Sep 2, 2006 By Jim Downey 4 min read

Connellsville’s Scott Jones needed a few carries to warm up, but when the senior runningback finally warmed up on the damp Friday night he ripped off a 43-yard touchdown run to spark the visitors to a 24-0 non-conference at Uniontown. The Red Raider defense did a good job slowing down the sprinter with all but three of his 21 attempts, but Jones tore through the defense in the third quarter for 64 yards to set up Lance Straughters’ nifty 19-yard touchdown run.

“I felt real good tonight,” said Jones. “The offensive line did a nice job getting the holes open. It was important to get off to a good start with the next game against North Hills.”

Jones, who fumbled once but had a teammate recover, rushed 21 times for 171 yards and caught one pass for 14. He had an 11-yard touchdown called back early in the fourth quarter when a teammate was called for holding. Jones also had a strong game on defense.

“Jones is one of the better backs we’ll play against this year,” said Uniontown coach John Fortugna.

Both teams took a while to get going on offense, but Connellsville starting moving the ball on its second possession.

Colton Wilhelm kept the drive alive with a 20-yard completion to Leonard Smith, and Jones did most of the work from that point. Fullback Alan Porter ground out seven yards on first-and-10 from Connellsville’s 44, and Jones gained the final 56 yards on runs of three, three and 43.

Porter had the block that paved the way for Jones to get into the secondary.

The Falcons missed the extra point, but a roughing the kicker gave them a second chance. Porter made the most of the opportunity for the two-point conversion.

The defense got into the scoring act on Uniontown’s next possession when the pocket caved in around quarterback Michael Dvorchak for a safety.

Connellsville wasn’t able to make the most of the momentum when Wilhelm was intercepted on the first play after the free kick.

Uniontown had a great chance to score early in the second quarter when the Red Raiders started at Connellsville’s 45. Dvorchak found Dan Rush wide open for a 28-yard completion, but the Connellsville defense stiffened and held on a fourth-and-5.

“At times, we didn’t take advantage of things. We made offensive mistakes. We should have scored,” said Fortugna. “It’s a new system. We’re running a new system and we just couldn’t gel.

“It’s going to take a lot of patience, for both me and the team.”

Connellsville capped the scoring when Aaron Meade picked up a bouncing punt at Uniontown’s 48 and ran untouched into the end zone with 5:33 remaining in the game.

The Red Raiders played without Kevin Sanders and John Farrell, but Fortugna wasn’t about to use that as an excuse.

“We miss their leadership. They’re both good football players,” said Fortugna. “We had some positives on defense. We’ll look at all the positives.”

Connellsville coach Tom Dolde also saw some positives, but admitted the Falcons still need some work.

“There’s something wrong with the blocking schemes. We’ll watch a lot of films. It will be a big learning day,” said Dolde. “Defensively, we played outstanding. (Alan) Porter and (Zach) Benzio played well. The secondary played a solid game.”

Dvorchak threw for 132 yards with Rush leading the way with two receptions for 38 yards. The running attack was stymied with the Falcons holding the Red Raiders to minus-6 yards rushing.

Dolde commented on Farrell and Sanders missing, saying, “Not having a deep threat allowed us to put more pressure on the quarterback.”

As for the opening win, Dolde said, “Absolutely, this is the way we wanted to start, with a shutout. It was nice to put the second- and third-team in and not get scored on. We have a good attitude. The kids want to play.”