By T.J. Turrisi
November 6, 2009 — If it’s because somebody broke a mirror, then Meadville may have luck restored tonight at Erie Veteran’s Memorial Stadium. The Bulldogs (4-5) take on non-region opponent Strong Vincent (7-2) in a 7 p.m. kickoff.
It’s been seven years since Meadville has gotten the better of the Colonels. The last time the ’Dogs defeated Vincent was all the way back in 2001.
The two teams have met in each of the past 13 seasons with the Colonels winning 10 of 14. And they have done so by a considerable average margin of 34.1 points per contest.
Could tonight be the tide-turner? One thing is for sure: Meadville has the necessary momentum.
The Bulldogs did nearly everything right in a 47-8 win over hapless Franklin (1-8) last week, closing Region 5 play with a 2-2 mark.
Meadville returned the opening kick for a score, rushed for 321 yards, scored twice through the air and won the turnover margin 3-0.
While the ’Dogs have done well against teams like Strong Vincent which are primarily run-first, they have not yet faced a team with the speed of the Colonels. How quickly Meadville reacts and flies to the ball will be a key factor in determining the outcome tonight.
Vincent’s top back is Brandon Akins-Jones with 83 carries for 730 yards and 12 TDs. At 5-foot-9, 160 pounds, Akins-Jones can spin a defense pretty fast.
“When he sees an opening, he gets it,” Colonels’ coach Tom Cacchione said. “You can’t time that kind of fast.”
“He moves well,” said Meadville coach Mike Pendolino of Akins-Jones. “He has real good feet and real good vision. He runs with his eyes, and he’s just an athlete.”
Emari Tangle is the second-leading rusher in the Vincent Wing-T, taking 94 handoffs for 500 yards and nine touchdowns.
Mike Neavins is next on the team’s yardage list. He has been used sparingly but has a monstrous 22.1 yards-per-carry average with 265 stripes on just 12 rushes and five scores.
“We need to react to our keys with a sense of urgency,” Pendolino said. “We have to wrap up and make tackles before they have a chance to turn a corner or cut back on us.
The two coaches seem to agree that the recent Meadville-Vincent series has been closer than the numbers may portray.
“We haven’t really blown Meadville out ever,” Cacchione said. “It’s always tough. We’ve gotten the best of them the last few times we’ve played them. We are just ready to play a good game (tonight).”
The latest contest was a 35-14 final in the first round of the 2008 District 10 Class AAA playoffs.
“I thought we did pretty well last year in the playoff game,” Pendolino said. “You take away a couple big plays for them and you’ve got a different ballgame. We held them to three three-and-outs, had a safety on them, intercepted them a few times, had a few sacks. So I think we stepped up and made some pretty good progress against them the last time.
“We want to be able to pick it up there, and know that we can compete and accomplish great things.”
The Bulldogs’ top choice offensively has been Tyler Banks with a 6.7 yards-per-carry average, 834 rush yards, 35 receiving yards and two six touchdowns.
Banks was able to score touchdowns rushing and receiving and pick off a pass in the first half last week to aid a 33-0 halftime lead over the Knights. He finished with 13 runs for a game-high 127 yards.
“He’s a pretty good back,” Cacchione said. “I remember him from last year.”
Banks aside, Meadville has covered 971 yards on the ground with eight different rushers for 15 TDs. That entire committee of upper and underclassmen could see time tonight.
“We have a nice mix of seniors and very young, but each one has had their time to contribute quite a bit in their own way. We might be calling on all of them to step up and try to carry the load (tonight).”
Regardless of outcome, Meadville’s season will come to a close after Week 10. The Colonels are preparing for a Class AAA first-round playoff matchup with Region 5 champion Grove City.
“We are just trying to keep our little thing rolling and try to get ready for the playoffs,” Cacchione said. “We are a young team. It took us a while to get our stuff going, but we are trying to keep it that way.”
Notes: A win tonight would clinch Meadville’s third straight non-losing season. The ’Dogs enter the contest with a 15-15 overall mark in the past three seasons.
