2016
State Runner-up
BR |
2016 Saccoccia |
OPP |
|---|---|---|
49 |
Washington Woodrow Wilson DC |
33 |
55 |
USO Pa. |
18 |
41 |
West Holmes |
7 |
28 |
@ Boardman |
0 |
57 |
Dover |
45 |
7 |
Akron St. Vincent/St. Mary |
15 |
24 |
@ Youngstown Ursuline |
15 |
35 |
Tonawanda Cardinal O'Hara Ny. |
14 |
47 |
St. Clairsville |
0 |
39 |
Canada Prep Ont. |
27 |
34 |
Indian Creek |
14 |
26 |
(N) Johnstown Monroe |
8 |
29 |
(N) Shelby |
15 |
51 |
(N) Perry |
27 |
21 |
(N) Bishop Hartley |
24 |
543 |
13-2-0 |
262 |
STEUBENVILLE - Johnnie Blue and Dimitri Collaros made Regional Quarter-final, Big Red, 9-1, vs. Indian Creek Redskins, 8-2, Friday, November 4th, 2016, at Death Valley.r
STEUBENVILLE — For the second consecutive season, the Steubenville football team welcomed Indian Creek to Harding Stadium for a first-round playoff game. In 2016, the result was the same as 2015 with Big Red taking a big victory over the Redskins.
To open the postseason in Division IV, Region 15, No. 2 seed Steubenville earned a 34-14 win against No. 7 Indian Creek. Last year, Big Red was victorious by a score of 40-0.
“Every win in the playoffs is huge,” said Steubenville head coach Reno Saccoccia. “We have so much room to improve, but we do have the desire and the will to improve. We will get better for next week.”
Big Red will meet Johnstown-Monroe in the second round at a site to be determined.
In front of a packed house on Friday, Big Red (9-1) jumped out to a 14-0 lead thanks to a pair of passing touchdowns by Javon Davis. He found Pookie Petteway from 19 yards out for the first score and hit Nick Scott for a 13-yard pass-and-catch as Steubenville led by 14 at the 4:59 mark of the first quarter.
On Indian Creek’s ensuing possession, Zane Zimish of Big Red picked up a fumble, but Big Red would cough it up, too. Just before the end of the first quarter, Indian Creek’s Logan Wilson recovered a loose ball deep in Big Red territory, after a mishandled snap on a punt, which set up the Redskins’ first touchdown.
“We went up 14-0, but what turned the game around was our failure to take care of the punt and we let them off the hook,” Saccoccia said. “As good of a team as they are, they took advantage of it and made it 14-7.”
Robert Coppa put Indian Creek on the board with a powerful one-yard run as the score was 14-7 early in the second quarter.
Both teams fumbled four times, three of which were lost, on both sides. Wilson recovered a second fumble in the second quarter and Derrick Eakle recovered one in the third.
For Big Red, Quentin Moore and Kwadre Williams also picked up fumbles. Mitchell Gulan, Jalen McGhee and Moore were credited with sacks. McGhee picked off a pass in the first quarter, which set up the first score for Steubenville.
“I thought our defense played outstanding,” Saccoccia said. “We caused turnovers, which set up our offense.”
Big Red went up, 21-7, with under a minute remaining in the first half, as Moore’s fumble recovery gave his team the ball on the Indian Creek five-yard line. It took Jacob Bernard two plays to pound into the end zone for the two-touchdown advantage.
Steubenville relied heavily on Bernard’s running game. He finished with 123 yards on 26 carries, including a long run of 28, as Big Red totaled 163 rushing yards as a team on 44 carries.
With his performance, Bernard eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark on the season. The junior has rushed 164 times for 1,009 yards.
“Offensively, it was four and five yards a pop,” Saccoccia said. “You just can’t turn the ball over.”
Bernard scored both of Big Red’s touchdowns in the second half on runs of four and two yards. Indian Creek’s Greg Wade capped the scoring with 3:37 remaining in regulation on an eight-yard run.
“We asked our kids to come down and compete and they did it,” Indian Creek head coach Andrew Connor said. “They got on the bus and our intentions were to come down and win a football game. Nothing more, nothing less than that.
“I thought out kids came down and did exactly that. They battled, played hard. We had a good week of practice.”
The Redskins, who finish the season with a record of 8-3, rushed for 110 yards on 44 carries, led by 54 yards from Wade and 50 from Robert Coppa. Sophomore quarterback Brennan Norris passed for 89 yards on 9 of 14 passing. Austin Rawson was Indian Creek’s top receiver with five catches for 55 yards.
Davis, the first-year Big Red quarterback, passed for 112 yards, completing 11 of 13 passes. University of Pittsburgh recruit Charles Reeves also had five catches for 55 yards, for Steubenville. Petteway finished with three catches for 38 yards.
On third down tries, Steubenville was 7 of 12 and Indian Creek was 8 of 16. The Redskins were 1 of 4 on fourth down attempts.
“We just made some mistakes,” Connor said. “You can’t make mistakes in a playoff game. That’s how it works out. It doesn’t take away from the effort and how proud I am of the kids.”
“Mistakes are mistakes. It doesn’t matter where you have them. It doesn’t matter when they take place.”
Now, with Johnstown-Monroe looming for Big Red, Saccoccia sees a familiar and formidable foe. Steubenville beat the Johnnies, 42-7, in last year’s regional title game. Then, in 2014, Big Red opened the postseason with a 35-22 win against the Johnnies.
“It’s not too early to look ahead,” Saccoccia said. “They’re a very good football team. They’re well-coached and they’re well-disciplined and they play physical. We’re going to have to match their physical play. Hopefully we play smart and fast.”
Big Red 34, Indian Creek 14
Indian Creek 0 7 0 7 — 14
Steubenville 14 7 7 6 — 34
BR: S. Petteway 19 pass from Davis (Duggan kick)
BR: Scott 13 pass from Davis (Duggan kick)
IC: Coppa 1 run (Maiorano kick)
BR: Bernard 2 run (Duggan kick)
BR: Bernard 4 run (Smith kick)
BR: Bernard 2 run (kick missed)
IC: Wade 8 run (Maiorano kick)
RUSHING: Indian Creek 44-110 (Wade 13-54, Coppa 22-50, Norris 4-8, Harton 5-(-2); Big Red 44-163 (Bernard 26-123, Blackmon 3-34, J. Petteway 6-23, , McGhee 3-14, Wallace 2-7, Davis 2-(-5), Duggan 1-(-7), Team 1-(-26)).
PASSING: Indian Creek 10-18-96-0-1 (Norris 9-14-89-0-1, Wade 1-4-7-0-0); Big Red 11-13-112-2-0 (all by Davis).
RECEIVING: Indian Creek 10-96 (Rawson 5-55, Harton 2-17, Wade 2-17, Coppa 1-7); Big Red 11-112 (Reeves 5-55, S. Petteway 3-38, Scott 1-13, Davis 1-11, Bernard 1-(-5)).
FIRST DOWNS: Indian Creek 16, Big Red 16.
PENALTIES-YARDS: Indian Creek 0-0, Big Red 7-73.
FUMBLES-LOST: Indian Creek 4-3, Big Red 4-3.
Regional Semi-final, Big Red, 10-1, vs. Johnstown Monroe Johnnies, 10-1, Friday, November 11th, 2016, at Dover's Crater Stadium.
DOVER–There’s something about Johnstown-Monroe that brings out the opportunistic side of Steubenville’s football team.
Big Red forced four first half turnovers, turning two into touchdowns, on its way to a 26-8 victory in the Division IV, Region 15 semifinals on a chilly Friday night inside Dover’s Crater Stadium.
In the 2015 regional title tilt between the schools, Steubenville converted four first-half Johnnie miscues into scores.
With the victory, Big Red improves to 11-1 and will play for its fourth consecutive regional championship next Friday against Shelby. The site will be determined Sunday by the OHSAA. Steubenville now has completed the playoff trifecta against Johnstown, having beaten the Johnnies in all three levels of regional action.
“We played a very good game against a very good team,” Reno Saccoccia said following the contest. “I think our quickness helped us tonight as did our intensity along both the offensive and defensive lines. We played great defensively and we played well on offense until we got up 24-0.”
After its defense bent but didn’t break on J-M’s first possession, Big Red needed just two snaps to dent the scoreboard. Jacob Bernard took a handoff from Javon Davis, burst right up the gut and sprinted 91 yards for a touchdown. Austen Duggan’s kick made it 7-0.
Following an exchange of fumbles, Steubenville went the same distance for its second touchdown. Davis went high in the air to grab the snap, dropped back and hit Pookie Petteway streaking down the right sideline. Petteway went up over the defender to snatch the pigskin, then raced to the house. The pass and run covered 91 yards. Duggan’s kick made it 14-0.
Prior to the long pass play, Big Red fumbled a punt in its own territory and J-M was knocking on the door with a first and goal at the Steubenville five. Ny’Juan Robinson, however, jarred the ball loose from Johnstown’s Justin Franklin and recovered the fumble.
A second straight Franklin fumble (Nick Scott recovering) gave Steubenville the ball right back at the J-M 27. Bernard’s second touch resulted in a 27-yard sprint to the house. Duggan made it 21-0 with his conversion kick.
Big Red ran just five plays in the opening period, scoring on three.
“We started quick and played well early, we just made too many mistakes after we got up 21-0,” Saccoccia stated. “We tried to substitute too many people at too many positions on both offense and defense. It just didn’t work.
“We made our mistakes on offense and defense but our kids played as fast as they could play and as physical as they could play. We just have to play a little bit smarter and we have to do a better job with our substitutions.”
A third Johnstown fumble halted a long drive, which began at the J-M 17 and ended at the Big Red seven, Scott stripping the ball from Franklin and Marlon Lawrence recovering. Scott also collected an interception near the end of the first half.
During the initial 24 minutes, J-M ran 46 plays for 202 yards while Big Red needed just 22 to generate 294 yards of offense.
Big Red’s lead increased to 24-0 early in the third quarter on a 26-yard field goal by Mark Smith. Steubenville started the drive with great field possession when a J-M onside kick was recovered by Ryan Bernard at the Big Red 48.
J-M’s fifth turnover of the game, this fumble recovered by Jonathan Blackmon, stopped another potential scoring drive, which also ended at the Big Red seven.
Big Red’s possession following that recovery ended with a blocked field goal but a few snaps later the defense delivered again.
Quarterback Cody Workman was dropped in the end zone by Zack Ekey, Johnny Agresta, Kwadre Williams and others for a safety.
Johnstown got on the board with 50 seconds remaining when Andrew Sayer plowed over from three yards away.
J-M, which finished at 10-2 and has lost to Big Red three straight seasons, ended with 273 rushing yards and 84 through the air. The Johnnies were averaging 405 on the ground for the season. Workman collected 124 and Franklin 120. Johnstown lost five fumbles, threw an interception and allowed the safety.
“You can’t have turnovers in any game, let alone in a game against a team like Steubenville, J-M veteran coach Mike Carter said. “We certainly had our fair share of them tonight. Unfortunately, those turnovers put us in a real bind. They’re a good ball club.
“Against an explosive team like Steubenville, you just can’t give up the big plays and we did tonight. They are a big play type of team. We wanted to slow down the pace and control the line of scrimmage for four quarters. The turnovers and their big plays kept us from doing that.”
Bernard finished with 169 yards on the ground for Big Red. He toted the leather 19 times. Davis completed 12 passes for 254 yards and P. Petteway had five catches for 140. Steubenville’s offense finished with 454 yards.
Looking ahead, Saccoccia said Big Red’s goal is to simply “get through Monday.”
“We want to have great individual practices on Monday and Tuesday in order to get ourselves better,” he stressed. “On Wednesday and Thursday, we’ll worry about Shelby. We’re still improving, it’s a slow process but we’re still improving.
“Monday and Tuesday will be all about getting Big Red better. Then we’ll focus on stopping Shelby and how to score some points against them.”
Steubenville 26, Johnstown-Monroe 8
J-M 0 0 0 8 – 8
Big Red 21 0 3 2 – 26
BIG RED: Bernard 91 run (Duggan kick)
BIG RED: P. Petteway 91 pass from Davis (Duggan kick)
BIG RED: Bernard 27 run (Duggan kick)
BIG RED: Smith 26 field goal
BIG RED: Safety, J-M quarterback tackled in end zone
J-M: Sayer 3 run (Franklin run)
RUSHING: Johnstown-Monroe 62-273-1 (Workman 29-124; Franklin 28-120; Rehl 2-3; Sayer 3-26-1); Big Red 28-200-2 (Davis 2-(-7); Bernard 19-169-2; Blackmon 2-29; J. Petteway 2-6; Mitchell 3-3).
PASSING: Johnstown-Monroe 6-11-84-0-int (all by Workman); Big Red 12-28-1 (Davis 12-27-254-1; Agresta 0-1).
RECEIVING: Johnstown Monroe 6-84 (Farley 1-9; Clift 3-46; Franklin 2-29); Big Red 12-254-1 (Reeves 2-62; Taylor 2-24; P. Petteway 5-140-1; Blackmon 2-17; Scott 1-11).
FIRST DOWNS: Johnstown-Monroe 19; Big Red 16.
PENALTIES-YARDS: Johnstown-Monroe 7-55; Big Red 7-65.
PUNTS: Johnstown-Monroe 3-39; Big Red 3-33.
FUMBLES-LOST: Johnstown-Monroe 5-5; Big Red 1-1.
Regional Final, Big Red, 11-1, vs. the Shelby Whippets, 11-1, Friday, November 18th, 2016, at Massillon's Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.
MASSILLON — Big plays on both sides of the ball helped Steubenville earn its fourth consecutive regional championship inside Paul Brown Tiger Stadium Friday night.
Johnny Agresta’s sprint with a fumble recovery and Alec Taylor’s jaunt down the sidelines produced touchdowns as Big Red won a 29-15 slugfest over Shelby in the Division IV, Region 15 title match.
With the victory, Steubenville improves to 12-1 and now will face Perry in next week’s state semifinals. The unbeaten Pirates eliminated Chardon Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin 22-9 in the Region 13 finals.
“It was a great game on both sides of the ball, but it’s just one game,” said Reno Saccoccia after watching his team accept another regional championship trophy. “But it’s one game. We’re going to enjoy it tonight then start getting ready for the next one tomorrow.
“Our defense played lights out and we made enough plays on offense to win the game. But, our defense stopped a team that was averaging 44 points a game. Coach (Anthony) Pierro put together a great game plan and our guys executed.”
Agresta’s long run came just before the half and capped a rather bizarre series of events. The Whippets, who finish at 10-2, were marching for an apparent go-ahead touchdown and had a first and goal at the Steubenville 10.
A key fourth down conversion, quarterback Brennan Armstrong hit Hunter Egner for 14, along with a questionable personal foul call against the Big Red, kept the drive moving. Armstrong then went back to pass but Big Red’s Charles Reeves delivered a nasty hit, jarring the ball loose.
Agresta caught the loose pigskin in midair and raced untouched down the sidelines. Mitchell Gulan grabbed a two-point conversion pass from Gino Pierro and Steubenville had a 15-7 halftime advantage.
“The officials made it a bigger play than it should have been,” Saccoccia said of Agresta’s touchdown. “It should have been 7-7 at the half, but we’ll take that play. They (the officials) didn’t call targeting, they called over-aggressiveness.”
Steubenville’s lead increased to 22-7 with 2:20 left in the third when junior quarterback Javon Davis found fellow junior Alec Taylor streaking down the right side of the field. The pass and run covered 85 yards. Austen Duggan nailed the conversion kick.
Big Red’s third touchdown followed a super stand by its defense after Shelby moved from its own 20 to the Steubenville 11. A two-yard gain by Armstrong was followed by two incompletions. On fourth down, Jalen McGhee broke through and threw Armstrong for a six yard loss.
Shelby, which was making its first regional championship appearance since 1998, came right back, however, marching 82 yards for a score which came on the third play of the fourth quarter. Armstrong, who gained most of the yardage on the drive on runs, plowed over from a yard out. He then hit Gieseler for the two pointer.
Big Red basically sealed the deal with 3:42 left in the game on a one-yard plunge by hard running Jacob Bernard. The touchdown capped a 58 yard drive which began after McGhee recovered a Shelby fumble.
The Whippets had gained 33 yards on a pass from Armstrong to Egner. Nick Scott stripped the ball from the Shelby receiver, McGhee recovering.
“I don’t even really care about four straight,” Saccoccia stated when discussing his team’s title streak. “I just care about these kids. Nobody gave them credit at the beginning of the year to do what they are doing. But, they’ve stuck with it. They’re great teammates and they want to keep improving. We don’t talk about winning or losing, we talk about improving.”
After a 29-yard Shelby field goal attempt went wide left, Big Red launched a drive that would cover 80 yards and lead to the game’s first touchdown. It came on the first play of the second quarter via a 26-yard Davis to Jonathon Blackmon pass. Blackmon caught the ball in the flat, picked up a big block from Scott and cruised to the end zone.
Big Red had a golden opportunity to extend its lead after the Whippets fumbled the ensuing kickoff, Jamal Petteway recovering. The Shelby defense, however, held serve, forcing a turnover on downs.
Shelby pulled event with 6:19 left in the half on a 10-yard pass from Armstrong to Gieseler.
The scoring march came after a 56-yard punt by Armstrong pinned Big Red deep in its own territory. The Shelby drive started at the Steubenville 37.
Shelby came into the game averaging 457 yards per contest. Big Red held the Whippets to 367. Armstrong threw for 253 and added another 110 on the ground. Devon Brooks, who had collected 2,236 yards in the first 12 games, managed just nine on Friday.
Big Red finished with 337 offensive yards. Bernard ran for 97 on 24 trips. Davis completed 14 of his 23 passes for 235 and two scores. Reeves finished with five catches.
“We’re practicing on Thanksgiving,” Saccoccia stressed. “That’s our goal every year.”
The location for the Division IV semifinal game will be announced Sunday by the Ohio High School Athletic Association.
Steubenville 29, Shelby 15
Big Red 0 15 7 7 – 29
Shelby 0 7 0 8 – 15
BR: Blackmon 26 pass from Davis (Duggan kick)
S: Gieseler 10 pass from Armstrong (Gieseler kick)
BR: Agresta 88 fumble recovery (Gulan pass from Pierro)
BR: Taylor 85 pass from Davis (Duggan kick)
S: Armstrong 1 run (Giesler pass from Armstrong)
BR: Bernard 1 run (Duggan kick)
RUSHING: Shelby 43-187-1 (Armstrong 32-110-1; Brooks 8-9; Hill 1-6; Team 2-(-11); Big Red 30-102-1 (Bernard 24-97-1; Blackmon 2-21; Davis 1 (-4); P. Petteway 1-(-8); Team 2-(-4)).
PASSING: Shelby 18-27-253-1 (all by Armstrong); Big Red 14-23-235-2 (all by Davis).
RECEIVING: Shelby 18-253-1 (Brooks 6-55; Gieseler 5-86-1; Hill 4-37; Egner 3-75); Big Red 14-235-2 (Reeves 5-52; Scott 3-45; Taylor 2-89-1; Blackmon 2-27-1; P. Petteway 2-22).
FIRST DOWNS: Shelby 23; Big Red 16.
PENALTIES-YARDS: Shelby 4-39; Big Red 9-60.
PUNTS: Shelby 2-46; Big Red 3-37.
FUMBLES-LOST: Shelby 6-3; Big Red 1-1.By ED LOOMAN
State Semi Final, Big Red, 12-1, vs. the Perry Pirates, 13-0, Friday, November 25th, 2016, at Boardman's Spartan Stadium.
BOARDMAN — Next stop — the ‘Shoe and a rematch with Columbus Bishop Hartley.
Steubenville’s defense delivered four interceptions and its offense basically scored at will in Friday’s 51-27 drubbing of previously unbeaten Perry in the Ohio Division IV semifinals inside New Spartan Stadium.
With the win, Big Red improves to 13-1 and advances to next Friday’s state title game (the kick is set for 3 p.m.)in Ohio Stadium. The opponent–the Hartley Hawks, who knocked off Steubenville in the 2015 championship battle. Hartley advanced with a hard-fought 14-7 victory over Kettering Alter.
“As a team, we played an awesome game tonight,” said Big Red coach Reno Saccoccia. “That’s all the way around–offense, defense and special teams. We just had guys picking each other up. It was an awesome game by our guys.”
Steubenville traveled the early and often route (its first three possessions resulted in touchdowns) to build a lead it would not relinquish.
After the defense forced a three and out, Saccoccia’s offense quickly moved 62 yards, all coming on runs by junior Jacob Bernard. He ripped off a 50-yarder on the first snap and capped the march with a one-yard plunge. The extra point attempt failed due to a high snap.
Big Red made it 14-0 with 6:30 left in the opening period on a 26-yard Javon Davis to Charles Reeves pass. This touchdown also came after a three and out and the drive started with a 24-yard jaunt by Bernard.
Mark Smith added the extra point., coming off a 35-yard kick following a penalty against the Big Red. It appeared originally that Bernard plowed in for the two-pointer but his run was nullified by the infraction.
Unfortunately for Steubenville, Bernard was hurt on the play and would not return.
The Pirates, who were making their first ever Final Four appearance, responded with a 25-yard Kolston Brewster toss to Andrew Folley, capping an 83-yard drive.
Big Red’s third touchdown of the quarter ended a 65-yard drive and the march featured a picture perfect 53-yard pass from Davis to a streaking Alec Taylor Jalen McGhee got the six points on a three yard burst. Davis hit Taylor for the two points to make it 21-7.
In the opening period, the teams combined for 296 yards of offense.
Perry closed to within two scores early in the second quarter on an eight-yard run by Josh Petruccelli.
The Big Red, however, came right back, traveling 65 yards in six plays. McGhee sprinted in from 10 yards away. On the march, Davis hit tight end Alek Davis for 38 yards.
Following an interception by Pookie Petteway, Big Red moved 56 yards in nine plays, capped by Mark Smith’s 27 yard field goal to take a 31-13 halftime lead.
Big Red opened the second half by marching 72 yards for a score, it came on a nine yard pass from J. Davis to A. Davis.
Steubenville moved the score to 45-13, kicking in the OHSAA 30-point mercy rule,after a 41-yard burst by McGhee, his third TD of the game. The score came following a pick by Nick Scott.
Big Red’s fourth pick (Dujuan Jones had the first) of the game, this one by Gino Pierro, led to an 18-yard scoring run by Shay Wallace as the third quarter expired. His run made it 51-13.
Perry would score twice in the fourth as its starters went against Big Red’s reserves. Brewster hit Foley for one and Jacob Allen for the other.
In four playoffs games, Big Red’s defense has caused 17 turnovers.
“We got them (Perry) in a position where they had to throw the ball,”Saccoccia said when discussing his defense’s performance. “Our defense did the job again tonight.
“As our offense kept moving, they (Perry) felt further behind. That really allowed our defense to step up and do its job. It really was one thing after another.”
Big Red finished with 485 yards of offense, 249 coming on the ground and 236 through the air. Before being injured, Bernard collected 86 yards. McGhee had 80 and Jamaal Petteway 46.
Davis completed 13 of his 19 passes for 236 and two scores. P. Petteway and Taylor had three catches each.
Perry, which came in averaging more than 40 points per game, had 339 in offense, a considerable amount after Big Red’s starters left the game. Brewster threw for 235 but was picked off three times. Prior to Friday, he had only thrown six interceptions.
“All we have earned right now is an opportunity,” Saccoccia stressed when discussing the return trip to Columbus. “We’ve earned nothing else. It’s now up to us to take advantage of the opportunity. Right now, we have an opportunity to compete for a state championship.”
Steubenville is now 61-25 all-time in playoff games.
Steubenville 51, Perry 27
Perry 7 6 0 14 -27
Big Red 21 10 20 0 – 51
BR: Bernard 1 run (run failed)
BR: Reeves 26 pass from Davis (Smith kick)
PERRY: Foley 25 pass from Brewster (Agostine kick)
BR: McGhee 3 run (Taylor pass from Davis)
PERRY: Petruccelli 8 run (kick failed)
BR: McGhee 10 run (Duggan kick)
BR: Smith 27 field goal
BR: Davis 9 pass from Davis (Duggan kick)
BR: McGhee 41 run (Duggan kick)
BR: Wallace 18 run (run failed)
PERRY: Foley 19 pass from Brewster (Agostine kick)
PERRY: Allen 18 pass from Brewster (Agostine kick)
RUSHING: Perry 26-104-1 (Petruccelli 11-80-1; Horvath 8-26; Allen 2-9; Kovach 3-13; Team 2-(-24)); Big Red 33-249-5 (Bernard 6-8-6-1; J. Petteway 6-46; McGhee 10-80-3; Wallace 3-25-1; Mitchell 6-12; Davis 2-(-11)).
PASSING: Perry 26-39-235-3-4 (Brewster 26-38-235-3-3; Foley 0-1-0-int); Big Red 13-19-236-2 (all by Davis).
RECEIVING: Perry 26-235-3 (Foley 6-120-2; Peteritis 7-24-; Petruccelli 6-37; Allen 7-61-1); Big Red 13-236-2 (Reeves 1-26-1; P. Petteway 3-9; Taylor 3-75; A. Davis 2-47-1; Scott 2-28; J. Petteway 2-51).
FIRST DOWNS: Perry 16; Big Red 20.
PENALTIES-YARDS: Perry 12-98; Big Red 8-76.
PUNTS: Perry 3-32; Big Red 4-32.
FUMBLES-LOST: Perry 0-0; Big Red 1-0.
State Final, Big Red, 13-1, vs. the Columbus Bishop Hartley Hawks, 12-2, Friday, December 2nd, 2016, at Columbus' Ohio Stadium.
COLUMBUS — One missed field goal led to a good one and Bishop Hartley broke Steubenville’s hearts for the second year in a row.
Mateo Agriesti, playing his first year of football, split the uprights from 31 yards away as time expired Friday, giving the Hawks a thrilling 24-21 victory over Big Red in the Division IV state championship game inside Ohio Stadium.
The win gives Hartley, which clipped Steubenville 31-28 in 2015, back-to-back state titles for the first time in school history. The Hawks, who finished at 13-2, now have won four state crowns. Big Red, which is now 3-5 in championship battles, also finished its stellar season at 13-2.
“We were good enough to win this game and we played well enough to win this game,” said an obviously dejected Reno Saccoccia following the game played before an announced crowd of 8,636. “Unfortunately, we didn’t win the game and that’s the bottom line. These kids did everything within their power to win that game.”
After overcoming a 14-point deficit, Big Red appeared poised to take the lead late in the fourth quarter. Following a short punt, Steubenville took over at the Hartley 49 with 3:48 left to play.
Runs by Johnny Agresta and Javon Davis moved the ball to the 31. Gains of four by Agresta and two by Jalen McGhee were sandwiched around an incompletion. On fourth and three from the 24, Saccoccia elected to try a field goal.
Unfortunately, something went awry and the ball popped straight into the air. Hartley’s Cody Kirkbride caught the pigskin and proceeded to take it 59 yards to Big Red’s 23. Three plays later, Agriesti nailed his game-winner.
“We felt if we didn’t make it, we’d go into overtime,” Saccoccia stated when explaining his decision. “Had we gone for it on fourth and three and failed, we still felt like we would be heading into overtime. Our field goal was just not successful.
“I’m not looking to blame anyone. We just didn’t make it. We’ll be OK. Tomorrow is a new day and we’ll get back to normal.”
As Hartley coach Brad Burchfield pointed out, Friday’s rematch was“everything a state championship game should be.”
“Both teams played really hard,” he stated. “It was not perfect, but I think that’s what happens when you play a team like Steubenville that’s really, really good.”
The Hawks struck first, going 98 yards on their second possession. Senior tailback Marquette Dixon accounted for 56 of the yards and the touchdown came on a 38-yard burst by Nick Onega. Hartley did catch a break on the march after quarterback Jake Rube was dropped for a 12-yard loss but Big Red drew a flag for a personal foul.
Big Red tied it at the 11:22 mark of the second quarter on a strong nine-yard by McGhee. He drive started after Agresta pounced on a Ruby fumble. The march covered 41 yards.
On Hartley’s next possession, Steubenville’s defense delivered a three and out and the offense took control at its own 30. On the first snap, Davis hit Alec Taylor for 14 yards, Taylor, unfortunately, lost control of the pigskin, Hartley recovering.
The defense held its ground, however, and put the Hawks in a fourth and long from the Big Red 32. Ruby dropped back and found Jaden Manley running free in the Steubenville secondary. Mateo Agriesti’s conversion kick made it 14-7.
Hartley extended its lead to 21-7 with 5:32 remaining in the half when Dixon went up the middle and raced untouched to the end zone from 44 yards away. Big Red was hit with its third personal foul penalty of the half on the drive, which began near midfield. Hartley got the good field possession after a bad Big Red snap on third down cost Steubenville 21 yards.
Undaunted, Big Red scored with five seconds left in the half on a two-yard run by Agresta. The junior, seeing his first significant playing time at quarterback since the playoffs began, appeared to have been stopped short on the fourth and two but kept moving his legs and got a little help from his offensive friends to find the end zone. Austen Duggan’s kick made it 21-14.
Steubenville missed a golden opportunity on its possession before Agresta’s touchdown. Big Red moved from its own 28 to the Hartley 25. A Davis pass fell incomplete and the drive stalled.
In the first half, each team ran 30 plays, Hartley collecting 206 yards and Big Red 126. Steubenville was hampered by two bad snaps, three personal fouls, the missed scoring opportunity and the fumble.
Big Red missed another chance at the start of the third quarter, traveling from the Hartley 46 to the eight. Four straight runs by McGhee, however, failed to produce a first down and the Hawks took over.
Big Red’s defense appeared to have stopped the Hawks but Hartley then stunned Steubenville on a fourth down with a direct snap to Onega, who motored 52 yards for a first down. Taylor intercepted Ruby three plays later but then fumbled, giving Hartley a first down at the Big Red 14. Two snaps following, Dixon fumbled, Kwadre Williams recovering.
Big Red did cash in on its next opportunity, which began with 9:41 left to play. Taking over at its own 35, following a nice stand by the defense, Steubenville marched 65 yards for the tying touchdown. It came on a 21-yard Davis to Charles Reeves pass. Big Red overcame a holding call on the drive, which nullified a nice gainer by Agresta.
“I asked our team to pour its blood, guts, hearts and souls into this game and told our guys if they did, they would be victorious,” Saccoccia stressed. “If they would have had the same effort from their coach that I asked them to give, we would have been victorious.
“I want to thank our players for all they’ve done for the school, their families and our community. The way they played tonight showed their heart, guts, determination and pride.”
Dixon, who ran for 125 yards in the first half, finished with 178. As a team, Hartley had just 112 rushing yards during the final 24 minutes.
“We played our worst half of football in the first half but we were still in the game,” Saccoccia said. “We played good defense but we had some penalties and did a lot of things to hurt ourselves.
“We did more great things tonight than we did bad things. After a loss, however, you tend to remember the bad things. We’re competitors and we have to accept we got beat. We really wanted to just be the better team from 3-6 p.m.”
McGhee, who ran for 122 yards on 20 carries and finished with eight tackles as a linebacker, said the touchdown before half “got everyone pumped up.”
“We went into the locker pumped up,” he said. “Everyone was focused on stopping their offense in the second half, getting the ball back and scoring.”
Davis completed eight of 19 passes for 85 yards. Reeves finished his Big Red career with three catches.
“This game had a little bit of everything,” Burchfield commented. “I’m a believer that you win with your seniors. You’re going to be as good as your seniors are going to be. That’s every year.
“Steubenville is a great football team. They made some great plays in both the running and passing games. They have unbelievable balance.”
Hartley 24, Steubenville 21
Hartley 7 14 0 3 – 24
Big Red 0 14 0 7 – 21
H: Onega 38 run (Agriesti kick)
BR: McGhee 9 run (Duggan kick)
H: Manley 32 pass from Ruby (Agriesti kick)
H: Dixon 44 run (Agriesti kick)
BR: Agresta 2 run (Duggan kick)
BR: Reeves 21 pass from Davis (Duggan kick)
H: Agriesti 31 yard field goal
RUSHING: Big Red 37-160-2 (McGhee 20-122-1; Agresta 8-34-1; Davis 3-26; Zimish 2-6; J. Petteway 2-4 Team 2-(-32)); Hartley 46-285-2 (Dixon 31-178-1; Onega 5-107-1; Cole 1-12; Culver 3-5; Manley 1-3; Cone 1-2; Ruby 4-(-22)).
PASSING: Big Red 8-19-85-1 (all by Davis); Hartley 3-8-37-1-1 (all by Ruby).
RECEIVING: Big Red 8-85-1 (Reeves 3-60-1; Taylor 2-26; Zimish 1-8; P. Petteway 1-(-3); J. Petteway 1-(-6)); Hartley 3-37-1 (Manley 1-32-1; Onega 1-4; Culver 1-1).
FIRST DOWNS: Big Red 14; Hartley 11.
PENALTIES-YARDS: Big Red 5-60; Hartley 8-73.
PUNTS: Big Red 4-42; Hartley 4-27.
FUMBLES-LOST: Big Red 2-2; Hartley 3-2
