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Mounties down Homer CenterPosted Monday, October 26, 2009 by Mirza Kukic Ligonier stays in playoff raceBy MIRZA ZUKIC, moz@indianagazette.netHOMER CITY - In terms of District 6 playoff positioning, Friday's game was far more significant to Ligonier Valley. That desperation and determination translated to a nearly flawless performance. (Originally published Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009) The Mounties scored two touchdowns less than four minutes apart in the fourth quarter to turn a close game into a rout and defeated Homer-Center, 28-7, in a Heritage Conference football game Friday. Ligonier Valley, the only Class AA team in the conference, improved to 5-3 and enhanced its chances of earning a District 6 playoff invitation. The top eight teams in the final District 6 Class AA rankings qualify for the playoffs, and the Mounties occupied the eighth and final spot in last week's rankings. ``It helps us in our playoff drive, which is much different than everyone else's,'' said Ligonier Valley coach Roger Beitel, referring to the rest of the conference teams, all of which compete in Class A. ``If we were 5-3 right now in Single-A, we'd be in (the playoffs). We'd looking at where we're seeded. Right now, we're just still trying to fight to stay alive to get in, and then still trying to find a Week 10 team to play us so that we're able to qualify. If we don't play Week 10, we're not even allowed to go.'' Beitel said he is still looking for an opponent for Week 10, but the Mounties ``have no takers right now.'' In beating Homer-Center, the Mounties played mistake-free football, committing no turnovers or penalties. Clinging to a 14-7 lead early in the fourth quarter, Ligonier Valley got a break when a high snap sailed over the head of Homer-Center punter John Elliott. Elliott recovered the ball and managed to get the kick off from about 25 yards behind the line of scrimmage, but the Mounties got the ball at their own 43-yard line. On the third play of the ensuing drive, quarterback Johnny Jones hit Anthony Tutino in stride down the middle of the field for a 55-yard touchdown. Jones, who also serves as the Mounties' kicker, converted the extra-point attempt to give Ligonier Valley a 21-7 lead with 9:42 to play. Charging Homer-Center quarterback Stephen Nymick on a rollout to the right, Corcoran batted down Nymick's intended pass and hung on to it for an interception, which set up the Mounties at Homer-Center's 17. Jones scored on a 5-yard quarterback keeper three plays later and kicked his fourth extra point of the game to give the Mounties a 28-7 lead with 5:49 remaining. ``I knew all along that was a good football team, and when you lose a game, which they did last week, you come back with a little more purpose,'' Homer-Center coach Greg Page said. ``Hopefully, we'll do the same in the upcoming week.'' It was apparent from the early going that Ligonier Valley was playing with purpose. The Mounties drove 55 yards on their opening possession before the drive stalled at Homer-Center's 6-yard line. And then, sophomore swingback Russell Markosky took over. On the Mounties' next offensive play, Markosky took a handoff around left end and raced down the left sideline for a 65-yard touchdown with 4:12 to play in the first quarter. On just seven carries, Markosky racked up 145 rushing yards in the first quarter, breaking three runs of 20 yards or longer. He finished with 178 of Ligonier Valley's 276 rushing yards. ``He's a very good runner,'' Page said. ``When you give him the corner, with his speed and quickness, he's going to make you pay, and he did that a couple times.'' In fact, only two of Markosky's first seven carries went for fewer than 10 yards as the Mounties used a series of sweeps to counteract the Wildcats' defensive scheme. ``Our kids did a good job blocking on the flank,'' Beitel said. ``We went back to running the buck sweep, and Russell Markosky did a real nice job. They had a great game plan. They took away our inside run. Jackson Corcoran, who is our leading rusher, was pretty much contained for most of the football game based on their scheme. They did a great job with that. It allowed for some things on the flank, and we took advantage of it. And Russell is only getting better every week.'' Markosky added a 4-yard score with 11:19 to play in the second quarter, and after Jones' extra-point kick, the Mounties were ahead 14-0, which stood as the halftime score. Despite two first-half turnovers and a two-touchdown deficit, the Wildcats felt good about their chances of a comeback. ``Anybody can get two scores,'' Page said. ``It's a matter of coming out and executing the game plan. We did that on the first drive, and then we held them, but we couldn't do anything with it that second drive.'' Homer-Center engineered a scoring drive on its opening possession of the second half, with Smith capping the drive on a 6-yard run. After that, the Wildcats never crossed midfield. ``That was a big drive for them to start the second half, but our kids responded,'' Beitel said. On its only sustained drive of the first half, Homer-Center drove to the Ligonier Valley 10 midway through the second quarter before the drive fizzled. Facing fourth-and-1 at the 10, Homer-Center's Jeremy Smith carried the ball up the middle, but Devon Cesario delivered a jarring hit at the line of scrimmage to end the Wildcats' scoring threat. Smith appeared shaken up on the play but played the rest of the game. ``He's flying under the radar, but one of the best defensive players in our whole conference is Devon Cesario,'' Beitel said. ``He made an unbelievable play on that fourth down-and-1 ... blows the kid up in the backfield. That to me is the turning point of the game. They're threatening to score, and it allowed us to go into halftime with a two-touchdown lead. He's been doing that all year for us. He's just phenomenal.''  |
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