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By KEN MURRAY Mercury Sports Writer Playing an independent schedule in high school football s akin to going rattlesnake h unting with earmuffs, stalking wild boar with a bb gun, or whaling in a canoe. It’s a handicap at best, except if you’re Jim Mich, who hap pens to revell in such ad versities. . The St. Pius X High football coach was in his atmosphere Sunday, chinning up to Goliath ,and not surprisingly, capturing the spoils in an 18-0 victory yer visiting Archbishop arroll. It was Mich’s kind of’ s situation: the odds were unff avorable against last year’s hiladelphia City champions, even if they did lose 25 players. Plus lost 23, and with that crew, ,was waylayed by Carroll 40-7 a year ago. So Mich rallied the Winged Lions around the thought of another David Goliath rematch. Motivation, it seems, was in vented by Mich himself. _ In the end, it was a super ‘defensive effort by the Lions, j and another banner day for Dave Fisher and Mike Sochko ton offense that turned out Pius’ ‘second triumph this season. ‘SCORES TWICE After an auspicious beginning (he was charged with the 14 _yards lost on a fumbled pitch jout), Fisher set the stage for a 12-0 halftime lead with the first of his two touchdowns. The tailback scored on an eight yard run with 8:05 remaining in the half, and then quarterback Sochko passed the Lions to a seven play, 45 yard drive that ended with s sophomore Tom Ziemak’s 10 yard touchdown grab. Pius clinched the outcome in thhe final period when Fisher, smelling the end zone, lunged the extra few feet for his second ‘eight yard score. “The kids played a tremen dous game,”’ Mich said happily after the Lions worked out what was left of their emotions by dunking the head coach and his staff in the showers. “The amazing thing was that it was a shutout,”’ he continued. “We expected them to score twice. We said before the game we needed three or four touch downs.”’ The whitewash was Mich’s seventh in the last 11 games Plus could have had another except for a harmless TD to ‘Reading Central in the Lions’ 33-6 opening win. On defense, unlike offense, the Lions are a veteran outfit. Back for their second year on defense, are Sochko and Mike Magliochetti at ends, Larry Seder and Steve Jenschke at tackles, John Lomnyczuk and ‘Steve Owsiany at linebacking ‘posts, and Fisher in the deep secondary. BETTER LINE _ Joe McNichol, Carroll’s coach, said he felt the biggest difference in the Lions of 1971 ,and this season is up front. “I think they’re much better up front,” he said. “And I think they’ve got a better team.” The Lions gave Carroll just 59 yards on the ground, in cluding 27 to fullback John Keefer, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards and 15 touch downs last season. They also harassed starting quarterback Mike Kennedy into two interceptions, and the op portune Plus defense recovered one of Carroll's two fumbles to lead to one of the three touch downs. Steve Craner and Jim Coval eski intercepted Kennedy pass es, although the Lions cashed lin on neither, and Tom Carey pilfered another off backup Mike Bailey on the last play of the game. After the Lions wasted a first quarter scoring opportunity, when a fumble turned the ball over to Carroll on its own 18, they marched 66 yards to the game’s first score in the second period. A face mask penalty against Carroll helped the Lions out of a first-and-15 situation to get the drive going. Two plays later Chureck Hurst ran seven yards for a first down, and then Soch ko rifled an 18 yard pass to Ziemak, who put the good fakes on Carroll defenders and went to the visitors’ eight yard line. On the next play, Fisher pull ed in Sochko’s pitch, rounded his right end and raced into the corner of the end zone, hit ting the flag at the goal line going in. Sochko, who with the wind at his back boomed two kickoffs into the end zone, was wide right with his extra point try. A fumble recovery by Magli ochetti set up Ziemak’s second touchdown of the year near the end of the half. After the fumble, Pius took over on the Carroll 45, and scor ed in seven plays. Sochko, who was 7-for-16 in the game, hit three-of-five passes in the drive. An 18 yarder to Magliochetti produced the first first down, and a 19 yarder to Ziemak ac counted for another. With first and goal from the eight, Fisher was thrown for a two yard loss but Sochko came back with a toss to Ziemak for the 12-0 edge. The Lions switched from their outside attack to an inside route in the second half, with fullback Mike Dykie gaining 46 yards (he lost two on his only first half carry to finish with 44). Still, the Lions didn’t reach paydirt again until Fisher scored his fifth touchdown of the season with 5:32 left in the game. The big plays in that match were a 10 yard button hook pass to Chip Kopystecki and an eight yard keeper by Sochko, both netting first downs, Fisher scored on the play after Sochko’s run. EXTRA POINTS — The vic tory gives the Lions a 2-1 edge over Carroll in their series. Pius whipped Carroll 42-9 in 1968 . . . “I thought about them for 365 days,’ admitted Mich, whose revenge was complete with the shutout ... “Give my assistant coaches credit too,” Mich said, praising John Sengia, Dave Piota and Ron Reed. ‘JUST A LUNGE AWAY—Dave Fisher (13) lunges over the goal line for St. Pius X High's third touchdown Sunday against Archbishop Carroll. Fisher drags defensive back John Spinelli with him for his second six-pointer in the Winged Lions’ 18-0 triumph. John Fair (84) looks on. (Mercury Staff Photo) =. CARROLL ST. PIUS % 1st Downs Rushing 1st Downs Passing 5 1st Downs Penalty 1 Totals 1st Downs 3 59 Rushing Yardage 121 Passing Yardage 129 Total Yardage 213 21-7 Passes A-C 16-7 24 Fumbles—Lost 2 Penalties—Yards PASSING — ARCH. CARROLL Comp Yds. T Kennedy Bailey 22 0 PASSING _ st. Plus X Comp Yds. TD RUSHING — ARCH. CARROLL Keefer deSimone a3 24 Kennedy core Hecederes Bailey LaSorsa RUSHING — sy. Plus * Yds. Fisher 4 47 12 0 | 2 | Dykie Sochko 10 16 RECEIVING — ARCH.CARROLL 24 McGonlogue 23 Simone 15 Gutzier RECEIVING — ST. Jus X TO Ziemak Kopystecki 22 veg arenes 18 SCORE BY PER loos: Arch. Carroll 0 0— 08 St. Pius X 012 0 618) $P—Fisher, 8 run (kick failed) SP—Ziemak, 10 pass from Sochko | (run as SP—Fisher, 8 run (pass failed)
Newspaper Details
Pottstown Mercury
Pottstown, Pennsylvania, US
Mon, Sep 18, 1972
Page 27
Full Page
Clipped by
Lauren P.
USA 20 Aug 2026
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