SLOW START, FAST FINISH FOR IRISH

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio, The Ursuline Fighting Irish have marched through the last few weeks with little trouble as they hosted the Tallmadge Blue Devils in Week 12, but they had to overcome some adversity to keep their state title hopes alive.

The Irish offense struggled through their first four drives, gaining first downs but not finding the end zone. Through the first four drives, Ursuline turned the ball over on downs three times, and missed a field goal. Tallmadge took advantage of those opportunities, as Jackson Dougherty found the end zone twice on the ground to give the Blue Devils a 14-0 lead halfway through the second quarter. An Irish safety on Tallmadge’s first play after stuffing Ursuline on the one-yard line started to give the Irish a little momentum, and then a 66-yard punt return TD by Will Burney really got the wheels rolling for Ursuline as the Irish made it a 14-10 game as both teams went into their locker rooms.

The second half was all Irish. After forcing three-and-outs on the first three drives for Tallmadge, the quick fire plays for the Irish came in bunches. The third quarter featured a 40-yard touchdown reception by Will Burney, a 64-yard touchdown reception by Marc Manning, a 4-yard touchdown run by Christian Lynch, and a 73-yard touchdown run by Manning. At the end of the third, Ursuline was up 38-14, as they scored 38-unanswered points to look like their old selves once again. A score from DC Ferrell accompanied by a few late scores from Tallmadge gave the Irish a 45-28 victory, and secured a Week 13 matchup for the Irish for the third-consecutive season. Ursuline will face the Canfield Cardinals next week with a trip to the regional final on the line.

*Contributed By YSN’s Anthony Romo