yards out. This was one of two rushing touchdowns for the QB, as Lowry scored again in the first quarter to make it 14-0. In the second quarter, Lowry was in the mix once again with a 25 yard one handed touchdown reception by Gavin Ramun to make it 21-0. To close out the first half, running back Danny Inglis scored to make it 28-0 at the end of the second quarter.

In the third quarter, the Cardinals made it a five score lead with another rushing touchdown, this time from Scottie Eaton to make it 35-0. The Spartans would be able to get on the scoreboard late in the fourth quarter with a touchdown reception from Kejuan Robinson to close out the ballgame 35-6. Canfield improves to 8-1 to end the regular season, while Boardman ends the year at 4-6.

ROCKING WITH THE DJ

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AUSTINTOWN OH-!When talking about The Austintown Fitch Falcons running back situation, it can be a lengthy discussion. With the amount of talent at that position, The Falcons have been flying high by keeping it on the ground this year. A large part of that is thanks to Fitch junior, D.J. Williams.

Coming off a sophomore campaign where Williams got a lot of carries due to an injury to lead back Jamell James. Having a breakout performance against The Canton McKinley Bulldogs, in Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, capturing the hat trick with three rushing touchdowns in the 2021 campaign. 

This year, the carries were split between senior back Jamell James and D.J. Williams, which in turn caused nightmares for defenses. However, an injury to James in Week 8 in the first offensive play against Wadsworth, has opened the door for Williams. The following week against longtime rival The Boardman Spartans, Williams did what has never been done in Austintown history before, by eclipsing 300 rushing yards in a game. Tallying 301 total, The Fitch junior broke the record previously held by Austintown legend Antwan Harris.

Keeping his radar open, Williams has dreams of playing football at the next level. Fielding some interests from colleges already, a record breaking performance is sure to draw some attention. Fitch has already booked themselves a ticket to the postseason, where you can catch D.J. Williams and all The Falcons on their playoff run. 

Until then enjoy this YSN EXCLUSIVE interview with Austintowns own D.J. Williams, as The Falcons junior, stopped by Running Point to talk with Ty Bartell about the season so far, the offseason work, the goals of this season and so much more. Do not miss this edition of Player Profile as D.J. fine-tunes The Falcons offense.

*Contributed By YSN’s Ty Bartell.

Presented By:

HENNING THING IS POSSIBLE

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BERKIN CENTER OH- It’s never east for a football team to lose their biggest weapon. Western Reserve a team that had to manage that this season. David Altiere graduated, and he took a huge chunk of the Blue Devils offense with him. A lot of people thought they would try to stay with a ground a pound offense in 2022.  However Luke Henning has come along and turned the Blue Devils into a much more versatile attack.

Henning is already an 1000 yard passer through 8 games this season. His exact numbers are 83/141 for 1121 yards and 11 touchdowns.  On the ground Henning has 394 yards on 99 runs. That is an average of 4 yards per touch.  He has 4 touchdowns on the ground which means he’s responsible for 15 total.  Henning plays both ways as well for Reserve. He has gathered 25 tackles on the year on defense.

Luke was kind enough to join YSN’s Running Point this week to talk about the great season he’s having. Don’t miss his conversation with Anthony Romo and Ty Bartell in the latest edition of Western Reserve Football Player Profile only on YSN!

Presented By:

AUSSIE RULES FOOTBALL

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By Kristin Seidler

YOUNGSTOWN, OH- Talented YSU punter Paddy Lynch is a former Australian Football player.  Lynch is a native of Emerald, Queensland, Australia, who arrived

at YSU in January, planning to major in Communications.  He is a product of PROKICK AUSTRALIA, an organization that trains talented
Australian Football players in the style of punting in the style of American Football.
 Chances are you may be aware of the many “Aussies” who have made the jump from Australian Football to the United States to punt our football outrageous distances.  This is not just a novelty!  This season, 53 Australians occupy punting positions in 50 of 130 Division 1 Football.
Bowl Subdivision teams.  In fact, an amazing 10 winners of the Ray Guy Award–presented to the best punter in college football, have been Australian.
These punters have played Australian Football, which features 18 players per team and has kicking accuracy as a vital skill set.
This game requires players to kick the ball out of their hands, often on the run.  This is mainly the reason Australia produces so many punters and only a few placekickers.
Additionally, the most talented “Aussie” Football players are tapped to be trained by PROKICK AUSTRALIA, an organization that aims to develop student-athletes into punters for college and for Pro Football in the United States.  PROKICK AUSTRALIA is the brainchild of its
Director, Nathan Chapman, a former Aussie Rules Pro and Green Bay Packers Practice Squad member.  Due to its popularity, Chapman’s program is “invitation only”.  Applicants are put through a grueling year-long commitment of punting, gym workouts, and theory sessions.
They watch as much U.S. college and pro football as they can in order to become familiar with U.S. football nuances. Says, Chapman, “So far our program has placed 185 punters into U.S. Colleges and 95% of these have been on full scholarships.  These scholarships are a fantastic way for Australians to enter the USA while staying in school furthering their education and giving them an experience that may lead to the NFL.”
To further illustrate its success, for example–PROKICK  AUSTRALIA has filled primary punter positions in half of the Big Ten’s 14 programs, including Purdue, Minnesota, Indiana, Rutgers, Ohio State, Illinois, and Iowa.

WILLIAMS RUNS FOR RECORDS AS FITCH SMACKS SPARTANS

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The Fitch football team’s goal at the start of the week was to make sure the traveling trophy that goes to the winner of their annual game with rival Boardman was staying in Austintown.  Like any rivalry game, the game was back and forth before the Falcons pulled away late in the second half en route to a 42-20 victory at Greenwood Chevrolet Falcon Stadium.

The Falcon offense accumulated 523 offensive yards with 322 yards coming on the ground to wear down the Spartans in the second half.  Doing the majority of the damage on the ground was junior D.J. Williams set a new single game rushing record with 301 yards rushing on 25 attempts and 3 touchdowns.  He broke the previous record of 267 set by Antwan Harris in 2014 against Brunswick.    Williams ripped off rushing touchdowns of 60 yards and 75 yards and added a 2-yard touchdown on the night.

Junior quarterback Deshawn Vaughn Jr. completed 11-of-17 pass attempts for 167 yards and 2 touchdowns.  Senior Cam Smith, who filled in for Vaughn late in the game, completed his only pass attempt for a 34-yard touchdown to junior Dominic Perry.  Perry led the Falcon receivers with 3 receptions for 69 yards and 2 touchdowns.

The Spartans got onto the scoreboard first with an 11-play 80-yard drive to take a 7-0 lead.  The Falcons responded late in the first quarter with Williams’ 60-yard touchdown run and senior Josiah Berni’s PAT kick to even the score at 7-7.

The offense captured the lead on Perry’s first touchdown reception, this one a 24-yarder from Vaughn to take a 14-7 lead.  Vaughn then found Smith for a 14-yard touchdown just before halftime to extend the Falcons lead to 21-7 at the break.

Boardman scored first in the second half, on another long drive, this one a 12-play 77-yard that produced a touchdown.  The PAT kick was missed and the Falcons led 21-13.  Williams raced 75 yards to the endzone and Berni’s conversion kick made the lead 28-13 .  Boardman would score once more in the third quarter to cut into the lead and make it 28-20 heading into the 4th quarter.

The final stanza saw the Falcons wear down the Spartans and score twice, William’s 2-yard touchdown and Perry’s 34-yard touchdown reception from Smith to make the final score 42-20.

Defensively, the Falcons came up with three takeaways in the game.  Senior Authur Croom, who recorded 6 tackles on the night, recovered a fumble to set up Fitch’s first score, while junior Davion Pritchard came up with 2 interceptions.

Sophomore J’Allen Underwood led the team with 10 tackles and junior Devin Phillips recorded 7 tackles and .5 sack.  Junior Donavan Bell-Sullivan secured 6 tackles with 2 tackles-for-loss and 1 sack and junior Xavier Dahn had 5 tackles and 2.5 sacks.  Smith added 5 tackles and one tackle-for-loss.

The Falcons will host Warren G. Harding in the regular season finale on Friday, October 21 at 7:00 PM at Greenwood Chevrolet Falcon Stadium.  During pregame, seniors from the football,  cheerleading and dance squads, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls golf, girls tennis and the marching band will be honored for the accomplishments during their Fitch careers.

*Contributed By Russell Houser at austintownathletics.com

POTTERS GRAB FIRST WIN ON PATTERSON FIELD

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EAST LIVERPOOL OH- East Liverpool got their first win on their brand new field on Friday night as they toppled Oak Glen 44-12.

It was the run game that dominated the night for the Potters.  They ran for a total of 443 yards and had two players eclipse the 100 yard mark.  Quintin Conrad led the way in that category as he tumbled on to 177 yards with just 11 attempts.  That’s a stunning average of almost 16 yards per run.  Trent Davis also ran wild for 125 yards on 10 Carrie’s to add to the Potters onslaught.  The Potters will stay home on Friday as they conclude the regular season hosting Weir.