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<!-- BEGIN content --><!-- hil-Sports-PC01 --> Football
Darby out to secure first winning season
Thursday, October 21, 2004
AARON BLANKENSHIP
ThisWeek Staff Writer <table bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" width="202" align="right" hspace="5" cellpadding="6"> <tbody><tr><td width="202">
By Jay LaPrete/ThisWeek
Darby's Marcellino Mosca (left) and Matt Buckalew tackles Upper Arlington's Dan Crawford during OCC-Ohio DIvision play last Friday at Upper Arlington. The host Panthers won 25-9 and will play host Friday to Newark in league play.
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At a glance <sidebartext> </sidebartext>
DARBY 25, UPPER ARLINGTON 9
Star: Joel Scipio, who rushed for 115 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries.
Key play: Scipio scored on a 2-yard run to give Darby a 25-9 lead late in the third quarter.
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Key stats: The Panthers outgained the Golden Bears 232-73 on the ground. NEXT GAME
NEWARK at DARBY
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Last meeting: 2003, Newark 30-21
Newark (6-2, 2-1) to date: Defeated Northland 38-14; def. Zanesville 34-7; def. Thomas Worthington 42-7; lost to Dublin Coffman 35-10; def. Youngstown Chaney 16-14; lost to Lancaster 24-17; def. Upper Arlington 33-27; def. Groveport 28-0
Top Wildcats: Montreal Barrett (RB), Any Blankemeier (G), Josh Devoll (TE), Keith Dillon (LB), Pat Dobbins (RB), Bryan Hamrick (FB), Aaron Huffman (QB), Rick Ingold (DE), Nate Lange (WR), Nick Lange (WR), Christian Livingston (WR), Joey Rey (DL), Baron Smith (G), Kendall Stinson (DB), Dustin Wachter (LB) and Mike Wheeler (DB)
</td></tr></tbody></table> The Hilliard Darby High School football team appears to be a longshot to make the Division I playoffs, but running back Joel Scipio said the Panthers have plenty of motivation entering Friday's home game against OCC-Ohio Division-rival Newark.
"We have a chance to clinch our first winning season in team history, and that means the world to us," said Scipio, whose team beat Upper Arlington 25-9 last Friday to improve to 5-3 overall and 2-1 in the OCC-Ohio. "This is also our senior night and the last home game of our careers, so we want to go out on a good note.
"Plus, it's been said that Newark is a better team than us, so we really want to prove the people who think that to be wrong."
Newark, which beat Darby 30-21 a year ago, defeated Groveport 28-0 last Friday to improve to 6-2 and 2-1 as
Aaron Huffman completed 12 of 26 passes for 234 yards and a touchdown. Montreal Barrett rushed for 131 yards on 18 carries, and Bryan Hamrick scored touchdowns on runs of 2 and 37 yards.
The Wildcats, who average 27 points per game, also are led offensively by running back Pat Dobbins, receivers Christian Livingston, Nick Lange and Nate Lange, tight end Josh Devoll and linemen Baron Smith and Any Blankemeier.
Huffman had completed 99 of 171 passes for 1,476 yards, and Livingston had 30 catches for 376 yards.
"We haven't faced a team that throws the ball the way they do yet this season, so it will be all about our secondary this week," Scipio said.
But coach Paul Jenne said his defense, which is giving up 12 points per game and is led by ends Phil Hetlinger and Rafael Junkins and tackles Nic Workman and Mike Bentley, will need to respect the Wildcats' running game as well.
"They mix it up pretty well offensively, so we'll have to be ready for anything," Jenne said.
"(Huffman) is a tall quarterback who sees the field very well and has a strong arm, so it will be a good test for our defensive backs. But the key for our defense is going to be putting pressure on him because we can't afford to let him just stand back there throwing darts all day."
The Panthers, who average 32 points per game, are led offensively by Scipio, center Dan Kuertz, right guard Adam Fricker, right tackle Ryan Hayes, left guard Chris Hehemann, left tackle Ryan Carter and tight end Adam Olsheski.
Scipio has rushed for a team-high 865 yards and 13 touchdowns on 119 carries.
The Wildcats' 4-4 multiple set defense, which is giving up 16 points per game, is led by linemen Rick Ingold, Joey Rey, Smith and Blankemeier, linebackers Dustin Wachter and Keith Dillon and defensive backs Kendall Stinson and Mike Wheeler.
"Their outside linebackers are big and physical, so we'll change some schemes to help us do a better job of blocking them," Jenne said. "We'll need to be physical up front to run the ball effectively, but we've also been working on our passing game to try to keep people honest."
<li>LAST FRIDAY -- Scipio said beating UA was long overdue. Darby lost the previous five meetings with the Golden Bears. "You can't keep losing to a team every time you play them, so we felt like we had to beat Upper Arlington this year," he said. "I think we wanted this game a little bit more than they did."
The Panthers took a 6-0 lead after Griffin Reed connected with Olsheski on a 20-yard touchdown pass on a play in which Darby lined up for a fake field-goal attempt.
"We've practiced that play all year and it just felt like the right time to try it," Jenne said.
The Golden Bears answered with a touchdown drive of their own, capped by Dan Crawford's 2-yard run, to take a 7-6 advantage in the second quarter.
But Scipio scored on a 23-yard run and defensive back Joey Cain returned a fumble 24 yards to put Darby ahead 19-7 at halftime.
"Our defense played a heck of a game, and our offensive line opened such huge holes for us, we didn't have any choice but to run through them," Scipio said.
Upper Arlington cut its deficit to 19-9 midway through the third quarter when the ball was snapped through the back of the end zone on a punt attempt by Darby.
But the Panthers' defense held on the Golden Bears' next drive, and Scipio scored on a 2-yard run late in the third quarter to make it 25-9.
Scipio finished with 115 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries, and Corey McClurkin rushed for 79 yards on 16 attempts.
Corey Bentine completed four of eight passes for 56 yards to lead the Golden Bears, who dropped to 2-6 and 0-3.
"We needed that final score to make Upper Arlington throw more than they wanted to," Jenne said. "Upper Arlington is one of the best fourth-quarter teams we've played this year, so we fought hard until the very end."
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http://www.newarkwildcats.com/athleticdepartment.htm
Aaron Huffman - DI All Central District Honorable Mention
http://www.lickingcountysports.com/athleteoftheweek.htm
Week 1:
Aaron Huffman
Junior, Newark High School
6'4", 195lb Quarterback
259 yards on 13 for 19 attempts with 4 TDs.
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