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« Sports News
Penguins point to positive finish
By Pete Mollica
Despite being out of the playoff and league races, the team wants wins in its final three games.
YOUNGSTOWN — Last Saturday’s 17-3 loss to South Dakota State has knocked the Youngstown State football team out of any chance for a Missouri Valley Conference title or a berth in the postseason playoffs, but that doesn’t mean the season is over for the Penguins.
YSU (4-4, 2-3 MVFC) still has three games remaining this season and the Penguins are determined to finish things on the right foot.
Saturday afternoon the Penguins will travel to Cedar Falls, Iowa to take on Northern Iowa (5-3, 3-2) at the Panthers’ UNI-Dome, a place where the Penguins have not won since the 1999 season. YSU will then return for their season home finale on Nov. 14 to take on Illinois State and finish the season at North Dakota State on Nov. 21.
Saturday’s kickoff is set for 5:05 p.m.
The Penguins know there is still a lot of football left to play and they believe they are ready for the task.
“I’m a senior and this is my last go around,” said senior wide receiver Aaron Pitts. “We’re disappointed because we had high expectations coming into this season, but as a senior I know I’m going to give it all I have these final three games.”
Pitts, like most of the Penguins and the coaches, can’t pinpoint what the problems are with the team this year.
“We’ve made mistakes we shouldn’t have made, but to put your finger on just one thing that has made all this happen just isn’t possible,” Pitts added.
“The team as a whole hasn’t really played that poorly, but there just always seems like a play or two that makes things turn against us,” he said.
“I know that just the fact that we are playing Northern Iowa this week is more than enough motivation for me,” he said. “We’ve lost to them by a single point the last two seasons so we know that we are capable of playing with them. I’ve never won against them and I’d sure like to go out a winner this season.”
Freshman redshirt linebacker Taylor Hill, a Cardinal Mooney High product, echoed Pitts’ sentiment.
“It is very disappointing [missing the playoffs], but we just have to keep our heads up and finish the season,” Hill said.
“We’ve worked very hard all year and it’s really hard to deal with the fact that we don’t have a chance to play in the postseason,” he added.
Hill said that if he had to put a grade on the Penguins’ performance thus far this season it would be about average.
“We just don’t finish the games well,” he said. “But we have to stay positive and continue to work hard and finish out the season.
“We have to come out at a high level and play Youngstown State football. We are motivated especially against a team like Northern Iowa, who we have played very tough the last two seasons.”
YSU head coach Jon Heacock said the team was “very down” for Sunday’s workout.
“That was expected because of lot of these kids have four or five years invested in this program and to have their playoff hopes dashed is difficult for them,” he added. “But I expect them to get back up off the mats and compete with all their hearts on Saturday.
mollica@vindy.com
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Comments
I'm sorry but I read this crap and I don't know if to laugh or cry. Can't put a finger on it? The whole system is broken. Head coached 9 years and don't know whats wrong? "very down"? Strollo the evaluator and the entire coaching staff is broken and to be fair to these young men who will play next year they should all turn in their resignations immediately and give the next administration and coaching staff a head start on putting together a "VERY UP" attitude. What a pity party! This is like good ole boys and best friends trying to figure out why they're not to blame. Leave now the season is over! Another thing they did not get beat by a very good team last week. I've seen very good teams and SDSU almost got beat by a very bad and unmotivated team. 1 less interception and a motivated running back could have beat these chumps! Remember Marshall. Georgia Southern, Appalachian State, Air McNair's Alcorn State etc. those were very good teams who would have handed SDSU their butts on a silver platter. Quit making excuses. Somebody in the press, please have the courage to ask Heacock and Strollo why they haven't resigned! Now! Boycott Nov 14 Illinois State if you care about YSU, Pete the Penguin, and have a vague memory of a Championship team! Look at the empty seats and walk around the tailgate, the real fans who stand for 4-5 hours in the freezing cold and cook gourmet food for anyone who walked by, while spending hundreds of dollars a week for years are missing or arriving late and eating cold pizza and wings. I'm at home 3 days later eating tailgate leftovers with a cooler full of beer. I myself could have collected hundreds if not a thousand unused tickets. Sit on a metal bench in the front row, get out of you're cushy little press loges, with you're insider relationships.... it's freakin' broken guys! Man up! Or are you afraid of losing your job as a reporter?
Please join my 1 man campaign to save the Penguins. Mollica and Hannon and Hartzel and the other insider prima donna's aren't going to do it. Boycott Nov 14 Illinois State.
Posted on November 1 at 3:08 p.m.
It's not just a coaching problem it's a systemic problem! The Athletic Director down to the ball boy must go. YSU is preoccupied with having the nicest and prettiest facilities. Nice facilities are to championship football what perfumed toilet paper is to butts. Neither have anything to do with improving job performance. Except they conceal the odor. Pay attention to the job YSU. Did you see how empty the stands were? Do you remember how fickle area fans are? Now you're losing the base of loyal tailgaters and Penguin Clubers and you're doing zero to bring in the young fans. How many local semi pro teams have ever survived Youngstown. The Pride? No! The Steelhounds? No! Arena football? No! Remember YSU fans are just as happy to spend 4 hours and $200. a home game to be in a parking lot, indoor practice facilities and new signs and DeBartolo clubs and loges are not what we live for! Take the OSU and PITT and PSU money and pay a top notch coach 600k and get an A D that can evaluate real coaching in all sports instead of being occupied by facilities. Clean house and you don't need perfumed toilet paper!
Posted on November 2 at 11:11 a.m.
New Athletic Director suggestions: Paul McFadden or Jeff Wilkens
New Coach suggestions: Bob Davies, D J Durkin, Or Larry Kahres
Pay for them with the big game money. I believe you could get a coach with the kind of money OSU, PSU, Pitt, or Michigan State pays. All that money and all the faclities in the world haven't gotten us anywhere. We are doormats for visiting MVFC teams who probably do like our great facilities. Championships are won on fields of play, in the cold and wet not in locker rooms with automatic butt wipers or in indoor practice facilities. Our facilities looked pretty empty to me on HOMECOMING DAY against one of the best teams in the nation! Lose the real base of old timers(and you are YSU), who recruit the new fans at the tailgate and you could end up with all empty seats in the premier facilities in the FCS. How proud you must be of your accomplishments RON STROLLO! The buck stops here.
Posted on November 2 at 11:34 a.m.
Just so you know, I had left over 14 of the best tickets in the house that I couldn't get anyone anywhere to even consider using. I myself was given 8 premium seats from a regular who was a no show and I buy the best 8 seats in the house and have been for years along with a tailgate pass and a premium penguin club membership. I have missed 1 home game in 22 years. Everyone I talked to at the tailgate had extra tickets wasted. I encourage everyone to boycott the Nov 14 Illinois State game and send a message to the President and administration that management has taken their eyes off the ball and they are cheating the fine young men who come here to play, this is not a comment on the hearts of the players. I've sat in these stands with icicles in my butt crack and sheets of plastic wrapping grown men together to support this team. I will not attend another game until Strollo and everyone down is gone.