This Week in Benedictine Football, Week 8

October 13, 2001

Benedictine 23, Youngstown Cardinal Mooney 10

                PARMA – This sunny Saturday afternoon game with Youngstown Mooney was a typical Bengals-Cardinals hard-hitting, tough football contest.

                The game was played at Byers Field since Bedford Bearcat Stadium, the Bengals home field, was unavailable for use this weekend.

                Mooney took the early lead in the first on a nine-yard touchdown run and a 33-yard field goal.

                But it took the Bengals only two plays to reach the end zone as quarterback Anthony Tyus hit Bernard Ford with an 80-yard touchdown pass. Sophomore Sam Koyl kicked the extra point to cut the Cardinals lead to 10-7.

                Benedictine took a 14-10 lead when Marcus Slayton scored from the one with 6:19 left before halftime and Koyl once again hit the extra point.

                With time running out in the first half, the Bengals moved the ball to the Mooney 33-yard line.

                From there, Koyl lined up for a field goal attempt.

                With just three seconds left before halftime, the little (5-4, 135) sophomore soccer-style kicker launched into the ball which went through the uprights for a 50-yard field goal. It is a school record that still stands. He thrilled Bengals fans once again on the kick-off when he put the ball through the end zone uprights for the touchback.

                With Benedictine leading late in the game, 17-10, Bengals defensive back Aaron Scales stepped in front of a Mooney pass and ran it back 21 yards for the touchdown. With Koyl’s kick the Bengals had some breathing room with a 23-10 lead.

                Benedictine was coming off a tough 21-17 loss to Chardon in the previous week. This victory over Mooney gave the Bengals a 5-3 record and moved them closer to a state playoff spot.

                The Bengals did eventually host a playoff game losing to Lake Catholic 35-17. It was Art Bortnick’s second season as head coach and turned around a 2-8 season in 2000 with a playoff caliber team in 2001.

                This was the beginning of a great run of playoff appearances for the Bengals. In 2002, 2003 and 2004, they made state championship finals appearances. Although they lost in 2002, the Bengals did win Division III state titles in 2003 and 2004.

                NOTES: Koyl went on to have an outstanding kicking career for the Bengals. He tied the school record with points by a kicker in a game with 12 points with two field goals and six extra points in a 48-7 win over Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary in 2003. Koyl is also the career leader in field goals (23), career points by a kicker (198) and most points after touchdowns by a kicker in a season (57).

                Who can forget Koyl’s 20- yard field goal in 2002 in the third overtime in the state Division III playoffs that helped defeat Steubenville, 20-17?  That’s a story for a future installment of “This Week in Benedictine Football History.”

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Wally Mieskoski ’71

Benedictine Football Historian