ELYRIA — With two forced turnovers in the second quarter of Thursday night’s game, the Mayfield Wildcats opened Northeast Ohio Conference play with a 24-0 road victory over the Elyria Pioneers.
The Wildcats were up 17-0 with 4:19 left in the second quarter when Elyria quarterback Mike Woolfork scrambled to his left when the pocket collapsed. Woolfork tried to reverse field and go back to the right, but was dropped for a 25-yard loss.
To make matters worse, as he fell toward the Ely Stadium turf, Woolfork fumbled and it was recovered by Mayfield defensive back Matt Shannon. Two plays later, Mayfield quarterback Lee Longo threw a touchdown to Chuck Zavarella in the right corner of the end zone.
Elyria was driving in the waning seconds of the first half when Wildcats senior linebacker/running back Tim Wetzel intercepted a Pioneer pass at the goal line.
"Turnovers can change a whole game," Mayfield head coach Larry Pinto said. "Our kids came up with some great turnovers and I’m proud of them for that.
"What we pride ourselves on is our defense," he added. "They pursued real well. They kept everything in front of them. They defended the pass well. I thought they did an outstanding job."
The Longo-to-Zavarella connection from 21 yards away was the second long Wildcats touchdown. The first came less than two minutes earlier. Facing a first-and-15 after getting whistled for a delay of game, the Wildcats were backed up to the Elyria 32-yard line. Long took the snap from center and threw the ball to Cory Hayes for a touchdown. Earlier in the game, Hayes had a six-yard touchdown run.
"We threw a couple nice balls," Pinto said. "They were pressing the line of scrimmage. They had a bunch of guys up. We felt we could get behind them a couple times."
With a 24-0 lead entering the third quarter, Mayfield kept the ball on the ground for the rest of the game. The Wildcats did not attempt a single second-half pass.
"They played great stopping the run tonight," Pinto said of Elyria. "We made some halftime adjustments. We moved the ball on the ground a little bit better, but you’ve got to give credit to them.
"We had some big pass plays in the beginning," Pinto said. "I wasn’t going to throw the ball up 24-0."
St. Ignatius blasts Mentor
Jerome T. Osborne Stadium may be home to the Mentor Cardinals, but the St. Ignatius Wildcats took up temporary residence in the end zone Friday.
St. Ignatius senior quarterback Mark Myers threw for 273 yards and five touchdowns in the Wildcats' 47-7 victory. The win moved St. Ignatius to 4-0, while Mentor fell to 2-2. The loss was Mentor’s first home setback since Week 4 of the 2005 season.
St. Ignatius QB Mark Myers passed for 273 yards and five TDs during the Wildcats' 47-7 win over Mentor on Friday.
Photo by Scott Seighman
Second volleyball poll released
The Ohio High School Volleyball Coaches Association recently released its second poll of the 2009 season. Defending Division I state champion Olmsted Falls is ranked 20th with an 8-3 record. The top team in Ohio's largest division is Ursuline Academy, which ended last week with a perfect 10-0 mark.
Reigning Division II champion Padua Franciscan (9-1) is ranked No. 1, ahead of Bishop Hartley (10-2) and Salem (9-0). Tuscarawas Valley (11-0) tops the Division III poll, while two-time defending Division IV state champion Maria Stein Marion Local (10-0) is ranked first after receiving 31 votes.
Matt Florjancic currently works as a freelance reporter and sports show host for WOBL and WDLW.
