SLIPPERYROCK — Practice? Who needs practice?

Slippery Rock High quarterback Jono Powell, who suffered a shoulder injury last week against Titusville, didn't participate in drills this week until a walkthrough on Thursday.

It didn't matter.

Powell threw for 112 yards and rushed for 40 more and two touchdowns as the Rockets dispatched Meadville 24-14 on homecomingFriday night.

"I can't tell you enough how special this is," said Slippery Rock football coach Clyde Conti. "This is a special group."

And it starts with Powell, their leader.

Still nursing the nicked left shoulder, Powell was limited in the running game, carrying the ball on designed plays only eight times.

But he did manage a pair of 9-yard scoring runs, the second coming late in the fourth quarter that put the finishing touches on a gutty win for the Rockets (6-1).

Powell, who usually plays every snap on defense at safety, was in the game only on passing downs.

Conti also was careful about how he used his banged-up quarterback, and Meadville (5-2) had a hand in curtailing Powell's effectiveness rushing the ball, too, paying extra attention to his every move.

"We limited (Powell) a little bit," Conti said. "So did Meadville. It was a little bit of both."

Powell made big contributions with his arm as well. The senior hit two long pass plays to Isaac Osborne to set up two of the Rockets' touchdowns.

Powell wasn't the only star, though.

Fullback JustinAngerett became the third Slippery Rock ballcarrier to crack the century mark this season, rushing for 100 yards on 18 carries. He also scored on 3-yard run in the first quarter.

Since moving to fullback three weeks ago, Angerett, a small but shifty runner, has gained 229 yards and scored three touchdowns.

Angerett rushed for 51 yards on six carries on a long drive at the end of the first half that resulted in the first of Powell's 9-yard scoring runs. The score, coupled with a 41-yard field goal by Mike Ramirez earlier in the quarter, gave the Rockets a 17-7 lead at the half.

"They kept us off balance," said Meadville coach Mike Pendolino. "They went to a different look and we never adjusted."

Anthony Papley also was a star for the Rockets. Papley had two sacks and pressured Meadville quarterback Jarrod Kilburn heavily on two other plays that resulted in interceptions.

While things ended well for SlipperyRock, they certainly didn't start well.

TheRockets misplayed the opening kickoff, allowing Meadville to recover it at the SlipperyRock 27. Six plays later, Toney Phillips scored the first of his two 5-yard touchdown runs to stake the Bulldogs to an early 7-0 lead.

Phillips scored his second 5-yard touchdown to cap an 89-yard drive to close the gap to 17-14 in the fourth quarter.

Phillips rushed for 70 yards on the drive.

Meadville watched its last gasp evaporate into the cool night air when a fourth-and-5 pass at its own 18 slipped through the hands of a Bulldog receiver.

"I felt we had to go for it there," Pendolino said. "We had the first down. We just didn't catch the football."

Powell then tacked on the final touchdown of the game to secure the win.

"I tell our guys, 'Don't let what you can't do stop you from doing what you can do,'" Conti said.

Notes: It was the third consecutive win for the Rockets over Meadville. ... Phillips finished with 138 yards on 20 carries. ... Osborne, who was held to zero yards rushing, caught two passes for 68 yards.

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