This war will be won on the ground

September 04, 2008 Last Updated: September 04, 2008 02:38 PM High School

Freeport's Jake Christy looks for some running room against Kittanning. The Yellowjackets got off to a good start against the Wildcats in the season opener, but face a stern test against Shady Side Academy this week.

Stopping the run game pivotal for Mars, Hopewell

Both teams are coming off impressive shutout wins to open the season, but stopping each other's momentum will come down to stopping the ground game.

Mars overwhelmed Moon, 35-0, and Hopewell defeated Knoch 20-0 last Friday.

The Planets' rushing attack gained 292 yards and had four scores on 42 carries, while the Vikings chewed up 182 yards and scored three times on 45 attempts.

The two teams will meet at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Mars Athletic Complex.

"Hopewell is a big, physical team," said Mars coach Scott Heinauer. "They use a multi-back system.

"The good thing for them is that there's always fresh legs in the game," he added. "The bad part is, there may be some players who never get in the flow of the game."

Senior Drew Howard and junior Brendan Taylor, both tailbacks, should see their share of carries, but the home run hitter of Hopewell's rushing attack is freshman Russel Shell, who gained 88 yards on six attempts and scored all three Vikings touchdowns last week, including a 55-yard run in the second quarter.

"Shell is a phenom," said Heinauer. "You don't bring a freshman up to varsity unless he's going to contribute."

"We brought him up to varsity to take a look at him over the summer," Vikings' coach Dave Vestal said of Shell. "He's very mature for his age."

Mars' Shane Kaclik and Austin Miele combined for 204 yards on 23 carries and they accounted for four touchdowns in Week 1.

"We were happy with the way the kids responded," said Heinauer of his team's first game at the Class AAA level. "We're fortunate to have kids who can step right into the system."

But Hopewell was able to shut down Knoch's Tim McNerney last week, as the senior gained just 32 yards rushing.

"Stopping the run is always a focus on defense," said Vestal. "We put our cornerbacks out on an island and ask them to do a lot."

• Last year's score: Teams did not meet.• Coaches: Knoch, Mike King; Blackhawk, Joe Hamilton• Game notes: Knoch was shut out in its opener (20-0 vs. Hopewell) for the second successive season last week. Blackhawk rolled past Hampton, 41-7. ... This is the first meeting between the two teams since the 1992 WPIALchampionship game. ... Blackhawk's Matt Engle scored touchdowns on runs of 2, 5 and 7 yards against Hampton while Bryan Stefanik carried 11 times for 142 yards, including an 80-yard score. ... Knights RBTim McNerney was held to 32 yards on 16 carries vs. Hopewell. ... King said LBKevin Brodeur led Knoch in tackles last week. ... King said the combination of playing Hopewell and Blackhawk "is the toughest schedule we've played to start a season in years. It will prepare us well for conference play." ... Hamilton has been Blackhawk's coach since the 1980s.

• Last year's score: Karns City 57, Union 0• Coaches: Union, Jeremy Lipps; Karns City, Ed Conto• Game notes: The Gremlins, minus nine starters due to injury or disciplinary reasons, managed a 21-0 victory over Punxsutawney last Friday. ... Despite a 41-19 loss to Brookville, the KSAC's other newcomer, Union received a 121-yard rushing effort from Colby Davis, which included an 88-yard scoring run. Zach Traister added a 103-yard kickoff return to spark the Golden Knights' special teams unit.

• Last year's score: Moniteau 39, C-L 6• Coaches: Moniteau, Jeff Campbell; Clarion-Limestone, Todd Smith• Game notes: The Warriors beatClarion last week 26-20. It was only the sixth victory for the Warriors in 36 years againstClarion. ... Moniteau had 39 rushes and 33 passes. ... Clarion-Limestone is coming off a 2-7 season in 2007. The Lions did not get off to a good start in 2008, losing 36-6 to Redbank Valley.

• Last year's score: Clarion 40, A-C Valley 0• Coaches: Clarion, Larry Wiser; A-C Valley, Gary Pinkerton• Game notes: Clarion missed the District 9 Class A playoffs last year for the first time in four seasons. ... A-C Valley's Brent Hindman gained 46 yards on six rushing attempts last week and scored one of the Falcons' three touchdowns. ... Luke Walker scored the other two, one rushing and one receiving.

• Last year's score: Did not meet• Coaches: Summit Academy, Steve Sherer; Apollo-Ridge, John Simon• Game notes: The Knights were blanked by Shady Side Academy 37-0 on Saturday to kick off the Allegheny Conference schedule. ... The Knights mustered only 98 total yards in the loss.

• Last year's score: Shady Side Academy 16, Freeport 3• Coaches: Shady Side Academy, Dave Havern; Freeport, John Gaillot• Game notes: The Indians cruised to a 37-0 win over Summit Academy Saturday. ... John Bray completed all four of his passes for 97 yards and one touchdown while Jason Deal, Brian Nickel and Roman San Doval each rushed for a score. Nickel was on the receiving end of Bray's touchdown pass.

• Last year's score: Did not play• Coaches: Grove City, Jeff Bell. East, Leonard Ford• Game notes: East, 0-10 last season, nearly pulled off an upset over Franklin, losing 35-28. ... Senior quarterback Corey Ratliff threw two touchdown passes and rushed for another score. ... East rolled up 311 yards of offense against Franklin.