Neshannock extends home dominance with win over Greensburg C.C.
Neshannock (48) vs. Greensburg Central Catholic (3)
Written: Nov 01, 2014
By Ron Poniewasz Jr.
New Castle News
Neshannock High’s Bob Bleggi Stadium is a house of horrors for opposing football teams.
The Lancers came into last night’s WPIAL Class A first-round playoff game against Greensburg Central Catholic with 17 straight wins at home dating back to the 2011 season.
Make it 18.
Neshannock’s defense limited the Centurions to just 97 yards of total offense and six first downs en route to a 48-3 WPIAL Class A first-round home playoff win.
The third-seeded Lancers (10-0) will square off against sixth-seeded Jeannette, a 50-19 winner over Brentwood, on Friday at a time and site to be announced.
Neshannock is unbeaten in its last three seasons on its home field.
“We’re ecstatic to get through the first round,” said third-year Lancers coach Fred Mozzocio. “Any time you’re in the playoffs and you’re moving on, you’re happy. We’re definitely happy to be moving into the second round and we’re anxious to get to work.
“We just have a real comfort level here at home. It’s good vibes here. The kids feel real good about themselves being on their home field. It’s a very enthusiastic atmosphere for them. They feel the good karma behind them and they just perform real well when they’re at home.”
Said Neshannock’s Eli Owens, “We just come out and play. We weren’t going to lose on this field. We kind of kept the tradition alive. We had that in our heads that we can’t lose on this field, we can’t let our last time on this field be a loss.”
Greensburg Central Catholic (5-5) netted 76 of its total yards in the first half, including 53 of those yards on its lone scoring drive in the first quarter.
Neshannock’s Jeff Sanfilippo returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown with 9:41 remaining in the opening quarter. Seth Dueitt’s extra point lifted the hosts to a 7-0 advantage.
“That was a great spark,” Mozzocio said of Sanfilippo’s score. “Both of those guys, Jeff and Rocco (Fazio), they get the ball in their hands and they can go the distance. They’re very dangerous.
“The rest of our return teams know that and they’re always looking to get bodies on people and let these guys pick some seams.”
But the 14th-seeded Centurions regrouped on their next drive.
Sam Nowicki raced 34 yards on Greensburg Central Catholic’s first play after Sanfilippo’s score to move the ball down to the Lancers’ 21. The Centurions got as far as the Neshannock 7 before stalling and settling for a 24-yard field goal by Adam Tucker with 5:15 left in the first quarter to cut the deficit to 7-3.
“They sprung a nice (long) run on us,” Mozzocio said. “Our defense stiffened up once they got into the red zone and we held them to a field goal.
“I thought that was a big stop for our defense to keep the momentum on our side. From there on out I thought the defense did a great job.”
The Lancers struggled early to get going. Owens fumbled on Neshannock’s next drive. Lancers quarterback Frank Antuono was intercepted on the next drive in the end zone to thwart another drive on the first play of the second quarter.
“I believe that we were a little tight, maybe a little overanxious,” Mozzocio said. “Everybody was so pumped up to get these playoffs started that I think we came out a little tight at first.
“I just tried to calm everybody down. I told them just do what we do, play Lancer football and there’s no need to panic. We did that and we bounced back.”
Said Owens, “I think we started off a little shaky. We had to get the feel for the playoff speed and to get to know our opponent a little better. Then we started to settle down and play.”
Antuono got Neshannock’s offense in gear on the next drive when he found Tyler Perry open over the middle in the end zone for a 12-yard scoring pass. Dueitt delivered the extra point to lift the Lancers to a 14-3 advantage with 4:24 to go in the half.
Mozzocio called a timeout prior to Antuono’s touchdown pass, which came on third-and-7.
“We just got the guys in the huddle and told everybody to relax and let’s do what we practice all the time. Don’t panic, and let the game come to you.
“Frank did a good job on that play. I think Frank ended up on his third read on that and hit Tyler Perry there. He stayed poised on that play and got it into paydirt.”
Owens gave the Lancers a 21-3 halftime edge with a 5-yard touchdown run with 38.1 seconds to go in the first half. Owens rolled up 206 rushing yards on 20 carries with three touchdowns.
It marked the first game this season that Owens surpassed 200 rushing yards.
“Eli ran very hard and he did a very good job of reading his blocks and cutting off of them,” Mozzocio said.
Owens did fumble three times, losing two of them, in the light rain that fell throughout the game.
“That’s my fault. I got frustrated,” Owens said. “It’s not really the rain. I don’t know what was going on in my mind. I wasn’t mentally prepared.”
The Lancers rolled up 399 yards of total offense, including 339 on the ground.
“I thought our offensive line was dominant tonight,” Mozzocio said. “I thought our offensive line did an outstanding job. I’m very proud of that group.”
Neshannock put the game away on the opening drive of the second half. The Lancers took the kickoff and marched 61 yards in 15 plays, culminating in Owens’ 12-yard run.
“I just told them to relax,” Mozzocio said of his words to his team at halftime. “There’s no need to be nervous here. We just tried to keep the same mindset.
“We come out, give our all for 48 minutes and let the chips fall where they may and we have no regrets. That’s our mindset. I thought they did a very good job coming out of halftime with that drive.”
Greensburg Central Catholic executed just 16 plays in the second half. Owens’ 33-yard scoring run with 7:59 remaining pushed the game into the mercy rule.
Don’t expect the Neshannock coaches and players to dwell on last night’s win for very long, though.
“We enjoyed it there until the clock hit zero and now we’re on to Jeannette,” Mozzocio said.
(Email: rponiewasz@ncnewsonline.com)
GREENSBURG CC NESHANNOCK
6 First downs 21
95 Yards Rushing 346
35 Yards Lost 7
60 Net Rushing 339
11 Passes Attempted 9
3 Passes Completed 5
0 Passes Intercepted 1
37 Yards Passing 60
97 Total Yards 399
1-0 Fumbles-Lost 6-2
6-25.5 Punts-Average 0-0
6-50 Penalties-Yards 5-40
GREENSBURG CC 3 0 0 0 — 3
NESHANNOCK 7 14 14 13 — 48
Scoring plays
NESHANNOCK — Jeff Sanfilippo, 65-yard punt return (Seth Dueitt kick).
GREENSBURG CENTRAL CATHOLIC — Adam Tucker, 24-yard field goal.
NESHANNOCK — Tyler Perry, 12-yard pass from Frank Antuono (Dueitt kick).
NESHANNOCK — Eli Owens, 5-yard run (Dueitt kick).
NESHANNOCK — Owens, 12-yard run (Dueitt kick).
NESHANNOCK — Rocco Fazio, 7-yard run (Dueitt kick).
NESHANNOCK — Owens, 33-yard run (Dueitt kick).
NESHANNOCK — Jonah Vitale, 6-yard run (kick failed).
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