The Steubenville Big Red football team, under the direction of the winningest coach in Ohio prep history, Reno Saccoccia, stayed unbeaten last Friday night, getting by Cardinal Mooney. 21-16, at Stambaugh Stadium.
      The win improved the Big Red to 4-0. The game was a match-up of teams ranked #1 in their divisions as the Big Red took the field on top of Div. III ratings, while Mooney, now 2-2, entered first in Div. V.
      The Big Red put the first points of the game on the board in the first quarter on a 10-yard romp by Stephen McShan, spiced by an extra point kick from Chuck Bealle.
      After Cardinal Mooney got on the board with a field goal from Gio Whetstone from 27 yards out late in the first frame, Big Red tailback James Turner notched the first of his two TDs in the game at the 7:30 mark of the second quarter to boost the Big Red into a 14-3 lead.
      The Cardinals scored two and half minutes later to answer, but missed the PAT to make it a 14-9 Big Red lead at halftime.
      The Cardinal drive was highlighted when quarterback Vince Gentile found senior receiver Mike Shiraldi all alone down the left sideline for a 57-yard gain.
      Senior Massimo Furr came in at quarterback for Mooney and powered into the end zone from the 5 yard line for the touchdown.
      Turner added his second TD in the third quarter to cap a 10-play drive at the 7:45 mark and boost the Big Red into a 21-9 lead. A key play on the drive was a fourth down pass for a first down from Steubenville quarterback Santino Haney to McShan down to the 5-yard line.
      Mooney couldn’t answer and went three and out.
      The Big Red took over and controlled the ball, mostly on runs from Colton Henderson, for a dozen plays. But the drive fizzled when Brady Desmond sacked Haney on a third and six play for a 13 yard loss and Steubenville tried a field goal on fourth down from 36 yards out. The boot missed the mark with 11:12 left in the game.
      With 4:43 remaining, Card quarterback Gentile hit Brayden Bryant on a 57-yard pass for a touchdown, and a Whetstone PAT moved Mooney closer, 21-16.
      Steubenville went three and out on its next possession, keyed by a third down stuff on a Henderson run led by Rocco Zabel.
      With 2:21 remaining, Mooney got the ball back and promptly picked-up 10 yards on a Gentile to Desmond aerial.
      But Gentile was sacked by Landon Crosier on second down for a 13 yard loss, and a false start on the next play moved Mooney back facing a third and 25. On the play, Gentile faced a lot of pressure and had to throw the ball away.
      Gentile’s fourth down pass to Dom Letlow missed the mark, as the quarterback was under heavy pressure again from the Big Red front line.
      On the game, Mooney held a 267-250 edge in total offense.
      Steubenville entered averaging 42 points a contest thru its first three outings.
      The Big Red were led by Henry, who hit on 10 of 15 passes for 140 yards.
      Gentile passed for 180 yards to pace Mooney on 9 of 19 throws, but was sacked three times.
      A staunch Steubenville defense held the Cardinals to 87 yards on the ground in the game.
      Ty Dawson picked-up 43 yards on nine lugs to lead the Mooney ground game. Bryant caught four passes for 89 yards, while Mike Schiraldi had three catches for 67 yards.
      Zabel paced Mooney’s defense with 13 takedowns, while Letlow had 10 tackles. Jack Kollar and Dawson each had 7 tackles and Rocco Haas added six more.
      Mooney travels to Akron Buchtel to take on the 2-2 Giffins in a Saturday game. Buchtel enters coming off an 8-6 win over Lutheran East.
     
      PHOTO: photo/Howard Reese
       STEUBENVLLE QUARTERBACK SANTINO HANEY, 7, is taken down by Mooney’s Dav’on Perry, as Rocco Haas, 33, and Massimo Furr, 15, move in on the play. Haney ended with 140 yards passing in the game to pace the Big Red offense.