Rams can’t find life against Mars
Ringgold’s QB George Martin is overcome with emotion after the Rams lost to Mars Friday at Chartiers Valley High School.
Ringgold head coach Nick Milchovich talks to his team after the lost to Mars on Friday, Nov. 13, 2015 at Chartiers Valley High School.
Ringgold quarterback George Martin gets tackled by MarsRyan Astbury on Friday, Nov. 13, 2015 at Chartiers Valley High School.
Ringgold’s Dave Carpenter picks up yards against Mars Isaiah Johnson on Friday, NOv. 13, 2015 at Chartiers Valley High School.
Ringgold’s players Dalton Holt (22) and Alexander Grossi embrace after the Rams lost to Mars Fridayat Chartiers Valley High School.
HEIDELBERG – The Ringgold High School football team knew it had to stop the Wing-T running game of Mars and the Planets’ talented running back Isaiah Johnson, who was among the top 10 rushers in the WPIAL.
For the most part, the Rams did a good job Friday night against Johnson before he left the Class AA quarterfinal game Friday night with a back injury late in the first half.
It was, however, the passing of Mars quarterback Sam Morrissey, the big-play ability of Eli Brooks and a bear of a defense that blindsided Ringgold.
Morrissey passed for two scores, Brooks filled in for Johnson by scoring two third-quarter touchdowns and Mars shut out Ringgold, 35-0, at windy Chartiers Valley High School. It was the first time Ringgold was shut out in four years.
The win advances fourth-seeded Mars (10-1) to the semifinals next weekend against top-seeded Central Valley. Fifth-seeded Ringgold ends its season at 9-2.
“I’m surprised, but that is a very nice football team that beat us,” said Ringgold coach Nick Milchovich. “We didn’t do anything all night in all aspects of the game: coaching, blocking and tackling.”
Mars, the Greater Allegheny Conference champion, survived its first-round game by using a chip-shot field goal on the final play of the game to squeak past New Castle, 17-14. Against Ringgold, Mars led 14-0 at halftime and then took the life out of the Rams by scoring a touchdown on the first play of the second half.
The defense of Mars was the biggest story of the night. The Planets held Ringgold to only 89 rushing yards and 156 total yards.
“I didn’t think that would happen,” admitted veteran Mars coach Scott Heinauer. “They have an explosive offense and we were concerned. We wanted to shut down their running game, but we also knew they can throw the ball well.”
Ringgold had only one scoring opportunity and that came early in the first quarter. After being forced to punt on the game’s opening possession, the Rams’ kick bounced and hit a Mars player who was blocking. Ringgold’s Brenden Small alertly recovered the loose ball at the Mars 20-yard line.
Ringgold then had second-and-goal at the seven, but a three-yard loss on a running play and a holding penalty pushed the Rams back to the 20. A 38-yard field-goal attempt sailed wide right.
“Some of the things that haunted us all year popped up again,” Milchovich said. “We had penalties that backed us up after we had first-and-goal.”
Perhaps the biggest play of the first half was a punt, a 63-yarder with the roll by Morrissey that pinned Ringgold back at its 9-yard line late in the first quarter. The Rams went three-and-out, and a 21-yard punt into the wind set up Mars at the Ringgold 37. It took the Planets eight plays to reach the end zone with Johnson sweeping around right end on tumbling across the goal line for a 7-0 lead. The key play in the drive was Morrissey’s 19-yard pass to Brooks on third-and-11 at the Rams’ 38.
“That punt seemed like it traveled 80 yards,” Milchovich said.
Mars made it 14-0 when Morrissey completed a 12-yard TD pass to tight end John Castello in the back right corner of the end zone with 34 seconds left before halftime.
Morrissey completed eight of 11 passes for 119 yards on the wind-swept night.
“We missed some coverages,” Milchovich explained. “But (Morrissey) played well. He impressed me because it was difficult to throw with the wind. It hurt us.”
Johnson rushed for only 34 yards on 12 carries before leaving with the injury. That didn’t stop Mars’ running game. On the first play of the third quarter, Brooks swept around right end, shook off a tackler at the Ringgold 45-yard line and went 63 yards for a touchdown that made it 21-0.
“We had to play mistake-free football,” Heinauer said. “We messed up on that punt that touched us but we got a stop there. That first play of the second half was a statement. We play in a physical conference.”
Morrissey threw a 40-yard touchdown pass down the right sideline to Brook on Mars’ next offensive possession to make it 27-0. The Mercy Rule kicked in when fullback Garrett Reinke went 47 yards untouched off right tackle and ran in the two-point conversion with 9:25 remaining.
Ringgold, which was saddled with poor field position for much of the night, ran only one play from Mars territory in the second half and it resulted in a 10-yard loss after a bad shotgun snap from center.
“I’m disappointed it the result and the score, but I’m not disappointed in the players,” Milchovich said. “This doesn’t put a damper on anything. These seniors won three playoff games, which is more than Ringgold won in the previous 25 years combined.”