The Pittsburgh Press from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania • Page 69

Section Roy McHugh 2 Scoreboard 3 NFL Statistics 9 Great Outdoors 10 Baby Contest 12 i- The Pittsburgh Press Sports Sunday, November 26, 1978 jj) erea: Totally Confident in Myself So what's the problem? "The biggest thing is not letting forces bother you," Gerela says. Oh, do you mean the fans? "Yeah, I'd say about that much," Gerela says. "It doesn't matter how much talent you have, if you can't handle the mental part of it you're in trouble." Well, if 90 per cent of it is mental, then the problems must be mental, right? "No," Gerela says. "Not really." And your leg is as strong as it's ever bcen' "Yeah, I think so." Do you think it's gotten to the point where the coaches are doubting your ability? "I don't know," Gerela says, "but that shouldn't concern me. I've done it in practice all the time.

I should be able to do it in a game." Certainly, the big question for the Steelers tomorrow night is whether they can assemble their offensive act in preparation for next week's showdown with Houston in the Astrodome. For a team that is 10-2 and seemingly headed for the playoffs, it is a somewhat unusual problem. But those old, standard controversies linger on. "You know why everybody talks about me?" Gerela asks. "Because I'm like the guy putting on the green.

Some "There's really not much I cao tell you," he says. "Maybe we can sit down after the season and talk about it. "The only thing that's important now," Gerela says, "is these four games we have left. I have to do it. That's all.

There aren't any ifs, ands or buts about it" While Gerela's goals are clear, his explanations of the problem certainly aren't He hedges on questions as if there is something very revealing he chooses not to discuss. He says it is not a physical problem, noting, Yeah, I'm healthy. I'a rather not make any excuses for it." What is troubling are the statistics. Gerela was nine-of-14 last year and could attribute some of the problem to lack of work. This year he cannot complain.

"I've attempted my share this year," he says. If it is not physical, then what is it? "There are a lot of factors involved," he says. "Maybe it's a matter of just concentration. Are you having trouble concentrating? Do you questkn whether you can make the kick when you step in front of the ball? "No, the confidence is there as it's always been," Gerela maintains. "I'm totally confident in myself." By GLENN SHEELEY While there is no truth to the rumor that all of the city's remaining Roy Gerela fans hold weekly meetings in a tavern rest room, the Steeler placekick-er hit an all-time low last week.

Shortly after Gerela hooked a 34-yarder which would have increased the Steelers' lead over Cincinnati to 10-6, the stadium scoreboard asked the question in its sports quiz: Who is the only Steeler ever to lead the AFC in scor ing? It might have been the only time in recorded NFL history when fans booed a scoreboard. The answer, of course, was Roy Gerela, but the fans don't care to note what he has done in the past. The fans ask, "What has Roy Gerela done lately," and even Gerela would have to answer, "Not much." "You know it and I know it," Gerela says. "I'm not having a good year. The stats are bad and the year is bad.

But I cu't be worrying about it I just have to go out there and try to do a good job' As the Steelers prepare to meet San Francisco in tomorrow night's 9 o'clock (EST) game in Candlestick Park, Gerela is once again the favorite target of Steeler fans. Terry Bradshaw only receives the boos occasionally, but with "The fans are something I don't hear. Everybody's been called names. I think everybody around here has grown immune to all the flak you get. "No, they're something I don't hear," he says.

"Everybody's been called names. I think everybody around here has grown immune to all the flak you ge. How much, of it is mental, maybe 90 per cent? 3 v. -f rm 1 7 1 V-f Snowballing B-Wallace Plows Under CMU, 31-6 By JOHN CLAYTON Press Sports Writer BEREA, Ohio Bananas are out; snowballs are in. Fads come and fads go, and Carnegie-Mellon's time had come.

The "Go Bananas" Tartans slipped on the light snow covering George Finnie Stadium yesterday and were buried by snowballing Baldwin-Wallace, 31-6, in the semifinals of the NCAA Division III playoffs. "We're like a big snowball, just getting bigger and bigger and bigger," said 1 -J A K- mi in limm mm iji iiii ill ii fy y. 7y-r-X' Gerela it is constant. The 30-year-old kicker has been successful on only nine of 20 field goal attempts and only two of his last six. "You know it and I know it; I'm not having a good year.

The stats are bad and the year is bad. But I can't be worrying about it. I just have to go out there and try to do a good job. "There's no way I can be happy with that," Gerela says. What Gerela would rather do is not talk about the slump or the fact that Steeler fans are growing accustomed to a miss and are surprised only by a kick going through the uprights.

Baldwin-Wallace quarterback Joe Surniak, who continued the momentum last week's 71-7 plowing of St. Lawrence (N.Y.) The rolling Yellow Jackets will take their avalanche to the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl in Phenix City, next Saturday against archrival Wittenberg. It didn't take long before, the Tartans knew that destiny had turned sour. Tartan Coach Chuck Klausing, who spent the week hunting shoes to help his team adjust to B-W's Polyturf, drove to the stadium and found a white blanket of snow. 1 i iWHWf II IM IIH fered during the first week of pre-sea-son practice Jacques Cossette, who's been out with a knee injury, also is expected to return to action this week.

The Penguins travel to Toronto tonight for a 7 o'clock game with the Maple Leafs Penguins lost to the Leafs in their only meeting this season, 3-2, in the opener at the Civic Arena. Penguin shot totals for the last five Saturday night games were 45 vs. Washington, 46 vs. Atlanta, 45 vs. Detroit, 47 vs.

New York Rangers and 41 at Los Angeles. Dils, Moroski Named To Shrine Squad SAN FRANCISCO (UPI) Steve Dils of Stanford and Mike Moroski of UC Davis have been named to quarterback the. West in the 54th Shrine East-West game at Jan. 6 at Stanford. Chuck Taylor, selection committee chairman for the West, had hoped to also land Jack Thompson of Washington State, but Thompson apparently has decided to play in the Hula Bowl at Honolulu the same day.

Dils is the nation's leading passer with 247 completions for 2,943 yards and 22 touchdowns. He set nine records in the Pacific-10 Conference while leading Sta-ford to a 7-4 season and a place in the Bluebonnet Bowl. Over the last two seasons, Moroski has passed for more than 3,800 yards and' was the Far Western Conference'iPlay-er of the Year in 1977. He is a strong candidate to receive that award a second time. Lifcggtoi! ii i aVtfal Press photo by Anthony Kemmski ROY GERELA No answers.

of the putts hit the lip and go in. Some don't. Some of them hit the lack of the cup and go in. Some don't." Roy Gerela and the fans just wish he would get back on the fairway. 4 mm ,3 1 "It was really a safe call for us," said Penn Hills Coach Andy I'rbanic.

"I told Tommy, 'If he's not open, just tuck it in and At that point, we were still playing for a field goal if we had to." Field goal? That would have involved Johnson as the kicker. "I was thinking. 'I hope I don't have to I'd rather catch than he said. But on this day, the key catch, with came in the final minute, was Johnson's only catch. "Their defense was tough," he decided.

"They had excellent linebackers. They dropped fast." Urbanic echoed the sentiment. "I've been telling you guys all along," he said to assembled reporters, "that Blackhawk is a heck of a football team big, strong." He also conceded that the Cougars, co-champions of the Midwestern Conference, were getting the better of it against his Foothills Conference champs before the winning "I think so," he said. And, statistically, there was no question about it. With Mike Engle carrying 26 times for 142 yards, Blackhawk built up a 213-104 yardage advantage through three quarters and nine minutes.

That produced a pair of Blackhawk threats. The first, late in the initial period, ended when Tim Sharp fumbled as he hit the middle on a carry from the Penn Hills 20. The football bounced forward all the way to the two, where Penn Hills strong safety Kraig Stitt covered it. Engle, a 6-1, 180-pound senior, carried three times for 54 yards during a drive late in the second quarter that moved the Cougars as far as the Penn Hills 28. 27.

But a pass completion to Mike Sutton at the 11-yard line was nullifcd nullified when Blackhawk bad an ineligible receiver downfield. The threat died, and during the second half Blackhawk's deepest penetration was to the Penn Hills 34. "We never thought of losing," Biondi said. "It' something we inherited from the seniors when we were sophomores. It just carried over." 1' -it f- IT'S THREE IN A ROW for Penn Hills as the In- touchdown yesterday gave Penn Hills its third con-dions' Dan Biondi (35, with ball), a teammate and secutive WPIAL Class AAA football title.

Penn Hills an official share the signal after Biondi's last-minute beat Blackhawk, 7-0. Penn Hills Takes Ti(e)tle, 7-0, With Last-Min ute TD Next, the defensive phones to the bench died. And then sure breaks went fickle. B-W's bullish runner, Roger Andrachik, fumbled early in the first quarter, but the ball fell right at the feet of lineman Scott Collart, who squeezed the recovery. Two plays later, Andrachik, first in the nation in scoring (16 TDs), left the game with a hip injury.

"He is 50 percent of our offense," cried B-W Coach Lee Tressel after the game. That's when Mr. Snowball, Joe Surniak, took control. He continued the drive to the CMU 9, setting up Tim Robinson's 26-yard field goal. And he improvised his way for a touchdown following a wild pitchout by CMU quarterback Bob Kennedy that set up the Yellow Jackets at the Tartan 17.

"(Wide receiver) Jose Tirado came to the huddle and told me that he could beat his guy with a lob pass," Surniak recalled. So the next play, Tirado went to the right and I hit him with a pass." Surniak hit most of his passes, 11 of 16 for 111. yards and two touchdowns. He added 80 on eight rushes. Last week he connected on 13 of 19 for 237 yards.

"I guess when it rains, it pours," Surniak said. "Things just seem to be going right." And everything went wrong for the Tartans. The offense was bottled up and the defense was pressured by the surging Yellow Jacket offense. "I've always wondered if a kid doesn't subconsciously feel down when he gets behind, 10-0," said Klausing. "I said to a TV guy right after the game that our defense hadn't played bad but we were behind, 10-0." Things got worse.

Two plays into the second quarter, halfback Keith Zeman, working an option play, lobbed a perfect pass over the defenders into the sure hands of Tirado, who made his second of three touchdown catches. Surniak hit Tirado for a 40-yard strike down the sideline with 12 seconds left in the half and finished the job two minutes into the second half with a 60-yard bootleg down the sideline. "That's the way our 'run and shoot' offense works," Surniak said. "Early in the game we send out three receivers to one side so that they don't have enought men to cover them." Overall, Baldwin-Wallace outrushed the Tartans, 253-115, and outpassed them, 150-84. And the Tartan offense could get no closer to the Yellow Jacket goal than the 16, when Rick Brown was intercepted in the end zone.

"They were as good today as we were against Dayton last week," Klausing said. "I don't know if we could have beaten them today with the way that we played last week. "They executed so well." With one exception. A high snap from center on a punt sent kicker Doug Schiefer retreating to his end zone. He picked up the ball and then, mistakenly, tried to bring it out He was stopped at the one.

Bob Gasior, two seconds and one play later, scored the Tartans' only points on a dive play with 4:48 remaining in the game. Naturally, the way things were going this day, the point after went wide left. Carnegie-Mellon 0 0 0 64 Baldwin-Wallace 10 14 7 0- Jl BW FG Robinson 26 BW Tirado 6 pass from Surniak (Robinson kick) BW Tirade 39 pass from Zeman (Robinson kick) BW Tirado 40 pass from Surniak (Robinson kick) BW Surniak 40 run (Robinson kick) CM Gasior 1 run (kick tailed) A 4,25. Team CMU 7 First 43-115 Passing 84... Passing Yards B-W 12 83-253 150 403 4-2 7-77 30.3 2-10 i oral onense 1-7 Fumbleslost.

Penalties Returns 5 W.J... Individual Rushing CMU Gasior 13 carries for 29 vards, 1 TO Colosimo 5 for 41; Kennedy 7 tor 29; Hiadlk 3 for 21; Brown 10 for minus 24; Harrison 1 for 2-Semsa I for teeman 3 for 8. B-W-Wuiek 17 carries for 48 yards; Sanner 7 for 50; Zeman 3 for 19; Andrachik 3 for 18; Kelsev 5 tor 29; Nardacci 4 for 14; Martin 2 tor minus Cowen 4 for 15; Surniak for 80, 1 TD. PASSING CMU Kennedy 0 completions of attempts for 0 yards; Brown 5 of 15 for 64 vards, 2 inter, cept. B-W Surniak 11 completions of 16 attempts for 111 vards, 2 TDs, intercepteii Zeman 1 of 1 for 39 vards, TD.

RECEIVING CMU OiGioia 3 catches for 49 yards; Shareef 1 for 10; Leamen 1 tor 21. B-W-Waiik 1 catch for 15 vards; Tirado 4 for 93. 3 TDs; Sanner 4 for 21; Ward I for ouster 1 for 14. CATCH is mode by Baldwin-Wallace's Jose Tirado in end zone as Carnegie-Mellon's Tac Caine covers too late in CMU loss. Tenacious Penguins Give Flyers A Fight Ft Class AAA Summary SCORING Blackhawk 0 0 0 0 Penn Hills 0 0 0 77 PH Dan Biondi 2 run (Dave Johnson kick) TEAM STATISTICS BH PH 9 27 3-8-1 1 4 41 9 First Downs 46-169 Rushes-Net Yards 40.

-Yards Passing 1-7-0 Passes Punts-Aver age 2 Fumbles Lost J-35 Penalties-Yards INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS Rushing BLACKHAWK: Mike Engie 26 carries for 142 vards; Larry Tress i tor 21; Tim Sharp 2 tor 18; Dennis Morgan 1 for Dan Savllisky 3 tor Mike Sutton 1 for minus Joe Russell 7 for minus 13. PENN HILLS: Tom Flynn 19 for 79; Elton Jones 7 lor 39; Dan Biondi 13 for 22. Passing BLACKHAWK: Russell 1 completion for 7 attempts. 40 yards, 0 Interceptions. PENN HILLS: Flynn 3 lor 8, 27 vards, 1 interception.

mmmmmmmmmmimm'immmm Confronted with a fourth-and-one at the his 45-yard line with 2:04 left, Flynn ran for the first down to keep the march moving. Following an incompletion, he went 17 yards to the Blackhawk 36 on a quarterback draw, then four cn a keeper around end, then 12 more on a draw to the Blackhawk 20. On the draws, "The middle of the line was just blowing people away," Flynn said. "Steve Shuder (the center) is the most underrated player in the league." From the 20, Flynn went to the air, hitting Johnson across the middle on a delay pattern. He was upended at the Cougars' two by cornerback Dan Savilisky.

Uiigh School Stars Coming Wednesday Who are the top players for 1978 i-i-in each of the 17 conferences and: leagues comprising the WPIAL and City League? The top coaches? You'll find out beginning when Jhe Press Swith a curtain call for the school stars of this season. i JLi 9 Jillll llM I 'Cougars' Comeback Cut Seconds Short Of Its Coal Page D-8 By DAVE HERBST In the Pitt Stadium press box where it was cozy and warm, the talk about tics began before halftime. And by the fourth quarter, the legion of cozy and warm sports writers seemed collectively convinced that, yes, this was going to be the fourth tie in the last five years of WPIAL Class AAA title games. But down on the turf where their season was reaching a cold and wind-swept finish, Penn Hills' players had different ideas. "The whole fourth quarter, we just kept saying, 'We don't want to be co-champions said Dave Johnson, the Indians' tight end-defensive end-punter-kicker, who remembers with "a bad taste in my mouth" last season's 7-7 tie with Butler.

"If it had wound up a tie again, I think I'd have gone mental." Johnson was saved such a fate when, with just 41 seconds remaining, running back Dan Biondi crashed over the right side from two yards out to snap a scoreless tie and lift Penn Hills to a 7-0 win over Blackhawk yesterday afternoon. The score capped Penn Hills' only serious threat of a game in which the defenses were brilliant. With barely more than 100 yards offense to show for their previous efforts, the Indians started the winning march at their 36-yard line with 3:12 remaining, following a punt. "I knew we had one more chance," said Biondi. "We got into the huddle and said, 'This is it.

It has to be The Penn Hills players' desire to win their second outright title in three years was realized largely through the efforts of junior quarterback Tom Flynn. Nine plays preceded Biondi's plunge through an opening created by guard Bob Waszak and tackle Billy Fralic. Five of the plays involved runs by Flynn (they gained 39 yards). The others were passes by Flynn, two of which were complete, for 23 yards. By BOB BLACK After losing two straight to the Montreal Canadiens, the Penguins tried to regain their confidence against the Philadelphia Flyers at the Civic Arena last night.

They gave the Flyers all they could handle through the first period and a half but still trailed at that point, 1-0. The expected offensive battle between the Penguins and Flyers failed to materialize in the first period, with neither team furnishing any serious scoring attempts. Despite three power plays, the Penguins were unable to convert and got only nine shots on goal in the period. Philadelphia, which got only four shots in the period, didn't launch its first until 8:37 had expired. Defense-man Bob Dailey's shot was routinely turned aside by Penguin goalie Denis Herron, however.

The Flyers actually scored a goal, but it was disallowed Bill Barber was left alone in front of the net with just 4:43 remaining in the period and pushed the shot past Herron. However, Reggie Leach tripped Penguin defenseman Tom Bladon on the play and the penalty wiped out the goal. Former Flyer Dave Schultz, who' had missed the past two games for the Penguins and was expected to be absent from last night's as well because of back spasms, appeared quite healthy. Coming in on the second line, Schultz picked up a roughing penalty and before the period had ended he added an interference call. PENGUIN NOTES Right winger Rick Kehoe is expected to return to ac-Von Wednesday night when the Pey guins host Washington He will have missed 21 games oy that time because of a hairline fracture of the ankle suf.