By Lynn Saternow

Herald Sports Editor

Sharpsville High football team earned its first Region 1-A win of the season Thursday night by beating Conneaut Lake, 35-22, at The Pines, but Coach Paul Piccirilli wasn’t pleased.

“I told that kids that we’ll take the win,” said Piccirilli. “But I was disappointed in the way we played. I don’t know if it was the Thursday night thing or what.

“Last week against Hickory, maybe because it’s rivalry kind of thing, we showed a lot of emotion. We didn’t do that tonight. The kids have got to get fired up.”

Well actually it just took them a couple of quarters to warm up!

In the first half, which ended in a 14-14 deadlock, the Blue Devils were actually dominated in the statistics. Conneaut Lake rattled off 226 yards rushing in the half, including touchdown runs of 51 and 62 yards by talented halfback Joe Moon. A 2-point conversion was tacked on by Moon, catching a pass from quarterback Chase Miller.

Sharpsville, which had only 100 yards in the first half, took advantage of a second-quarter fumble recovered by Andrew Miller at the Lakers’ 17. Two plays later, Marcus Llewellyn went 9 yards for a score, and Llewellyn carried for a 2-point conversion that tied the game at 8.

After Moon ripped off his 62-yard score a short time later, the Devils struck right back and scored on a 25-yard run by the determined Josh Taylor, that tied the game at 14 with 3:19 left in the half.

Fortunate to be tied, the Devils left nothing to chance in the second half as that emotion for which Piccirilli was waiting came out. The Devils defense held Lake to minus-3 yards offense in the third quarter and took control of the game.

Sharpsville took a 22-14 lead with 5:21 left in period on a 9-yard burst by Taylor, set up after Matt Totin intercepted a Miller pass. Taylor also carried for the PAT.

The Devils expanded the lead by driving 62 yards early in the final frame with Taylor going the final 26. The PAT kick failed, but they led 28-14.

The Lakers (0-1, 0-2) weren’t giving up, however, and drove back to score on an R.J. Baker run with 2:15 remaining and PAT pass from Miller to Moon. But Sharpsville put the game on ice with 1:24 left when Llewellyn scored from 20 yards out and Jonathan Wilson added a PAT kick.

“The coaches made three or four adjustments at halftime that really threw (the Lakers) off,” said Piccirilli. “I really have to give a lot of credit to the defensive coaches. I wasn’t happy with some things. We didn’t wrap up our tackles. But that Moon is a helluva back. He’s going to do some great things before this season is over.”