Big Red title run Alter(ed)

By Stephanie ELVERD

For The Times Leader

CANTON - To call Big Red's 2008 season - a season which included the 700th win in the school's history, a move into third place on Ohio's all-time winning list, 52-straight home wins and the teams sixth-consecutive unfastened season - a Cinderella story wouldn't exactly be fair. Big Red ended up exactly where it was suppose to - the Division IV championship game at Canton's Fawcett Stadium. It just fell short in Friday's afternoon game.

In it's bid for its third state championship in four years and fourth overall, Steubenville dropped a 21-6 decision to the Kettering Archbishop Alter in the final, proving that the previously undefeated Red were mere mortals after all.

"I felt good coming into this game and didn't think anything bad could happen to this team," Big Red senior receiver and defensive back Patrick Gilbert said after his team's state final heartbreaker.

It was sentiment shared by his teammates.

"Every time we got down this season, we got right back up. We did it all season and I really thought we'd do it again, only we couldn't. It was so hard to get back up against this team," junior quarterback Dwight Macon said. "Every time we picked ourselves up, we got knocked right back down."

Senior two-way lineman Ryan Dugan added "We've been down before, but today when we got down, everything went downhill."

Big Red's deficit originated at the 4:54 mark of the first quarter when Alter quarterback Austin Boucher hit Chris Borland with an 8-yard scoring pass. Danny Jasper, as he would all three of the Knights' TDs, supplied the point after for a 7-0 Alter lead.

It was the Knights' second possession of the game and the first in which they showed ability to move the football. The game began with the Red holding Alter to three and out. Big Red's first drive, on the other hand, was filled with promise. Macon connected with tight end Dan Bayne for a 26-yard completion on Steubenville's first play from scrimmage, but instead of being one of many big plays, it turned out to be one of Big Red's biggest gains of the game.

Steubenville, who came into the game averaging 407 yards of offense, was limited to just 283 against the Knights, including a surprisingly low 88 yards rushing, while Alter chewed up 303 on the ground. Macon hit his average passing numbers with 195 yards, but Big Red never seemed to get the big play when it needed it most.

"We didn't convert on third downs and they did. They were able get to first downs," Big Red coach Reno Saccoccia said. "That was the difference in this game. We couldn't defend the pitch and we didn't do well picking up first downs on third down. That was the key. We didn't get first downs and we didn't stop them on third down."

Big Red was successful on just three of its nine third down conversion attempts. Steubenville also failed to convert on two fourth-down situations, while the Knights converted on third down nine of 13 times.

Steubenville struggled to shut down Alters' option and the Knights tormented Steubenville from the outside. Boucher would finish with 111 yards rushing, while Chris Borland, receiving most of the pitches, led all ushers with 130 yards.

Meanwhile, Macon, typically a huge ground threat himself, mustered just 68 yards, but it was enough to lead his team in rushing.

"We were able to do what we hoped that we could do and that was contain their quarterback and not let him kill us," Alter coach Ed Domsitz said. "We knew he was going to throw and complete some passes. We knew he that he was going to break away and have some nice runs. We had to hope to that we could keep him out of the end zone.

"Also we had to be able to move the football. We weren't doing that real well early. Once we adjusted a little bit, we were able to sustain some drives in the second half."

The Knights were successful in keeping Macon out of the end zone for the most part. He would play a part in Big Red's sole TD of the night when he connected with Trey Wiggins on a 33-yard scoring pass with 9:43 remaining in the game, but it was just too little too late.

By the time, Steubenville scored its first and an only touchdown, the Knights had scored all three of theirs.

The first half ended with Alter leading just, 7-0, but Big Red failed to match it, despite receiving the ball at the start of the second half.

"As poorly as we played in the first half, we were only down, 7-0. I thought being in that situation would prepare for a better second half," Saccoccia said. "But they had a nice first drive and we didn't. Again, the game came down to two things. We didn't tackle the pitch and we didn't do a good job of maintaining the ball on offense. That's the game in a nut shell."

After decent gains and a first down on its opening possession of the third quarter, Big Red was forced to punt the ball.

It was on the ensuing Alter possession, that the Knights finally put together their second scoring drive. The TD came with five minutes remaining in the third stanza when Boucher carried the pigskin in from the 3-yard line.

Alter added another touchdown less than two minutes into the fourth. Borland carried the load that time running it in from 21 yards out.

The win gave the Knights its first state title in school history. Alter had advanced to the state semifinals four times and lost in the 2006 Division III state final to Big Red. The Knights end the season undefeated on the field, but with a 14-2 mark after forfeiting its first two games of the season due to ineligibility infraction.

Steubenville, who was crowned champion in 1984, 2005 and 2006, as well as state runner-ups in 1987 and 1988 wraps up its campaign at 14-1.

"Sometimes you can give a championship effort and still come up short," Saccoccia said. "It was a great season. Now, we'll find out more about ourselves on how we handle the adversity, the disappointment of losing."

Kettering Archbishop Alter 21, Big Red 6

Archbishop Alter 7 0 7 7 - 21

Steubenville 0 0 0 6 - 6

First Quarter

ALTER: Borland 8 pass from A. Boucher (Jasper kick), 4:54.

Third Quarter

ALTER: A. Boucher 3 run (Jasper kick), 4:40.

Fourth Quarter

ALTER: Borland 21 run (Jasper kick), 10:47.

BIG RED: Wiggins 33 pass from Macon (Stover kick failed), 9:43.

Team Statistics

Rushing: Alter 303, Big Red 88

Passing: Alter 7-11-81-TD, Big Red 12-23-195-INT-TD.

Penalties: Alter 5-35, Big red 4-19.

Fumbles: Alter 2-1, Big Red 1-0.

Punts: Alter 3-40; Big Red 4-34.

Individual Statistics

Rushing: Alter: Borland 15-130-2TD; A. Boucher 19-111-TD; Hall 9-48, Taulbee 4-16; Big Red: Macon 14-68, Busick 5-16, A. Pierro 2-4, Brandon 3-2.

Passing: Alter: Boucher 7-11-81-TD; Big Red: Macon 11-22-INT-TD-195; A. Pierro 1-1-0.

Receiving: Alter: Jasper 3-38, Borland 2-17, Hall 1-17, Place 1-9; Big Red: Goodwin 3-32, Westlake 2-38, Carroll 2-29, Wiggins 1-33-TD; McIntyre 1-4.