Oct 4, 2014 5 min read

MONONGAHELA – When you’re on the kind of roll the Ringgold High School football team is enjoying, you can win a game with a sub-par game from your quarterback and a turnover … or five.

Ringgold shook off five turnovers and an inspired performance by visiting Belle Vernon to defeat the Leopards 28-24 Friday night in a Big Nine Conference game at Joe Montana Stadium.

The Rams’ win spoiled the return to Ringgold of Belle Vernon head coach Matt Humbert, who spent the past four years as the Rams’ coach. Humbert took the Belle Vernon job last offseason because it came with a full-time teaching position.

Ringgold (4-1, 5-1) didn’t gain its final lead until wide receiver Skyler Scholl took a bubble screen from quarterback Nico Law and zigged and zagged through the Belle Vernon defense for a 39-yard go-ahead touchdown with only 2:02 remaining. On the first play after the ensuing kickoff, Law intercepted a pass on a reverse to secure the win for Ringgold.

The Rams trailed 17-12 at halftime and 24-20 in the fourth quarter, yet rallied for their fifth consecutive victory and remained in second place in the conference.

“That was as bad a football game as we’re going to play,” Ringgold coach Nick Milchovich said. “I told the kids that I wasn’t proud of the way we played, but I’m proud of the way we stuck together. We overcame about three games worth of things that could go wrong. That first half was a house of horrors.”

That’s because Belle Vernon (2-3, 2-4) played stingy defense, forced a slew of turnovers and got a momentum boost when Derek Verkleeren booted a 47-yard field goal as time expired in the second quarter to give the leopards a 17-12 lead. Verkleeren’s kick had so much distance it would have been good from 57 yards.

“I’m so proud of my kids,” Humbert said. “They fought so hard. The last two weeks we’ve lost games we could have won. It’s frustrating. We just had too many mistakes.”

That can be said for both teams. Law, Ringgold’s all-everything quarterback, lost three fumbles and threw two interceptions. Belle Vernon, according to Humbert, had a season’s worth of offensive mistakes.

“We counted more than 20 misalignments and 20 blown assignments. Still, we were productive,” Humbert said.

The most costly mistake came with Belle Vernon leading 24-20 and facing fourth-and-1 at the Ringgold 25 with less than five minutes remaining. The snap from center was made a count too early and caught the Leopards’ linemen unaware. Quarterback Mike Fine was stopped for a four-yard loss and Ringgold took over on its game-winning drive.

The Rams moved to the Belle Vernon 39 in five plays, aided by an offside penalty by BV on a third-and-one and a 15-yard run by Law, who rushed for 103 yards on 14 carries.

On the next play, Law spotted Scholl uncovered in the slot. The senior receiver made the catch on a quick screen, cut back to his left and across the field for the game-winning touchdown.

“We were just going to run the football on that last drive,” Milchovich said. “That bubble screen was just a read. Nico saw the cornerback playing off. We hit that a couple of times.”

The Rams also got a break on the extra point, when a second mishandled snap rolled to kicker Josh Briscoe, who alertly picked up the ball and raced into the end zone to make it 28-24.

Law’s second interception from his defensive back position ended any chance of a BV comeback.

“I probably shouldn’t have called that reverse pass,” Humbert said.

Ringgold opened the scoring midway through the first quarter. After Law intercepted a Belle Vernon pass at the Ringgold 13 and returned it 34 yards on the game’s first possession, the Rams needed only eight plays to reach the end zone. A 17-yard run by Brenden Small moved the ball to the BV 3, then Chacar Berry scored the first of his three touchdowns on a plunge behind right guard. A bad snap from center led to an incomplete pass on the extra-point try and Ringgold settled for a 6-0 lead.

One play after Law fumbled and Belle Vernon’s Jake Powell recovered at the Rams’ 43, the Leopards tried a trick play with big results. Wide receiver Phil Taylor passed to wide-open tight end Cameron Quinto for an easy touchdown and 7-6 lead in the opening minute of the second quarter.

A short Ringgold punt set up Belle Vernon with good field position on its next drive. A 19-yard burst up the middle by Luke Durigon led to Anthony Levis scoring from four yards out, giving Belle Vernon a 14-6 lead. Levis was hit in the backfield but shook off a tackler and powered into the end zone.

Ringgold, which ran only eight offensive plays during the previous 12 minutes, picked up the tempo and went 73 yards to pull to within 14-12 late in the first half. Berry scored his second TD by bolting untouched up the middle for 25 yards but was stopped on a two-point conversion run.

Berry, who had 100 yards on 18 carries, scored on a 1-yard plunge and ran in the conversion to give Ringgold a 20-17 lead late in the third quarter. Belle Vernon answered four plays later on a 10-yard run by Levis.

“This was a game of mistakes,” Milchovich said. “We’re fortunate they made the last one. That’s no knock on Belle Vernon. We made enough mistakes for four games.”