URSULINE HAILS AS THE VICTORS IN THE HOLY WAR
By Tim Corso
YOUNGSTOWN OH- Ursuline used a big second half to capture its’ 5th straight win over Cardinal Mooney Friday night, 35-16. The annual Holy War between two of the area’s most historic programs wrote another chapter at Stambaugh Stadium last night.
A thrilling 13-7 win for the Irish last year left fans itching for more. The first half of this game had a familiar feeling. The tight knit battle was led by the defenses. Ursuline took the ball to start the game and wasted no time. After a long Jack Ericson run to the Cardinals’ 5-yard line, Christian Lynch punched it in from a yard out.
Back and forth they went as Mooney answered with a William Desmond touchdown grab, that was then answered by D.C. Ferrell with a score of his own. In a game full of tension, the light shined bright on Lynch as he eclipsed 200 yards and three touchdowns to leave no doubt for Coach Reardon. Lynch’s other scores came from six and 27 yards.
However, Mooney’s defense kept pace with the Irish offense early on, forcing a couple turnovers-on-downs, giving Ashton O’Brien and company a shot. O’Brien didn’t get much going passing the ball but seemed to find a knack for scrambling out of the pocket to hurt the Ursuline defense, time and time again.
After the weather calmed down and the second half began, Carl Pelini had aggression on his mind, taking a shot on the very first play of the third quarter. However, Jy’Quise Liason picked off the pass, forcing the first turnover of the game. Pelini’s defense responded by forcing a Christian Lynch fumble on the ensuing drive, but the Cardinal Mooney offense failed to gain any traction.
Late in the fourth after the third of Lynch’s touchdowns, O’Brien kept hope alive after getting his own rushing touchdown in the redzone. A consistent Cardinals’ defense gave the offense another shot, but Ursuline had other ideas. Sophomore Safety Luke Kollar had a key interception in the Holy War last year while starting as a freshman. This year, he decided to one-up himself.
With Mooney in desperation mode with less than two minutes left, an errant pass from O’Brien fell right into the lap of Kollar and was brought back 60 yards for an emphatic touchdown that sent the Irish into the night with style.
Ursuline (10-0) finishes off its’ first undefeated regular season since 2010, clinches its’ 5th consecutive Steel Valley Conference championship, and secured the number one seed in Region 9. They’ll host the 16-seed (New Philadelphia or Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin) next Friday at Stambaugh Stadium.
For Cardinal Mooney (5-5), they find themselves as either the 8 or 9 seed in Region 13 and will wait to find its opponent for next week.
