Farrell falls to Ursuline, opens Pegues Sports Complex
Sep. 4—FARRELL — Kabron Smith dropped back for Farrell. He tried to buy some time in the backfield, but defensive lineman Michael Branch brought the quarterback down to end the game.
The Steelers fell in a 40-38 shootout on Saturday night to the Irish. The day began by celebrating the opening of the Pegues Sports Complex, the new football field and track that was installed this summer.
The football game featured a matchup of two state title contenders — Ursuline from Ohio and the Steelers. Both teams made deep playoff runs last season, with both teams reaching the state semifinals in their respective leagues.
The Farrell community and Ursuline faithful packed the stadium. There wasn't an empty seat in the house and fans lined the fence around the field to get a view of the high-profile finale to Week 2.
"Playing in games like this with a huge crowd, it feels like a college game to me," Farrell's Kylon Wilson said. "Any time I go on a visit to a game it's a huge crowd, it's intense, it's lit. It's just about the energy. It's all about the energy and love."
Farrell (1-1) opened the scoring when Smith threw a screen pass to Wilson for a 51-yard touchdown catch and run just minutes into the first quarter. But the Irish responded with a 5-yard screen pass from Jack Ericson to DC Ferrell to take a 7-6 lead.
The score was tied at 14 by the end of the first quarter after Smith connected with Lamont Samuels for a 21-yard TD pass, and Christian Lynch scored on a 2-yard run for Ursuline (3-0).
Wilson scored again for the Steelers on a 3-yard run to put them up 20-14 seconds into the second quarter, and Ursuline cut the lead to 20-17 on a 34-yard field goal from James McGlone. The Irish took the lead with another 2-yard run from Lynch with over four minutes left in the half.
The lead didn't last long however, as Wilson returned the opening kickoff of the second half 93 yards to give the Steelers a 26-24 advantage.
The score remained close the rest of the way as McGlone converted his second field goal of the night — a 27-yard attempt — with 7:30 remaining in the third.
Smith threw his third TD pass of the game to Julius Phillips for a 17-yard score a little over two minutes later. Lynch responded with a 3-yard touchdown run for his third score of the night and a 34-32 Irish advantage. And the Steelers got their second kickoff return for a touchdown after Brandon Chambers took the kickoff 73 yards.
The Steelers led 38-34 at the start of the fourth quarter. A fumble my Ericson put them in good field position, but they were unable to capitalize.
A couple possessions later, the Irish faced a fourth and 1 from their own 29-yard line. But Ty'req Dunlow found some space and broke off a 60-yard run. Ursuline took the lead for good when Lynch recorded his fourth rushing touchdown of the night on a 9-yard run.
The Steelers drove down the field with a goal-to-go situation. But with eight seconds left on the clock, the Irish brought Smith down twice on consecutive plays to end the game.
"We had our shot, we should have gotten it done," Farrell head coach Amp Pegues said.
The Steelers couldn't stop Lynch. The Irish running back carried the ball 40 times for 257 yards.
Ericson finished 9-of-16 for 77 yards and an interception. Ferrell led the Irish with 38 yards.
Smith threw for 199 yards with an interception on 13-of-19 passing. He also ran for a team-high 49 yards on 10 attempts.
Wilson led the way with five catches for 87 yards. He also added 47 yards rushing on 12 carries. Chambers added 36 yards on nine attempts.
Samuels caught a pair of passes for 34 yards, and Danny Odem had two catches for 39 yards.
The Steelers will take the field again on Friday against Grove City as they open league play. Pegues told his team after Saturday's loss that they will grow from the battle. Wilson agreed.
"Playing a team like this gets us really ready, telling us where we really are as a team," Wilson said. "I think this game, right here, is probably our toughest game."
LASTING LEGACY
The Farrell community celebrated the opening of its new field, located on the Pegues Sports Complex.
The complex was named after the family of the Farrell football coach and athletic director. The Pegues family, specifically his parents and brother, spearheaded the addition of the turf.
The track still needs to be finished at the site. That's expected to resume some time next week.
After the track is completed, the next project will be renovations to the locker room. Fundraising will begin in the near future.
"I'm just looking to the future for (Farrell students) to have a bright spot," Pegues said. "Anything my family could have in doing that, we're gonna do."
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URSULINE 14 10 10 6 40
FARRELL 14 6 18 0 38
Scoring plays
F — Wilson, 51 pass from Smith (kick failed)
U — Ferrell, 5 pass from Ericson (McGlone kick)
F — Samuels, 21 pass from Smith (Wilson pass from Smith)
U — Lynch, 2 run (McGlone kick)
F — Wilson, 3 run (run failed)
U — McGlone, 34 field goal
U — Lynch, 2 run (McGlone kick)
F — Wilson, 93 kickoff return (pass failed)
U — McGlone, 27 field goal
F — Phillips, 17 pass from Smith (pass failed)
U — Lynch, 3 run (McGlone kick)
F — Chambers, 73 kickoff return (pass failed)
U — Dunlow, 9 run (kick failed)
Team stats
URSULINE FARRELL
22 First downs 13
336 Rushing yards 142
77 Passing yards 199
18-9-1 Att-comp-int 19-13-1
413 Total yards 341
1-1 Fumbles-lost 0-0
6-49 Penalties-yards lost 10-105
Individual stats
Rushing: URSULINE — Lynch 40-257, Ericson 9-45, Dunlow 6-34; FARRELL — Smith 10-49, Wilson 12-47, Chambers 9-36, Samuels 3-10.
Passing: URSULINE — Ericson 16-9-1-77, Ferrell 1-0-0-0, Manning 1-0-0-0; FARRELL — Smith 19-13-1-199.
Receiving: URSULINE — Ferrell 4-38, Burney 4-27, Manning 1-12Lynch 1-0; FARRELL — Wilson 5-87, Odem 2-39, Samuels 2-34, Phillips 2-32, Chambers 2-7.
