Footballs floated like beach balls around the wind-swept football field at Upper Darby High yesterday, but Dan D'Orazio managed to drill a pair of field goals and lift Cardinal O'Hara to a 6-0 Catholic League victory over Monsignor Bonner.
The first, a 48-yarder with 1:58 left in the first half, was D'Orazio's second try with the furious but fickle wind at his back. His 51-yard attempt earlier in the quarter was long enough, but flitted to the left of the uprights with the gust of the moment.
"The wind really caught that first one," D'Orazio said. "On the second one, I just wanted to get under it because I knew about the cross wind from the first try. I judged the wind by the flag hanging behind the goalpost."
The wind was a factor throughout the day. The teams' quarterbacks tossed six interceptions, four in the first half. O'Hara (2-0 league, 4-0 overall) quick-punted on third down with the wind at its back. And Monsignor Bonner (0-2, 2-2) used up three timeouts at the end of the first quarter to avoid changing direction on offense.
The tactic backfired, however, when Bonner running back John Staiber rambled to the O'Hara 17-yard line with time running out in the half. Ohara's
Vince Ceritano sacked quarterback John Bernardo on the next play, and Bonner, without a timeout left, failed to get off a field goal that could have tied the game.
"The wind was definitely a factor," said Bob Ewing, who won his 100th game as head coach of the Lions.
"We had the choice in the second half, so we wanted the wind with us in the fourth quarter in case we had to send Danny out there again. When you have a kicker like Danny, anything is possible."
D'Orazio hit his second three-pointer with 2:43 left in the third quarter. This one was a 23-yarder straight into the teeth of the wind. "I just approached it like an extra point," he said.
Bonner needed a touchdown to tie the game, but to that point, the Friars had managed only three first downs against the swarming O'Hara defense. Jeff Tinari replaced Bernardo at quarterback in the fourth quarter and completed Bonner's first pass of the day. He led the Friars down to the O'Hara 43-yard line with less than two minutes to play, but an interception by Joe Albany ended the threat.
