The Big Red/Wintersville series began ironically enough in the same year as the Big Red/Central series. 1943's game ended in a Big Red rout...and ended the one game series for 36 years. The game was resumed in 1979 after the break up of the All American Conference left an open date on the Big Red schedule. Big Red's biggest game of the year was Massillon and nobody thought Wintersville would be able to fill that void, but they did some and more. Adding fuel to the fire was the fact that Big Red and the Golden Warriors were in same region and would be fighting for the same playoff spot. Over the years the enrollments of the two schools were becoming very similar in numbers. The 1979 game was very hyped by the local media and the game lived up to its billing as Big Red pulled out a narrow 12-7 nail-bitter. The following games were classics as well, with 1985's OT playoff game and 1987's double OT game as the paramount games in the series history. |
Friday, October 1st, 1943: Big Red 37, Wintersville 14.On the strength of 4 long touchdown runs of 73, 65, 58, and 24 yards by halfbacks Louie Zuk and Dick Fletcher, with Zuk scoring thrice in the initial quarter, Big Red pulled through to a 37-14 triumph over a gallant Wintersville aggregation that gave a remarkable and proud account of itself at Harding Stadium before 3,667 fans. The Golden Warriors took punishment and also dished it out without reservation. Battling savagely throughout play, Wintersville led momentarily, 7-6 after 2 minutes of explosive offensive action in the 1st period when the spirited Golden Warriors electrified the crowd as end Sylvester Mike, alone in Big Red territory, tallied on a spectacular 65 yard touchdown aerial, immediately after Zuk dashed 58 yards on the 2nd play of the contest which gave Big Red its initial score. The Wintersville play was sensational and amazed the Big Red team and fans alike. Trailing 25-14 at intermission, Wintersville battled Big Red practically on even terms in the last half aside from a brilliant 73 yard sprint for a touchdown by Fletcher and a tally in period 3, resulting chiefly from a 32 yard aerial from Zuk to end Joe William that put the oval at Wintersville's 9 from where halfback Ray Ensell scored around his left end. Total scrimmage statistics heavily favored the Stubbers, but significant are the scrimmage figures from the 1st half. Not taking into account Fletcher's 73 yard jaunt, the Stubbers were only able to roll up a net gain of 67 yards in 18 rushing plays compared to 51 net yards in 14 rushing attempts by Wintersville. The Golden Warriors also had a 6-2 edge in 1st downs in the 2nd half. Both contestans tallied in the 2nd quarter and the showing and courage of Wintersville won the admiration of the fans. Fletcher, on a spinner through center, broke loose and raced 24 yards to score after the Stubbers had recovered a Wintersville fumble at the Warriors' 35 yard line as the 1st quarter drew to an end. Recovering a Big Red fumble, Wintersville negotiated 34 yards to produce its 2nd quarter tally with halfback James Loos crossing the goal line on a trick lateral forward from the Big Red 6. Fullback Gus Huber flipped the ball to halfback Harold Tucker who tossed it to Loos. The play was a minature carbon copy of the spectacular 1st quarter touchdown aerial. Wintersville's halfback quartet of Tucker, Loos, Huber, and Watkins lived up to advance billings. A hard-driving back, Tucker proved an excellent pass tosser while Loos showed punting ability. It was Tucker who hurled the oval to Mike in the initial quarter and also hit his receivers 6 out of 11 times. Wintersville had taken the Big Red kickoff at its own 35 and, on its 1st play, what had appeared to be a possible fumbled lateral, Tucker heaved the oval to Mike at the Big Red 20 and he dashed unmolested for a score. The Stubbers knew they were in a grueling battle from the outse despite a 19-7 advantage rolled up in the 1st quarter. The Golden Warriors hit hard and tackled hard, but they could not match up with the speed of Zuk or Fletcher when they managed to break loose into the open. The Stubbers were hard pressed to stem the Wintersville attack. The 2nd Big Red score was set up when end James Robinson intercepted an enemy pass at Wintersville's 28 and Zuk and Fletcher, in 3 tries, advanced to the Wintersville 1 from where Zuk scored. Zuk followed quickly with another tally when he zigzagged his way into the clear for a pretty 65 yard touchdown run after Wintersville was forced to punt after receiving the kickoff. The Big Red lineman were kept busy throughout the game and needed the help of the secondary to stymie the Warrior attack. A defensive standout for Wintersville was Mike, a brother of the former Big Red Mike brothers. |
Saturday, October 13, 1979: Big Red 12, Wintersville 7.
Martin Nezick hauled in a 15 yard scoring pass from David Scarpone with 4:11 left in the game and Steubenville Big Red held on from there to stun Wintersville's Golden Warriors, 12-7. A crowd of 9,295 looked on as the rivals collided in football for the first time since 1943. They watched as Big Red posted a victory which will probably go down as one of its greatest ever. The favored Warriors went down to their 2nd loss in 7 games. And, those fans who turned out couldn't have gone away disappointed, except for the fact the bands didn't get a chance to perform because of field conditions. A cool, clear night developed for the game everyone had been waiting for since 1943, Big Red winning that game, 37-14. Big Red's game winning touchdown came about after Wintersville was forced to punt from its 18 with just over 7 minutes left in the game. |
Saturday, October 11th, 1980: Big Red 13, Wintersville 19.
Bill Davis dived over from 2 yards out with 52 seconds remaining in the game at Harding Stadium and Wintersville's Golden Warriors pulled out a thrilling, 19-13, triumph over Steubenville Big Red. A frenzied crowd of 8,419 sat in on the 2nd meeting of the rivals in as many years and 3rd meeting since 1943 and it's doubtful many left before the game ended. The victory improved Wintersville's record to 5-2. The Warriors were presented the Wintersville Junior Women's Club trophy after the game. It must be won 3 times in succession to be retired. Big Red won last year, 12-7. Davis' score, coming with 3 Big Red defenders hanging on, climaxed a gutty comeback drive for the Warriors of coach Rich Saccoccia, who led the game, 12-0, but found themselves behind, 13-12, as Big Red's Todd Baker hit Frank King in the right corner of the endzone from 13 yards out with 5:24 left in the game. That TD tied the score at 12. John Utsinger booted the PAT, but Big Red was called for illegal motion and the all was moved back 5 yards. Utsinger then tried again and this time the ball just barely made it over the crossbar, and Big Red led, 13-12. With Big Red fans roaring support and Wintersville fans bellowing for their hopefuls to come back, the Golden Warriors did just that. After the kickoff, Wintersville took over at its own 34 and put together a time consuming 10 play drive which put the ball at Big Red's 3. Mike Werkin tried the right side for 1, and on the next play, Davis moved to his left, was hit, but powered back and forward for the score which brought pandemonium from the Warrior fans. DeMattio's conversion climaxed the scoring. DeMattio then kicked off and powered the ball into the endzone and Big Red had to start from its own 20. One pass fell incomplete and another got only 5 yards. On 3rd down, Baker went long down the right sideline, but John Young came up with his 2nd pass interception of the night with 23 ticks left in the game. Wintersville did not have to run another play and the bragging rights for 1980 swung out to the west end of the community. The game was filled with enough big plays to keep fan talking all year. The Golden Warriors scored first, taking advantage of a Big Red fumble off the opening kickoff. Kevin Stacey came up with the big play for the Warriors at their 37. Eight plays later, Davis, on 3rd and 6, scooted off the right side for the score at the 7:54 mark. Matt DeMattio's placement was wide right and it was 6-0 Wintersville. Big Red failed to move on its possession and had to punt the ball away. Wintersville mounted another thrust which put the ball at the Big Red 23, but a 4th down bid by Werkin was stacked up and that bid killed. Gene Smith had a 41 yard TD called back for a clip in that bid. That came with just over 5 minutes left in the period. Big Red moved from its own 23 out to the 45 and had to punt. The Warrios moved back to Big Red's 44, but gave the ball back on a punt. Big Red, aided by 30 and 39 yard bursts by Vance Yetts, moved to the Warriors' 5 and on 3rd down, Todd Baker went to the air, but Wintersville's Ron Rice was on the spot, intercepted the pass and rumbled out to the 5. The Warriors eventually had to punt the ball away with 36 seconds left in the half and Big Red managed 2 plays before the half ended. In the 3rd period, Wintersville fumbled the ball away at its 19, Bob Jones getting the recovery. Big Red though managed to move to the 11 before Yetts was stopped on a 4th down play. The Warriors went to the air, but Vance Johnson came up with a pass theft at the Warrior's 40. On the first play, Baker put the ball up and this time Young was on the scene to get the ball back and return it to the Big Red 40. On the first play, David put the ball in an arc towards the endzone and Harris out-dueled Johnson for the ball, caught it, and went into the endzone for a 12-0 Warrior lead with 7:27 left in the 3rd period. A fake conversion kick resulted in Martin Nezick intecepting a pass in the endzone. Off the next kickoff, Big Red started at its 20 and on 2nd down, Baker connected with a wide open King over the middle at the 33 and King sprinted home to complete the 80 yard scoring pass play with 6 minutes left in the 3rd quarter. Utsinger's kick failed and the score was 12-6 Wintersville. The Golden Warriors got poor field position from the ensuing kickoff and started at their 17. They eventually punted the ball away, Big Red taking over at its 32 and putting together a drive which carried into the final period, but stalled on Wintersville's 12 as Baker was smothered on a 4th down play with 9:27 left in the game. The Warriors moved the ball out to the 16 and had to punt, this time Davis booming a shot 44 yards, Big Red taking over at its 40 with 7:50 left in the contest. Aided by a 10 yard reception by King and back-to-back facemask infractions by the Warriors, Big Red found itself at Wintersville's 15 with 6 minutes to go. Mike Tluchowski got 2 yards to the 13 on the next play and Baker connected with King in the right corner for the TD. Utsinger's conversion was good and set the stage for the dramatic comeback by the Golden Warriors. In that drive for the game winning score, Smith logged 2 runs of 10 and 13 yards. The drive was almost thwarted when King missed a chance at a pass interception at Wintersville's 40. Doug Daily also had a reception for 13 yards. Werkin would up leading the Warriors in rushing with 66 yards on 16 carries, while Smith had 62 yards on 17 carries. Pacing the rushing attack for Big Red was Yetts, who had 107 yards on 15 carries. "I think our team grew up the last 5 minutes of the game," said Head Coach Rich Saccoccia after the game. "We took the fight to them early, let up midway, but came back to win it. It's a tribute to our defense to hold a fine team like Big Red to 12 points and our offense for moving the ball when it had to. Our coaches also did a great job this week. This is the best we've ever been prepared for any game." |
Saturday, October 17th, 1981: Big Red 12, Wintersville 20.
Anthony Collaros ran for 194 yards and scored 2 touchdowns and the Wintersville defense completely shut down the Steubenville offense as the Golden Warriors rolled to a 20-12 win over Big Red at Harding Stadium. Wintersville used a powerful offense and a stingy defense to pick up its 4th win of the season against 3 losses. Big Red, which had been rated 1st in region 7 in the latest Ohio High School Athletic Association ratings, suffered its first loss. Collaros, a 5'10", 185 pound junior, put on quite a show for the 8,535 fans who were on hand for the 4th meeting between the schools. Wintersville has now evened the series at 2 wins each. After falling behind 6-0 in the 1st quarter when Big Red's Mike Mayo returned a Mark DeMattio punt for 48 yards for a touchdown, Wintersville came to life, scoring twice in the 2nd quarter and once more in the 3rd. Steubenville would score with 2:00 left to play, but it would be too little, too late. "I think my kids did a fantastic job," Wintersville Head Coach Rich Saccoccia said in the locker room after the game. "I want to thank the students who cheered us on and the people of Wintersville who stayed behind us 100%. Big Red has a good football team and we wish them good luck and hope they make the playoffs." The Wintersville defense was awesome, holding Big Red to just 187 total yards, most of which came on a 72 yard drive late in the game. The Warriors held Steubenville to just 7 first downs while picking up 16 of their own. Wintersville was just as impressive on offense, rolling to 343 yards, 113 of which came on passes. The Warriors were penalized 10 times for 60 yards while Steubenville was flagged 6 times for 78 yards. Both teams played nearly flawless football, with neither side suffering an interception and Wintersville losing 1 of its 2 fumbles for the game's only turnover. "I don't think we played as well as we are capable of playing," Steubenville Head Coach Bob Hedmond said following the loss. "We just had a night when we couldn't put it all together." It didn't start out like that. After the teams had traded possessions, Big Red jumped on top when Mike Mayo took DeMattio's punt at the Wintersville 48, moved to his left and then accelerated through a hole in the middle of the field for a touchdown. The extra point failed when the ball was snapped over the holder's head and Steubenville held a 6-0 lead. Wintersville would come right back to take the lead by marching 75 yards in 10 plays and using 2:32 off the clock. The Warrior's score came when quarterback Jim Fickes, playing with a concussion suffered last week against Newark, pitched to Collaros, who sprinted past the Big Red defense for 26 yards. DeMattio's kick made the score 7-6. The Wintersville defense held Big Red on its next series to force a punt and set up its second score. This time it was Doug Freshwater who did most of the work carrying the ball 3 times and getting the touchdown when Fickes found him on a 9 yard pass with about 4:30 to play in the half. DeMattio's try for the conversion failed and Wintersville had to settle for a 13-6 lead at the half. The Warriors came out in the 2nd half looking for an upset and proceeded to completely shut Big Red down, holding Steubenville to just 10 plays the entire quarter. What would turn out to be the winning score came at the start of the 3rd quarter when Wintersville took the kickoff and drove 69 yards in 11 plays. Collaros picked up his second touchdown of the game when he scampered in for the score from the 10. DeMattio's kick made the score 20-6. Steubenville would score late in the game when Creech moved his team from its own 28 to a touchdown, largely on the strength of pass completions of 26 and 16 yards to Neal Hudson and Henry Hython and a nice 26 yard run himself. The touchdown came when Creech tossed a 12 yard pass to Mayo that the 150 pound sophomore pulled down between 2 defenders. On the night, Creech completed 6 of 12 passes for 53 yards. Wintersville passers completed 5 of 14 tosses for 109 yards. In addition to Fickes, Saccoccia called on his end, Tom Sierawski to toss a 49 yard pass to Ramone Harris late in the 3rd quarter. Freshwater was Wintersville's leading receiver with 53 yards on 3 catches while Neal Hudson paced Steubenville with 39 yards on 3 catches. "Rich and his staff did a heck of a job," a slightly disappointed Hedmond said. "Their kids did really well. I wish them success the rest of the season." |
Saturday, October 16th, 1982: Big Red 27, Wintersville 0.
For a great team to win a tight game against another great team, 2 things generally have to happen. The team has to get a big play to turn things in its favor and it must possess the standout performer in the contest. Big Red had both elements going for it last night and used them to break a close game open in the 2nd half for a 27-0 victory over Wintersville at Harding Stadium. Andre Creech, the Steubenville quarterback, was the standout player in the game. He carried the ball 19 times for 123 yards to lead all runners, as his darting moves and option runs confused the Golden Warrior defense all evening. The big play occurred in the 3rd period and was turned in by Doug Dalbenzio. With Big Red leading 7-0, DeMattio had a punt blocked by putting the Warriors out of the game. The 1st half was everything everyone thought it would be. Both teams played cautiously on offense, apparently trying to avoid the big mistake early which could sway the tide of the affair. The Warriors moved to the Big Red 47 on their first possession, getting two first downs in the process, but had to punt. Big Red also got 2 1st downs on its first possession before giving up the ball via the kick. On Wintersville's next possession, DeMattio connected with Doug Freshwater on a crossing pattern for 25 yards, putting the ball at the Big Red 39 yard line. It was the closest the Warriors would get until the final seconds of the game and the Big Red defense, leading the Eastern Buckeye League, stiffened at that point. On Steubenville's first possession of the 2nd period, Mike Mayo broke loose on an off tackle play and scampered 34 yards to the Warrior 45. Only a diving stop prevented a touchdown and the Warrior defense halted the drive there. Starting another drive at its own 26, Big Red moved downfield on the running of Creech. Runs of 22, 9, and 6 yards brought the ball near the Wintersville 30, but Creech fumbled there and Brian Cook recovered for Wintersville. At the start of the 3rd quarter, Big Red received the kickoff and drove to the game's first score. An 11 play, 68 yard drive was highlighted by a 25 yard pass from Creech to Clint Watts. The play was on a 1st and 27 from midfield. Steve Hython then ran for 7 yards, Creech for 9 and the drive culminated when Watts caught a 9 yard touchdown pass deep in the middle of the endzone. Trailing 7-0, the Warriors kept the ball on the ground, getting stopped on their own 42. DeMattio, who had been averaging better than 40 yards per punt, dropped back to kick again. Four Big Red players stormed in, however, and Dalbenzio blocked the punt, Big Red falling on the football at the Warrior 15. On the second snap from scrimmage, Ben Wiggins broke outside for a 10 yard touchdown jaunt and Big Red led 14-0 with 3:26 left in the 3rd period. Wiggins rushed for 29 yards on 9 carries in the game, while Hython picked up 22 yards on 5 carries. Mayo gained 41 yards on 5 carries. Anthony Collaros led Wintersville with 14 carries for 71 yards, while Jim Wilson picked up 61 yards on 14 attempts. The final 2 touchdowns of the night came late in the 4th period. Hython intercepted a DeMattio pass at the Warrior 34 yard line. John Baldwin caught a 10 yard pass from Creech to highlight a short drive and with just 46 seconds left, Creech scrambled in from 11 yards out. Desperately trying for a score, DeMattio fired a pass to a receiver who slipped making his move and Paul "Mookie" Williams hauled in the football and raced 35 yards down the sideline for Big Red's final score with 16 seconds remaining. On the final play of the game, Collaros broke off tackle for 26 yards, the longest play from scrimmage for Wintersville on the night. Big Red's defense held the Warrior ground game in check while Big Red's rushing attack amassed 267 yards as a team. Defense was the name of the game on this night, though, and Big Red took major step toward the state playoffs with its defense. The Warriors fell to 5-2 with the loss. |
Saturday, October 15th, 1983: Big Red 26, Wintersville 6.
It seem that everytime Steubenville Big Red has needed a big play from either its offense or defense this season, it has gotten it. Saturday night was no exception. The Steubenville offense came up with several big plays to keep scoring drives alive and the defense came up with 3 big turnovers as Big Red rolled to a 26-6 win over Wintersville at Harding Stadium. Mike Mayo scored on a 43 yard run early in the game, Tor Hill scored on a 3 yard run, Ben Boykin returned an interception 65 yards, and Randy Birden caught a 6 yard scoring pass to provide Big Red with all the points it would need. Besides being an impressive victory over one of its biggest rivals, the win was important to Big Red for several other reasons. First, it extended the school's winning regular season winning streak to 19 games. Second it keeps Big Red at the top of the Eastern Buckeye League title race. And third, it will boost the school's point total substantially when this week's computer ratings are released by the Ohio High School Athletic Association. Big Red had entered this weekend's action in the no. 2 spot in Region 7, 4 points behind Youngstown Ursuline and 1.5 points ahead of 3rd place Wooster. The top 2 schools in each region qualify for the Ohio playoffs. The Golden Warriors slip to 5-2 with the loss. Mayo did most of the work for Big Red Saturday night, carrying the ball 9 times for 96 yards and catching 3 passes for 46 yards. Ben Boykin added 59 yards to the Big Red attack, which ground out 243 yards against a strong Warrior defense. Hill, the team's senior quarterback, completed 6 of his 13 passes for 76 yards and tossed 2 interceptions. The Big Red defense held Wintersville to just 95 yards rushing. Jim Wilson, the Warriors' 5'10" senior running back, was held to just 59 yards rushing. Wilson had entered the game as the EBL's leading rusher, but missed all but 1 play of the 2nd half after suffering an ankle injury near the end of the 1st half. Quarterback Kelly Burge completed 7 of his 18 pass attempts for 108 yards, but suffered 3 interceptions. Derek Smith and Mayo came up with interceptions in addition to Boykin's. John Weaver and Cecil Fletcher had interceptions for Wintersville. The lone Wintersville touchdown came when Bill DiMarzio caught a 10 yard pass from Burge near the end of the 1st half. |
Saturday, October 13th, 1984: Big Red 28, Wintersville 26.
The Steubenville defense bent a lot but refused to break Saturday night at Harding Stadium. The Steubenville Big Red defense, which had given up just 16 points (none on the starting unit) in its previous 6 games, forced Wintersville quarterback Kelly Burdge to overthrow an intended receiver on a 2-point conversion attempt with 1:40 left in the game and preserve a 28-26 win over Wintersville. Marcus McGhee scored 2 touchdowns and Todd Kelley and Matt Morrison each scored 1 to lead Big Red to the win. Steve Lucas powered the Steubenville running game with 140 yards on 16 carries. The victory also allowed Big Red to extend its school record regular season winning streak to 29 games. Don Vanderborne, who would finish as Wintersville's leading rusher with 92 yards on 19 carries, scored 3 touchdowns and Burge 1 for the Golden Warriors, who suffered their 2nd consectutive defeat and stand at 5-2. In addition to his rushing, Vanderborne also caught 4 passes for 99 yards to finish with a total of 191 yards on the night. A crowd of 10, 038 fans looked on as Wintersville jumped out to a 14-0 lead early in the 2nd quarter only to see Big Red score 2 times and knot the game at halftime. The two teams would trade scores in the 3rd quarter before Matt Morrison would score what would be the deciding touchdown on a 13-yard pass from Steve Nodianos with :28 seconds left in the quarter. Todd Kelley caught a pass for a 2-point conversion to give Big Red a 28-20 lead. The Golden Warriors would drive 43 yards to a touchdown after Bob Shoemaker recovered a Big Red fumble. Burdge hit Vanderborne with a 13-yard pass on a 4th and 9 play at the Big Red 22 to keep the drive alive and Wintersville's 6', 172 pound quarterback scored the touchdown on a 4-yard run on a 4th down play. Wintersville tried to tie the game when it flooded the right corner of the endzone, but Burdge's pass to Shoemaker went off numerous hands and fell incomplete. The win will help Big Red in the chase for a Region 7 playoff spot. Steubenville had entered the game in 4th place in the region with 46.5 points. Wintersville had started play in 3rd place in Region 7 with 49.4 points. The top 2 teams in each region, as determined by Ohio's computer ranking system, advance to the playoffs. Wintersville jumped out to a 14-0 lead after putting together 2 long drives. Vanderborne scored from 3 yards out to cap a 66-yard, 12 play drive and then scored from the 2 to cap a 51-yard, 11 play drive. Vanderborne kicked the extra points after each score and the Golden Warriors had a comfortable lead with 10:29 left in the half. Big Red used 2 plays to help erase the deficit. After the teams traded possessions, Steubenville ended up with the ball on its own 20. Lucas broke loose on a 73-yard run, however, and only a diving tackle by Bill DiMarzio saved a score. Three plays later, McGhee scored from the 1, but a run for the conversion failed and Big Red trailed 14-6. Joe Biasi intercepted Burdge at the Big Red 43 on Wintersville's next play and Big Red came up with another big play to get the Red its second score. McGhee took a pitch from Nodianos, rolled to his right and found a diving Biasi all alone at the Wintersville 24. Kelley scored 5 plays later from the 1 and then hauled in a pass from Nodianos to knot the game at 14. Big Red took the lead when McGhee capped an 8 play, 87-yard drive with a 17-yard run just 2:20 into the 2nd half. Nodianos had kept the drive alive when he completed a 40-yard pass to John Murray on a 3rd and 3 play at the Wintersville 29. A pass for the conversion failed and Big Red lead 20-14. The Warriors came back with a big play of their own midway through the quarter. Burdge, who would complete 7 of 15 passes for 120 yards, connected with Vandeborne on a 71-yard scoring pass to tie the game at 20 with 5:14 left in the quarter. Vandeborne's catch came after a 67-yard touchdown pass to DiMarzio was called back. Vandeborne's kick failed and the game remained tied. Big Red responded by marching 52 yards in 10 plays to its final score. Morrison got the touchdown on a 2nd down pass from the Wintersville 13 and Kelley hauled in the conversion pass. Big Red drove from its own 46 to the Wintersville 9 before the Warrior defense stiffened and stopped Lucas short on a 4th down play. Rob Blackwell appeared to be behind the Big Red defense and open to make a sure touchdown grab near midfield only to have Big Red's Dan Wise bat Burge's pass away at the last instant. Wintersville punted on the next play and Big Red got the ball at its own 46. Lucas slipped going after a pitchout, however, and Shoemaker fell on the loose ball at the 43 to set up the Warrior's last score. Steubenville recovered an on-sides kick at its own 49 with 1:40 left in the game and was able to run the clock out to preserve the win. Wintersville's Todd Shreive was removed from the game on a stretcher late in the game. He was diagnosed to have a knee injury. The win gives Big Red a 5-2 edge in the series with the Golden Warriors. |
Saturday, October 12th, 1985: Big Red 14, Wintersville 0.
Years from now, when fans and players take a look back at Saturday's high school football game between Steubenville Big Red and Wintersville, 3 very big plays will quickly come to mind. The first was made by John Downard, who scooped up a fumble and ran 23 yards for a touchdown early in the 2nd quarter. The 2nd was made by Dan Wise, who broke through the Wintersville line to stop Golden Warriors' quarterback Dean Ferguson on a 4th down and 1 play at the Big Red 3. And the 3rd big play was made by Julius Shackleford, who caught a 30-yard touchdown pass from Big Red quarterback Steve Nodianos midway through the 2nd quarter. Those plays, plus a defense that held Wintersville to just 45 yards rushing, helped the Red take a 14-0 win over its rival in front of over 9,000 fans at Harding Stadium. The win was Big Red's 6th straight. It should also help Big Red, Ohio's defending Division II champion, in the race for a Region 7 playoff birth. Steubenville had started play this week 2nd in the region behind Canton Central Catholic in the weekly computer ratings released by the Ohio High School Athletic Association. Wintersville was 4th in region 7. The win was Big Red's 4th straight against Wintersville and gives it a 6-2 lead in the series, which began in 1943 and has been played every year since 1979. While the Big Red defense was shutting down the Wintersville offense, the Big Red offense was gaining 258 yards, 207 of which came on the ground. Brian Young, who had seen little action on offense during the early part of the season, rushed for 77 yards on 13 carries to lead the Big Red. Marcus McGhee added 43 yards rushing while Joe Jones had 36 yards and Wise 35 yards. Nodianos completed just 2 of 4 passes for 51 yards, but 1 of those completions was the 30-yard scoring toss to Shackleford late in the 1st half. Niles Herring made the other Big Red catch for 21 yards. Big Red came up with its first big play near the end of the 1st quarter. Faced with a 3rd and 7 at his own 42, Ferguson dropped into a shotgun formation. The Wintersville quarterback was unable to handle a high snap from center, however, and fumbled the football. Downard finally scooped up the loose ball at the 23 and raced in for the touchdown with 3 minutes, 40 seconds left in the 1st quarter. The snap from center on the attempt for the point after was mishandled and a pass fell incomplete. That left Big Red with a 6-0 lead. Wintersville took the ensuing kickoff and tried to do what it has done best this season, ru the ball right at Big Red. The Golden Warriors, who slip to 5-2, used 18 plays to drive to the Big Red 3 before Wise came up with his big play. Faced with a 4th and 1 at the Big Red 3, Ferguson rolled right on an option play. Wise broke through the line and tripped up the Warrior quarterback in the backfield to end that scoring threat. That stop could have been the turning point of the game. In addition to taking 18 plays, that drive used up 8:47. Wintersville had converted two 3rd down and two 4th down plays along the way. Having just come up with a big play on defense, Big Red turned around and drove 96 yards in 12 plays for its second score of the evening. Besides Nodianos' scoring pass to Shackleford, the biggest play of the drive came from Young when he ran for 26 yards on the first play following Wise's big defensive effort. McGhee ran for the conversion and Big Red held a 14-0 lead at halftime. Kevin Wesley was Wintersville's leading rusher with 28 yards on 10 carries. Ferguson completed 6 of 17 passes for 75 yards but suffered 4 interceptions. His favorite target was Mike Orbovich, who made 4 catches for 50 yards. Paul Shepherd had 2 interceptions for Big Red while Young and Jones each had one interception. Marc Kamarec had an interception for the Warriors while Matt Sensibaugh and Don Jack each had a fumble recovery. Wintersville would not move the ball past its own 46 in the 2nd half. Shepherd came up with both his interceptions while Jones made his interception in the 2nd half. Big Red missed 2 scoring chances in the 2nd half when Rusty Ranallo failed on 2 field goal attempts. His first field goal try of the evening came from 47 yards and had plenty of distance but hit the right upright and bounced away. His second field goal attempt came from 36 yards out and was blocked at the line of scrimmage. In addition to giving Big Red bragging rights for next year, Saturday's win also gives it sole possession of 1st place in the Eastern Buckeye League with a 3-0 league slate. |
Friday, November 8th, 1985: Big Red 21, Wintersville 14 (OT).
Steubenville Big Red and Wintersville both entered the game with 8-2 records, with Big Red winning the regular season matchup 14-0 a few weeks earlier. If the game were a boxing match, Big Red was knocked flat on the canvas early in the final round, its sole chance of victory harbored in the hopes of landing a wild punch to floor its opponent. The wild punch came in the form of Julius Shackleford. His 48-yard touchdown reception in the waning seconds of regulation time knotted the contest and Steve Nodianos' 1-yard run in overtime handed Big Red a 21-14 victory over Wintersville in an Ohio Division II playoff game Friday night in Harding Stadium. Wintersville has a brilliant season ended at 8-3. When the win is described as come-from-behind, it is almost an understatement. When Golden Warrior tailback Kevin Wesley broke free for a 73-yard touchdown scamper in the 4th quarter-out running Big Red's Mike West to the endzone-Wintersville had a 14-0 lead with only 7:25 remaining in the contest. Until that point, both teams relied on the running game, each meeting some moderate success. In that final 7 minutes, however, Nodianos would throw the football 15 times in rallying Big Red from near-certain elimination. The first touchdown march covered 66 yards in 15 plays. Three consectutive 3rd down passes were completed, as was one 4th down play. On 3rd and 10 from the Big Red 34-yard line, Shackleford wiggled free for a 21-yard reception. On 3rd and 10 from Wintersville's 45, James Creech got loose for an 18-yard connection. On 3rd and 10 from the Warrior 27, Marcus McGhee caught a pass for a 6-yard gain, held short of the 1st down by a jarring hit by Wesley. Wesley hit McGhee low, sending him spinning over backwards at the 27-yard line. Both players were shaken up, yet both stayed in the game. Senior Brian Young got free over the middle for a clutch 6-yard reception on 4th down. Big Red then went to the ground game, Nodianos crashing over from the 2-yard line a few plays later with 3:45 left. Rusty Ranallo's conversion closed the Warrior lead to 14-7. Wintersville was held on downs and punted, Big Red gaining possession at its own 35-yard line with 1:37 remaining. Nodianos scrambled out of bounds for a 13-yard gain near midfield. McGhee caught a 12-yard pass, but a clipping penalty moved the ball back to the Warrior 48-yard line. Then, undoubtedly, the play of the game. Nodianos found Shackleford over the middle, the senior receiver catching the ball near the 30-yard line. As the Warrior defender was blocked to the turf, Shackleford had an avenue open toward the right corner of the endzone. He outran the pack to the goal line, touching off pandemonium on the Big Red side of the stadium with 42 seconds left on the clock. After a penalty nullified Ranallo's first conversion, the second was perfect and the game headed for overtime. The Warriors won the coin flip and gave first possession to Big Red. Starting at the 20-yard line, Young carried twice for 5 tough yards, McGhee for 4 more on 3rd down. On 4th and 1, Big Red coach Reno Saccoccia opted to let Young carry for the 1st down. The senior fullback picked up 3 yards in doing so. On 1st down from the 8 yard line, Joe Johnson carried for 2 yards, then 5, and Nodianos snuck into the endzone behind center Ted Gorman and Ranallo's kick gave Big Red its first lead at 21-14. On Wintersville's possession, Darrell Jackson carried for 2 yards to the Big Red 18-yard line. Two incomplete passes, intended for Mike Orbovich, followed. On 4th down, Curtis Herring intercepted a pass intended for the endzone. Just like that, Big Red had seemingly accomplished the impossible. Just like that, for the Warriors it was over. Wintersville had dominated on its first possession of the game, going 67 yards in 15 plays and eating the first 7:28 off the clock. Three 3rd downs were converted during the drive-Wesley caught a 9-yard pass on 3rd and 6 for what would be Wintersville's lone completion of the night. Dean Ferguson scrambled for 14 yards on 3rd and 14, and Jackson carried for 2 yards on 3rd and one from Big Red's 3-yard line. Ferguson scored on a quarterback sneak and his kick gave Wintersville a 7-0 lead. An opportunity to increase the lead was missed by Wintersville early in the 2nd quarter. Facing 4th and 1 from the Big Red 20-yard line, Wintersville coach Sam Fornsaglio opted for the field goal attempt. Ferguson's 37-yard effort had the distance, but barly missed to the right. Big Red had the football for only 1:37 of the opening quarter. Steubenville had it for nearly all of the 2nd. A 20 play, 75-yard march that consumed 9:22 of the 2nd quarter ended with no points. Big Red took the ball to Wintersville's 6-yard line and had a first down. McGhee carried for no gain, Young for a yard, and Nodianos threw slightly behind Shackleford in the endzone. On 4th down, Steubenville went for it. Throwing the halfback option pass, McGhee overthrew Charles Haire in the endzone. Neither team threatned in the 3rd quarter. When Jackson recovered a McGhee fumble and Wesley broke through Big Red's defense for his 73-yard run 3 plays after that recovery-and Ferguson added another conversion-Wintersville's side began to celebrate. Albeit, a little too early. Nodianos would complete 11 of 28 passes for 161 yards and Wesley carried 14 times for 112 stripes. Statistically, they were the standouts. Realistically, there was not a player on the field who was not a star in the eyes of the coaching staffs and the 9,619 fans who witnessed the proceedings. The attendance is an Ohio Division II playoff record. The performances on both sides never made an attendance record more fitting. |
Saturday, October 11th, 1986: Big Red 14, Wintersville 7.
The defensive unit on this year's edition of the Steubenville Big Red football team has been nicknamed "Sledgehammer" and that name certainly applied in Saturday evening's contest against Wintersville at Harding Stadium. While that defense was holding the Golden Warriors to just 9 yards rushing, Dunyasha Yetts was leading an offense that gained 258 yards as Big Red downed its arch-rival, 14-7, in front of an estimated crowd of over 9,000 persons. Yetts, a 145 pound sophomore, rushed for 100 yards on 11 carries to finish as the game's leading rusher. His biggest carry of the evening was a 63-yard touchdown run in the 2nd quarter that came just 44 seconds after Wintersville had taken a 7-0 lead on a 42-yard touchdown pass from Marc Kamarec to Stan Albaugh. James Creech scored what proved to the winning touchdown on Big Red's first possession of the 2nd half when he banged into the endzone from the 1 yard line on a 4th and goal play. Rusty Ranallo added the PAT after each Touchdown. Big Red had entered the game ranked 6th in Ohio's class AAA by the Associated Press. The victory should also be a big help to Steubenville in its drive for an Ohio High School Athletic Association Division II playoff birth. Big Red had started play 2nd in region 7 in the OHSAA's weekly computer rankings. The win was also the 6th straight for Big Red against the Golden Warriors. Steubenville now holds a 7-2 edge in the regular season series between the teams. Big Red was also a winner in the teams' 1 battle in the playoffs. Wintersville is now 5-2. The Big Red defense limited Wintersville to just 5 1st downs on the evening, all of which came in the 1st half. Wintersville ran just 15 plays in the 2nd half, and 7 of those were incomplete passes. Steubenville, meanwhile, marched to 11 1st downs on the evening, 10 of which came on the ground. Jim Kelley added 49 yards rushing on 11 carries to the Steubenville ground game. Kelley also finished as Big Red's leading receiver with 30 yards on 2 catches. Big Red was unable to cash in on a scoring opportunity the first time it had the football. Perry Jeter came up with an interception at the Wintersville 27 on the 3rd play of the game, but the Steubenville drive ended at the Warriors' 16 when Wintersville's Todd Zimish recovered a fumble. The teams traded 2 possessions before Wintersville finally got on the scoreboard. The Warriors needed just 3 plays and 1:39 seconds to drive to their only score. The touchdown came when Kamarec rolled to his left and found that Albaugh had slipped behind the Steubenville secondary. Albaugh caught the pass from the junior quarterback at about the 30 and raced into the endzone for the score. Marc Alaia's kick gave Wintersville a 7-0 lead with 7:57 to play in the first half. Big Red wasted no time before scoring its first touchdown. Yetts broke loose on his 63-yard touchdown run just 2 plays later and Ranallo's kick tied the score with 7:13 to play in the half. Steubenville brought out its ball control offense on its first possession of the 2nd half, using 12 plays and 6:01 to drive 57 yards to its 2nd touchdown. Creech fought his way in for the touchdown on a 4th down play after the Wintersville defense had stopped 3 previous scoring attempts from the one. Ranallo's kick gave Big Red its 14-7 lead. Armed with its first lead of the evening, the Steubenville defense went to work, shutting the Warriors' attack down completely. Wintersville never got closer to the goal line than its own 43 in the 2nd half. Albaugh was also his team's leading receiver with 2 catches for 56 yards. Kamarec completed 5 of 18 passes for 115 yards. Jeter and Curtis Herring each had an interception for Big Red. Creech, meanwhile, was having one of his best games of the season, completing 6 of 13 passes for 67 yards. He was not intercepted. The game saw the return of Kevin Wesley to the Wintersville backfield. Wesley, who had been seriously injured in an automobile accident this summer, gained 5 yards on 7 carries. |
Saturday, October 10th, 1987: Big Red 28, Wintersville 27 (2OT).
Most area football fans agree the most exciting game ever housed by Harding Stadium was Steubenville Big Red's 21-14 Division II overtime playoff victory over Wintersville in 1985. Guess again. When Big Red and the Warriors locked horns Saturday evening, the game went into 2 overtimes, not just 1. It was played in a steady rain all night. And even when the issue was finally decided, nobody was sure who had won. Big Red did, 28-27. The contest went into overtime tied at 14 as Wintersville scored a pair of 2nd half touchdowns to overcome a 14-0 halftime deficit. In the first extra session, Big Red won the coin toss and elected to give the Warriors possession first on the Steubenville 20-yard line. Big Red's John Lytle was called for face guarding Rusty Hines in the endzone, the penalty setting up Mike Freshwater for a 5 yard scoring run. Marc Cubbison's conversion gave Wintersville a 21-14 lead. Steubenville answered when quarterback James Creech connected with Del Vinson in the right corner of the endzone for a 17-yard touchdown pass and Rusty Ranallo converted the PAT. Tied at 21, there was a second overtime. Wintersville won the toss and gave Big Red possession. Dunyasha "Tubbo" Yetts-who rambled for 229 yards on 25 carries overall-had runs of 6 and 8 yards, setting up Dunrick Yetts for a 1-yard scoring bolt. Again, Ranallo converted and Big Red had a 7 point lead. Back came Wintersville. Eric Morgan escaped around left end for a 10-yard scoring run and the Warriors lined up for the kick. Coach Sam Fornsaglio elected to go for the fake, holder Marc Kamarec taking the snap and heading for the left side of Big Red's endzone. Kamarec was hit around the 5-yard line and simultaneously flipped the ball into the Steubenville endzone. A pack of players went after it and a Warrior fell on it. Fumble? 2 points? No good? What? Two officials gave the touchdown signal and the Wintersville team leaped skyward, rejoicing a 29-28 truimph. As they were leaping, the officials were conversing. The official ruling was an illegal forward pitch, the play was nullified and Big Red's players leaped skyward, rejoicing their 7th straight win over their neighborhood rival. If all that was not enough for you, regulation play was just as exciting. Big Red broke a scoreless tie in the 2nd quarter when Dunyasha "Tubbo" Yetts broke loose for a 79-yard gain, Freshwater catching him from behind at the Wintersville 3-yard line. The play set up Creech for a 1-yard run with 7:04 left in the half. The 5 play, 86-yard march took just 2:14 off the clock. Just before that, Wintersville held the ball for 9:34, moving the ball 70 yards on 18 plays. The drive reached Big Red's 23, but penalties necessitated an eventual punt from midfield. Big Red doubled its lead to 14-0 with just 14 seconds left in the half. A 6 play, 68-yard drive took only 1:18 as Tubbo Yetts had runs of 14 and 34 yards. Creech connected with a sliding John Haynes in the left corner of the endzone for a 16-yard touchdown pass. Wintersville scored on its second possession of the 3rd quarter. Set up by a 21-yard punt that sailed out of bound at midfield and a 15-yard personal foul penalty, Cubbison found Kamarec wide open for an 11-yard scoring toss with 5:04 left in the quarter. The PAT sailed wide right. Yetts fumbled the ensuing kickoff and T. J. Bowman recovered for Wintersville at the Big Red 32. A Lytle interception-his 5th of the year-snuffed out that chance, however. Early in the 4th quarter, Wintersville was set up when Big Red punter Paris Settles had to chase a snap over his head into his own endzone. His desperation pass fell incomplete, Steubenville whistled for illegal receivers downfield, and Wintersville had a 1st down at the Big Red 20. On 4th down, Cubbison's quarterback sneak resulted in a 1-yard touchdown run. His 2-point pass was lofted in the direction of Kamarec and Big Red's Leon Sawyer. Kamarec came down with it and the game was even with 8:49 remaining. Big Red then drove to Wintersville's 20, but a critical 3rd down sack of Creech by Fred Huff forced Ranallo to try a 44-yard field goal that was short with 4:57 left. Big Red would march into Golden Warrior territory once more, 2 key plays snuffing out the drive. Sawyer dropped a pass when he was wide open at Wintersville's 11 and Bill DeSantis dropped Creech short of the sticks on 4th down from the Warrior 41-yard line with 50 seconds left. Wintersville ran out the clock at that point. Big Red improved to 5-1, and the Warriors fell to 3-3. |
