Published November 15, 2008 10:58 pm - SLIPPERY ROCK — November football is all about running the pigskin and defense.
Slippery Rock beats Sharon, 27-10, in D-10 Class AA semifinals
By Corey J. Corbin
Allied News Sports Editor
SLIPPERY ROCK — November football is all about running the pigskin and defense.
Slippery Rock’s Isaac Osborne accounted for plenty of both as the Rockets (9-3) ran over, around and past Sharon 27-10 in the District 10 Class AA semifinals at Slippery Rock University’s N. Kerr Thompson Stadium Saturday evening.
“We know we beat a tremendous football team tonight,” Slippery Rock coach Clyde Conti said. “When you play Sharon, you know it’s never going to be easy. We have kids with some heart. This may not be the most talented team, but they work hard.”
With the win, the Rockets (9-3) will play Wilmington, who beat General McLane, in the D-10 AA Finals next weekend at a site and time to be determined.
Osborne rushed for 197 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries and picked off a pass for the Rockets.
“We tried some different things tonight,” Conti said. “We ran some veer, which might have given them some problems. We went old school and motioned into some I.”
After a scoreless first 12 minutes of action, the Rockets got on the board first with a 1-yard burst by fullback Justin Angerett four ticks into the second quarter. Nearly six minutes later, Mike Ramirez handed SR a 10-0 lead on a 28-yard field goal.
The Tigers answered with 10 points in the final 3:17. Todd Rearick hooked up with Louis Brown for a 31-yard scoring strike with 3:17 left before the half. Jason Sypolt send the teams into the lockerroom in a 10-all stalemate with a 21-yard field goal as time expired.
“I thought we got a little momentum there at the end of the first half,” Fromm said. “I thought we were going be all right coming out, but we didn’t move the ball as well as we wanted to.”
On their second possession of the second half, Isaac Osborne scooted 40 yards off right tackle on a third-and-three almost four minutes into the half to hand Slippery Rock a 17-10 edge.
Osborne effectively put the game on ice with 4:28 remaining when he outraced several Sharon defenders for an 80-yard score and a 24-10 lead. Ramirez added three more points on a 35-yard field goal.
“They took their dive play a little wider,” Fromm said. “They did a good job of blocking us. We missed a tackle in the backfield and allowed them to make some big plays that we can’t allow to happen.”