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Smaller textKing-less Gateway stymies McKeesport
Gateway’s Justin Colbaugh eludes McKeesport’s Rhadshee Rowland en route to a 32-yard touchdown
Christopher Horner/Tribune-Review
Kevin Gorman is a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review staff writer and can be reached at 412-320-7812 or via e-mail.
The Gators accepted no excuses for their plight.
Instead, they got downright defensive.
"They say Justin King this, Justin King that," Gateway senior two-way lineman Matt Houy said. "We felt we had something to prove and we took care of business."
Gateway relied on a strong defensive effort to defeat McKeesport, 21-9, and win its third consecutive conference crown Friday night at Antimarino Stadium.
The No. 2 Gators (8-1, 6-0) held No. 5 McKeesport (7-2, 5-1) to 178 yards rushing and 192 yards total offense, limiting the effectiveness of the Tigers' triple-option wishbone scheme and holding them to a field goal in a pivotal second-quarter goal-line stand.
King, a 6-foot, 186-pound senior tailback-cornerback considered one of the nation's top 10 prospects, dressed but did not play because of a bone contusion on his left knee. King needs 29 yards to eclipse 4,000 for his career.
"It felt good because there were a couple games where I was out and they seemed like they didn't know what to do," King said. "But they picked it up and played great."
Gateway practiced early in the week without a football -- forcing each defender to tackle his assigned man -- to prepare for McKeesport's sleight-of-hand offense. Then the Gators mixed defenses throughout the game to confuse the Tigers, who were averaging 47.5 points per game.
Even so, McKeesport was efficient on its first drive. The Tigers used a 13-play, 71-yard scoring drive that took nearly seven minutes off the clock and was capped by Dan Kopolovich's 7-yard run. That gave McKeesport a 6-0 lead, but Keith Hasselhoff's point-after attempt was wide right.
Gateway got a break late in the first quarter when Kopolovich fumbled an exchange and Matt Houy recovered at the McKeesport 21. That gave Gateway's offense -- which ranked second in the WPIAL in scoring at 44.6 points per game -- a short field to work with. Five plays later, Justin Colbaugh scored on an 8-yard run and Matt Lichtenstein's kick gave the Gators a 7-6 advantage. Gateway extended its lead to 14-6 when Colbaugh broke five tackles en route to a 32-yard run in the second quarter.
"We missed some tackles in crucial situations," McKeesport coach George Smith said.
The Tigers countered by driving to the Gateway 1, but the Gators stopped Kopolovich twice at the goal line and the Tigers were called for illegal procedure on third down. They settled for a 22-yard field goal by Hasselhoff to make it 14-9 with 1:10 remaining in the half.
"That was crucial," George Smith said. "We didn't get in there. They did a good job. We never get stopped."
It set the tone for the remainder of the game. After rushing for 47 yards on 14 carries in the first half, Kopolovich was held to nine yards in the second to finish with a team-best 56 yards rushing. He was 2 of 10 for 20 passing yards.
Despite the absence of King, the WPIAL's third-leading rusher with 1,352 yards, Gateway ran the ball effectively even as quarterback Aaron Smith failed to complete a pass in five attempts and threw two interceptions.
The Gators rushed for 206 yards behind tailbacks Colbaugh (10 carries for 59 yards) and Joe Martin (nine for 49), Smith (eight for 47) and bruising senior Mike Barlak, who ran for 51 yards on seven carries in the fourth quarter, including a 19-yard scoring run with 54.6 seconds left.
"Our line set the tone," Gateway coach Terry Smith said. "They opened some holes, gave us some gaps. I've got four tailbacks who could start most anywhere. That's a luxury for me."
It's a luxury that came in handy, considering the circumstances. A loss would have dropped Gateway's seeding in the WPIAL playoffs and potentially forced the Gators into the same bracket as top-ranked Central Catholic - the only team to defeat Gateway this season.
"We wanted to win," Terry Smith said. "I have to make the best decision for Justin King and his health. It wasn't worth the risk for him. I had faith in my guys and they pulled together and rose to the occasion."
