AKRON, Ohio — With University School moving to the Premier Athletic Conference next season, the team's rivalry with St. Vincent-St. Mary will be on hold for the foreseeable future, and the teams may have played their final game against one another. The Fighting Irish made sure to send the Preppers away with some very bad memories of their final...
AKRON, Ohio — With University School moving to the Premier Athletic Conference next season, the team's rivalry with St. Vincent-St. Mary will be on hold for the foreseeable future, and the teams may have played their final game against one another.
The Fighting Irish made sure to send the Preppers away with some very bad memories of their final game at Green Street Stadium, as the Irish dominated the Preppers in every facet of the game in a convincing 56-7 win on Friday.
"We've been due," Irish head coach Dan Boarman said. "We've been due to put it all together.
"Our defense has been carrying us here most of the season, and I think our offense finally got on track."
The offense rolled up 422 total yards for SVSM. The Irish rushing attack did the most damage, accounting for 351 yards on 47 carries as the offensive line dominated the Preppers' defense.
"The offensive line played with a lot of consistency," Boarman said. "We knew we were going to have to control the line of scrimmage to win.
"The offensive line, at times, has looked like that, and we finally put four quarters together."
It didn't matter who lined up behind the Irish offensive line, as St. Vincent-St. Mary's rushing attack came in waves.
In the first half it was Sae'von Fitzgerald and Kevin Besser leading the charge, with Fitzgerald scoring three rushing touchdowns and Besser getting 102 yards on eight carries.
In the second half it was junior Matt Matuska, who scored on a 79-yard run and had a second score on a 25-yard pass from backup quarterback Oliver Hildebrandt.
St. Vincent-St. Mary's defense turned in another stout performance, limiting the Preppers' high-powered offense to 151 total yards -- and just 41 on the ground. Junior Matt Perry had two sacks, and Franshon Bickley and Anthony Cicione II each had interceptions to lead the SVSM defense.
The Irish defense also forced three University turnovers, and SVSM took full advantage, turning all three miscues into touchdowns. The most damaging came late in the first half when the Irish recovered a fumbled kickoff on the University 12-yard-line with 1:08 remaining. The Irish needed just two plays to punch it into the end zone and take a commanding 28-0 lead at halftime.
University (6-3) finally broke through and spoiled the Irish's bid for a shutout when quarterback Tyler Eden scored on a nine-yard run with 37 seconds left in the game.
Bill Mayville is a freelance writer in Parma Heights.