Rochester blanks Neshannock
Neshannock (0) vs. Rochester (35)
Written: Oct 11, 2008
By JOHN D’ABRUZZO
jd’abruzzo@ncnewsonline.com
Rochester High continued its stingy ways on the football field last night.
The Rams waltzed into Neshannock and ran away with a 35-0 WPIAL Class A victory in Big Seven Conference action.
Rochester, which has posted four shutouts and is outscoring opponents 248-17 this season, entered the contest as the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s top-ranked WPIAL Class A team. The Rams (5-0 conference, 6-0 overall) are rated the No. 4 team in the state rankings by the Harrisburg Patriot News.
“The kids did the job tonight,” Rochester coach and Shenango High graduate Gene Matsook said. “We knew Neshannock was going to be stubborn with us. They were ready to play and that’s a tribute to (Neshannock coach) Pat Cuba and his staff.
“This isn’t your typical Neshannock team. They have come a long way and they have made some great strides over the last two years with what they’ve done. We had to be ready to play tonight. They came after us early and took us to it a little bit.”
The Lancers (2-3, 3-3) got the ball at the start of the game and it was the only series they would have in the first quarter. Rochester took possession at 8:27 left in the first quarter and slowly controlled the clock as the game remained scoreless.
“We wanted to keep the ball out of their hands just like they wanted to keep it out of our hands,” Matsook said. “The reason being is they’re dangerous on offense. They run that option very well and (Josh) Brown does a great job with it.”
Brown, a senior quarterback, supplied the majority of Neshannock’s offense. He ran for 76 yards on 15 carries and completed 5 of 11 pass attempts with one interception for 34 yards.
Rochester running back Chad Pennington ignited the Rams’ scoring on a 3-yard run in the opening minutes of the second quarter.
“Chad had a real good game,” Matsook said. “Chad stepped up and made some great runs tonight.
“Our backfield is elusive. We just need to get better. We know what’s down the road and we have to work to get fundamentally sound.”
Pennington rushed for 158 yards and one touchdown on 17 carries.
“Pennington has a lot of class,” Cuba said. “He’s a great athlete and I was impressed with him not only as a player but also as a person.”
Rochester quarterback Brandon Gray connected with Jason Adamson on a 21-yard touchdown pass with 3:34 remaining in the second quarter to help the Rams take a 15-0 lead at the half. Gray completed 5 of 6 attempts for 79 yards and one touchdown.
The Lancers struggled offensively the rest of the game and managed seven first downs compared to the Rams’ 17.
“They made adjustments,” Cuba said. “I saw the adjustments they were making and I tried to do some different things, but we couldn’t adapt and do what we needed to do.”
Rochester running back Brian Beightley, who wore No. 4 in the first half and No. 36 in the second half, scored a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter.
His first was on a 5-yard run. On the very next series, Beightley came up with a 21-yard interception return.
“He got his No. 4 ripped and the officials told us we had to change it, so maybe there was a little bit of kryptonite in that thing because he had a big second half,” Matsook said. “Brian’s been our leader all year. He’s a hard worker and we need him to continue to do what he’s doing.”
Trey Johnson scored the Rams’ final touchdown on a 2-yard run with 3:45 remaining in the third quarter to initiate the mercy rule.
Rochester gathered 335 yards of total offense to Neshannock’s 132.
“I expected them (to play like they did),” Cuba said. “They’re well-coached. They’re a pretty disciplined team. Gene does a great job with those kids. And they’re athletic; they’re really athletic.”
ROCHESTER NESHANNOCK
17 First downs 7
258 Yards Rushing 106
2 Yards Lost 8
256 Net Rushing 98
6 Passes Attempted 11
5 Passes Completed 5
0 Passes Intercepted 1
79 Yards Passing 34
335 Total Yards 132
1-1 Fumbles-Lost 1-0
0-0 Punts-Average 4-30.5
4-35 Penalties-Yards 7-40
ROCHESTER 0 15 20 0 — 35
NESHANNOCK 0 0 0 0 — 0
Scoring plays
ROCHESTER — Chad Pennington, 3-yard run (Paul Everson kick).
ROCHESTER — Jason Adamson, 21-yard pass from Brandon Gray (Gray run).
ROCHESTER — Brian Beightley, 5-yard run (Everson run).
ROCHESTER — Beightley 21-yard interception (kick failed).
ROCHESTER — Trey Johnson, 2-yard run (kick failed).
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