Rochester ends Carmichaels’ season
UPPER ST. CLAIR – As the postseason progresses, the bullseye grows. But so far, no one has been able to land the perfect arrow.
Carmichaels became Rochester’s latest conquest, falling 34-21 in WPIAL Class A semifinal playoff action Friday night at Upper St. Clair High School.
The two-time defending state champion Rams played poised and opportunistic, turning a 6-0 deficit into a 28-6 halftime lead.
“Good teams make good plays,” said Carmichaels coach John Menhart. “
The Rams have now won 15 straight postseason games, and 21 of 22 over the past four seasons. Rochester (10-2) will face Duquesne, a 46-16 winner over Monaca, in the title game at Heinz Field Friday.
“It’s hard to believe, but the hardest thing to do is defend a title,” said Rams coach Gene Matsook.
Against Carmichaels (11-1), Rochester dominated the battle up front, rushing for 243 yards while holding the Mikes’ potent backfield duo of Bobby Hathaway and Ryan Giles to a combined 54 yards. Giles had just one carry, as Carmichaels relied on the passing game after the Rams stacked the line of scrimmage.
“We got forced into throwing the ball when they stacked the line,” Hathaway said. “It was a little tough for us. In a game situation, it’s hard to get the quarterback and receivers’ timing down, but as the game went on, we started to click.”
Hathaway finished with just 48 yards on 13 carries, after entering Friday’s game with 1,455 yards on the season. Giles got his only rush late in the third quarter, but caught six passes for 107 yards and two touchdowns. His 54-yard reception on a third-and-four play put Carmichaels at the Rochester 25 on the Mikes’ opening possession, and after two runs by Hathaway set up a first-and-goal at the six, Giles hauled in a 15-yard touchdown pass from Jono Menhart two plays later after a holding call.
Rochester responded, though, with a 10-play, 52-yard drive and took the lead for good when Nate Waldron scored from one yard out, his first of three touchdowns. Waldron finished with 141 yards on 19 carries.
The Rams went ahead 14-6, when, on a third-and-two play at the Mikes’ 30, Waldron evaded a Carmichaels’ blitz, bounced the play outside and raced untouched 30 yards into the end zone.
Two plays in particular then helped Rochester pin Carmichaels in a deep hole. Facing a fourth-and-six at the Rams’ 43, Rochester punter Danny Fike couldn’t handle the snap from center and bobbled the ball. With the Carmichaels’ defense rushing in, Fike scooped up the ball, took off to his right and raced for the first-down marker.
Fike just did cross the 49-yard line before begin forced out of bounds to give the Rams new life. A 32-yard pass from Jeff Peternel-Gitts to Jamaur Law on third-and-six gave the Rams a first down at the Carmichaels 14, and two players later, Mitchell Goettman went in from one yard out to make it 21-6.
On Carmichaels’ ensuing possession, the Mikes tried a hook-and-lateral on a third-and-seven play from their own 40. Jono Menhart fired a strike to Giles, who was past the first down marker, but Giles then pitched the ball errantly in an attempt to hit a streaking Hathaway. The ball bounced perfectly to Fike, who returned it to the Carmichaels’ 4.
Waldron went in from one yard out two plays later and it was 28-6.
“There was a while there when we started to look like some of our playoff teams from the past,” John Menhart said. “We made a couple of mistakes. We told Colby if you have the first down, take it. But he thought he could make a play. We were looking to score. I’m not going to fault the kids. They were just trying to make plays.
“We knew coming in we would have problems offensively because of their scheme, a ’62’. They took us right out of what we wanted to do. We knew we were going to have to throw it around a little. They stacked their two middle linebackers on us. Where our fullback went, their first linebacker went. Wherever Bobby went, the second one went. We did a lot of misdirection and the person who was unaccounted for in their scheme was our quarterback.”
Jono Menhart played admirably, completing 10 of 25 passes for 149 yards with two touchdowns. His 26-yard touchdown pass to Giles with 3:51 remaining in the third quarter cut the gap to 28-14, but the teams wound up trading touchdowns to set the final score. Jono Menhart also led the Mikes with 51 yards on 12 carries.
“We came to play, we gave it our best shot.” John Menhart said. “You can’t make mistakes. I’ve preached that all year.”
NOTES: Justin Zielensky scored the Mikes’ final touchdown on a one-yard run with 26 seconds to play … Friday’s Class A title game will begin at 12:30 p.m. … Hathaway finished the season with 156 points, while Giles wound up with 154. They now rank first and second all-time for points in a single season.