Crusaders down Cumberland Valley, 27-21

September 22- The Bishop McDevitt Crusaders got back on the winning track tonight by posting a 27-21 victory over the Cumberland Valley Eagles at Chapman Field. Playing for the first time since last week’s disappointing loss to archrival Harrisburg , the Crusaders (3-1, 2-1 in the Mid Penn Commonwealth Division) took command early and, despite a rash of penalties, generally controlled the contest. The win was McDevitt’s 4^th in the last 5 games against CV (1-3, 1-3) and continued a trend for the current Crusader seniors: through freshman, junior varsity and, now, two varsity games, the players of the class of 2007 are undefeated against the Eagles.  McDevitt was led by senior running back Dave Onorato, who fought for an impressive 315 yards rushing and 1 touchdown on 26 bruising carries. Onorato also contributed key tackles from his defensive end spot. The Crusaders featured a new lineup on the offensive line, as center Sebastian Sullivan moved to right tackle and defensive end Matt Dietz manned the left tackle spot. Senior Hector Cabrera took over for Sullivan at center and, along with holdover guards Vince Sullivan and Jared Henley and tight end Steve Westhafer, paved the way for 384 rushing yards. On defense, McDevitt generally controlled the CV attack by limiting the Eagle’s running game to 119 total yards. Despite a breakdown in pass defense that allowed CV to gain a short-lived second quarter lead, The Crusader “D” consistently rose to the occasion at key moments in the game to preserve the victory.

McDevitt’s Thomas Mitchell got things off right with a fine 17 yard return of the opening kickoff to the McD 34, and then the Dave Onorato Show began. Onorato’ first carry went for 41 yards and featured 2 broken tackles. After a motion penalty, Mike Jones ran for 1 yard, and then quarterback Kyle Koncar found his favorite target, junior Julian Harrell, for a 6 yard gain to the CV 23. A second Koncar-Harrell connection went for 9 yards and a first down and one play later, Onorato burst past the line of scrimmage and rolled into the end zone for the evening’s first tally. A botched snap snuffed the extra point attempt, so McDevitt led 6-0, with 10:02 left in the opening quarter. CV’s opening possession was stunted by a holding penalty and the subsequent Eagle punt was returned by Evan McGovern 7 yards to the McD 39. McDevitt used runs by Jones and Onorato to advance near midfield but Koncar was stopped short on a keeper and Mike Comasco came on for his first punt of the game, a twisting 43 yarder that was downed on the CV 17.  A strong Crusader pass rush forced two incompletions and kept the Eagles pinned deep in CV territory, and the punt that followed traveled only 21 yards, to the CV 36. Koncar started this scoring drive with a short completion to Harrell, and 2 short runs left McDevitt with a 4^th-and-1. Head Coach Jeff Weachter called on Onorato and he didn’t disappoint, bulling for 4 yards and moving the chains. One play later Koncar dropped off a short pass for Chris Henderson and it was the massive junior’s turn to blast the CV defense. Henderson dragged tacklers for a 13 yard gain and on the next play Jones swerved over right guard and outraced the Eagle secondary to pay dirt. The PAT attempt was blocked, so the McDevitt lead was 12-0 at the 1:38 mark. The Eagles found some success running the ball on the next series, but clutch tackles by linebackers Pat Berry and Dante Ushery stalled the advance and CV was punting again as the quarter ended. Koncar’s 9 yard keeper and a 3 yard Jones run started things off right for McDevitt on the next possession, but a holding penalty and a sack brought things to a halt and Comasco punted again. On the second play of the next series CV quarterback Chris Jordan hit running back Tyler Guise in stride as he circled out of the backfield and Guise sprinted untouched for a 48 yard touchdown, narrowing the McDevitt lead to 12-7. Mitchell responded with another effective kickoff return to the McD 33, but Koncar was intercepted at the McD 45 on the first play. CV picked up consecutive first downs before the Jordan-Guise combination clicked again, this time for a 16 yard scoring strike and a 14-12 Cumberland Valley lead, with 6:08 left in the half. The Crusaders wasted no time in regaining the lead. Mitchell’s 27 yard kickoff return spotted the ball on the McD 35, and then Onorato chugged up the middle for 13 yards. He followed that with a 2 yarder and then Koncar kept on the option for 9 yards and a first down at the CV 41. Then the spirited sophomore signal caller dropped back to pass and launched a strike down the right sideline that found Comasco in stride at the 10 yard line. Comasco easily outraced his pursuers and McDevitt had regained the lead for good. Weachter decided to try for a two point conversion and Koncar made sure it was a good decision by hitting Westhafer with a strike to make the score 20-14. After the two teams traded punts McDevitt was back in business at its own 29 with little time remaining. Onorato promptly ripped off a gutsy 30 yard run through the heart of the CV defense and followed that effort with a 9 yard run to the CV 35. With less than a minute remaining before halftime, Koncar completed a sideline pass to Harrell for 12 yards and, one play later, darted for an 8 yard gain. Koncar quickly spiked the ball to stop the clock and Comasco hustled out for a field goal attempt. His 33 yard attempt was blocked, however, and the Crusaders were forced to settle for a 6 point half time lead.

Although the third quarter was scoreless it was highly entertaining. CV received the ball following the break but was soon punting, thanks to Matt Vargo’s hard rush that forced Jordan to ditch a third down pass. Mitchell gathered in the Eagle punt at the McD 34 and shuffled to the 47 and then Onorato was at it again, carrying 2 would-be tacklers for a 9 yard gain. He followed that effort with a 16 yard jaunt to the CV 22, and the Crusaders were again threatening to score. A short Jones run and 2 Onorato dives left McDevitt facing a 4^th-and-6, however, and it was decision time once again for Weachter. He chose to go for the first down and Koncar soon had CV jumping off sides with a staggered cadence count. Koncar took the next snap and fought ahead for an apparent first down as the sideline yard marker moved downfield. The official’s spot was puzzlingly short, however, and CV regained possession as McDevitt fans howled in protest. A McDevitt player foolishly joined in the protest and was rewarded for his effort with a 15 yard penalty that moved the spot to the CV 28. Then after Guise was dropped for a 2 yard loss, another Crusader attempted to stir up the crowd and was hit with another 15 yard penalty. The Eagles couldn’t take advantage of the 30 yard gift, though, in part because Tyrell Harris played smothering defense on two long pass attempts. The Eagles punted to the McD 15 where Mitchell called for a fair catch. McDevitt then launched a 10 play drive that ate up the rest of the quarter and advanced deep into CV territory. It started with 3 Onorato carries that netted 14 yards. After a 5 yard Jones scamper, Onorato shot through the middle of the Eagle defense and raced 39 yards to the CV 25, although a trailing official moved the spot back to the 27. A Koncar fumble and a procedure penalty shoved the Crusaders back to the 33, but Koncar passed to Harrell for 12 before finding Henderson along the right sideline for an 8 yard gain and a first down as the quarter ended. McDevitt could only advance to the 11 and the field goal team was soon on the field. The play was a fake, as Comasco took a short pitch and unsuccessfully attempted to circle left end. The aroused Eagles proceeded to march deep into McDevitt territory on a 13 play drive. Mixing short passes with as suddenly effective running game, CV was soon facing third-and-6 at the McD 16. As Guise started to his left Onorato broke through a block attempt and flattened Guise for a 4 yard loss. CV Coach Tim Rimphel decided to go for the first down. Jordan took the snap but stumbled out from under center. He regained his balance but the play’s timing was destroyed. His subsequent pass to Preston Casper was a yard short of the marker and McDevitt regained possession at the 13 with 6 minutes remaining. Another procedure penalty (McDevitt was flagged 13 times for 106 yards!) and an incompletion stalled the Crusaders and Comasco punted to the McD 45. CV received the break this time, as the punt was fumbled forward and recovered by the Eagles at the McD 33. It was time for the Crusader defense to rise up once again, and they were up to the challenge. Jordan lost 3 yards on first down and threw incomplete on second. The third down play was a screen pass, but Onorato was hanging on the CV QB when he threw the ball and Vargo blasted Guise as soon as he caught it, forcing the incompletion. On forth down Jordan tried a long pass down the left sideline but Comasco had blanket coverage and intercepted at the McD 9. With the clock moving below 4 minutes Onorato carried for 1 yard and a rare Evan McGovern carry added 5 more. Onorato then put the exclamation mark on his stellar evening. The senior circled left end to gain the first down and kept on going, roaring down the sideline in front of the ecstatic Crusader followers. Tripped up as he crossed the five yard line, Onorato plunged into the end zone for an apparent  85 yard scoring run. But the trailing official again moved the spot back, this time to the one. The curious spot played to McDevitt’s advantage when the Crusaders took two plays to score as the clock ticked away, finally scoring on a Koncar sneak with 1:41 remaining. Comasco added the PAT for a 27-14 McDevitt lead. Cumberland Valley then roared down field for a final score, aided by a roughing-the-passer penalty and accurate throws by backup quarterback Tim May. May’s 5 yard toss to Joe Lauer with 50 seconds remaining shaved the lead to 27-21, but Harrell corralled the onside kick attempt that followed and the Crusaders had secured win #4 of the 2006 season.

Next Saturday, September 30^th, McDevitt welcomes the State College Little Lions to McDevitt Field. The undefeated Lions, featuring Penn State recruit Nate Stupar, present a daunting challenge to the young Crusaders. Game time is 1:00 PM.

QUOTES

Head Coach Jeff Weachter

Overall I was pleased tonight. We made some changes in the offensive line this week to get quicker and I thought it helped in pass blocking and run blocking. The down side of that is now we have guys wearing down a little bit on defense, but what can you do? With Mike Jones still being held out Dave O had to take the load and he did a great job. But there are some runs where Mike is a little bit better than Dave and vice versa, but Mike just didn’t have the explosion tonight. Hopefully he’ll get better for next week. The big thing for us is that we made a lot of mistakes tonight, a lot of young mistakes. We have first down on their 15 yard line and we turn the wrong way on an isolation and lose 5 yards and now it’s second-and-fifteen. And the penalty situation will be addressed. That’s not Bishop McDevitt football and we’re not going to stand for that. There will be punishment for some players because we have to clean that up. If it wasn’t for mistakes and penalties this game wouldn’t have been as close as it was. Dave O is just a warrior. It’s funny, before the Hempfield game I told Tommy Mealy that I thought Mike Jones was going to have a big game and tonight I told Dave O I had the same feeling about him for this game! Hopefully I’ll have the same feeling next week because I sure didn’t have that feeling last week! State College is a great team. They have 2 ex Penn State coaches coaching their defense and they have a GREAT player in Nate Stupar. Their quarterback really throws the ball well. We saw him last week against Central Dauphin and he was impressive.

TE/DE Steve Westafer

I’ve been playing with these guys (CV) since 3^rd or 4^th grade and I’ve been waiting for this game since January. There’s nothing quite like it. Going to school at McDevitt is different; it’s a little more strict and everything but I like it. I like the people; it’s more like a family there, more personal and the team is just a great bunch of guys. We’ll be ready for State College next week. There’s not much more that I can say.   

C Hector Cabrera

The coaches decided to make changes on the line so I had to step up and play my best game today. Cumberland Valley had a pretty good defense but we were able to keep running the ball down their throats. You know, everybody deserves a chance to show what they can do, but you have to step up when you get that chance and show what you can do. I’m extremely happy right now.

G Vince Sullivan

It’s a pleasure blocking for Dave O. This week we made some changes on the offensive line. I think it was better to put my brother outside of me, and Hector moved to center and Matt Dietz to the other tackle. We fired off low, pushed them back and had a good fight up front. Hector? Oh, man, I love Hector! He’s like a brother to me. I hope he stays there. I hope he just keeps playing good and we’ll just keep getting more rushing yards. After the Harrisburg loss we recovered pretty quickly. We just moved some people around for a different look. Coach Weachter said they were a desperate team so we really had to fight. It’s a privilege to play with my brother Sebastian, the way he approaches the game. Next year I hope I don’t miss him too much.  

RB/DE Dave Onorato

I really didn’t think I’d have that much success running today. It was a total team performance from the get go and all of the credit has to go to the offensive line. Without them I wouldn’t have done anything. The revamped offensive line really made a difference in the running game. The holes were there, more than they were in the previous games, and I just took advantage of that. State College has a really good lineup of players, including their tight end, Stupar. I think we’re going to have to key on him in order for us to be successful.

S/RB Evan McGovern

It got pretty scary in the 4^th quarter. They were driving the ball well and we had a couple breakdowns on defense but we came through. We knew we had to make a stop and we finally did. On their two scoring plays Pat Berry, our middle linebacker, was guarding the back and Pat was a tad bit too slow. So we changed that and went into our regular defense. That put me on the fullback when he came out of the backfield and we pretty much shut it down from there. It was great to get a carry at the end of the game. I haven’t run the ball all season and it was fun to run the ball again.

QB Kyle Koncar