Panthers coach sees progress in rematch - Football Insider

Bob Fortuna, Tim Rogers and Tim Warsinskey, Plain Dealer Reporters, September 18, 2009 3:41 p.m.

The scoreboard last Friday night read Cardinal Mooney 49, Elyria Catholic 20, but Panthers coach Ben Malbasa wasn't complaining.

"It's progress," said Malbasa, whose team was pounded by the Cardinals a year ago, 59-14. "They were beating us by halftime last year, 49-0, so we're progressing."

And that's despite the fact Mooney was bigger on the offensive line and quicker on the defensive line.

"They scored on the first play of the game but we answered with a 23-play scoring drive, and all our points were scored against their first-team defense," Malbasa said. "That's progress."

Malbasa then singled out left tackle Jared Schuster and defensive end Josh Russ.

"Most of our running plays were over Jared and Josh," the coach said. "This is the fastest Mooney team I've seen and they're a good measuring stick when it comes to the standard for small Catholic high schools."

Quite an encore:

Keystone senior fullback/safety Corry Sprouse rushed for 294 yards, six touchdowns and also had a 51-yard reception during last Friday's 40-23 victory over Firelands.

"I thought what he did in Week 2 was really something," said Wildcats coach Rob Clarico. "Then I looked at his numbers after the Firelands game and I almost fell out of my seat."

In Week 2, Sprouse gained 270 yards and scored four touchdowns, including the winner, when Keystone edged Chippewa, 62-56.

"Corry also had an interception that sealed that game," Clarico said. "The guy's everywhere."

Righting the ship:

Avon Lake might have righted itself after a rocky start. The Shoremen rebounded from losses to Maple Heights and Brunswick by beating Elyria last week, 48-15. They shot up to 12th in Division II, Region 6, according to joeeitel.com. Olmsted Falls and North Olmsted are Avon Lake's next two opponents.

"We feel like we're in it," Shoremen coach Dave Dlugosz said of the playoffs. "Sitting at 1-2, we have quite a bit of work ahead of us. We can't afford to sit back and feel good about ourselves.

"We feel great, but we're 1-2 and I told the kids, 'Those two losses don't sit well with me and shouldn't sit well with you.'"

Turnovers and other mistakes plagued Avon Lake the first two weeks. It turned that around against Elyria and forced three Pioneer turnovers. Two created a short field and led to touchdowns as the Shoremen jumped to a 21-0 lead.

Bruins' poise pays off:

Padua coach Tony Shuman felt the key play during his team's 23-17 victory over visiting Strongsville was Nick Kaszei's fourth-quarter fumble recovery, which led to the go-ahead touchdown.

However, the fourth-year coach felt his Bruins' poise was key to the entire night.

"We could have pushed the panic button but didn't," said Shuman, referring to when the Mustangs took a 17-14 lead after his team had scored the first two touchdowns of the game.

Instead, Bruins quarterback James Flowers threw a 53-yard scoring pass to Nico Sidari on the ensuing play.

"We're learning how to win whether we're up or behind," said Shuman. "It was a dogfight and to beat a program like Strongsville, well I hope it opens some people's eyes who are on the outside."

Homeward bound:

When Brunswick plays at Garfield Heights tonight it will be a homecoming of sorts for Brunswick coach Rich Nowak and the renewal of a friendship that began almost 40 years ago.

Nowak, who grew up in Slavic Village, raised his family in Garfield Heights and lived there for 30 years before moving to Brunswick a few years ago. When current Garfield Heights coach Chuck Reisland was the head coach at Brunswick in the early 1970s he hired Nowak away from Central Catholic to be one of his assistants.

"It will be nice," Nowak said of his return. "I'll have the bus driver honk the horn a few times when we go past some landmarks."

Strangely, Nowak has never been involved in a game at Garfield's Blaugrund Field.

McVey will play:

St. Ignatius senior linebacker/running back and Ohio State recruit Scott McVey will play in tonight's big nonleague road game at Mentor.

McVey suffered a shoulder injury early in the fourth quarter during the Wildcats' season-opening 14-13 win over Glenville and has been sidelined two weeks.

"Scott got clearance from the doctor, he practiced [Tuesday] in pads and he's feeling fine," said St. Ignatius coach Chuck Kyle. "Will I be conservative in the way I play him? I will."

Just in time: Christian Klinec couldn't have picked a better time for his second interception of the night. It happened as time expired and helped North Olmsted preserve a 14-13 victory over Lakewood.

It was one of five turnovers committed by the Rangers as Mike Gessner added an interception and Greg Darby recovered two fumbles.

"This [win] belonged to the defense," said North Olmsted coach Mike Ptacek.

Hamilton's return delayed: Strongsville's 6-5, 235-pound junior tight end Ray Hamilton missed the last two games because of a knee injury and will be out an additional 2-3 weeks with a slight meniscus tear. The diagnosis was made Monday after Hamilton underwent arthroscopic surgery to clean up some of the cartilage.

Not how it was planned: Green coach Tom Stacy and Cloverleaf coach Doug Haas will coach against one another for the first time tonight but the two men are not strangers. When Stacy was Massillon's coach he tried for several years to hire Haas, then at Wooster Triway, as an assistant.

To reach these Plain Dealer reporters:

bfortuna@plaind.com, 216-999-4665

trogers@plaind.com, 330-376-7309

twarsinskey@plaind.com, 216-999-6177