BREAKING TACKLES — Big Red’s Landon Crosier fights off a tackler from Ursuline during Friday’s season opener at Harding Stadium. - Andrew Grimm

The Fighting Irish, who were coming off a state semifinal run, sure looked the part.

Ursuline struck first, built a sizable halftime lead and did not look back in leaving Harding Stadium with an impressive 37-7 victory over Big Red.

“You can’t get behind against a good team,” Saccoccia said. “We gave them a couple touchdowns in the first half and you can’t give a good team like that momentum.

“Like I told our players, it starts with me. If I was disappointed with them, I have to be disappointed with me. I didn’t do my job, that’s where it starts, with me, and ends with them.

Big Red’s Tre’Von Wiggins fights for yards through an Ursuline tackler. - Andrew Grimm

“We’re not going to let one game define who we are. We are a good football team, we just didn’t play well tonight, we didn’t coach well tonight. It’s a team effort win or lose.”

After neither team scored on its initial possession, Ursuline QB George Camuso fired his first of two touchdown passes late in the opening quarter, and from there, the Irish never trailed.

His 34-yard strike to Ray Javey opened the scoring with 2:57 remaining in the opening quarter. On the next drive, he connected with Devonte Taylor for a 12 yard scoring connection, a successful fake kick making it 15-0 not even a minute into the second quarter.

Vinnie Fecko, who finished with 125 yards on the ground for Ursuline, made it 22-0 with his first of three trips to the end zone, a 3-yard plunge midway through the quarter.

Big Red did answer, however, as Big Red quarterback Santino Haney fired a strike to a wide open Ziare Scurry over the middle on the deep crossing route and he out-raced Ursuline defenders for a 61-yard score, making it 22-7. That proved to be the lone bright spot of the night for the Big Red offense, though.

BIG PLAY — Big Red’s Ziare Scurry races down the field for a 61-yard touchdown during Friday’s season opener. - Andrew Grimm

The Big Red defense got a stop, but the ensuing drive stalled and when the Irish got the ball back, Fecko broke a 39-yard scoring run to make it a 29-7 Irish lead at halftime.

He added his third score of the night on a 3-yard plunge to cap the opening drive of the second half, which concluded the scoring.

All-told, the Irish finished with a 15-5 advantage in first downs and out-gained Big Red 419-145.

For Steubenville, Haney finished 8 of 16 for 81 yards and the score, while Deondre Didley racked up a team-high 28 yards, all in the second half, on the ground.

Defensively Tre’Von Wiggins had an interception, Landon Crosier had a sack and a tackle for loss and Nolan Blackburn had a TFL.

Big Red’s Jak’hi Lucious-Muntz hauls in a pass. - Andrew Grimm

“The thing I liked was I still saw guys out there fighting in the second half,” Saccoccia said. “I was happy with that. It’s easy to talk about playing hard when you’re winning by 20, but when you’re doing it when you’re down the way we were, I was happy to see that.”

UP NEXT

Ursuline: Hosts Bishop Hartley in its home opener next Friday.

Big Red: Will look to bounce back against another tough opponent as defending Division IV state champion Indian Valley comes to Harding Stadium in Week 2.

Ursuline 37, Big Red 7

U 7-22-8-0 – 37

BR 0-7-0-0 – 7

SCORING PLAYS:

First Quarter

U: Camuso 34 pass to Javey (Ricchiuti kick) 2:57

Second Quarter

U: Camuso 12 pass to Taylor (Brown run) 11:01

U: Fecko 3 run (Ricchiuti kick) 6:46

BR: Scurry 61 pass from Haney (Bowers kick) 6:00

U: Fecko 39 run (Ricchiuti kick) 1:24

Third Quarter

U: Fecko 3 run (Camuso pass to Brown) 6:44

Fourth Quarter

None

RUSHING: Ursuline 43-250-3TD (Camuso 15-54; Fecko 16-125-3TD; Javey 2-15; Boundry 1-3; Brown 1-6; Furr 4-18; Syrianoudis 4-29); Big Red 27-65 (Wiggins 1-5; Henderson 8-20; Crosier 6-10; Haney 2-(-10); Scurry 1-6; Didley 6-28; Hython 2-3; Simmons 1-3)

PASSING: Ursuline 14-18-169-2TD-INT (all by Camuso); Big Red 8-16-81-TD (all by Haney)

RECEIVING: Ursuline 14-169-2TD (Brown 6-57; Taylor 6-61-TD; Javey 1-34-TD; Daniels 1-7); Big Red 8-81-TD (Crosier 1-(-2); Edwards 1-6; Simon 1-5; Scurry 3-66-TD; Muntz 2-6)

FIRST DOWNS: Ursuline 15; Big Red 5

PENALTIES-YARDS: Ursuline 5-45; Big Red 4-23

FUMBLES-LOST: Ursuline 0-0; Big Red 2-0

PUNTS: Ursuline 2-51; Big Red 7-30.6