SR fumbles game away
SLIPPERY ROCK — Slippery Rock High had trouble with a slippery football.
The Rockets fumbled eight times, losing five, in a 45-19 loss to Corry Friday night.
One possible cause for the lack of ball control on snaps was the Rockets were breaking in a new center because of injuries, Slippery Rock coach Brendan Hathaway said.
"We had a new center playing tonight because we're banged up," Hathaway said. "The fumbles and bad snaps were because of inexperience. Our starting center will return next week."
Corry also picked off Slippery Rock sophomore quarterback Ryan Currie two times and capitalized on both with scores.
The Beavers (3-2, 2-2) led 19-0 before its first blemish of the game, when sophomore quarterback Matt Cragg threw an interception late in the second quarter.
Currie hooked up with junior tight end Josh Antal for a 60-yard completion following the Corry turnover.
That set up a 1-yard touchdown by Rockets senior running back Seth Randolph.
Slippery Rock (0-5, 0-4) pulled to within two touchdowns and grabbed some momentum with a scoring drive to start the third quarter.
Corry coach Homer Delattre said his team's mistakes led to the momentum gained by the Rockets.
"Our miscues gave them a chance to mount a comeback," he said. "They never quit against us, but we were able to bring it together in the end for the win."
After Slippery Rock pulled to within six points early in the third quarter, Corry answered immediately.
The offensive attack was led by Cragg in the second half with his feet his main weapons. He scored three touchdowns in the half, two on 30-plus yard runs and the other from 5 yards out.
Delattre said he was proud of the play of his sophomore quarterback.
"He made good plays with his feet tonight," he said. "He had a few mistakes in there, too. But for the most part, it worked out. The blocking also helped him make good plays."
The Rockets scored with eight seconds to play in the game.
Hathaway said he liked the effort by his team, but referred to the game as the same old story with his players being outmatched and worn down by the second half.
"We need to be bigger, faster and stronger," Hathaway said. "We'll keep fighting in every game this season, just as we did tonight, and the focus in the offseason will be to get bigger, faster and stronger."
