Ursuline's state record 55 points turn back Coldwater

Mike Parris, December 04, 2009 7:14 p.m.

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Youngstown Ursuline running back Nico Irizarry (2) struggles for extra yards on a first down run as Coldwater defender Colin Paytner (16) hangs on during the first quarter of the Ohio High School Div. V Football Championship game in Canton, Ohio, Friday, Dec. 4, 2009. Ursuline teammate Chris Collins tries to block on the play. - (AP Photo/Phil Long)

Youngstown Ursuline set a Division V championship game scoring record and used staunch redzone defense throughout to roll to their third state championship in school history with a 55-25 victory over Coldwater at Canton Fawcett Stadium.

Ursuline (11-3) scored a D-V title game record 27 points in the second quarter and held Coldwater (13-2) scoreless on three separate redzone situations. The big play also was key, as Ursuline used their speed advantage to score five touchdowns of 25 yards or more. Backfield tandem Akise Teague and Allen Jones each rushed for over 100 yards.

"I'm real proud of the defense," admitted Ursuline head coach Gerry Reardon. "Our defense stopped them a couple times down in the redzone and forced them to work for everything they got."

It was Coldwater that was able to draw first blood, using an array of throws and designed runs by 6-foot-5 quarterback Keith Wenning to keep Ursuline off balance in the early going. Wenning capped off a 76-yard drive with a seven-yard touchdown strike to junior Kurt Schoenherr to give Coldwater a 7-0 lead with 2:29 left in the first quarter.

The Fighting Irish roared back to take control in the second quarter, taking advantage of several Coldwater mistakes.

Teague knotted the game at 7-7 on a shifty 25-yard run off a direct snap, breaking a tackle with a spin move and bowling over two would-be defenders at the goal line. Ursuline's Trevor Smith then forced a fumble by Wenning on Coldwater's ensuing drive, scooped up by All-Ohioan Dawalyn Harper at the 41-yard line.  The Fighting Irish wasted little time parlaying the turnover into points as quarterback Paul Kempe fired a picturesque 59-yard pass in stride to senior wideout Chris Collins who strolled into the endzone to give Ursuline their first lead.

But Collins wasn't done.

The 5-foot-9, 165-pounder stepped in front of a Wenning pass less than a minute later, returning the interception 41 yards for a touchdown and 21-7 lead with 7:41 left in the half. Collins kept his balance while tightroping the right sideline and dove over the pylon for the score.

"We're at our best when everybody contributes," Reardon said. "They can't just focus on one guy."

Coldwater drove inside the Ursuline five-yard line on their next drive and seemingly turned the ball over on downs when Wenning's pass sailed incomplete on fourth down. But a defensive holding penalty gave them another shot, and a repeated fourth down play resulted in a four-yard touchdown pass to senior Adam Rammel. The extra point sailed wide, leaving the Cavaliers' deficit at 21-13.

It was Ursuline, however, that took the momentum into halftime after adding another touchdown on Akise Teague's second rushing touchdown of the quarter and stuffing Coldwater with a goal-line stand in the final seconds of the half.

The two teams combined for a whopping 495 total yards of offense in the first half alone and neither team punted the football.

Ursuline put the game on ice with two long touchdown runs in the second half.  Aaron Edwards scored on an 85-yard touchdown jaunt with 9:27 left in the third and Teague added an 81-yarder in the fourth.

In the loss, Wenning accounted for over 450 yards of total offense and all his team's points, tossing three touchdown passes and rushing for another. The senior signal caller finished 40-of-54 passing for 414 yards, all title game records. Senior receiver Adam Rammel also set a title game record with 14 receptions for 135 yards.

The combined 80 points is the most in Division V title game history, previously set in 2005.