By Corey J. Corbin
Allied News Sports Editor
SLIPPERY ROCK — November football is all about running the pigskin and defense.
Slippery Rock’s Isaac Osborne accounted for plenty of both as the Rockets (9-3) ran over, around and past Sharon 27-10 in the District 10 Class AA semifinals at Slippery Rock University’s N. Kerr Thompson Stadium Saturday evening.
“We know we beat a tremendous football team tonight,” Slippery Rock coach Clyde Conti said. “When you play Sharon, you know it’s never going to be easy. We have kids with some heart. This may not be the most talented team, but they work hard.”
With the win, the Rockets (9-3) will play Wilmington, who beat General McLane, in the D-10 AA Finals next weekend at a site and time to be determined.
Osborne rushed for 197 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries and picked off a pass for the Rockets.
“We tried some different things tonight,” Conti said. “We ran some veer, which might have given them some problems. We went old school and motioned into some I.”
After a scoreless first 12 minutes of action, the Rockets got on the board first with a 1-yard burst by fullback Justin Angerett four ticks into the second quarter. Nearly six minutes later, Mike Ramirez handed SR a 10-0 lead on a 28-yard field goal.
The Tigers answered with 10 points in the final 3:17. Todd Rearick hooked up with Louis Brown for a 31-yard scoring strike with 3:17 left before the half. Jason Sypolt send the teams into the lockerroom in a 10-all stalemate with a 21-yard field goal as time expired.
“I thought we got a little momentum there at the end of the first half,” Fromm said. “I thought we were going be all right coming out, but we didn’t move the ball as well as we wanted to.”
On their second possession of the second half, Isaac Osborne scooted 40 yards off right tackle on a third-and-three almost four minutes into the half to hand Slippery Rock a 17-10 edge.
Osborne effectively put the game on ice with 4:28 remaining when he outraced several Sharon defenders for an 80-yard score and a 24-10 lead. Ramirez added three more points on a 35-yard field goal.
“They took their dive play a little wider,” Fromm said. “They did a good job of blocking us. We missed a tackle in the backfield and allowed them to make some big plays that we can’t allow to happen.”
Sharon (10-2) must now say good-bye to seniors Mike Tomko, Rearick, Dustin Norcross, Terry Flaugher, Zack Porreca, Tom Chavara, Bob Bears, Donald Flynn, Matt Huetsche and Cody Tolonie.
“They stuck it out all four years,” Fromm said. “It’s a commitment to play a varsity sport. They need to understand that they accomplished a lot here in four years.
“I told them all to be proud of their accomplishments. This is the best regular season we’ve had since 2000 and the best overall season since 2001. There’s nothing to hang their heads about. They competed and that’s all we ask of them.”
Rearick finished the night completing 15-of-36 attempts for 210 yards, while Norcross led the Tiger receivers with 87 yards on 6 grabs.
“We had some trouble keeping people out of the backfield,” Fromm said. “When he did have time, guys went out and caught the ball. We just couldn’t get into a rhythm. You don’t want to make excuses (about the weather). We definitely were a little more aggressive when the wind was at our back.”
Notes: SR’s Jono Powell rushed 76 yards on 16 carries as the Rockets picked up 335 yards on the ground. … SR held a slight 15-14 edge in first downs. … Sharon lost 3-of-5 fumbles, while Slippery Rock turned over 2-of-4.
———
District 10 Class AA Semifinals
SHARON 0 10 0 0 10
SLIPP. ROCK 0 10 7 10 27
Scoring plays
SR — Angerett, 1 run (Ramirez kick)
SR — Ramirez 28 FG
Sn — L. Brown, 31 pass from Rearick (Sypolt kick)
Sn — Sypolt 20 FG
SR — Osborne, 40 run (Ramirez kick)
SR — Osborne, 80 run (Ramirez kick)
SR — Ramirez 35 FG
Team stats
SHARON SLIPP. ROCK
14 First downs 15
41 Rushing yards 335
210 Passing yards 0
36-15-1 Att-comp-int 3-0-0
251 Total yards 335
5-3 Fumbles-lost 4-2
5-60 Penalties-yards lost 6-32
Individual stats
Rushing: SHARON — C. Brown 1-25, Rearick 9-11, Howard 3-5, Flaugher 1-3, K. Brown 4-(-3); SLIPPERY ROCK — Osborne 15-197, Powell 16-76, Angerett 18-62.
Passing: SHARON — Rearick 36-15-1-210; SLIPPERY ROCK — Powell 3-0-0-0.
Receiving: SHARON — Norcross 6-87, L. Brown 3-59, Howard 3-22, Tomko 2-21, Moss 1-17, K. Brown 1-3; SLIPPERY ROCK — none.
Sports
Related Photos
Slippery Rock beats Sharon, 27-10, in D-10 Class AA semifinals
- Sports
-
-
WM baseball, Sharpsville and Wilmington softball playing for D-10 titles
Sharpsville and Wilmington softball teams and the West Middlesex baseball squad return to the diamond today to compete for District 10 championships.
SOFTBALL
Class A Championship
Coach Bob Zikovich's Sharpsville Blue Darlings (15-2) battle a tough Saegertown (18-2) squad at 2 p.m. today at Penn State-Behrend in Erie. -
PIAA Track Notebook: KC's Wareham made round trips to "The Ship"
The most impressive race during this weekend’s PIAA Track & Field Championships did not take place at Shippensburg University, nor will you read its results in any newspaper on or any web site.
To be sure, it was a race against time, but not in the sense of being defined by a coach’s hand-held device, nor Seth Grove Stadium’s scoreboard clock. -
Hickory girls grab PIAA Class AA Track team title
SHIPPENSBURG — This news bulletin just in: Mercer County athletes dominated during this weekend’s PIAA Track & Field Championships.
Nothing new there, you say? Well, perhaps you’re correct, considering how well the area aggregation annually accounts itself on Memorial Day Weekend at Shippensburg University. Therefore it was not surprising how much hardware was hauled home — once again. -
PIAA Track: Hickory's Bell, Lubarski, Regginello grab gold
SHIPPENSBURG — There’s a big difference between being seeded 1st and finishing 1st — Matt Bell can attest to that.
After settling for silver last year, the Hickory High senior put the shot 59 feet, 6 3/4 inches Friday afternoon to garner gold at the annual PIAA Track & Field Championships at Shippensburg University. -
WM to play for D-10 baseball title; GC, Sharon, Sharpsville lose
Four area baseball teams were in action on Friday in the District 10 semifinals as the squads battled to compete for District 10 championships on Monday.
West Middlesex rolled past error-prone Linesville, 8-0, in Class A action at Slippery Rock University’s Jack Critchfield Park.
In Class AA, both Sharon and Sharpsville suffered 2-1 losses. The Tigers fell to Saegertown at Ainsworth Field in Erie while the Blue Devils lost to Titusville at SRU.
In Class AAA, the Grove City Eagles were denied the chance to defend their D-10 crown after suffering a 6-3 loss to Warren at SRU. -
Farrell volleyball falls in D-10 semifinals
The Farrell High boys volleyball team suffered a 2-0 (25-15, 25-12) loss to Saegertown on Thursday night in the District 10 semifinals at Meadville Area High’s “House of Thrills.”
“This was the first year we made it out of the first day (pool play) of the playoffs,” said Steelers’ coach Dan Dragicevic. “I’d like to cite my seniors (Eric Demus, Anthony Perkins, Jaylen Chambers and Lawrence Hughes). -
Locals ready to go for gold at Shippensburg
Now that Mercer County is on the map, it’s incumbent upon the area aggregation to chart a course for the ultimate destination — Seth Grove Stadium’s medals stand — during this weekend’s PIAA Track & Field Championships.
Led by West Middlesex High sprinter Clay Allen, many Mercer Countians are seeded at or near the top of their respective events for the annual 2-day marathon at Shippensburg University, which commences 9 a.m. Friday. It will continue beginning 9 a.m. Saturday. -
D-10 Playoffs: Local teams go 6-for-6
ä Grove City 1, Harbor Creek 0 — At Slippery Rock University’s Jack Critchfield Park, what the Grove City Eagles couldn’t accomplish themselves, the Harbor Creek Huskies unwittingly did for them.
Unable to plate runs themselves, Torin Smith scored the Eagles’ only run when teammate Tyler Devine’s seeming inning-ending pop-up to left field was dropped by Harbor Creek’s Chris Merritt in the bottom of the 7th inning of Tuesday’s tourney opener. -
Great year for WM track; local qualifiers listed
It’s been a big year for the Big Reds.
Though there’s no official documentation, the 2011-12 academic year may be the most successful in West Middlesex High’s athletic annals. -
SPORTVIEW: Local names Kroko, Lutz, Kareklas in news elsewhere
IT’S ALWAYS GOOD to hear of former area people who have gone on to athletic success in other areas, or the family of former area residents. Following are a few of those stories:
ä Bob and Betty Kroko of Sharon are avid followers of professional baseball. No, not necessarily the Pittsburgh Pirates or Cleveland Indians like many local fans.
The Krokos keep a close eye on the Austria Major League! - More Sports Headlines
-
