by Devan Matthews
Correspondent
The Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy football team came up a bit short in its bid to take control of the race for the Principals' Athletic Conference crown Sept. 26.
The Royals dropped a hard-fought 18-13 decision at the hands of league rival Tuslaw on the road.
The Mustangs, who also entered the contest undefeated, remained that way with an overall record of 6-0. They're 3-0 in conference action.
CVCA, meanwhile, dipped to marks of 5-1 and 2-1 in the PAC.
"It was one of those games where the team that makes one more play than the other is the one that wins," said CVCA head coach Ray Carroscia. "It was a good high school football game and a good game to watch, but it's always better when you're on the winning end."
The Royals accounted for the first big play of the ballgame, as junior Zak Knettel blocked a Tuslaw punt deep in Mustangs territory. Knettel also recovered the loose pigskin at Tuslaw's 11-yard line.
However, the Mustangs' defense held, forcing senior place-kicker Derek Bosshard to boot a 39-yard field goal. That kick gave CVCA a 3-0 lead.
On its ensuing possession, Tuslaw drove 80 yards in 15 plays for a touchdown. Quarterback Shelby Combs capped the drive for the Mustangs, reaching the end zone on a five-yard run.
Tuslaw's extra point conversion attempt failed, though, keeping the score at 6-3.
A pivotal point in the contest occurred on the Royals' next possession. They had a first down at Tuslaw's 22-yard line when Tuslaw defensive back Graydon Feichter intercepted a pass and returned it all the way to CVCA's 21-yard line.
Feichter then scored the Mustangs' second touchdown moments later when he hauled in a six-yard scoring strike from Combs. Consequently, Tuslaw held a 12-3 advantage at the break.
"We were hoping to go up 10-6, and instead we were down 12-3," said Carroscia. "That was a big swing in momentum."
The Royals took the second-half kickoff and drove down into the red zone, but their drive stalled because of a penalty. However, Bosshard came through with a 41-yard field goal to trim the Mustangs' advantage to 12-6.
Junior Joe Pettica intercepted a Combs pass to set up CVCA's next score, which was a 42-yard touchdown jaunt by senior tailback John Pettigrew. After Bosshard's extra point, the Royals held a one-point edge at 13-12.
The Mustangs brought the ensuing kickoff back to their own 42-yard line. On third-and-nine from the Tuslaw 43, CVCA was whistled for pass interference. According to Carroscia, It was a touchy call, to say the least.
"That gave them a first down and a lot of momentum," said Carroscia. "That was huge."
Tuslaw capitalized, as Combs eventually dived into the end zone from a yard out. The Mustangs tried for two points following the touchdown, but they failed, due in large part to senior linebacker Zach Butler, who made a big play to stop them.
CVCA then drove down to Tuslaw's 25-yard line, where the Royals eventually faced a fourth-and-5 situation. Unfortunately, CVCA senior quarterback Jake Hay was stopped short of the first-down marker, and the Mustangs took possession of the ball.
"We put together a 14-play drive and went 60 yards, but we just couldn't convert that first down," said Carroscia.
Pettigrew led the Royals with 131 yards rushing on 19 carries, while sophomore fullback Alex Utley picked up 35 yards on 11 attempts. With that yardage, Pettigrew eclipsed 1,000 yards for the season.
Combs, meanwhile, ran for 112 yards on 27 carries to spearhead Tuslaw's effort. He also completed six passes for 49 yards.
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