Rochester edges Monessen in ‘playoff atmosphere’

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, October 20, 2018 | 12:51 AM

Monessen nearly came back from a 14-point third-quarter deficit, but Rochester held on for a 22-14 victory in nonconference play Friday night at Memorial Stadium.

The Greyhounds threw two interceptions in the second half, one of which translated to eight points for the Rams, and made other mental mistakes that concerned coach Mikey Blainefield.

“We definitely made the most mistakes, and that’s why we lost this game,” Blainefield said. “This game had two very strong teams, and it was a pretty exciting game, one for the books, but we couldn’t come out on top because we made too many mistakes.”

Trailing by two scores with less than seven minutes left in the third quarter, Monessen (6-2) got on the scoreboard as Devin Whitlock capped off an 11-play, 68-yard drive with a 13-yard touchdown run that made it 14-8 after a successful two-point conversion.

Whitlock had an impact on the ground and in the passing game for the Greyhounds.

The freshman standout was 9 of 16 for 70 yards passing and ran for 120 yards on 17 carries.

“He’s extremely versatile, and I’d be a fool not to use him in as many ways as possible,” Blainefield said. “I actually wanted to give him the ball a couple of times at receiver, but we weren’t able to because of different situations.”

Following its first score of the game, Monessen forced a punt by Rochester (8-1) and had all the momentum, driving to the Rochester 40. Whitlock broke away toward the sideline for a long run, but it was called back following a personal foul penalty.

Whitlock was injured on the play and sat out the next play. Isaiah Beltram lined up under center and threw a pass that was picked off by Rochester defensive back Parker Anthony.

The Rams’ next drive didn’t result in a score as they were forced to punt, but the Greyhounds, once again, had a costly miscue on the third play of their drive.

Whitlock stepped back and fired a pass that was intercepted by Tyreek Sherod and returned to the Monessen 37.

A late hit penalty moved Rochester up to the 21-yard line and five plays later Noah Whiteleather scored on a run from 5 yards out to make it 22-8 Rams after a successful two-point attempt.

“It was a great effort for our kids,” Rochester coach Gene Matsook said. “I knew it was going to be a playoff atmosphere since Monessen is having a great year.

“(Monessen) had a lot of momentum, and they are a quick team. We got fundamentally sound, we possessed the ball on them there in the second half, and we responded.”

On its ensuing possession, Monessen cut into the deficit once again.

Runs of 13 and 19 yards from Whitlock were a part of a 10-play, 77-yard drive that was capped off by a 7-yard touchdown run by Vaughn Taylor, who had 67 yards on 10 carries.

A failed two-point conversion made it an 8-point differential for Monessen.

The Greyhounds lined up for an onside kick but Rochester recovered and drained the final minutes off the clock to seal the victory.

“I think they began to wear us down. It’s Ironman football, and those guys play both ways,” Blainefield said. “Four quarters into it, our guys start getting tired, but (Rochester) is well coached and prepared. It showed in the fourth quarter.”

A low-scoring affair for the first two quarters, Rochester broke the ice within the first few minutes of the second frame.

After forcing Monessen to punt and turn the ball over on downs on its first two possessions, the Rams started their second drive of the game at their own 36-yard line.

Eight plays later, Whiteleather finished off the drive with a 9-yard touchdown run that made it 6-0 Rochester with 10:40 left in the first half.

Whiteleather carried the ball 21 times for 82 yards in the win while Dah’vell Duke had 87 yards on 16 carries.

Rochester wasted little time adding to its advantage in the second half.

On the second play of the Rams’ opening second-half drive, quarterback Zaine Jeffers found Sherod wide open for a 63-yard touchdown that made it 14-0 after a two-point conversion.

Jeffers completed 3 of 4 passes for 72 yards.

“We have been balanced,” Matsook said. “When teams want to press us, we can throw it. It was just a good game for us.”

Penalties were a key factor for the Greyhounds in the loss.

Monessen was penalized 18 times for 215 yards.

“The penalty yardage happens for some reason against us,” Blainefield said. “It doesn’t happen any other way. That’s just a fact.”

Jose Negron is a Mon Valley Independent staff writer.

Tags: Monessen, Rochester