Rockhurst too much for Mullen to handle

Hawklets enjoy trip from Kansas City, Mo.

By Alan Pearce, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published September 19, 2008 at 11:34 p.m.

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Photo by Wes Pope / The Rocky

Mullen's Josh Ford fights for yardage against Rockhurst defenders Friday night at Mullen High School. Ford gained 72 yards on 13 carries, including a 12-yard run for a touchdown in the third quarter.

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The Rockhurst football team isn't nationally ranked anymore, but the Hawklets certainly proved themselves against one of Colorado's best teams Friday night.

Rockhurst, a perennial power from Kansas City, Mo., beat host Mullen 31- 21 at de la Salle Stadium, behind superb rushing performances from quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase and Chris Castelluccio.

Scheelhaase, a University of Illinois recruit, was Missouri's player of the year last season and he proved too tough to tackle for the Mustangs most of the night. He ran 15 times for 92 yards, including a 41-yard burst at the end of the first quarter.

Scheelhaase, a 6-foot-3, 198-pound senior, ran it in for the first two scores of the game, from 5 and 6 yards in the first and second quarters.

"He's a highly skilled athlete and they utilize his strengths well," Mullen coach Dave Logan said. "He's got some talent surrounding him, too."

That was a reference to Castelluccio, a smallish back with speed and sharp moves who ran 13 times and gained 163 yards.

Rockhurst (2-1) was ranked 11th in the nation by USA Today last week, but it lost to local rival Blue Springs 28-21, which ended a 15-game Hawk- lets win streak.

Mullen, which dropped to 3-1, hadn't been seriously challenged this season, but it opened the door for Rockhurst when Josh Ford mishandled the ball on a slow-developing reverse.

"We fumbled the ball in the first half and gave them great field position," Logan said.

Rockhurst needed only six plays to go 35 yards for its first score.

Mullen cut its deficit in half when quarterback Jonny Miller hit wideout Rayshon Williams late in the first half with a 13-yard pass to culminate a masterful 94-yard drive.

Mullen also got a good start to the second half, marching 74 yards on the first drive, with Ford going in from 12 yards out. The Mustangs' line blew open big holes on the final three plays of that drive, with Ford scoring virtually untouched.

Rockhurst, though, answered the Mustangs' surge with a 37-yard Peter Moorman field goal and dominated for most of the rest of the game.

Mullen did manage a score on the last play of the game, a 5-yard pass from Tim Tancik to Brennan Belloni, who caught three consecutive passes in the hurry-up offense.

"He's a great receiver," said Tancik, the second half of Mullen's alternating quarterback system. "We have great chemistry."

Mullen ran the ball effectively, with Ford gaining 72 yards on 13 carries and Adonis Ameen-Moore gaining 35 on nine carries. But the Mustangs' tackling was sloppy and defenders frequently were victimized by Scheelhaase's draws and passes thrown back across the field.

Rockhurst 7 7 3 14 - 31

Mullen 0 7 7 7 - 21

First quarter

R - Nathan Scheelhaase 5 run (Peter Moorman kick).

Second quarter

R - Scheelhaase 6 run (Moorman kick); M - Rayshon Williams 13 pass from Jonny Miller (Dalton Lane kick).

Third quarter

M - Josh Ford 12 run (Lane kick); R - Moorman 37 field goal.

Fourth quarter

R - Keith Langtry 51 pass from Scheelhaase (Moorman kick); R - Chris Castelluccio 20 pass from Scheelhaase (Moorman kick); M - Brennan Belloni 5 pass from Tim Tancik (Lane kick).

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING - R, Chris Castelluccio 13-163, Billy Linscott 4-5, Scheelhaase 15-92, Sal Belfonte 1-3, Langtry 2-3. M, Ford 13-72, Adonis Ameen-Moore 9-35, Ryan Heagle 3-10, Miller 1-12, Tancik 1-16.

PASSING - R, Scheelhaase 12-21-0 169. M, Miller 6-11-0 66; Tancik 9-15-0 70.

RECEIVING - R, Langtry 5-73, Brett Kreikemeir 1-22, Linscott 1-4, Castelluccio 4-58, Cooper Beckett 1-12. M, Ryan Hewitt 3-21, Williams 3-46, Heagle 2-11, Derron Harris 1-1, Belloni 4-39, Ford 1-5, Ben Lahn 1-13.

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