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The Mahoning Valley Scrappers promo department deserves props for a good turnout of 4,600 Thursday.  Not only was it buck night, but it was also the big “Keep Lebron in Cleveland” promo.  Scrapper pitching was also worthy of praise.  Mahoning Valley starter Owen Dew threw six perfect innings and the home team scratched out enough offense to win a 3-0 contest with Jamestown.

The Scrappers got on the scoreboard first when Giovanny Urshela (above) hit a line drive past shortstop knocking in Diego Seastrunk and Andrew Kinney.  With two outs in the inning, Jamestown starter Dallas Poulk walked Seastrunk and then gave up a ground-rule double to Kinney.  Urshela then connected for the two-out hit to put the Scrappers up 2-0.

Mahoning Valley pushed their lead to 3-0 in the sixth when Diego Seastrunk hit into a double play with nobody out.  Wyatt Toregas scored from third on the play.  Toregas walked to start the inning and advanced to second on a passed ball.

Dew, who had one previous start, kept his ERA at 0.00.  At this level, where individual development is the primary focus, the pitchers are held to a very strict pitch count.  Dew, a 6′ 2″ righty,  was drafted earlier this year in the 21st round out of Central Florida.  ”It felt good, I was hitting spots with my two-seamer tonight,” commeneted Dew.

“I’m sure I will eventually give up a run.  Credit the guys behind me for making some good plays.  There are some differences here compared to college.  In college ball, when you jam someone using an aluminum bat, the hits will drop more frequently than they do here with the wooden bats,” remarked Dew.

The perfect game attempt came to an end when Takafumi Nakamura yielded a single with one out in the seventh.  Marcell Ozuna got the clean hit to spoil the celebration.  However, the Scrappers got out of the inning with their 3-0 lead intact.

After the game, Scrapper Skipper, Travis Fryman, praised his young pitchers.  ”Owen showed a lot of composure and got outs.  I think he was very sharp the first couple of innings.  Yesterday we dang near got no-hit ourselves, so the guys do feel good about this one tonight.”

With the win, the Scrappers improved to .500 at 7-7 on the young season.  Jamestown comes back to Eastwood Field Friday and Saturday nights.  First pitch is set for 7:05 both nights.

This past Winter, one of the true legends of the Youngstown area stepped away from being simply the best at what he did.  Pete Mollica was a writer for the Youngstown Vindicator newspaper for 33 years, and well-respected by those he wrote with and about.  I had the pleasure of getting to know Mollica by sitting next to him at various YSU sporting events.  Mollica is just one of those people that I felt I knew before I actually met him though, he was just that good of a writer.

Unfortunately, the last year of Mollica’s career was spent covering the end of the Jon Heacock era and an 0-30 YSU Women’s Basketball season that set the wrong records.

To walk into a Mahoning Valley Scrappers press box Thursday evening and see Mollica there doing his thing for the Vindicator brought a smile to my face.  ”I told Rob [Todor] if he needed help, that I would be able to cover some stuff.  I don’t want to do alot, a game here and there, maybe a game a week during high school football.”

When the subject of retirement came up, Mollica was candid in claiming a strong passion for golf.  ”I’m working harder now doing stuff around the house than I did when I was working.  I do try to get out and play golf at least twice a week and sometimes in tournaments or scrambles on a weekend,” claimed Mollica.

Mollica is being spelled by a couple of very good writers in John Moffett and Joe Scalzo who split the Youngstown State activities and will appear at Scrappers games throughout the Summer.  “Joe is my hero.  I feel like he has done more in six months than I did in thirty years.  John is also doing a great job.  They are both great writers,” added Mollica.

The lack of Pete Mollica in the Youngstown newspapers is not a downplay to the efforts of Moffett and Scalzo, I agree with Mollica that they are both great at what they do, I just feel they do it their way, and Pete did it his way.

Cassius Clay or Clay Pigeon? Which kind of Clay would Martinus “Magnificent” Clay end up being?  Billy Lyell definitely took the fight to Clay for eight rounds.  Dominant performance where Lyell won the fight unanimously on every scorecard, 80-72 in front of a partisan crowd.  Simons Promotions rolled out the red carpet in a very nice atmosphere for a decent night of boxing which was capped with Lyell’s dominant performance.

In round one, Lyell came out fast and strong.  He controlled the pace of the fight with his jab and swelled the nose of Clay early.  Give round one to Billy Lyell.  Clay threw punches but only hit Lyell squarely a couple of times.  Lyell threw a lot of punches but did some damage in winning the opening session handily.

The second round saw Lyell further establish his dominance of the tempo.  Lyell throws some haymakers and doesn’t get cheated, Clay was learning this the hard way.  After two, it is all Billy Lyell in Morgantown.

Rounds three and four were Clay’s best rounds of the fight to this point, But he probably still lost the rounds.  Lyell was punishing Clay on the ropes with a minute or so left in both rounds.  Lyell takes shots too, but he throws many more and lands with a higher frequency.  So far, I see it four rounds to none, Lyell.

In round five, Lyell continued to peck away at the face of Clay.  Clay was still throwing back, but Lyell was definitely in control of the pace.  Five rounds to no rounds, Billy Lyell.

In round six, Lyell had Clay covering up every time he would mount some offense.  Clay would also clinch, the couple of times he failed to clinch Lyell up, he paid dearly on the ropes by taking three or four solid shots.  Lyell stunned Clay with a left hook right before the bell and Clay wobbled for a second before he realized the bell had saved him.  Lyell was ahead on my card, 6-0.

In the seventh of eight, the boxing lesson continued.  Lyell was so fast with his counterpunches that Clay would throw first and land second.  Lyell was that much faster and showed no signs of fatigue.  7-0.

The final round, Lyell put the exclamation point on the fight despite taking a couple of shots.  Give this round to Lyell also.  Billy Lyell 8 Martinus Clay 0 was my count.

The judges saw it pretty much the same and Lyell won on all three cards 80-72.

After the fight, Keith Burnside, who trained Lyell was happy with the effort.  ”Billy threw a lot of punches tonight and looked in control.  We have been working on him throwing more and you saw that tonight.”

Lyell was happy with the win as well.  ”I give credit to the great team around me.  I wanted to finish him with a knockout, but I wasn’t disappointed at all with the performance.”

When asked what is next, Lyell responded, “Whatever comes my way, I am ready.”

Solid performance for Billy Lyell in running his record to 22-8 with 4 KO’s in Morgantown.  Burnside and the corner staff also mentioned that the move to 154 will help Lyell as it is more his natural weight.  In his last fight, Lyell took a last minute IBF middleweight title shot against Sebastian Sylvester in Europe and made a respectable showing but came away empty.

To sit there and watch World Middleweight Boxing Champion Kelly Pavlik and U.S. Congressman Tim Ryan look over a sheet with defensive schemes and offensive formations was just scary.  Pavlik and Ryan served as honorary coaches for the Red team in Saturday’s Spring Football Game at Stambaugh Stadium.

Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams (pictured) and State Senator Joe Schiavoni served as the honorary coaches for the White team.  Williams and I shared some good conversation on the elevator.  Amongst the topics were the rust working itself out of his golf game and what a beautiful day we had for the Spring game.

New YSU President Appointee, Dr. Cynthia E. Anderson, was also on the sidelines and having a good time.  I asked her how she could be an honorary coach and not be wearing headphones or instructing players.  Dr. Anderson laughed and replied, “I am much better at cheering and clapping and being happy.  I know nothing, so I am just going to stand here and be happy.  Seriously though, I think this is wonderful.  We have perfect weather and the school spirit is on display here today.  There is going to be alot of excitement here this year and we will have alot of people coming out.”

Former State Senator Harry Meshel was on hand to show his support for the program.  “The crowd is exhillerated.  Wolf brings alot to the coaching situation, you can see it in the ballplayers, even the ones who are a little shorter.  The guy [Wolford] has so much spirit, and we just have to keep making this game bigger every time we do it.”

At one point in the second half when the Red scored a touchdown, someone from Team Pavlik shouted out, “Nice call Kelly!”  Pavlik turned back with a keen smirk nodding his head saying, “Yeah, it was nice, wasn’t it.“ 

A couple of moments later the chants of ‘Kelly-Kelly-Kelly’ started in the lower bleachers to which Pavlik turned, smiled, and tipped his cap to the fans.  The only other chant even close was a ‘Wolford-Wolford-Wolford’ chant that went up in the first half.

I have been at this blogging stuff for almost a year and I have tried to get credentialed to as many things as possible.  I have had moderate success, but the rejection I have received is for what I think are the wrong reasons.  Most of the time when I am denied a credential to a concert or major sporting event, I am handed the line that the performing party will only credential major traditional media such as television or newspapers.  I understand that advertising is a reason why those outlets receive preferential treatment and I respect both the local newspaper and the local television stations.

My first break for a credential came with the now defunct Mahoning Valley Thunder arena football team.  I called and asked, explained that I get some hits and outlined what I could do to help promote their product.  The powers that be issued the credential and I was extensive in my coverage of a team that would pack it in at the end of the year.  When I look at my hits and where they are coming from today, people are still looking at player profile pieces I did on Quorey Payne, Larry Harrison, Blake Powers, and Tom Zetts.  I took about 95% of my own pictures, made sure to have a player profile up every week, did game previews and summaries, and received the respect of the people who took a chance on me.

My next big break was the Mahoning Valley Scrappers.  The Scrappers are the short-season Single-A affiliate for the Cleveland Indians with Travis Fryman as their manager.  I embraced the Scrappers project much the same way I did the Thunder.  Profiles, pictures, game summaries, and extensive coverage.  Overall, I feel the Scrappers also liked the efforts I put forth to cover their team. 

I consider Youngstown State to be a sports school.  With a national reputation as the school where Jim Tressel came from, I was so honored to gain access to YSU sporting events.  I am currently covering football, but mens and womens basketball are right around the corner and I will be as extensive as I ever have.  This was the biggest credential I have received to date and it really keeps me busy.  I know players see their profiles because I receive favorable feedback from them.  YSU has “traditional media” covering their games and I am thrilled that I am rubbing elbows with the best in the area.

The most recent credential came from the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL.  Same deal as above in the sense that I am trying to cover this team to the best of my ability.  It is harder to take pictures at these games because of the glass, but I am doing my best to give the readers a good shot.  This season is young but I feel comfortable with the coaches, players, and front office people who have extended the olive branch to the blogger.

Toward the end of the 2009 baseball season, I decided to take a chance and call the Pirates and Indians to maybe get a credential to one game at each place and interview anyone I could.  Both markets refused to give me a credential stating non-traditional media with no affiliation could not be awarded credentials.  I didn’t argue because if it is their policy, then so be it.  The way I see it, baseball attendance in these two markets is not soaring and if they want to roil in disaster, it is obviously less pressure on me to find positive things to write about.  The 4500 people who went to a Pirates home game surely would have spotted me and filed some form of complaint with Bud Selig or Pirate Management.  That nearly empty press box would have needed a good cleaning after I got done with one game and I am well aware that cuts were made and it might be hard to send Ryan Doumit back up there with a broom with his shin hurting so badly.

My latest endeavor of credential seeking failure comes from the land of music.  Concert promoters carry the same belief as MLB, an unlikely Rock & Jock connection.  They too feel that traditional media is worthy of a credential.  Mind you, a credential at a concert means you have permission to take pictures for the first three songs, there are no interviews or backstage access.  To be denied the privelage to snap a few photos was upsetting.  Traditional media was allowed to do so.  This is brilliant for many reasons. 

Firstly,  I have no beefs with the local newspaper, I think they do tremendous work and the promotional articles are on time and to the point, they work.  However, when a guy in New York is looking for a review on Styx, Daughtry, or Kelly Clarkson (all denials for me ), I don’t think he is going to hop in the Jeep and drive to Youngstown to read the local newspaper for a review.  If these people were on the fence about buying a ticket, they would probably Google a specific band and maybe use a keyword of “review”.  I know that is the route I would take.  They find a website that reviewed the concert, they read the review, they are impressed that Styx played “I Am The Walrus” as their third song and want to hear it, so they buy tickets.

Will there be newspapers in 15 years?  No one can answer that.  I read mine every day and will continue to subscribe.  But is there anyone with a brain cell who doesn’t think that websites are turning into mainstream media?  There is an unlimited audience, it doesn’t cost a penny to visit most sites, and the coverage is adequate.  Writers like Jay Marriotti have blasted the internet contributions in the past, probably because they feel threatened.  Yeah, kudos to those who went to school for four years and got a journalism degree, they have my respect and write some intriguing pieces.  Should they be allowed to have websites?  Do they have programming certification and/or even know what a widget is? 

I will continue to seek media credentials for any event I feel will generate this site more hits.  I will also be as diligent and prompt as I can be to ensure exposure of a positive nature to the group or organization who issued a credential to me.  Thanks to those who have said yes! 

To those who will only cater to traditional media:  Welcome to the future where typewriter ink rolls are going through the roof and black and white film is getting harder to come by.

Friday night I attended the Youngstown Phantoms USHL hockey game at The Covelli Centre.  Saturday, I made it to the Styx / REO Speedwagon / Night Ranger concert.  As I waited for Kevin Cronin of REO Speedwagon to finish a 20 or so minute rant on Vietnam and what it was like going to college at Illinois University, I looked around and started to take in the transformation process that had to take place in a 19-hour span. 

Tommy Shaw of Styx is good at what he does.  However, I don’t think Tommy Shaw can skate or take a hit from Richard Young off of the boards.  The first thing that had to be done was making the ice surface something sturdier for people to walk on for floor seating.  I looked down and noticed wood.  I was not sure if the wood I was standing on was on top of the hockey ice or whether they melted the ice and I was just standing on a normal floor.  After asking an employee of the arena, I learned that it was wood overlayed on the ice.  Once I learned this, I kicked at the wood a bit to see if it was loose in any way, which it was not. 

Assembling a stage and hanging the lights are not easy tasks.  This concert had plenty of lights hanging from the ceiling and it was no five minute project.  I am aware that bands hire crews to hang lights and assemble the stage, but they can’t do it on ice.  The stage itself would have basically covered the blue line to behind the goal, perhaps a little bigger.  Keep in mind, this stuff has to come apart and be put together at every stop. 

The doors for the concert opened at 6, and I am sure each band had to do a soundcheck which meant that all of this carpentry and wiring had to be done by 4 pm.  That means everything was done in 16 hours.  Seats had to be put down on the floor, coolers had to be restocked, bathrooms had to be cleaned, floors had to be swept, and people just had to be tired. 

It was quite a week at the Covelli Centre.  Last Sunday, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra brought all of their toys for two shows.  Wednesday, Daughtry was here.  Thursday and Friday were hockey games, and read the above three paragraphs for an inkling of things that converted the center into a concert hall.

I tip my hat to the crew at the Covelli Centre and applaud their hard work in the past week.  It is not often that Youngstowners have had such an array of events to choose from in one building.  Congratulations to Eric Ryan, Ken Bigley, Bridget Wolsonovich, Jon Jacubec, and the rest of the people who have buried themselves in work to see this place be successful.  

Youngstown finally put one in the win column at home and improved to 5-4-1 at home and 2-1 against Des Moines on the year. Richard Young wore the hero ribbon with a game-winner and the Phantoms held off a very game Buccaneer team that came to play in posting a hard-fought 4-3 victory.

The Phantoms dug themselves a familiar hole to crawl into as they surrendered a lead for the sixth straight game. Des Moines got on the board at the 14:20 mark when Mike Fink scored his first goal of the year. Fink was assisted by Ryan Walters and Yasin Cisse.

With just five seconds left in the first period, Chris Stafne increased the Buccaneer lead to 2-0 on his first goal of the season. Picking up assists on the Stafne goal were Jack Berger and Mitch Cain. The first period would come to a close with Des Moines in front 2-0.

Whatever Coach Bob Mainhardt said to his team during the intermission worked well. The Phantoms came out hitting and played much harder than they did in the first period. Jefferson Dahl lit the lamp at the 7:00 mark to cut the lead to 2-1. Dahl was assisted by Andrew Lamont and Joe Zarbo.

The barrage continued at the 11:39 as Ryan Jasinski netted his second goal of the year, assisted by Scott Mayfield, to tie the contest at two goals apiece.

Nick Czinder connected on an unassisted chance at the 15:26 mark to give the Phantoms a 3-2 lead, which is how the period would come to a close. The Phantoms had 17 shots on goal in the period after mustering only five in the earlier stanza.

In the third period, Daniel Heath connected on a power-play chance to tie the contest back up at three goals apiece. It was the first power-play goal of the evening for either team.

Richard Young came up big with his second goal of the year to give the Phantoms a 4-3 lead. Young was assisted by Brett Gensler and Ben Paulides on the go-ahead score at 16:45 of the third period.

After the game, Richard Young, the #1 star of the game said he was thrilled to help this team win. “It was a big goal and I was happy to just help the team. “ Young also commented on the productive line he is now a part of. “We’ve got a goal scorer [Gensler], we have a playmaker [Dowd], and we have a grinder [Young]. Coach threw us together for a couple of practices then in a game, and we just clicked.”

Coach Mainhardt was happy to record the first-ever home victory. “It feels great. There is no doubt that the first one is the toughest to get. We’re glad to get that out of the way and hopefully we can get on a little roll here.”

About the difference in play between the first and second periods, Mainhardt remarked, “We had some choice words for the guys in the locker room and they responded well.”

The Phantoms Jordan Tibbett got the win between the pipes by stopping 26 Buccaneer shots in evening his record on the season to 3-3-0.  Youngstown recorded 35 shots on goal with almost half (17) coming in the second period.

The Phantoms lock up with the Buccaneers again tonight at The Covelli Centre. The puck drops at 7:05 and the promotion everybody loves, dollar beer night, will co-feature YSU ID discount admission night. The team looks poised to make a nice run, come and check out a Phantoms game!

Youngstown State University will not be participating in the 2009 Postseason Playoffs.  That is the unfortunate reality following a 17-3 setback to #9 South Dakota State at Stambaugh Stadium.  The Jackrabbits were consistent and opportunistic in defeating a very tough YSU team in a physical game.  Defense and turnovers were the keys to victory for the Jackrabbits (7-1, 6-0) who got the big breaks at just the right times in turning back the Penguins (4-4, 2-3).

South Dakota State took the opening drive and marched all the way to the YSU 2-yard line before a penalty backed them up to the 7. After a couple of plays, the normally reliable Jackrabbit Kicker, Peter Reifenrath, hooked a 25-yard attempt and no scoring was recorded.

YSU took over on their own 20 and got to the South Dakota State 27 before having to settle on a 48-yard FG from Stephen Blose to take a 3-0 lead with 2:43 left in the first period. On the drive, Brandon Summers looked sharp and YSU featured a one-back offensive look with FB Dana Brown exclusively on the field for the entire drive. The first quarter would end with the 3-0 YSU lead.

Senior QB Ryan Crawford  marched the Jackrabbits deep into YSU territory. Good coverage prevented a couple of shots to the end zone and SDSU would have to settle for a Reifenrath field goal of 25-yards to tie the game at 3-3 with 4:33 left in the first half.

After an exchange of possessions, the half ended deadlocked with a 3-3 defensive battle taking place at The Ice Castle on Halloween.

A 5-yard Kyle Minett run put the Jackrabbits in front, 10-3, to capitalize on a Brandon Summers interception on the Penguins first play of the second half.  The turnover gave South Dakota State a ton of momentum coming out of the intermission.

Dailyn Campbell (6-1, Soph.) opened the next drive for YSU at quarterback. Summers had been hampered by an injury he suffered in last week’s loss at Southern Illinois.  Campbell used his speed and elusiveness to create positive rushing yards on a nice drive but the Penguins came up empty on a missed field goal leaving the score at 10-3. The next few drives saw Campbell and Summers being used at different times. After three quarters, the Jackrabbits clung to their 10-3 lead.

It was Minett again scoring at the 4:51 mark of the fourth quarter to extend the Jackrabbit lead to 17-3. The South Dakota State drive took almost five minutes off of the clock as they marched 66 yards in 9 plays.  The pattern that was becoming more obvious during this drive was that the Jackrabbits were not a big-play team, but rather a methodical and well-oiled machine able to get at least four yards per touch with anything extra being a bonus.  The SDSU tight ends and receivers seemed to shift and / or motion on every single offensive play.

The Penguins were able to move the ball 60 yards in less than a minute-and-a-half, but again came away empty turning the ball over on downs as Summers was sacked helped in part by a low snap.

The Penguins defense forced a quick three-and-out while burning their timeouts to get the ball back with just under two minutes left in the game. A sideline interference penalty turned a second-and-one to go into a second-and-seventeen to go, that is just the kind of day it ended up being for Youngstown State. South Dakota State would intercept Summers on fourth-and-twenty to seal the victory in a hard-fought 17-3 win.

For the victorious Jackrabbits, Ryan Crawford was 19 of 28 for 178 yards and 4 rushes for 22 more yards.  Kyle Minett had 22 carries for 87 yards and 2 catches for 32 yards.  Colin Cochart hauled in 6 Crawford passes for 51 yards.  Statistically, the Jackrabbits dominated the contest.  They had more first downs (17-14), more rushing yards (131-73), won the time of possession battle (32:36-27:24), and controlled the turnover battle (2-0).  When you are defeated in those four categories it is tough to win a game.

Youngstown State was paced by Dailyn Campbell (who only played sparingly in the second half) with 32 rushing yards on 7 attempts.  Brandon Summers finished the game going 19-29 for 181 yards and two interceptions.  Donald Jones and Dominique Barnes both caught six balls each to pace the Penguins receiving corps.

After the game, a very exhausted and frustrated Jon Heacock addressed the obvious problems that resulted in a loss.  “The playoffs are shot.  We will continue to practice and prepare like champions.”

Heacock also explained why Dailyn Campbell replaced Summers in the third quarter.  “It’s a tough decision for me to take a Senior out of a game.  In that situation, I was more inclined to give Brandon [Summers] a rest out of concern for an injury he has been battling from last week’s game.  I owe it to these Seniors who have stuck it out this long to always see that they get their chances.” 

Junior Andre Elliott said the Jackrabbits didn’t do anything surprising to win.  “They did everything we expected them to do.  Their offense doesn’t get big plays, they just move the ball.  We will continue to play hard because we want to send our Seniors out on a winning note.” 

The Penguins go back on the road next week traveling to Northern Iowa, their third ranked opponent in a row, for a 5:30 kickoff.

Power-plays and penalty killing go a long way at any level of hockey.  Tri-City won the battle of both Friday night in a 5-3 victory over the Youngstown Phantoms at the Covelli Centre.  For the Phantoms, it extends an unwanted losing streak to 3 games.  Brett Moehler paced Tri-City with a pair of goals and an assist en route to being named the First Star of the game.

Tri-City  got on the board first when Brett Moehler scored on the second Storm power-play at 14:02 of the first period.  Moehler was assisted on the goal by Jaden Schwartz and Maxwell Tardy. 

The Phantoms answered with 4:21 left in the first period with a power-play goal of their own to tie the contest at 1-1.  Luke Eibler capitalized on the one-man advantage with a slapshot just beyond the left faceoff circle.  Eibler was assisted by David Donnellan and Joe Zarbo.

The Phantoms were awarded a penalty shot at 17:52 of the first, but Brett Gensler was stuffed by Tri-City goalie Carson Chubak.  However, on the faceoff the Phantoms broke fast into the Storm zone and took a 2-1 lead on a goal by Richard Young, his first of the year.  Young was assisted by Ben Paulides. 

The first period would end with Youngstown leading Tri-City 2-1.  Both teams were 1 for 3 in power-play opportunities in the initial stanza. 

At 12:29 of the second period, Tardy got a power-play goal for Tri-City assisted by Schwartz and Moehler to tie the game at 2.  The same line earlier combined for a power-play score. 

The Phantoms reclaimed the lead with :29 left in the second period.  Luke Eibler picked up his second goal of the evening.  Eibler’s goal came just ten seconds into a Phantoms power-play and he was assisted on the score by Andrej Sustr to put Youngstown in front, 3-2, which is how the second period would end.

With 13:28 left in the game, Radoslav Illo tied the game at 3 with yet another power-play opportunity for Tri-City.    For Illo it was his fifth goal on the season. 

Just 2:03 later, Cody Murphy scored for Tri-City to give the Storm a 4-3 lead.  Murphy was assisted by Tyler Pistone and Rick Pinkston on the even-strength goal.  The goal was Murphy’s first on the year.

The Phantoms had a couple of opportunities late in the game but were unable to capitalize.  Moehler had an empty-net goal, his second on the evening to  push the Tri-City margin to 5-3, which would also end up being the final score.

Coach Bob Mainhardt commented on the unsuccessful penalty killing which ultimately spelled doom for the Phantoms.  “It was bad.  It was really bad.  Every team that plays us look like the Edmonton Oilers of the 80′s on the power-play.”  Mainhardt also commented that he was happy his team played hard until the end and had a chance to win, but was disappointed nonetheless.  “I think some of our younger guys are ready to step forward and assume bigger roles.  Right now our veterans are just not getting the job done.”

Tri-City Forward Brett Moehler had a big game with a couple of goals and an assist.  “I’ve been close the last couple of games and hit the post a couple of times.  I’m glad I could finally get something in and help my team win.”

Phantoms President Alex Zoldan likes what he sees in his first-year club and thinks the Ursuline – Mooney game may have hampered attendance.  “I believe in my heart that the people will really make an effort to get here and take in a game.  We were in this one until the end and our guys played hard.”

The Phantoms (2-3-1) and the Storm (4-1-1) will hook it up again Saturday night at the Covelli Centre.  The puck drops at 7:15 and if you can’t make it to the game then you can catch all of the action with Matt Gajtka on AM-1240.

On a perfect Fall evening, a football game involving two teams in a must-win situation took place in Youngstown.  Youngstown State scored 31 first half points and Western Illinois didn’t score any.  However, Western Illinois scored 21 second half points, and YSU failed to score a point.  Combine the two very different halves and the result is a 31-21 YSU victory. 

Youngstown State wasted little time getting on the scoreboard.  Western Illinois booted the opening kickoff out-of-bounds giving YSU the ball on their own 40.  Brandon Summers and the offense efficiently marched 60 yards in 10 plays.  Kevin Smith capped the opening scoring drive with a 1-yard TD to give YSU a 7-0 lead.  This marked the first time all year that YSU scored on their opening possession. 

After stuffing the Leathernecks, the Penguins took over on their own 30 and marched 70 yards in 10 plays and Summers found Donald Jones for a 4-yard touchdown to increase the Penguin lead to 14-0 with 1:03 left in the first quarter.  Kevin Smith had a key 26-yard run on the drive.

Western Illinois went 3-and-out.  On the last play of the first quarter, Lenny Wicks returned a Leatherneck punt 25 yards to the WIU 38.  At the end of one, it was all YSU, 14-0.

YSU covered 38 yards in 5 plays to increase the lead to 21-0.  It was the Dana Brown show on this particular drive as Brown carried the ball on every  play with the last being a one yard rushing touchdown at 12:33 of the second quarter.

In a continual display of dominance, YSU’s Na’eem Outler sacked WIU quarterback Wil Lunt and Sir Demarco Bledsoe pounced on the ball.  On the very first offensive play, Summers went to the end zone for Donald Jones who made a remarkable effort but was interfered with giving YSU first-and-goal on the Leatherneck 8-yard line.  Two plays later, Summers hooked up with Dominique Barnes for the eight yard score pushing the margin to 28-0 with 10:30 left in the first half.

Stephen Blose connected on a 27-yard field goal with 1:52 left in the half.  The Penguin drive was 54 yards in 9 plays.  It almost seemed as though the Penguins were concentrating more on chewing clock and getting Jabari Scott some carries.  To this point, everything had clicked on offense, all three running backs had some yards, and Summers was 9 for 9 passing.

On the ensuing kickoff, YSU’s Brandian Ross recovered a fumble to give the Penguins the ball on WIU’s 37-yard line.  The Penguins were unable to convert the turnover into any points however, about the only bad series they ran in the first half.  Western Illinois seemed content to just run the clock out and try to get to the locker for a halftime regrouping session.  At the half, this one was all YSU as the Penguins dominated the Leathernecks in every possible statistic for a 31-0 lead at the break.

Western Illionois came out a better team in the second half.  The Leathernecks scored on a 30-yard strike from Lunt to Justin Rideau.  The scoring drive was 9 plays for 77 yards and cut the YSU lead to 31-7 with 10:23 left in the third quarter.

Brandon Summers was intercepted by Stephen Moore and a personal foul gave the ball to WIU at the YSU 38.  On a third-and-22, YSU got flagged for a roughing the passer penalty giving Western Illinois the ball on the YSU 12.  On the very next play, Dre Gibbs coughed up the ball by the YSU goal line and Lenny Wicks recovered for the Penguins to help swing the momentum back to the side it was on the entire first half.

At the end of the third quarter, YSU maintained their 31-7 lead with a strong running attack that chewed the last six minutes of the quarter up.  With the start of the fourth quarter, YSU had the ball on their own 48.  The first play of the fourth quarter, however, proved costly as Summers was chased down from behind and the ball came loose.  Brandon Kreczmer recovered the ball for the Leathernecks at YSU’s 34.

With 12:25 left in the game, Western Illinois got an 11-yard scamper from Gibbs to successfully convert the turnover into points and further cut into the dwindling YSU lead, now 31-14.

The Leathernecks continued marching back as Lito Senatus caught a bullet from Lunt for 12 yards and a touchdown with 7:54 remaining in the game.  The lead was down to 31-21 and Western Illinois was playing as good as YSU did in the first half.  Conversely, YSU was playing as poorly as Western did in the first half. 

After another three-and-out, YSU punted the ball away.  Western Illinois started their next drive on their own 29.  Andre Elliott blitzed and absolutely smashed Lunt as he was releasing a pass which wobbled about half of its intended ditance where David Rach was waiting to intercept the ball back for the Penguins. 

YSU successfully chewed up the rest of the fourth quarter on the shoulders of Senior TB Kevin Smith (pictured) and held off a fierce Leatherneck comeback to preserve what seemed like a blowout but ended up somewhat of a nailbiter.

For YSU, Kevin Smith finished with 113 yards on 28 carries and a TD.  Donald Jones caught 8 passes for 94 yards and one TD.  Brandon Summers finished 12-18 for 134 yards, an interception, and two TD’s.  Stephen Blose had a good day as he kicked four extra points and was 1/1 on field goals.

Western Illinois was headed by Dre Gibbs who finished the game with 162 all-purpose yards (155 rushing, 7 receiving).  QB Wil Lunt was 9-19 for 109 yards, one interception, and two TD’s.  Justin Rideau caught 5 Lunt passes for 79 yards and 2 TD’s.  The statistic that buried the Leathernecks was penalty yards.  WIU accumulated 11 penalties for 108 yards compared to YSU having only five penalties.

After the game, Coach Jon Heacock praised the effort of his opponent.  “I don’t care what the records are.  You better show up and play every minute of every game on Saturday.  Give them [Western Illinois] credit for fighting until the end and playing hard.  We have some time [with the bye week] to pick out the things we can’t do and the things that we can do and become more consistent.”

Senior TB Kevin Smith, who has a couple of fumbles this season commented on grinding out the last four minutes of the game.  “It felt good.  I had a couple of drops and it felt good that the coaches had the confidence in me to give me the ball and run down the clock.”

Lenny Wicks talked about whether or not he was ready for the bye week.  “Yes, we have some time to rest and get alot of practice in to get ready for Southern Illinois because that’s a big game.”

YSU travels to Southern Illinois for an October 24th game.  With the extra week of preparation, Coach Heacock will have the team ready for that big game.