Led by line, Shady Side Academy runs past Burrell

By: Antonio Rossetti
Friday, August 30, 2024 | 10:47 PM

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Previous Next

The Shady Side Bulldogs barked up the right tree. Cam Mallory, Darrin Haynes and Shady Side Academy bulldozed Burrell, defeating it 42-7 at Buccaneer Stadium.

Shady Side’s 166 rushing yards and 276 total yardage in the first half boosted them past the Buccaneers.

Running back Haynes and quarterback Mallory led the charge. Haynes ran for 178 yards on 15 carries, tallying two touchdowns on the ground. He also caught five passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns.

Mallory completed 7 of 8 passes for 163 yards and three touchdowns. He ran for 78 yards on 10 carries, notching one touchdown run.

“Darrin and Cam did a great job running tonight, but it starts with the guys up front making the way for them,” coach Chuck DiNardo said. “We got to take our hats off. We have five offensive linemen who are doing a great job. We have two tight ends we consider glorified guards. Those seven guys did a really great job getting us those holes.”

The Bulldogs mustered 414 total yards. Mallory and Haynes had a hand in every one.

DiNardo said Haynes and Mallory ran hard for all four quarters.

“Darrin and Cam did a great job finding their way,” DiNardo said. “They are really hard to bring down in the open field. We are pleased with how we executed.”

Haynes commented about his chemistry with Mallory.

“That man is my brother,” Haynes said. “We really have a tight bond.”

Mallory shared a similar sentiment.

“Darrin is a dog,” Mallory said. “He always makes something out of nothing. He always goes 100 percent. He’s good for the team. Darrin’s a good dude and a great player. I love playing with Darrin.”

Mallory also lauded the blocking against Burrell.

“My line did a good job for me, opening up the holes so I can see the whole field,” Mallory said. “They do a good job blocking. They are very supportive of me. My line is like my family. I love my O-line.”

The defense shut out Burrell in the second half.

DiNardo is happy with how the players responded, especially against a gritty Bucs team.

“We had a tough loss last week in the final minutes,” DiNardo said. “We learned from it and responded. Burrell is a good team. Credit to Burrell. They put together a hard drive on us to put those seven points on us. It was good for our defense.”

“Our defensive coordinator, Ty Gilliard, made some adjustments at halftime that really seemed to settle us down and set the tone for the second half.”

Coach Jeremy Liotta, who filled in for his brother, coach Shawn Liotta, said a loss shows where the Bucs can improve.

“We really struggled on defense tonight,” Liotta said. “We got to work on getting to the ball on the outside, not getting sealed on the outside.”

On offense, sophomore Trey Coury led the charge with 100 yards on 25 carries, punching in one touchdown. Freshman Rocco Gianetti tallied 70 yards on 10 carries. Junior Liam Kasavage also had five carries.

“We’re a young team,” Liotta said. “We have 60 players, and 40 of them are playing JV tomorrow. We will get better as the season goes on. Shady Side is a good team. They have a great head coach. Coach (Dave) Havern is a great offensive coach. He’s been doing this a long time. We can take some bright spots out of this … we have a young team and we will get better, but it’s going to take time.”

The Buccaneers put together a lengthy first drive which took almost eight minutes. Nevertheless, the drive stalled at the Shady Side 20. The Buccaneers turned it over on downs after a fourth-and-5.

The Bulldogs struck first when Mallory hit Haynes on a 26-yard screen pass for a touchdown. Hayes ran it in for the 2-point conversion, giving them an 8-0 lead with under a minute left in the first.

Shady Side wanted the ball back and decided to surprise Burrell with an onside kick. Marcus Burkley recovered the onside kick for the Bulldogs after the ball ricocheted off of a Buccaneer.

The Bulldogs took advantage of the short field and manufactured a short drive capped off with a Mallory 10-yard touchdown run. The 2-point try was unsuccessful, making it 14-0 Bulldogs.

The Bucs responded with a four-minute drive that was finished off with a Trey Coury 1-yard touchdown run. Brayden Vickers hit the extra point, cutting it to 14-7.

The Bulldogs found the scoresheet once again. Mallory found Jalen Bey for 11 yards, setting them up at the Burrell 37. Haynes broke free and took one to the house for a 37-yard touchdown. Mallory punched in the 2-point conversion, making it 22-7.

Shady Side turned over the Buccaneers on downs. The Bulldogs rubbed salt in the wound when Mallory found Haynes for a 55-yard touchdown pass, going into halftime up 28-7.

The Bulldogs came out firing in the second half. A 20-yard pass from Mallory to Haynes put them inside the 5. Haynes mustered his fourth score on a 1-yard touchdown run, increasing their lead to 34-7.

Burrell got its first stop on the night when Talen Newcomer recovered a Haynes fumble at Burrell’s 30-yard line.

Nonetheless, the Bulldogs pitched a shutout in the second half.

They tacked on one more touchdown in the fourth on a 9-yard throw from Mallory to Bey. Mallory ran it in for 2, setting the final score.

Tags: Burrell, Shady Side Academy