SLIPPERY ROCK — “Three big plays.”
That’s how Ridgway head coach Mark Heindl summed up his team’s 20-7 loss to Farrell in the PIAA Class A quarterfinals Friday night at Slippery Rock University.
A fourth-and-goal touchdown Farrell’s first possession, a big pass play to the Ridgway 4-yard line and a 57-yard punt return were the back-breakers for the Elkers (10-3), who end the most-successful season in program history with 10 wins and a District 9 championship.
Down just 14-0 at the half, Heindl believed his team settled down and played more like themselves in the second half.
“My kids, they battled,” Heindl said. “When they came out in the second half, I really think we played to our potential. We were in the red zone on three different occasions and we came away with 7 points. Again, for a team that was in the state finals last year, we gave them everything we could.”
Farrell allowed just 39 total yards, as its defense used its edge speed to drop Elker backs for losses and put a contest pressure on Ridgway’s quarterbacks. The Steelers (10-3) advance to next weekend’s western finals to face the District 7 champion, either Clairton or Jeannette.
The Elkers held strong on defense, allowing 258 total yards — including just 86 by air — without injured leading-tackler Joey Elinski, but could find little wiggle room with the ball in their possession against the fast District 10 school. The Elkers had three straight drives end up inside the Farrell 10-yard line, but Ridgway scored on only the last one with 6:11 left in the game to make the score 20-7.
“At the end of the day,” Heindl said, “when you don’t score in the red zone, it comes back to haunt you. Credit to Farrell, they’ve got some big boys.”
The Elkers took advantage of a re-kickoff, as Neil MacDonald raced to the Farrell 39 on the team’s first series in the third quarter, but a drive that consumed almost eight minutes ended in a turnover on downs at Farrell’s 13. The very next Ridgway drive started at Farrell’s 8 after a blocked punt, but penalties backed the Elkers up and the team eventually turned it over on downs. Evan Furlong recovered a fumble and fell to Farrell’s 4-yard line on a drive that was finally capped off with points, as Neil MacDonald punched in the score from two yards out.
Meanwhile, Farrell took advantage of every opportunity afforded to it. A third-down reception by Jourdan Townsend and resulting facemask penalty put the ball at Ridgway’s 49. The next play was a 45-yard bomb from quarterback Kyi Wright to Christian Lewis. Lewis capped the drive with a 4-yard touchdown, as he rushed for 79 yards on 14 carries.
Then after forcing a Ridgway punt on its first third-quarter drive, Townsend returned the ball 57 yards to pay dirt to go up, 20-0.
Ridgway rushed for just 26 net yards, while led by MacDonald’s 25. The Elkers became more one-dimensional in the second half with quarterback Johnny Mitchell on the bench with ice on his shoulder, forcing MacDonald to play as a wildcat quarterback. Sophomore backup signal-caller Daunte Allegretto came on in the fourth quarter and was 2-for-5 for six yards.
The Elkers graduate 10 seniors, eight of which have been with the program for all four varsity seasons — the first four years of the Ridgway-Johnsonburg cooperative agreement.
“It’s tough for our seniors right now,” Heindl said. “When they look back in a couple days, they’re going to realize the blueprint that they left for this program. We bring back a lot of guys that got some big game experience tonight. That’s something that we’re going to carry into the offseason.”
Heindl was again appreciative of the co-op, which has helped both towns feel a renewed success, which culminated in a state playoff run for the first time in either school’s history.
“The proof is in the pudding there,” Heindl said. “We needed each other bad. Without each other, we wouldn’t’ be at this point right now. The co-op is essential.”
SCORE BY QUARTER
Ridgway 0 0 0 0 — 7
Farrell6 8 6 0 — 20
TEAM STATISTICS
First Downs: Ridgway 5, Farrell 12; Rushing Yards: Ridgway 33-26, Farrell 42-172; Passing Yards: Ridgway 3-11-13-0-1, Farrell 6-8-86-0-0; Total Yards: Ridgway 39, Farrell 258; Penalties-yards: Ridgway 5-35, Farrell 15-103.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing: Ridgway: Neil MacDonald 15-25-1, Johnny Mitchell 13-11, James
Winslow 2-4, Jacob Zimmerman 2-(-3), Daunte Allegretto 1-(-11). Farrell: Christian Lewis 14-79-1, Brandon Chambers 14-43, Kyi Wright 8-35, Tymir Green 2-9, Pap Keeler 3-6, Team 1-0.
Passing: Ridgway: Mitchell 1-5-7-0-1, Allegretto 2-5-6-0-0, Neil MacDonald 0-1-0-0-0; Farrell- Wright 6-8-86-0-0.
Receiving: Ridgway: Zimmerman 1-10; James Winslow 2-3. Farrell: Jourdan Townsend 3-30, Lewis 1-45, Tymir Green 1-8, B. Chambers 1-3.
