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New Castle blanks No.1 Hopewell
Hopewell's Curt McMillen finds little running room against New Castle's John Johnson and Allen Billyk
Christopher Horner/Tribune-Review
And the Red Hurricanes made it look easy.
New Castle disposed of No. 1 Hopewell, 18-0, on Friday night at Tony Dorsett Stadium a week after being less than a minute away from registering a shutout in a 31-8 victory over West Allegheny, which was ranked No. 4 at the time.
“They played a heck of a game tonight,” Hopewell coach Dave Vestal said. “(West Allegheny coach) Bob (Palko) was impressed with them last week, and so am I.”
New Castle (7-0, 5-0) entered the Parkway Conference game ranked No. 4 by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and more then showed why it is one of the favorites in the upcoming playoffs. The defense held Hopewell to just 126 total yards and forced five turnovers as the Red Hurricanes continue their best start since 1987.
“Our defense has been tremendous all year,” New Castle coach Gary Schooley said. “The key is quickness and speed. They’ve been carrying us.”
Hopewell (6-1, 3-1) didn’t have the services of running back/linebacker Paul Posluszny and receiver/defensive back Matt McCrory. Both start both ways and play substantial roles on special teams. Posluszny, who has been hampered by a high-ankle sprain, played in just two offensive series while McCrory missed the game with a knee injury.
“I didn’t really think about that,” Vestal said. “We came into the game knowing we wouldn’t have them and we adjusted for that.”
In Posluszny’s absence, the Vikings had trouble running the ball against New Castle’s speedy defense in gaining 85 yards on the ground, including just 18 in the first half.
“There’s no question (not having Posluszny and McCrory) hurt them, but I think you’re doing a disservice to the rest of kids on the field. They have a lot of good players on that team.”
New Castle survived a tumultuous start to the game thanks to the punting of Allen Billyk and the defense. The Hurricanes started their second possession at their own 1 and couldn’t get a first down. But Billyk nailed a high, spiraling 45-yard punt.
“Early on he was great,” New Castle coach Gary Schooley said. “He’s a great athlete, playing offense and defense and then booming the ball too. That really changed things.”
New Castle, which clinched at least a tie for the conference title, got on the board and broke Hopewell’s three-game shutout streak when fullback Noah Elliot scored from 81 yards on a trap play late in the first quarter.
“We slanted our inside people the play before and had some success and we did it again, but I think they just made a play,” Vestal said.
The Hurricanes added to their lead when wide receiver Cameron Reid pulled in a one-handed catch over the middle and beat cornerback Matt Fontana to the end zone for a 66-yard score.
Hopewell punted after three plays on its next possession and New Castle quickly went on 55-yard drive that culminated in Zach Mariacher’s 22-yard touchdown run. The Hurricanes couldn’t capitalize on the extra point conversion for the third time in the game, but still led 18-0.
In the second half, New Castle threw the ball just twice and the defense held by recovering two fumbles.
“With an 18-point lead, I was pretty comfortable with my defense,” Schooley said. “We decided to run the ball and eat clock. It made for a sloppy game, but I’ll take 18-0 any day.”
