INDIANA--Latrobe running back Chris Sarnese missed most of the game Sept. 5 with a concussion. Indiana's football team probably wish he would have missed the Sept. 12 game, too. Sarnese accounted for 307 yards and a touchdown Friday night to help Latrobe edge Indiana 19-17 in a thrilling WPIAL Quad South Conference battle at Fifth Street Field here. Sarnese rushed for 152 yards on 23 carries, caught six passes for 85 yards, and added 70 yards in kickoff and punt returns. He also knocked down a Hail Mary pass on the final play of the game. "What a game," Sarnese said. "A little too close for my comfort. All the credit goes to my offensive line. "They got me past the line of scrimmage and I did the rest." Sarnese's biggest play came late in the fourth quarter. Latrobe led 12-10 and was faced with a third-and-12 at the Indiana 40. That's when the 5-10, 180 senior shredded the Indiana defense with a brilliant 42-yard touchdown scamper. Sarnese broke two tackles at the line of scrimmage, made two great cutbacks, ran through another tackle at the Indiana 30 and the outsprinted the secondary to the end zone. "All we were hoping for was a first down," Latrobe Coach Pat Murray said. "He was awesome. We knew he had to come up big for us, and he did." Sarnese was one of many heroes for the Wildcats. Quarterback Ryan Flynn, who scored on a one-yard plunge in the third quarter, completed 10 of 19 passes for 129 yards. He also intercepted a pass. Middle linebacker Nathan Murphy recovered a fumble and made numerous key stops on defense. Tackles Rick Wasylik and Aaron Hollobaugh not only opened up holes for Sarnese, made key stops defensively. Wasylik caused a fumble that Murphy recovered in the fourth quarter to stop an Indians drive. Indiana grabbed a 10-6 lead in the first half behind a strong running game. With Latrobe's defense keyed to stop quarterback Jason Shirey, the Indians had a trio of running backs carry the ball effectively. The Indians finished the game with 196 yards on the ground. Shirey, an elusive runner, led the way with 63 yards. Tom Simmons added 49 yards, including a 39-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, and Josh Brennen had 48 yards. "It came down to a couple of plays," Indiana Coach Mark Zilinskas said. "They made them and we didn't. We're sick to our stomachs. "They executed on offense, and we made a couple of crucial mistakes. We have to learn from this." They need to show how much they've learned this week tonight when they travel to Vandergrift and Kiski Area, which lost a heartbreaker last week, 20-18 to undefeated Penn-Trafford. Latrobe puts its undefeated record on the line tonight when it visits Canon-McMillan, a dangerous team that whipped Fox Chapel 42-15 last week. Indiana grabbed a 3-0 lead in the first quarter when Lucas Kasubick booted a 34-yard field goal. Latrobe answered with a 35-yard field goal by Joel Palko early in the second quarter. After Simmons made it 10-3, Palko booted a 27-yard field goal late in the first half. Latrobe made a few changes at halftime to free Sarnese and Flynn in the secondary. After the Wildcats stopped the Indians on their first possession of the second half, they were pinned back near their own goal line. That's when Flynn came alive. After his previous pass was almost intercepted, the Wildcats senior hit Sarnese for 27 yards on third-and-11 from their own 6. Flynn was flushed from the pocket, rolled to his left and hit Sarnese with the pass. The pass ignited the Wildcats, who drove 93 yards for the touchdown to take a 12-10 lead. Flynn, who was four for four for 68 yards, capped the 15-play drive with his touchdown run. "Ryan made a big play for us," Murray said. "We called for the pass to Chris, but Ryan was flushed out of the pocket and forced to scramble. "Our defense did a very good job. We slowed down Shirey. We wanted to contain him, that's why other players had success. It was a trade off." Latrobe's defense stopped Indiana early in the fourth quarter when Hollobaugh, Murphy and Scott West tackled Shirey on a sweep at the Wildcats 27. Indiana also turned the ball over three times during the fourth quarter. The Indians didn't go quietly. After Sarnese's touchdown run, the Indians fumbled the ensuing kickoff. Latrobe ran time off the clock and Indiana took over with 20 seconds left. Shirey first tossed a 38-yard pass to Chad Blystone, and then hit Mike Drew with a 14-yard touchdown pass with six seconds left. Indiana recovered the ensuing onsides kick, but Sarnese knocked down Shirey's desperation heave on the game's final play.

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