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BY RICH RHOADES
SLIPPERY ROCK -- The DuBois Beavers got up-close and personal with a high
school version of the spread offense. No huddles and shotgun formation the
entire game.
Considering the huge challenge put forth by the Cathedral Prep Ramblers’
high-powered offense, the DuBois Beavers nearly matched them score for score.
But in the end, DuBois couldn’t overcome its own costly mistakes in a 42-35
shootout loss to the D-10 champions in a District 9-10 Sub-Regional game
at Slippery Rock University’s N. Kerr Thompson Stadium Saturday afternoon.
As if Prep’s offense didn’t need help, all but one of its six touchdowns
started on drives from the 50 or closer. Three scoring drives followed botched
punt snaps by the DuBois special teams.
Prep quarterback John Csir passed for 264 yards and four touchdowns and ran
for another to lead the Ramblers (8-3) into the first round of PIAA Class
AAAA playoffs this week against Brashear of the Pittsburgh City League.
DuBois’ season ended for the second straight year at Slippery Rock. Last
year, the Beavers lost 28-6 to McDowell. This year’s Beavers finished at
8-2.
Although Prep amassed 405 yards of offense, DuBois had its own big numbers
to boast with 365. Junior running back Mark Malacarne, who, as the punter,
was shaken up on one of the punt plays and missed half the third quarter,
still managed to rush for 143 yards on 12 carries and caught six passes for
68 yards. He scored on a 63-yard run in the first half.
Ryan Liddle finished his career with a good day at quarterback, completing
15 of 23 passes for 184 yards and a touchdown, a 32-yard strike to Taylor
Kriner in the first half. He also ran for three scores, all from one yard
out.
The Beavers actually led 21-14 at intermission, but Prep scored on its first
four possessions of the second half and led 42-28 with only 7:52 remaining.
DuBois, however, made things interesting. The Beavers answered Prep’s final
score by taking the ensuing kickoff and scoring on a six-play, 80-yard drive
that was capped by Liddle’s 1-yarder with 6:16 remaining.
DuBois then forced Prep’s only turnover of the game on the first play after
the following kickoff when Ryan Causgrove fumbled the ball away with Liddle
recovering at the Prep 29 with 6:02 on the clock.
The big break didn’t pan out for the Beavers, who managed just three yards
on four plays from scrimmage, turning the ball over on downs at the Prep
26 with 4:37 remaining. From there, Prep ran out the clock.
Two DuBois three-and-outs and one Prep failed conversion on a fourth-and-two
near midfield made up the first three possessions. But the second three-and-out
for the Beavers actually ended when Malacarne’s knee hit the turf while receiving
the snap on the punt attempt, killing the play at the Beavers’ 41.
Seven plays later, Prep found the end zone for the first score when Csir
hit Mike Schupp on a 19-yard scoring pass.
Then, DuBois’ offense heated up, scoring on its next three possessions on
a Liddle 1-yarder, Liddle’s 32-yard pass to Kriner and Malacarne’s 63-yard
dash. Prep answered with one score during the stretch on Csir’s 7-yard TD
pass to Javon Rowan, who gave the Beavers defense fits all day with 10 catches
for 136 yards.
DuBois, up 21-14, missed on a golden opportunity late in the first half to
stretch its lead to more than one score. A Liddle 36-yard pass to Rob Hanzely
gave the Beavers the ball at the Prep 20 with under 40 seconds left. But
a huge 20-yard sack of Liddle by Matt Fischer dropped the Beavers to the
Prep 32 with 8.7 seconds on the clock. From there, the Beavers had to hoist
a long pass by Malacarne to the end zone, which was picked off by Rowan as
time expired.
Prep quickly erased DuBois’ halftime lead with 21 points in the third quarter.
Rowan took the second half kickoff 44 yards to the 50 to set up an eight-play
drive finished off by Csir’s 11-yard pass to Schupp.
The Beavers’ second bad snap couldn’t be handled by Malacarne, who was hit
as he recovered the ball at his own 32. He was hurt and left the game. Four
plays later, Prep scored on Jon Wentz’s 7-yard run with 5:44 left in the
third quarter.
Then the third bad snap, this time over the head of backup punter Gabe Bowley,
was recovered by Prep at the DuBois 24. Three plays later, Csir scored on
a 3-yard run to put Prep up 35-21 at the 3:02 mark of the third quarter.
DuBois recovered and marched 70 yards following the ensuing kickoff to score
on Liddle’s second 1-yarder with 10:10 left in the fourth quarter to climb
within 35-28. Prep, however answered that score five plays later on Csir’s
34-yard strike to Rowan.
DuBois answered that score with Liddle’s final TD run from one yard out.
But too many mistakes and too good of field position for Prep proved to be
too much to overcome.
NOTES: It was the highest scoring game for the Beavers since their 49-34
loss to Altoona in 1998. In other high-scoring games, DuBois beat Bradford
53-22 in 1997, lost to Clearfield 52-24 in 2002 and lost to Oil City 46-29
in 2003. … Csir, who split QB duties with Matt Fischer for most of the season,
completed 16 of 25 passes and completed passes to six different receivers.
… Malacarne finished the year with 947 yards rushing and 446 yards receiving,
both team-leading totals. … The three botched punt snap plays along with
the 20-yard loss on the sack to Liddle totaled a whopping minus-63 yards.
Without those plays, the Beavers gained 428 yards, which would have been
a season-high mark. … Prep leads the all-time series against the Beavers,
5-2, and hasn’t lost to DuBois since 1976.
CATHEDRAL PREP 42, DUBOIS 35
Score by Quarters
Cathedral Prep 7 7 21 7 - 42
DuBois 7 14 0 14 - 35
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
P -- Mike Schupp 19 pass from John Csir (A.J. Deluca kick), 4:14.
D -- Ryan Liddle 1 run (D.J. Smith kick), :03.9
Second Quarter
P -- Javon Rowan 7 pass from John Csir (A.J. Deluca kick), 10:31.
D -- Taylor Kriner 32 pass from Ryan Liddle (D.J. Smith kick), 6:18.
D -- Mark Malacarne 63 run (D.J. Smith kick), 1:30.
Third Quarter
P -- Mike Schupp 11 pass from John Csir (A.J. Deluca kick), 9:21.
P -- Jon Wentz 7 run (A.J. Deluca kick), 5:44.
P -- John Csir 3 run (A.J. Deluca kick), 3:02.
Fourth Quarter
D -- Ryan Liddle 1 run (D.J. Smith kick), 10:10.
P -- Javon Rowan 34 pass from John Csir (A.J. Deluca kick), 7:52.
D -- Ryan Liddle 1 run (D.J. Smith kick), 6:16.
TEAM STATISTICS
D EP
First Downs 19 20
Rushes-Yards 43-181 32-141
Passing Yards 184 264
Passing: Com-Att-Int 15-24-1 18-26-0
Total Yards 365 405
Penalties-Yards 5-33 7-65
Fumles-Lost 2-1 1-1
Punts-Avg. 1-36 2-39
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing -- DuBois: Mark Malacarne 12-143, Ryan Liddle 14-36, Adam Lawrence
6-35, Rob Hanzely 8-10, Team 3-(-43). Cathedral Prep: Jon Wentz 17-92, John
Csir 9-44, Ryan Causgrove 4-9, Team 2-(-4.
Passing -- DuBois: Ryan Liddle 15-for-23, 184 yards, 1 TD; Mark Malacarne
0-for-1, 1 Int. Cathedral Prep: John Csir 18-for-26, 264 yards, 4 TDs.
Receiving -- DuBois: Mark Malacarne 6-68, Rob Hanzely 5-64, Taylor Kriner
1-32, Brian Stuby 3-20. Cathedral Prep: Javon Rowan 10-136, Jon Wentz 2-42,
Mike Schupp 3-30, Brent Thompson 1-26, Dave Roach 1-21, Ryan Causgrove 0-5,
Justin Schau 1-4.
Interceptions -- Cathedral Prep: Javon Rowan.
Sacks -- Cathedral Prep: Matt Fischer, Team.
Kick returns -- DuBois: Ryan Liddle 2-40, Mark Malacarne 1-11, James
Conway 1-0. Cathedral Prep: Javon Rowan 1-44, Dave Roach 1-22, Brent Thompson
1-18, Matt Stephany 1-7.
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