Rock Solid
SLIPPERY ROCK — Slippery Rock High has overpowered opposing teams this season on the strength of a relentless rushing attack.
The defense flexed its muscle on Friday night.
The Rockets slugged their way to a 7-0 halftime edge, seized control in the third quarter and held off Oil City for a 27-14 victory in a Region 5 showdown at Slippery Rock High School.
The competition was a welcomed sight to Slippery Rock coach Brendan Hathaway, whose team had outscored the opposition 407-75 through the first eight weeks.
“We needed this,” said Hathaway. “We had some adversity that we overcame tonight. That was great to see from the guys. There was no panic, they just played hard for four quarters.”
The first of which was dominated by defense.
The Oilers (6-3, 4-1) and Rockets (9-0, 5-0) exchanged lost fumbles on back-to-back plays, before Ryan Lauster intercepted Oil City quarterback Jackson McFall on the ensuing series.
Slippery Rock pressured McFall throughout the evening and brought the sophomore down for three sacks in the opening frame.
“The D-line got after the quarterback,” said Hathaway. “Not giving him time to throw was a pretty important part of tonight's win. He's a good quarterback.”
The Slippery Rock offense kicked into gear early in the second quarter with a 13-play, 79-yard march into the end zone.
The Rockets converted a pair of third-and-1s and a fourth-and-3 before Ryan Lauster broke loose for a 39-yard touchdown run with 4:32 to play in the half.
Trying to stretch the lead later in the second, Slippery Rock junior quarterback Jake Whitmer threw his first interception of the season to Logan Way. However, he atoned for the error by picking off McFall on the final play of the half to keep Oil City in a 7-0 hole.
“They're a good defense and they're a good team. They're undefeated for a reason,” said Oil City coach Matt LaVerde. “I have to give Coach Hathaway and Slippery Rock all the credit in the world.”
The Rockets took the opening kickoff of the third quarter and wasted little time extending the advantage.After three moderate gains on the ground, Whitmer hit a wide-open Brady Kadlubek for a 48-yard score with 10:03 left in the third.“That was very important,” said Hathaway. “To get up 14 points in a defensive-struggle type game is pretty big.”The Oil City secondary bit hard on a play-action fake to the outside, leaving Kadlubek completely uncovered.“He just guessed, took a chance,” said LaVerde of his cornerback. “We tell them not to, but they're high school kids.”Slippery Rock built the cushion to 21-0 after Travis Lauster — who finished with a game-high 100 yards on 14 carries — sprinted 20 yards into the end zone with 5:12 remaining in the third frame.Oil City trimmed the deficit to 21-7 on the first play of the final stanza, as Kevin Daly plunged into the end zone from 1 yard out.But the Rockets responded with a seven-play, 72-yard drive. Whitmer found a hole on the left side and cut back across the field en route to a 34-yard touchdown jaunt.“We went to some different formations, did some different things motion-wise that I think opened things up for us,” said Hathaway. “The offensive coaches did a great job adjusting at half and the defense played well all game.”The Oilers inched closer on a 21-yard aerial strike from McFall to Way with 6:34 to go, but never made it a one-possession game.“Down 21-0 we could have rolled over, but we didn't. We kept fighting,” said LaVerde. “Both teams played pretty good defense tonight. Both teams hit some plays tonight. It was a good high school football game to be a part of.”The Rockets outgained Oil City by a 326-201 margin. Each team committed three turnovers.“They came in with a great game plan. It was a hard-fought game on both sides,” said Hathaway. “Both teams made mistakes and we were able to overcome them in the end.”Slippery Rock can wrap up a second consecutive Region 5 title with a win over DuBois (6-3, 4-1) next week.“We have to beat DuBois,” said Hathaway. “That's what we're focused on right now.”
