Mooney’s Dom Letlow sacked Cheney’s Dashawn Langston during the second half of Thursday night’s game at Stambaugh Stadium. (David Dahmer/Warren Tribune Chronicle)
YOUNGSTOWN — Sometimes all it takes is a few plays to make a difference.
That was true Thursday when the Cardinal Mooney football team defeated Cheney 27-0 at Stambaugh Stadium in Youngstown.
The Cardinals’ defense and special teams units were provided short fields all day, and they took advantage of them.
Mooney’s first score came in the final five minutes of the first quarter. The Cowboys (2-4, 0-1 Steel Valley Conference) busted a punt and the Cardinals recovered it at the Cheney 24-yard line. Two plays later, Cardinal Mooney quarterback Vince Gentile threw a fade to Dennis Clark, who made it for a 21-yard touchdown catch.
Cardinal Mooney held a 7-0 lead until the final moments of the second quarter. Chaney tried to punt, but the snap went over the head of punter Dwayne Thompson. Mooney (2-5, 1-0 SVC) recovered the loose ball at the Cheney 4-yard line. Addyn Page’s 4-yard TD run up the middle increased Mooney’s lead to 14-0 before halftime.
“We lost on the short end on some plays.” Cheney head coach Seth Antrum said. “Our defense did a great job, but we conceded a lot of points in short fields.”
The Cowboys gained momentum after Mooney’s punt, but a fumble by quarterback Dashun Langston led to a turnover by Chaney. Mooney took over for 43 yards, and four plays later, Vince Gentile connected with Rocco Gentile at the play-action post for a 43-yard TD pass. Mooney blocked the extra point, giving the Cardinals a 20-0 lead.
“Coach Pelini actually introduced that play about two days ago.” Vince Gentile said. “I just got in touch with Rocco about that.”
On Thursday, a last-minute mistake led to a goal. Chaney had the ball on the 24 as the Cowboys lined up to punt. However, the kick was blocked, and Brady Desmond recovered and kicked it down the right sideline for a short score late in the third quarter.
Matt Jones was Cheney’s biggest weapon. He ran for 103 yards on 13 attempts and completed a 12-yard pass. Langston completed 3 of 7 passes for 39 yards.
As for Mooney, Page was the leading rusher among the starters. He was held to 16 yards rushing and a touchdown on eight carries.
Vince Gentile finished the day with a 6-of-12 passing performance for 89 yards and two touchdowns. Rocco Gentile caught three passes for 54 yards and one score.
“We had a lot of injuries. We’re devastated.” Cardinal Mooney head coach Carl Pelini said. “We went into this game with five offensive linemen. Some were inexperienced, but they showed up early. I thought they followed and got better and better as the game went on.
“Defensively we were outstanding the whole game. We have a lot of experience on that side of the ball. We have 10 starters back from last year, so we relied on them tonight.”
