MCDEVITT BEATS CEDAR CLIFF 17-10

October 27- The Bishop McDevitt football team continued its labored advance toward the District 3 Class AAAA playoffs tonight, beating the Cedar Cliff Colts 17-10 at West Shore Stadium. The Crusaders didn’t look to be in danger of losing after scoring two first half special teams touchdowns, but the combination of continued lackluster offensive play and a sudden burst of activity from the officiating crew turned the game into a nail-biter. The McDevitt defense, as usual, played aggressive, inspired football and toyed with the Colt’s offense until late in the 4^th quarter. Even then, with Cedar Cliff threatening to tie the game, the powerful defensive line and shrewd secondary turned back the late threat. As has become custom for the 2006 season, the game was played under miserable conditions. A steady, cold rain drenched participants and spectators alike, while the biting wind stunted both teams’ passing attacks (a combined 14 for 42 with 4 interceptions) and added to the night’s misery.

The opening kick sailed into the end zone for a touchback, so the Crusaders began the game on the McD 20 with a 6 yard pass from quarterback Kyle Koncar to wide receiver Julian Harrell. One play later Koncar’s pass was blocked, then intercepted at the line of scrimmage. The McDevitt defense refused to budge, so the Colts settled for a 38 yard Brody Ponder field goal and a 3-0 lead with 8:54 left in the first quarter. That would be Cedar Cliff’s only lead of the game, and it was short-lived. The Crusader’s Mike Jones took the ensuing kickoff at the McD 7 and sailed straight up field. Jones, one of the few bright spots on offense for McDevitt, made one quick move at the CC 45 before sprinting into the end zone for a 93 yard touchdown. Mike Comasco added the PAT and McDevitt had a 7-3 lead. The Colts were held to a 3-and-out on the next series and, following a short punt, McDevitt began at the CC 47. The Crusaders moved into Colt territory on a Koncar-to-Jones combination, good for a 23 yard gain. Koncar then passed to Harrell for 12 yards and McDevitt was threatening at the CC 18. But the McDevitt running game, still hampered by an offensive line that replaces players weekly, could gain no more than 3 yards in 3 plays. Comasco then drilled a 32 yard field goal to move the McDevitt advantage to 10-3, with 3:06 left in the first quarter. After Cedar Cliff failed to advance, thanks to the aggressive play of safety Evan McGovern, McDevitt partially blocked the Cedar Cliff punt and took over at the McD 43. Jones dashed 10 yards for a first down into Colt territory, but Koncar was intercepted as the quarter ended.

The Crusaders soon regained possession when Dave Onorato fell on a Colt fumble at the CC 32. Again, McDevitt tried to run the football with no success. The offensive line had suffered a blow the day before when 2 scheduled starters were declared ineligible for disciplinary reasons, and the coaching staff had scrambled in pre-game drills to put together an offensive line. The result was fullback Chris Henderson at tight end, linebacker Pat Berry at guard and Sebastian Sullivan moved back to tackle. The unit had little cohesiveness (for obvious reasons) and was unable to support the running attack for most of the night. On this series, that led to a Comasco punt that Thomas Mitchell downed at the CC3. The two teams traded punts before Cedar Cliff regained possession at the CC 21, and then Jordan McClure ripped off a 35 yard run. The drive was soon halted when Henderson and Sullivan combined for a 5 yard sack of Colt quarterback Zach Pettis, so Cedar Cliff punted again. The punt was a short squibbler that rolled slowly near the Cedar Cliff sideline. Comasco suddenly swooped in and grabbed the ball, darting for the end zone. He surprised the Colts so thoroughly that he only had to avoid the punter to score, a task the versatile junior accomplished with no problem. The heady 54 yard punt return and subsequent PAT staked McDevitt to a 17-3 lead as the half ended.

The third quarter was a dreary, scoreless affair, featuring missed opportunities by McDevitt and offensive ineptitude for Cedar Cliff. The Colts punted soon after receiving the second half kickoff as Mitchell called for a fair catch at midfield. After a 3 yard Jones run and a holding call against McDevitt, the shifty junior followed Vince Lochetto’s teeth-rattling block for a 32 yard gain, to the CC 23. The drive came to a quick halt, however, when Koncar’s shovel pass was deflected, then intercepted at the CC 19. The Colts managed to move the chains once before Henderson dropped McClure for a 3 yard loss and forced yet another Colt punt, which rolled out-of-bounds at the McD 49. Two Jones carries netted 12 yards before Comasco threw an incompletion on an option play. Koncar then targeted Harrell for a 19 yard gain and Jones followed with a shifty 11 yard run to the CC10. After the Colts were drawn off sides by Koncar’s changed cadence, the Crusaders looked ready to add to their lead as the quarter ended. Jones ran for 3 tough yards, but lost 2 on the next carry. Koncar skirted right end on the next play, stretching for the goal line but coming a yard short. McDevitt lined up in a power formation on 4^th down, but the line judge quickly called a McDevitt penalty for lining up in the neutral zone. Comasco then came on for the field goal attempt, but the kick sailed clear of the uprights. The teams again traded punts before the Colts took over on the McD 48. Pettis passed for a 20 yard gain before Henderson and Matt Vargo sandwiched the Colt QB for a 2 yard loss. The next play was a throwback pass to Pettis from McClure. Pettis was a pass receiver behind the line of scrimmage, so he was fair game for the McDevitt defenders, who flattened him as McClure’s pass flew overhead. Most coaches in the Mid Penn conference take an occasional glance at the rule book, but Cedar Cliff’s Ron Davis apparently isn’t one of them. He threw a fit as Pettis was helped off the field and the Colts were eventually flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct, which stopped Cedar Cliff’s most promising drive of the night and brought on a flurry of activity from the officials. The next play was a short screen pass good for 5 yards, but McDevitt was called for a late hit. Even with the penalty yardage the Colts were short of the necessary first down yardage (thanks to Davis ’ tantrum) so McDevitt took over at the McD 24. Jones gained 3 yards but a holding penalty pushed the Crusaders back. Jones fumbled on the next play and the Colts recovered at the McD 29. After an 8 yard gain Tyrell Harris made a big play, dropping McClure for a 5 yard loss. An incomplete pass followed, but McDevitt was penalized for a puzzling unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that kept the Colt drive alive. Cedar Cliff reached the 5 yard line before Pettis ran a forth-down keeper across the goal line to narrow the McDevitt lead to 17-10, with 2:55 left in the game. The inevitable onside kick followed and Ponder nailed a beauty, drilling the ball off of a McDevitt player and watching it carom back to a waiting Colt at the McD 44. Pettis and McClure hooked up for a 6 yard gain before Matt Dietz batted down a pass at the line of scrimmage. The Crusaders were then caught off sides before Mitchell batted away a long Pettis pass. McClure ran for 12, to the McD 14, before it was Jones’ turn to swat a long pass attempt. Henderson then burst through the Colt line and sacked Pettis for a 6 yard loss. Cedar Cliff, with no time outs left, had to spike the ball to stop the clock. Pettis’ last pass of the night was deflected, and then intercepted by R.J. Hetrick to seal the McDevitt win.

Next Saturday, November 4^th, the Crusaders finish the regular season by welcoming the Carlisle Thundering Herd to McDevitt Field. Game time is 10:30 AM.  

QUOTES

Head Coach Jeff Weachter

“Escape” is the right word for tonight. I’ll hand it to our team; we persevered but we made it a lot closer than it should have been. We’re still trying to find the right mix on offense. I was really proud of Coach Deuce and the special teams. Last week they didn’t play very well and it may have cost us a game. This week it won us a game with a partially blocked punt and two returns. The only negative was that on side kick. We had the “hands” team in but that was a good kick. Defensively I thought we played well but we extended drives with some stupid penalties. Offensively Kyle had trouble throwing the ball tonight. They were in a lot of “Cover 2”, which means you have to throw deep, but we had a hard time doing that tonight. On the offensive line we’re just mixing and matching. We thought we had some kids ready and then we had some kids who had to be disciplined. We also had 7 starters out this week with the flu bug going around. We just need to get everyone back and start practicing together. It’s all timing on offense; we have to get our timing back. We had a chance to put them away in the 3^rd quarter but we let this team hang around and they made it interesting. As far as next week is concerned, first of all we have to take care of ourselves and get some continuity back on offense. Hopefully, if things bounce right for us tonight and next week we could be a #6 or #7 seed in the playoffs. That would be good for us. We hope to get some guys back for the playoffs. We are a good football if we can get the offensive line straightened out.     

Assistant Coach Pat Berry

It was a whacky game. I think we killed ourselves with penalties at the end there. Overall I think that the defense did a real good job but, again, we had some stupid penalties. I think their coach came on the field and argued a penalty and it sort of swayed things, I guess, for a little bit, but we made some mistakes. On the throwback pass I think the big thing is where he (QB Zach Pettis) was located on the field. That’s a legal play by us if he’s behind the line of scrimmage. I don’t know where the ball was but the penalty wasn’t called and that’s what started the game getting out of control. From what I understand Carlisle is improving and they’ll be running the Wing T offense against us, so we’ll have to prepare a little better next week and keep the penalties to a minimum.

DB Tyrell Harris

We were in man-to-man coverage on that last series and I didn’t think that they were going to score at all. The team feels good about the victory but I’m not feeling so good right now. I missed too many tackles and I have to work on that.

LB/G Pat Berry

I had to start off at guard tonight due to injuries and stuff like that. The 13^th lineman, that’s me! It was fun, though; I like playing the line. There were a lot of penalties in the 4^th quarter that shouldn’t have happened but you just have to play through all of it in a tough game like this one. It was pretty lousy out there. You’re cold, but it all goes away as soon as the play starts. Except for the headaches. We have to get ready for Carlisle and play better on offense and defense, start scoring some points and get ready for the playoffs.

RB/CB Mike Jones

I’m finally 100% since the first scrimmage. I can say that because I’m finally back at full speed. On the kickoff return we were expecting them to kick it real deep, so I got back and the second line got back and formed a real good wedge for me and I just went through the hole like I’m supposed to. No problem outrunning the guy at the end. The conditions weren’t a problem. It’s just that, on turf, you have to keep your feet closer together and take choppy steps. You can’t be all spread out. On their last drive I wasn’t going for the interception, I was going for the knockdown because if I tip it up in the air they could have caught it and made a big play. For Carlisle we need to re-focus and get back to what we’re supposed to do.

OL/DL Sebastian Sullivan

We struggled a lot tonight but we’re shuffling everyone around on the line because of injuries and other stuff. I’m just hoping we can jell together and if my little brother comes back it will help us out a lot, I think. Coach Rozzi stresses that we get a good pass rush every game to mess up the other team’s offense and that’s what we were doing. We knew they were going to throw the ball because they were down and it was late in the game. Next week is going to be our last senior home game and we’re going to try to make it a good one.

WR/DB/K/P Mike Comasco