H.S. Sports Central

KISKI TOWNSHIP -- Fans wiped away tears before Friday night's kickoff at Owens Field.

But they were smiling after Apollo-Ridge marked an emotional occasion with a 22-8 victory over Summit Academy in Class AA Allegheny Conference play.

Apollo-Ridge took time to honor two former players who defended their country in the military before their lives were cut drastically short during war time.

The school retired the jersey numbers of Josh Henry (65) and Michael Girdano (22), both killed while serving the military. Henry, an Army Specialist and former center/defensive end, was killed in Sept. 2004 in Iraq after his convoy was attacked. He was 21.

Girdano, a Second Lieutenant with the Army and former running back/defensive back, died Aug. 1 in Afghanistan after a homemade bomb exploded near him. He was 23.

Their jerseys will forever hang on a wall at the high school.

"It's a great thing to honor Josh Henry and Mike Girdano with a win," Apollo-Ridge coach John Simon said. "My guys hoped to do a little more scoring, but we need to keep our guys healthy and keep going from here."

Last night's patriotic pregame ceremony was meant to provide some sense of closure to what has been a trying time for a small, close-knit community.

"This win was important to us," senior running back Derek Bandurak said. "One of our coaches, coach (Adam) Ross -- Mike Girdano was actually the best man at his wedding. We really wanted to win for (Ross). We are so proud of (Henry and Girdano) for serving our country."

The game featured a matchup of the conference's newest teams. And Apollo-Ridge kept its record perfect after two weeks.

Apollo-Ridge (2-0, 2-0) built a 16-0 lead by halftime, scoring all of those points in the second quarter thanks to a blocked punt, a safety and a touchdown pass by senior quarterback Tyler Andring.

Bandurak scored two touchdowns in the second quarter -- the first after he recovered a blocked punt by teammate Michael Bier in the end zone with 7:09 left. David Miller ran in the two-point conversion for an 8-0 lead.

After the teams traded punts, the Vikings took advantage of a bad snap and dropped Kevin Goodman, the Knights' punter, in the end zone for a safety and a 12-0 advantage.

"Before the game even started, I challenged our special teams," Simon said. "I believed they were going to try and take advantage of our special teams because they are quick. Our guys pulled through."

Summit Academy (0-2, 0-2) moved the ball well, but penalties stalled drives.

Late in the half, Goodman, also the quarterback, had a long touchdown pass to Darnell Jenkins called back due to an ineligible receiver downfield.

Bandurak then intercepted Goodman and returned it deep into Knights' territory before he scored on a 15-yard screen pass from Andring to make the score 16-0.

Bier was there to deliver a crushing block for Bandurak.

"He almost had a pancake on the only guy who had a chance (at the tackle)," Bandurak said.

Late in the third quarter, the Vikings went to 225-pound senior fullback Robert Ambers, and he responded with a 7-yard touchdown to push the lead to 22-0. Ambers rushed for 46 yards on eight carries.

Justin Reddy led the Vikings with 49 yards rushing on four carries, while Bandurak had 36 yards on eight attempts.

Summit Academy had 55 yards on the ground as a team.

The Knights finally broke through midway through the fourth quarter, when Trayvon Grogan scooped up a fumble and returned it 69 yards for a touchdown. Goodman found Bijon Marshall, the younger brother of Rasheed Marshall, for the 2-point conversion to make the score 22-8.

Apollo-Ridge used three quarterbacks -- Andring, Painter and freshman Josh Zelonka. But the team only completed 1-of-10 passes, mainly due to a number of drops.

Bandurak picked off another pass in the final seconds, and Zelonka took a knee to end the game.

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