Conservative calls pay of for Matlak, Allegheny

Local Sports

Discussion

November 1, 2009

By Dominick DiRienzo The Meadville Tribune Sun Nov 01, 2009, 11:40 PM EST

When a team is 7-1 it’s not that a coach’s decisions are any easier, it just seems they work out better.

“It turns out I look pretty good,” Allegheny coach Mark Matlak said after his Gators rallied for 17 points in the second half to beat Wooster 24-21 Saturday at Fuhrer Field.

In a game full of decisions, two big ones stood out. The Gators elected to kick a field goal in the third quarter down two touchdowns. And they kicked an extra-point when a two-point conversion would have pulled the Gators within a field goal.

Matlak said, both times, he felt there was still time left in the game to adjust if either decision didn’t work out.

Wooster had built a 21-7 halftime lead based on two long passes and a punt return for a score.

Allegheny picked up 18 yards on five plays before stalling on its first drive of the second half.

On its second drive, the Gators went from their own 30 to the Wooster 22. Most of that drive came from Jake Vite’s leaping, one-hand catch that covered 45 yards. The drive stalled after two incomplete passes, setting up fourth-and-7 at the Wooster 22. The Gators were down 21-7 with 6:11 left in the third quarter.

Matlak felt like it was his team’s own mistakes that were undermining the Gators, and Matlak was confident the Gators could generate more points.

Allegheny kicker Ryan Zipf has been a dependable resource this season. The Seneca Valley graduate has hit 8 of 9 field goals this season, including 3 of 4 from between 30 and 39 yards, so even with a gusting, swirling wind that was blowing into his face, the decision was easy for Matlak — kick the three-pointer, even if it would still leave the Gators down by two scores.

Zipf nailed it to pull the Gators within 21-10.

“I just felt like there was time,” Matlak said. “I just think you have to make those decisions. I made up my mind. It worked out. Our kid kicked it into the wind. He made a good kick into the wind,” Matlak said. “Hey, sometimes that works and sometimes it doesn’t.

“This year, when you are 7-1, it’s working.”

Later, facing another tough decision, Matlak made the choice everyone thought he should, but it didn’t work out that way on the field.

Trailing 21-10, quarterback T.J. Salopek hit Jake Vite on a 3-yard fade route for a touchdown to pull the Gators within 21-16 pending the extra point. An extra-point still left the Gators down by four points and a failed two-point conversion would have left the Gators down by five points.

“I think you have to figure out when to decide the game,” Matlak said. “There was still eight minutes left in the game, and I just didn’t feel like … I said if we can steal it, great, if we could steal two, great, if not it will be OK. We’ll get another chance. So that’s what we did.

“(Holder) David Strawser got us out of the fake and got us the extra point. That was a really smart play.”

One of many that were made against Wooster, and on Saturday, the Gators travel to Springfield, Ohio to face unbeaten Wittenberg where more smart plays will be needed.

Dominick DiRienzo can be reached at 724-6370, ext. 274 or by e-mail at ddirienzo@meadvilletribune.com.

Text Only

Local Sports

DISTRICT 10 BASEBALL: Big Reds shut down Lions
SLIPPERY ROCK — The Linesville baseball team, with its mix of experienced and lesser-experienced players, has been capable of two different kinds of games this season.
The first is the sharp, skillful kind of effort the Lions put together Monday in their 10-7 win over Cochranton in the District 10 Class A quarterfinals.

May 26, 2012
DISTRICT 10 BASEBALL: Mercyhurst outslugs Lake in D-10 semis
ERIE — After a District 10 Class A championship game appearance last year, the Conneaut Lake baseball team lost four seniors who were important to the team’s success.
Even though the talented quartet graduated and Lake featured just three seniors this year, the team came together and reached the district semifinals. The team’s end result, and the school’s last game as a baseball team due to Conneaut Lake, Conneaut Valley, and Linesville consolidating into Conneaut Area Senior High, was a 15-4 loss in six innings to Mercyhurst Prep on Friday at Ainsworth Field in Erie.

May 26, 2012
DISTRICT 10 BASEBALL: Panthers edge Tigers, reach D-10 title game
ERIE — The Saegertown baseball team made an art form of compiling mercy rule wins this season. Nearly all of the Panthers’ 20 regular season victories were by 10 runs or more, as double-digit hits and runs scored were the norm.
The playoffs have been a different beast for the defending District 10 Class AA champion Cats, but they continue to find ways to win.

May 26, 2012
BOYS VOLLEYBALL: Cardinals come back from losers’ bracket to win D-10 title
The very first word spoken by Cochranton boys volleyball coach Brad Custead in his post-match interview will sum up Friday night’s District 10 championship finale better than all the words that follow it.
“Incredible,” he said.

May 26, 2012
Bulldogs' trio ready for state track and field meet
Meadville’s best now look to be among Pennsylvania’s best as Paige Kassab, Chaykala Lindsey and Heather Sternby compete in the PIAA Class AAA Track and Field Championships, which run Friday and Saturday at Shippensburg University’s Seth Grove Stadium.

May 24, 2012
D-10 SOFTBALL: Tigers no-hit in loss to Braves
HARBORCREEK TOWNSHIP — The Maplewood softball team had no answer for Iroquois starting pitcher Megan Martin on Tuesday during the District 10 Class AA quarterfinals on the campus of Penn State Behrend in Erie.
Martin worked around two errors during a no-hitter that included zero walks. And the Braves’ offense was sure to back her up during Iroquois’ 10-0 victory in five innings.

May 23, 2012
D-10 BASEBALL: Prep rolls past ’Dogs in four innings
ERIE — Hitting, they say, is contagious. And the Cathedral Prep baseball team had a full-blown outbreak against Meadville on Tuesday at Ainsworth Field, notching 13 base hits in a 16-1, four-inning rout of the Bulldogs during opening round action of the District 10 Class AAA playoffs.

May 23, 2012
DISTRICT 10 BASEBALL: Lake storms past Eisenhower
ERIE — The Conneaut Lake baseball team started off its postseason with a bang. Numerous bangs, actually.
The Indians (12-7) slugged 19 base hits while bumping off Eisenhower 15-5 in six innings during opening round action in the District 10 Class A playoff tournament Monday at Ainsworth Field.

May 22, 2012
DISTRICT 10 BASEBALL: Lions top Cards
ERIE — If this story had to describe every clutch hit, gutsy pitch, run-saving defensive play, or momentum-shifting moment during Monday’s playoff classic between Region 3 foes Cochranton and Linesville; there wouldn’t be room for much else in today’s newspaper.
The bottom line is: You should have been there.

May 22, 2012
BOYS VOLLEYBALL: Bulldogs stop Trojans to cap perfect region slate
Meadville junior Matt Izbinski laced a hard spike down the line, and so ended the regular season for the Bulldogs boys volleyball team — with a 3-1 win over McDowell, and a 9-0 run through Region 1. It all summed up on Friday night at the House of Thrills.

May 19, 2012
More Local Sports Headlines

Two of five Americans are on Facebook. It seems that everyone has strong opinions of either liking the program ... or despising it. As for you:

Local Sports

Search Results

Discussion

Conservative calls pay of for Matlak, Allegheny

Two of five Americans are on Facebook. It seems that everyone has strong opinions of either liking the program ... or despising it. As for you:

Site Map

Contact Us