Crusaders look to solidify playoff spot
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STEUBENVILLE -- Week 9 of the Ohio high school football season is here which means teams all over the Buckeye State are jockeying for post-season spots.
Since that is the case, playoff implications will be through the roof Saturday when Catholic Central and Conotton Valley, two teams hoping to earn Division VII, Region 25 berths, square off inside Harding Stadium.
The Crusaders, winners of two straight, are 3-5 and ranked 12th in the region. The Rockets, 4-4, currently occupy the 14th spot. This will be the eighth all-time meeting between the schools with Central holding a 5-2 series lead. CV, however, has won the last two contests -- 34-13 in 2020 and 20-14 a season ago.
Central is coming off a 15-14 victory at Bridgeport while Conotton Valley rolled to a 50-8 win over Manchester, based in Adams County. The schools have had two common opponents--the Rockets whipped Bridgeport 42-18 earlier this season and both squad were defeated soundly by Caldwell.
Saturday's kick is set for 7 p.m.
When asked if he has discussed the current playoff situation with his players, Eric Meek said the conversations have been "more from the angle that we don't want to end our time with the seniors."
"We enjoy being with the seniors," he said. "We hope our season is extended but we are going to need another win to solidify that.
"We don't want to back in. We want to clinch and know we are going to keep playing. The way you do that is by winning."
In the win at Bridgeport, Central took advantage of one of four Bulldog fumbles to take a 7-0. Forced to punt from deep in its own end zone, the snap sailed over the head of the Bridgeport punter and BJ Fallon recovered the pigskin in the end zone. Daniel Bolster added the PAT.
Bridgeport made it 7-6 before Tommy Pergi raced 41 yards to paydirt. Tyler Ialenti ran for the two-point conversion. The Bulldogs made it 15-14 late in the fourth.
Meek's offense then ran 10 plays, all on the ground, picked up three first downs and never allowed Bridgeport to regain possession.
"The kids played really tough at the end and both teams played really hard for the entire game," Meek said. "Our defense bent but did not break. We gave up some passing yardage but the bottom line is we created a ton of turnovers (six to be exact) and held them to 14 points.
"We had some big plays on special teams including the two-point conversion. Little did we know that would end up being the deciding factor. Offensively, we bogged down at times but at the end when we needed to grind out the clock, we ran 10 straight running plays, picked up some key first downs and they never got the ball back. We were able to end the game deep in their territory and that definitely was a positive.
"We talk about turnovers all the time. A few weeks ago against Madonna, it (the turnover ratio) was flipped and we lost a tight game. I guess it all kind of evened out. I was pleased with the win and pleased again with a lot of things about our program from the attitude to the way the kids represent themselves. There are just a lot of things to be proud of when it comes to our young men."
Central finished the game with 191 rushing yards. Pergi accounted for 78 while Ialenti added 70. Through the air, Ialenti complete eight passes, four going to Pergi. Fallon recorded three catches.
Conotton Valley started its season with three consecutive losses, falling to Massillon Tuslaw, Malvern and Newcomerstown. The Rockets then disposed of Strasburg and Bridgeport before bowing to Caldwell. They defeated Frontier in Week 7 action.
Don Hertler's club is averaging 39 points a contest and allowing 19. The Rockets are a senior dominated team led by quarterback/running back Evan Rice and running back Drake Mullins. CV also has several senior starters along both its offensive and defensive lines.
Sophomore Zack Putnam also sees time at quarterback. Kamden Wright is the top threat in the CV passing attack.
"They like to run the football out of the I formation," Meek said when discussing the Rockets. "They have an outstanding coach and they have been putting up a lot of points all year. They will throw it some. Offensively, they are very sound and like to run downhill. They want to keep the ball out of your hands. Defensively, they are very aggressive.
"They have a lot of seniors starting and we don't. We only have four in uniform. They have older kids playing and we have a lot of younger kids playing. It's going to be quite a challenge for us.
"Again, we are sticking with our motto -- take care of ourselves. We want to keep playing as hard as we possibly can and hopefully come out of Harding Stadium with three straight victories Saturday night."