Laurel opportunistic against Neshannock
Neshannock (0) vs. Laurel (36)
Written: Sep 26, 2009
By RON PONIEWASZ JR.
rponiewasz@ncnewsonline.com
Defense usually is a factor in the Laurel High football team’s success.
Last night was no different.
The Spartans forced seven Neshannock turnovers en route to recording a 36-0 home victory in a Big Seven Conference matchup.
Laurel recovered five fumbles and picked off two errant aerials in pitching the shutout. The Spartans have allowed just 22 points in four games.
“Neshannock is a hard team to defend,” Laurel coach Jerry Holzhauser said. “It takes a real disciplined defense to stop that option.
“Our defense has played well all year; defense comes first and we’ve done extremely well.”
The Spartans (2-0 conference, 4-0 overall) won their first four games for the first time since 1995.
“It’s nice, but we have to keep it going,” Laurel lineman Robert Hites said. “We know there’s a lot of work left.”
Said fellow lineman Patrick Young, “That’s definitely a great achievement. It’s great to step up and show everyone around the county what we can do.”
The Lancers committed five turnovers in the first half, four of which came on fumbles. The turnovers led to 21 points as the Spartans built a 33-0 halftime advantage.
Neshannock (0-2, 1-3) outgained Laurel for the game, 277-264.
“They were just knocking the ball loose,” Neshannock coach Pat Cuba said. “We have to hold on to the ball and that’s my fault.
“Fundamentally we are doing something wrong and we need to correct it. We moved the ball well, but we turned it over.”
The Lancers took the opening the kickoff and moved 37 yards to the Laurel 45 before stalling and punting.
“You go into a game thinking you’ll be successful but it takes time to be successful,” Holzhauser said of his defense’s slow start. “We knew Neshannock is a good ballclub and we’d have to play extremely well.”
Dan Poremski and Dylan Jones both scored two first-half touchdowns for Laurel. Jones reached paydirt on runs of 11 and 7 yards, while Poremski dashed 6 yards on a run and scooped up a fumble for a 20-yard score.
All four of the Spartans’ offensive touchdowns came on the ground.
“The linemen have worked extremely hard and they are coming together better every game,” Holzhauser said. “They are improving all the time and they are good, solid kids up front.
“We’re real proud of their performance week in and week out.”
Said Hites, “I think we played good as a unit. It definitely wasn’t easy. Neshannock has some great players and our line just knew we had to step it up.”
Jones paced the Spartans with 83 rushing yards on 12 carries and Tyler Forbes was next with 79 yards on nine attempts.
Running back Chris Kirkwood led the Lancers with 47 yards rushing on six carries and quarterback John Sansone was next with 41 yards on 10 attempts.
“Our guys didn’t quit,” Cuba said. “They worked hard the whole game and I’m proud of them for that.
“We have to continue to make strides and get better.”
Laurel returns to conference action at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Rochester. The Rams (2-0, 4-0) are ranked No. 1 in the WPIAL in Class A by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and No. 2 in the state.
Neshannock will battle South Side Beaver at 12:30 p.m. Saturday on the road in a conference matchup.
NESHANNOCK LAUREL
13 First downs 16
212 Yards Rushing 230
2 Yards Lost 12
210 Net Rushing 218
7 Passes Attempted 6
3 Passes Completed 3
2 Passes Intercepted 0
67 Yards Passing 46
277 Total Yards 264
8-5 Fumbles-Lost 2-0
2-34 Punts-Average 2-42.5
4-25 Penalties-Yards 7-37
NESHANNOCK 0 0 0 0 — 0
LAUREL 21 12 3 0 — 36
Scoring plays
LAUREL — Dan Poremski, 6-yard run (Jonathan Johnson kick).
LAUREL — Dylan Jones, 11-yard run (Johnson kick).
LAUREL — Caleb Weisenstein, 4-yard run (Johnson kick).
LAUREL — Jones, 7-yard run (kick blocked).
LAUREL — Poremski, 20-yard fumble return (pass failed).
LAUREL — Johnson, 22-yard field goal.
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