The best defense
Neshannock (40) vs. Brentwood (9)
Written: Nov 02, 2013
By Corey J. Corbin
New Castle News
The Neshannock High football team’s offense gets a lot of credit.
But it was its defense that came through in a big way last night.
Lancers defenders Jimmy Medure, Michael Rodriguez, Frank Antuono, Ty Sear, Gianni Oliva and Ralph Dovidio provided constant pressure as Neshannock earned its first home postseason victory with a 40-9 win over visiting Brentwood in the first round of the WPIAL Class A playoffs at Bob Bleggi Stadium.
“It’s a big win,” Medure said. “This was our first home playoff game and everyone was excited. We knew Brentwood would come out swinging, so we had to swing harder.
“We’re like sharks in a frenzy, going after the quarterback. We rely on each other to get back there. Once we can get him moving around, we run to him and bring him to the ground.”
The Lancers (8-2) will meet Monessen (10-1), a 37-14 winner over West Shamokin, in the WPIAL Class A quarterfinals Friday at a site and time to be determined. Neshannock posted a narrow 24-21 victory over the Greyhounds last year in the WPIAL quarterfinals at Chartiers-Houston.
“Monessen is Monessen,” Neshannock coach Fred Mozzocio said. “They’re one of the big boys every year. That’s why you compete, because you want to play against the best. We’re looking forward to the matchup down there against Monessen. We were fortunate to squeak a win out last year against them. I’m sure it’ll come down to the wire again this year.”
Brentwood (5-5) chewed up nearly six minutes of first-quarter clock last night to march 74 yards in 15 plays before settling for a 22-yard Sean McGlaughlin field goal and an early 3-0 lead.
“Games can start out slow or they can start out fast,” Medure said. “You have to be ready for anything. They came out swinging and they hit us. We had to get them back.”
The Lancers got the Spartans back by pinning them inside their own 1 after Ernie Burkes’ 58-yard punt. Three plays later, Medure’s pressure forced Brentwood quarterback Connor McWilliams to scramble to his right and ultimately step out of bounds for a safety.
“Ernie had a great kick,” Medure said. “The safety was a big momentum-changer in the game. We knew they would come out hard, so we had to come out harder.”
From that point on, it was all Neshannock.
The Lancers rolled up 403 yards of total offense, including 363 yards on the ground. Burkes, a senior, rushed for 139 yards and a pair of touchdowns on nine carries from his quarterback position, while junior running back Eli Owens added a game-high 154 yards and a score on 15 carries. Rodriguez provided 52 yards on three reverses.
“Our offensive line was clicking,” Mozzocio said of Dovidio, Steve Senko, Zach Barnes, Adam Wawrzynski, Nate Nativio and Steven Jefferies. “They were getting their bodies on people, keeping their legs moving. We were able to move the chains and break some long runs in the process. Credit the o-line, they did their jobs tonight. They got after it.”
Neshannock built its lead to 12-3 with a Jason Owrey 28-yard field goal late in the first quarter and a Seth Dueitt 9-yard touchdown pass from Burkes midway through the second quarter.
“I ran an under route on my first touchdown and Steven Jefferies drew the other guys in, so I was open,” Dueitt said. “I caught the pass and ran it in for the touchdown.”
Burkes broke the game wide open with 41- and 92-yard touchdown jaunts on successive possessions in the second quarter for the Lancers, who entered halftime with a 26-3 cushion.
“Ernie had a big night again as usual,” Mozzocio said. “He makes plays. There’s not much else you can say about him. If you need a play, he’s there for you.”
Dueitt scored his third career touchdown 60 seconds into the third quarter on a 16-yard scoring strike from Burkes and Owens closed out Neshannock’s scoring with a fourth-quarter scamper of 52 yards.
“Last week, I got my first varsity touchdown and to get two this week, I’m just ecstatic,” Dueitt said. “It’s nice to contribute to our first home playoff win. It felt nice to win by such a large margin. I’m happy to help the team.”
An 11-yard pass from McWilliams to Bill Madeja midway through the fourth quarter closed out the scoring. The Brentwood quarterback was sacked three times and had a Neshannock defender in face for most of the night. He completed 14-of-39 passes for 156 yards.
“We were attacking and were physical,” Mozzocio said. “Their quarterback is a really nice player and he’s a hard-nosed kid. We got after him and he just kept fighting and moving around in the pocket. He played his heart out tonight. When push comes to shove, our defense kept them out of the end zone, so that’s all that counts.”
Neshannock was penalized 13 times for 101 yards.
“Sometimes when you’re excited, you get a little overaggressive and things happen,” Mozzocio said. “We’ll clean that up. Once the game gets out of hand, you tend to get some sloppy penalties. We’re not happy with that, but we’ll take the 40-9 victory any day.”
(Email: C_Corbin@newsonline.com)
BRENTWOOD NESHANNOCK
12 First downs 11
70 Yards Rushing 391
31 Yards Lost 28
39 Net Rushing 363
40 Passes Attempted 14
14 Passes Completed 4
0 Passes Intercepted 0
156 Yards Passing 40
195 Total Yards 403
0-0 Fumbles-Lost 2-1
2-22 Punts-Average 2-27
4-30 Penalties-Yards 13-101
BRENTWOOD 3 0 0 6 — 9
NESHANNOCK 5 21 7 7 — 40
Scoring plays
BRENTWOOD — Sean McGlaughlin, 22-yard field goal.
NESHANNOCK — Safety, Connor McWilliams steps out of the endzone.
NESHANNOCK — Jason Owrey, 28-yard field goal.
NESHANNOCK — Seth Dueitt, 9-yard pass from Ernie Burkes (Owrey kick).
NESHANNOCK — Burkes, 41-yard run (Owrey kick).
NESHANNOCK — Burkes, 92-yard run (Owrey kick).
NESHANNOCK — Dueitt, 16-yard pass from Burkes (Owrey kick).
NESHANNOCK — Eli Owens, 52-yard run (Owrey kick).
BRENTWOOD — Bill Madeja, 11-yard pass from McWilliams (kick failed).
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