PDT Sports Writer
SCIOTOVILLE - I don't know what it is, but I know it when I see it.
It's called momentum.
The East Tartans looked to have all the momentum when they were prepared to go into halftime with a 19-0 lead over Springfield Catholic Central Friday night at Allard Park.
On the final play of the first half, Fighting Irish quarterback Brendean Kelly hooked up with Pat Sheehan on a 21-yard touchdown strike to pull the Irish within 12. The Irish scored 21 unanswered in the second half to win the game 28-19.
Kelly led the team in rushing with 76 yards on 16 carries with a touchdown. Kelly was 14-for-25 through for 191 yards and a touchdown while Sheehan hauled in four catches, on the night, for 63 yards.
"Coming out in the second half we tried to re-establish things," East coach Larry Hall said, "And we didn't do it. We blocked well, in the first half, and made big plays and in the second half we didn't have any big plays."
The first Tartan touchdown was a product of a SCC turnover. On the first play of the second quarter the SCC ball carrier fumbled on Derek Gray jumped on the loose ball for East.
East scored with 7:36 left in the second quarter when Brian Hoover scored on an 11-yard touchdown run with 7:36 left in the first half. The run capped a nine play, 51 yard drive. The PAT was missed.
The next Tartan score was the result of six play 85 yard march that ended when Nathan Hood took a quarterback draw, cut to the outside and outran the SCC would-be tacklers to paydirt to put East up 12-0. The two-point conversion failed.
Hood lead East on the ground with 90 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown. Hoover added 74 yards on 14 touches. Hood was 1-3 passing for 11 yards.
The Tartans' last score was when Jon Garrett picked off a Kelly pass and returned it 83 yards to the end zone to put East up 19-0 late in the second quarter.
On the kickoff, a squib kick was blocked close to midfield giving the Fighting Irish good field position to set up their scoring drive.
After scoring on the last play of the fist half SCC came out in the second half and fumbled the kickoff, but East returned the favor on the very next play.
"We had a chance to get momentum," Hall said. "But we didn't get it."
On the ensuing drive East forced the fourth SCC turnover of the night when Austin Elrod picked off Kelly but East could not convert.
On the next drive SSC covered 81 yards on 10 plays capped off on a six-yard run by Sheehan to pull the Irish to within five, 19-14.
The next SCC score came after holding East to shier first three-and- out since their first series of the game. SCC marched 31 yards in seven plays capped off with Sheehan's third touchdown of the game. After the two-point conversion SCC led 22-19.
SCC added another touchdown to put the game away with 2:13 left when Kelly punched it from three yards out to give the Irish the final margin.
"We made big plays all year," Hall said. "We made some big plays tonight. We didn't make our extra points, we gave up a couple of big plays and bad field position there."
Springfield Catholic Central will play in the Region 24 semifinals next Friday night.
BRET BEVENS can be reached at (740)-353-3101 ext. 242
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