North Catholic cruises past Yough in Big East Conference game

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, October 19, 2018 | 10:45 PM

North Catholic bullied Yough in the trenches to secure another Class 3A Big East Conference win Friday in its quest for a conference championship.

Trojans coach Pat O’Shea said his team, which has recorded three consecutive shutouts, felt it could win battles at the line of scrimmage before North Catholic’s 41-0 victory.

“We have a theme each week, and this week’s theme was about all the work we put in the weight room,” O’Shea said. “It’s something we started on January 23rd, and we don’t miss a single day during summertime. We commit to it Mondays and Tuesdays during the season. We said it was going to be a game we highlighted work in the weight room.”

O’Shea credited players who often don’t get notoriety — his offensive and defensive linemen — for leading the team to another win. The starting linemen consist of Finnegan O’Shea, Jack Friel, Dom Prentice, Alex Michalski and Carson Primrose.

“Every week, we tell them it’s gonna be up to you guys,” O’Shea said. “They don’t get injured. They continuously keep doing a great job. I think all five on offense and all four on the defensive line are phenomenal.”

North Catholic (8-1, 6-1) ran for more than 300 yards and scored five rushing touchdowns against Yough (3-6, 3-4). The Trojans’ four scores — two by Anthony Serventi and one each by Rashod Allen and Cameron Branch — in the first half were on the ground for a 27-0 lead at halftime.

The score could have been worse, but a 51-yard touchdown pass by Zack Rocco was negated by a penalty on the second play of the game. Yough forced a turnover on downs later in the drive after the Trojans reached the red zone.

“It’s definitely a positive whenever you’re able to stop a team like this with as much firepower as they have in the red zone,” Yough coach Scott Wood said. “We thought we had things going in the right direction, but when we got the ball on offense we just didn’t do our jobs. That’s been our biggest problem all year. We’ve got guys who do their own thing, not blocking the guy they’re supposed to and not doing their responsibilities, and that kills us.”

North Catholic’s defense did not allow Yough quarterback Jake Sever and running back Dustin Shoaf to have any form of comfort. In the first half, the Trojans forced six tackles for losses, allowed 42 yards and gave up as many first downs (2) as it forced turnovers.

The Trojans’ defensive effort continued in the second half with six more tackles for losses and a third forced turnover on an interception by Tyree Brown.

North Catholic extended its lead in the second half with a second touchdown run by Branch and a 38-yard touchdown pass from Rocco to Nick Maher.

The loss eliminated the Cougars from a potential playoff run. The Trojans’ win puts the team in a position to at least have a share of a conference championship if it wins next week.

“I have seven seniors on the team,” O’Shea said. “When they were freshmen they won a single-A conference championship. Last year, they won a double-A conference championship. If we finish next week, they’ll have won a triple-A conference championship.”

Shawn Annarelli is a freelance writer.

Tags: Yough