FITCH HOLDS OFF IRISH RALLY

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio- In a battle of two of the area’s premier programs, Ursuline and Austintown Fitch took center stage at Stambaugh Stadium. Ursuline came in off a thrilling 40-38 victory over Farrell (PA) last Saturday night, and Fitch came in off an impressive 48-18 victory over Glenoak.

After forcing the Irish to turn the ball over on downs on their first possession, it was all Fitch. The Falcons forced three first-half turnovers, including an 86-yard fumble recovery touchdown by DJ Williams. A rushing touchdown by Williams as well as two touchdowns from DeShawn Vaughn Jr. to Jayden Eley gave Fitch a 28-0 lead heading into halftime.

The second half was time for Ursuline to try to get the ball into the endzone after multiple possessions in the first half that were pushed into Fitch territory but came out with zero points. An 84-yard pick-six from Iowa State commit Cam Smith made it 35-0 and put the running clock into effect after Ursuline’s first drive of the third quarter. That was when Ursuline started to get the offense rolling. The Irish answered quickly with a TD pass from Jack Ericson to DC Ferrell, eliminating the running clock, and even though the Falcons would score another touchdown to put it back into effect on their next possession, Ursuline was finally finding their rhythm. The Irish went into the fourth quarter down 42-14 but would put up 27 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to pull off the incredible comeback. The attempt came up just short though, as Fitch would recover Ursuline onside kick attempt in the final minute to hang on for a 42-34 victory.

The rushing attacks for both teams impressed mightily tonight, as Christian Lynch had another night with more than 200 yards for Ursuline, and the duo of Jamell James and Dj Williams combined for 240 yards on the ground, each tallying a touchdown on the night.

*Contributed By YSN’s Anthony Romo