FROM THE PAST — Former Steubenville player Jacob Bernard fights for yards against Youngstown Ursuline during a game in October of 2017. The storied programs meet for the first time since that game tonight at Youngstown State’s Stambaugh Stadium. Michael D. McElwain
YOUNGSTOWN — Reno Saccoccia has never been one to shy away from a challenge.
Ohio’s winningest high school football coach knows he and his 2023 Big Red will have a major challenge on their hands today when they head north for a season-opening tussle with tradition-rich Youngstown Ursuline.
The 16th all-time meeting between the schools (Steubenville holds an 11-5 series lead) will be played inside Stambaugh Stadium on the campus of Youngstown State University. The opening kick is set for 7 p.m.
“This is probably the best team we have opened up with since I have been here,” Saccoccia said earlier this week. “The last time we opened on the road was 2020 against Cardinal Mooney. I will tell you this — anytime anyone in Ohio faces a Youngstown football team, they better be prepared and they better have their chinstraps buckled.”
Steubenville is riding a five-game win streak in the series, earning a 37-6 victory the last time the teams met in 2017. The last Fighting Irish victory came in 2013 by a final score of 46-21.
Big Red is coming off a 12-3 campaign that ended with a heart-breaking loss to Cincinnati Wyoming in the Division IV semifinals. Ursuline went 10-3 in 2022, advancing to the Division III, Region 9 semifinals where it fell to Canfield 33-25. Canfield went on to earn the D III state championship.
Four years ago, the Ursuline football program was reeling after suffering through its fourth consecutive losing season.
When coach Dan Reardon took over the reins to the program in 2019, the same school that he led to three state titles in a row (2008-10), he hoped that the team would discover the mindset that made the program so successful over a decade ago.
In 2023, after posting back-to-back 10-win seasons, the Irish have.
“We expect to win,” says Reardon. “Our rising seniors have known nothing but success and that’s because the classes in front of them did a good job of setting the standard and expectations within our program. We need to continue that mindset. We need to practice like a championship team. Our seniors need to lead the way with their actions, so we deserve to win in the fall.”
“Last season, we had a veteran offensive line returning with much of our statistical production having graduated,” Reardon recalls. “This year, we lost four starters on the line, but our leading receiver (DC Ferrell), quarterback (Jack Ericson) and running back (Christian Lynch) are all back. We return most of our offensive production, but we’ll need to develop linemen quickly.”
Ferrell, a big-time playmaker, enjoyed his first season at Ursuline by accumulating 779 yards receiving (52 catches), an average of 9.0 yards per carry (66 attempts, 591 yards) and he even threw for 94 yards and a score as a sophomore. Junior Tairan Davis (3 catches, 25 yards) is also back in the fold at his receiver spot. With the departure of Will Burney (47 catches, 489 yards) and Marc Manning (349 receiving yards), there will be a need for others to step into larger roles for the offense.
Ericson, in his first year as Ursuline’s starting quarterback, completed 137 passes for 1715 yards and 13 touchdown strikes. He also gained 445 yards on the ground while scoring 9 times.
Lynch, a 6-2, 180 pound junior, was the bell-cow a year ago, carrying the football 290 times for 1857 yards and scoring 21 touchdowns. On Wednesday, Lynch announced his commitment to play football at Princeton University.
The offensive front will welcome back Kyren Stuart and Robert Gilmore. The expectation is for Phil Bowser to make a leap and contribute at a high-level for the Irish’s line.
“Having our quarterback back, having our leading rusher back, having our leading receiver back, you know that’s a luxury from the skill perspective,” Reardon said. “We have a lot of new faces up front this year so those guys who are veteran at the skill spots, they need to do a good job while our young guys upfront mature and can get some experience and all those things.”
Saccoccia called the return of those skilled players “the real strength of the Ursuline team.”
“They force you to defend the entire field — sideline to sideline and end zone to end zone,” he said. “Our challenge will be to defend all the weapons they have and play very solid defensively.”
Although Ursuline returns just five starters on the defensive side of the ball, those who are back appear to be a real strength of the unit led by their hybrid-pass rusher Ty’Req Donlow (28 TFL, 13 1/2 QB sacks).
“He’s been an amazing player for us for three seasons,” Reardon said. “He is on pace to break the career sack record for Ursuline. Similar to the offense, we return most of our defensive production. Our top three leading tacklers are back in John Frangos (66 1/2 tackles, 11 TFL), Lorenzo Rohrbaugh (46 1/2 tackles) and Donlow (66 tackles).
“It’s going to be a great opening night. It’s a Thursday game and there’s not a ton of Thursday games so I think we will get a lot of casual fans who want to see two really good programs going at it. It’s Ursuline vs. Steubenville. It’s a high profile game. Historically, Steubenville is one of the best programs in Ohio and I think you can say the same thing about us.
“When you talk about Steubenville, the first thing you have to say is they do a great job of putting stress on opponents both mentally and physically. They do a really good job with the mental side of the game through the formations they run and the blitzes they come after you with.
“Our kids will have their work cut out for them. From a mental perspective, we have to be on point with our assignments. We need to take care of the football offensively and get some stops defensively. Coaches say that a lot but when you are playing a quality opponent it’s much more important to do those things. I think there will be a lot of people in the seasons. We obviously love playing at home and when you have a great opponent coming in, it makes it that much more fun.”
“We feel we had a very good camp,” said Saccoccia. “What made it a very good camp is we came out healthy and that is the best thing a team can ask for going into its opener. We have to be at our best early in the year starting tonight.
“Our returning starters need to lead the way. They have been there and they have to be great leaders. Secondly, we don’t have time to mature. Our players that weren’t starters last year still have heart, still have desire and still have a love of the game. They need to bring all that with them in order for us to have an opportunity in the fourth quarter today.
“We want to go up there with a great game plan and execute that plan. Execution is more important than anything. If we can execute the plan and get to the next play, whether or not the last play was good or bad, at least we will have the opportunity to achieve some success in the game.”
Saccoccia noted the challenge of opening against a team like Ursuline may have actually played a role in his team having a good summer camp.
“When you open up against the type of team we are opening up with, I think it makes two-a-days and July camp so smoother,” he said. “You tend to work harder because of who you are playing in your opener.
“Our coaching staff, our players and even the city of Steubenville have great respect for Youngstown area football teams and hopefully, we can gain their respect with our performance today.”
