Steubenville tops Dover in slugfest

GAINING GROUND — Big Red running back Jacob Bernard runs the ball during the first half of Friday’s game with Dover inside Harding Stadium. (Michael D. McElwain)
STEUBENVILLE — If you’re having trouble stopping ’em–just outscore ’em.
That’s exactly what Steubenville did in Friday’s high-octane 57-45 victory over Dover inside Harding Stadium.
With the win, Big Red finished the first half of its season at 5-0 and now holds a 15-4-1 lead in its series with Dover. The Division III Tornadoes fall to 2-3.
The two offenses combined for 1,023 yards (Dover collected 543 and Big Red 480). Points came via big plays and a few short plunges and during the first three minutes of the third quarter, four touchdowns were scored.
“That was two good football teams going at it,” said Big Red’s Reno Saccoccia. “Dover is well coached and well-disciplined. They have good players and good coaches. I think we have good players and good coaches. That’s just what you are going to get.”
Eight of the game’s six pointers came via the air. Big Red’s junior quarterbacks Javon Davis and Johnny Agresta both threw two touchdown passes. Dover’s Alex Sayre, just a sophomore, passed for four, the shortest covering 56 yards. Sayre finished with 520 passing yards.
“We normally can’t hang in a game like that,” Saccoccia stressed. “Offensively, I think we played pretty good night. Defensively, I think we played better than it looked. We just didn’t tackle.
“A team like Dover is going to complete passes. They have a good quarterback, a good scheme and good coaching. My only disappointment is with our tackling, but we tackled well enough to win.”
Big Red jumped out to a 9-0 lead on Jalen McGhee’s one yard run and Mark Smith’s 36 yard field goal. Dover made it 9-7 on the first play of the second quarter as Sayre found Maquire Morris for an 81-yard touchdown.
Steubenville, Ohio’s top ranked Division IV team, responded quickly. On third and six from the Dover 26, Agresta hit Charles Reeves over the middle. The senior stepped away from a Tornado defender and raced to the end zone. Austen Duggan’s conversion kick after the 74-yard pass made it 16-7.
The Tornadoes cut it to 16-14 with 3:08 left in the opening half on a three yard run by Deandre Clark. Dover’s score came after Big Red failed to convert a fourth and two from its own 16.
Jamaal Petteway had the answer to that score, taking the ensuing kickoff 89 yards to the Dover one. Jacob Bernard plowed over from there.
Jorge Bravo’s nine-yard field goal just before the half made it 23-17.
“I think the key to the game was holding them to that field goal just before the half,” Saccoccia noted. “I should have called a time out when they were lined up the way they were before that one big play (a 34-yard Sayre to Clark completion). The kids did a good job of coming through for me.”
Big Red opened the second half by quickly marching 55 yards for six. The hosts started with great field possession thanks to another outstanding return by J. Petteway. Following a recovered fumble, Davis rolled to his left and found Dujuan Jones wide open for a 33-yard touchdown. The same pair connected for the two point conversion and it was 31-17.
The hosts scored again on the next play from scrimmages as Reeves picked off a Sayre pass and raced 25 yards to the end zone.
Dover’s responded quickly on a 58-yard pass from Sayre to Morris. Big Red, however, came right back on a 47-yard pass from Davis to Nick Scott to cap the wild and wooly first three minutes of the third quarter.
Agresta capped a 62-yard Big Red drive with a one-year sneak to open the fourth quarter. Ian Phillips added the extra point to make the score 50-24.
Sayre and Clark then connected on a 60-yard pass, catch and run. Sayre later tossed a 56-yard pass to Dre Hess pulling the Tornadoes to within 12 at 50-38.
Agresta’s second touchdown pass went to Mitchell Gulan midway through the fourth and Sayre capped the scoring with a one-yard run.
Davis finished with 169 passing yards, completing eight of 12. Agresta was six of eight for 115. Reeves had five catches for 145. Bernard became Big Red’s first back to top the 100 yard mark this season, going for 143 on 26 carries.
Clark has 10 catches for 157 to lead Dover and Hess hauled in nine for 155. Morris’s two receptions were good for 139 and a pair of scores.
“We’re halfway through and we’re 5-0 but we still have a lot of room for improvement,” Saccoccia stressed. “I’m happy with our team after every game if they play hard and I think played hard tonight.
“We have some mistakes and we’ve made mistakes for five games but we have improved in our intensity, improved in being physical and improved at playing smart. If you play smart, fast and physical, you’re going to have a good team. Smart doesn’t mean you’re going to do everything perfect but it means you get to the next play after a mistake. That’s what we have to keep doing.”
Big Red will start its second half with a home game against Akron St. Vincent/St. Mary next Friday.
Big Red 57, Dover 45
Dover 0 17 7 21 – 45
Steubenville 9 14 20 14 – 57
S: McGhee 1 run (kick blocked)
S: Smith 36 yard field goal
D: Morris 81 pass from Sayre (Bravo kick)
S: Reeves 74 pass from Agresta (Duggan kick)
D: Clark 3 run (Deneher kick)
S: Bernard 1 run (kick failed)
D: Bravo 9 field goal
S: Jones 33 pass from Davis (Jones pass from Davis)
S: Reeves 25 interception return (kick failed)
D: Morris 58 pass from Sayre (Deneher kick)
S: Scott 47 pass from Davis (run failed)
S: Agresta 1 run (Phillips kick)
D: Clark 60 pass from Sayre (Deneher kick)
D: Hess 56 pass from Sayre (Bravo kick)
S: Gulan 7 pass from Agresta (Smith kick)
D: Sayre 1 run (Deneher kick)
RUSHING: Dover 6-18-2 (Sayre 3-11-1; Hess 1-1; Clark 2-6-1); Big Red 46-196-3 (Davis 2-(-3); Agresta 8-18-1; McGhee 2-11-1; Bernard 26-143-1; J. Petteway 1-6; Blackmon 1-4; Koval 2-7; Wallace 3-19; Mitchell 1-1).
PASSING: Dover 28-50-520-4-1 (all by Sayre); Big Red 14-20-284-4-1 (Davis 8-12-169-2-1; Agresta 6-8-115-2).
RECEIVING: Dover 28-520-4 (Hess 9-155-1; Clark 10-157-1; Folkert 6-70; Morris 2-139-2; Haney 1-(-1); Big Red 14-284-4 (Reeves 5-145-1; P. Petteway 3-38; Gulan 1-7-1; Jones 2-39-1; Scott 1-47-1; J. Petteway 1-3; Biasi 1-0).
FIRST DOWNS: Dover 19; Big Red 22.
PENALTIES-YARDS: Dover 1-15; Big Red 8-69.
PUNTS: Dover 3-33; Big Red 0-0.
FUMBLES-LOST: Dover 0-0; Big Red 3-1.