The Irish couldn’t overcome 2020 itself.

Ursuline, down five of its best players because of coronavirus-related quarantines, suffered a dreadful third quarter and lost the Division IV, Region 13 final to Mentor Lake Catholic, 35-7, on Saturday at Stambaugh Stadium.

The Irish (7-3) were forced to play without quarterback Brady Shannon, wide receiver/defensive back Matthew Reardon, running back/linebacker Dante Walker, running back DeMarcus McElroy and lineman Anthony DeLuca. At least three of them have offers or have committed to Division I colleges, and they make up the core of Ursuline’s team.

“We found out yesterday (Friday) at about 1 o’clock that our starting quarterback was out and that our leading rusher was out,” said Dan Reardon, Matthew’s father and head coach of the Irish. “A couple of the other guys we knew earlier. I would emphasize none of the guys are positive (of COVID-19). It was all contact tracing. They’re 100-percent healthy. Nobody has a symptom. But we were down our leading tackler, our leading receiver, our leading rusher and our leading passer, and I’m proud of how our guys competed with the hand they were dealt.”

Staff photo / R. Michael Semple Ursuline quarterback Jack Ericson is pressured while trying to get off a pass against Lake Catholic.

The Irish didn’t go without a fight.

They tied the game at 7 when Jakylan Irving returned the second-half kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown. The momentum seemed to be shifting on the ensuing drive as Lake Catholic (7-2) was stuffed for a 1-yard loss on fourth-and-5.

Ursuline couldn’t keep it going, however. The Irish went three-and-out on their next drive. They then forced the Cougars into a third-and-7 from near midfield, but Lake Catholic quarterback Joe Malchesky, who tormented Ursuline all night, launched a 54-yard bomb into the outstretched arms of Charlie Vincent for a game-changing score.

“That’s been the hallmark of this team is how they responded when we had adversity,” said Lake Catholic coach Marty Gibbons of his 12th-seeded Cougars. “So, you make a decision as a team when that type of stuff happens. First play of the second half, and our kids have been continually getting better at those situations — staying level-headed and poised. We stayed the course, and we were happy with the results we got after that.”

While the Cougars kept their poise, Ursuline lost its.

Staff photo / R. Michael Semple Jakylan Irving of Ursuline returns the opening kickoff of the second half to the end zone for an Ursuline TD.

The long TD pass gave Lake Catholic a 14-7 lead with 5:33 left in the third quarter. The Cougars tackled Terrell Dillworth for a 3-yard loss on the first play of Ursuline’s ensuing drive, and freshman quarterback Jack Ericson, who found out he was starting Friday evening, eventually faced third-and-long. Vincent, another thorn in the Irish’s side, stepped in front of his third-down pass and returned it 10 yards to the Ursuline 15.

Malchesky, who ran for 142 yards on 33 carries, scored three plays later on a 9-yard run for a 21-7 lead. Ericson, who played well for most of the game, made another key mistake on the next drive.

Once again facing a third-and-long situation, he threw a pass right to Lake Catholic’s Ryan Globokar, and again it happened deep in Ursuline’s territory. Vincent scored his third TD of the game on the next play to put the Cougars up, 28-7.

“We had a freshman getting his first career start in a regional final game,” Reardon said. “I’m proud of how he played. He’s going to be a really good player for us. He has a lot of poise and savvy. I know how he feels right now. He feels like he let people down. That’s the kind of kid he is. Nobody in our program feels like he let anybody down, and yet I know because of the type of kid he is, he’s going to take ownership of it. He’s going to be a really good football player for us, and I’m proud of how he competed when put in an unfortunate situation.”

It was an unfortunate ending for Ursuline.

The Irish, 8-32 over the last four seasons prior to 2020, were on a roll coming into the game. They had won four straight contests, including a dominant 35-7 victory last week over second-seeded Poland. Reardon, who guided Ursuline to three consecutive state titles from 2007-2010, could see the makings of another title run.

It wasn’t meant to be in what’s becoming a tough year even for a team with the luck of the Irish.

“I’m as proud of those guys as any team I’ve ever been around,” said Reardon, whose son, Matthew, a senior, couldn’t compete in what should have been his final home game. “They just did a phenomenal job of buying into the vision and working. It’s unfortunate because I think we were talented enough to compete for a state championship this year. Who knows what would have happened if we were at full strength?”