Lake Catholic Blanks Youngstown Ursuline, 9-0, to Stay Undefeated

Lake Catholic head football coach Mike Bell will be more than happy not to hear the question again.

So coach, how are you going to overcome losing 21 starters from last year’s team?

After shutting out three-time defending Division V state champion Youngstown Ursuline, 9-0, Saturday evening at Jerome T. Osborne Sr. Stadium, the Cougars have provided a firm answer.

“The first time I was asked about it, that was one too many for me,” Bell said. “We have never been concerned about the players that we don’t have. We focus on the guys we have to get those guys ready to win football games.”

Well, the guys he does have are certainly doing all right, especially with a 3-0 season record and wins against Strongsville and Ravenna, too. The Fighting Irish are now 0-3 after going 15-0 last season and have lost in the same building two weeks in a row, falling to Mentor, 38-27, last week.

The Cougars seized on the right opportunities against the Fighting Irish.  In the first quarter, the Cougars gathered up a quick safety, and Evan Gormley rumbled for a 20-yard touchdown in the second quarter thanks to a pair of Irish fumbles deep in their own territory.

Lake Catholic’s aggressive defensive was in evidence against the Irish as senior linebacker Steve Freiberg recovered the fumble that led to the Cougars’ lone touchdown of the game.

“It all started up front. Our D-line played great and got Evan (Gormley) and I open so we could make some tackles. We flew around the field and had great team chemistry. We played 11 as one tonight,” Freiberg said.

Lake Catholic limited a potent Ursuline rushing attack, holding the Fighting Irish to 186 yards on the ground. Ursuline’s Jesse Curry had 27 carries for 133 yards, most of which were gained in the second half, but he couldn’t find the end zone on the Irish’s final drive.

With the Cougars seemingly headed toward victory, Mike Tutolo fumbled at the Cougars’ 40, and the Irish recovered at the 41 with 7:37 remaining in the game.

Trevor Smith, who had six carries for 52 yards, got 21 of them on the next play to bring the Irish to the Cougars’ 20. After being stopped for no gain, Curry’s 12-yard run set up a 1st-and-goal at the 8 for Ursuline.

But after holding Curry for two short gains of 4 yards, Ryan Fyffe dropped Irish quarterback Chris Durkin for a 2-yard loss at the 6. Irish kicker Vince Yurcho attempted to get Ursuline within one score on a 24-yard field-goal kick, but it banged into the left upright and fell harmlessly to the ground with 5:21 left.

Cougars quarterback Mark Baniewicz, along with Gormley and Tutolo, ran out the clock to end the game. Lake Catholic’s rushing attack produced a mere 140 yards on 41 carries.

On the Irish’s opening drive of the game that began at the Irish 26, a bad snap sailed over Durkin’s head toward the end zone. Durkin recovered the fumble in the end zone for a safety, putting the Cougars up, 2-0, at 11:17 of the first quarter.

Both teams stalled on offense until Durkin fumbled a low snap Freiberg recovered at the Ursuline 27. Three plays later, Gormley ran in for the game’s only TD at 3:40 of the second quarter.

Lake Catholic squandered two trips into the red zone to begin the second half. A Baniewicz fumble at the Irish 3 killed the first drive, and the Cougars quarterback was stopped at the 8 on a failed fourth-down run to end the second.

Lake Catholic next travels to Cardinal Mooney in Youngstown for a Friday tilt. The game begins at 7:30 p.m.

Youngstown Ursuline  0 0 0 0 0

Lake Catholic               2 7 0 0 9

1st Quarter

Lake Catholic - Safety

2nd Quarter

Lake Catholic  - Gormley 20 run (Gormley kick)