Lancers' defense, special teams step up against S.S. Beaver
Neshannock (56) vs. South Side Beaver (13)
Written: Oct 15, 2016
 By Shawn Fox
New Castle News
HOOKSTOWN — Neshannock High’s football team is used to getting big plays from its offense.
The Lancers’ defense and special teams got in on the act Friday night against South Side Beaver.
Neshannock had a pair of interception returns for touchdowns, a fumble recovery for a score and a punt return for a TD as the Lancers rolled to a 56-13 victory in a WPIAL Class 2A Midwestern Conference game at a frosty Richard J. Ashcroft Athletic Complex.
“Our defensive unit has been carrying us, for the most part, the whole year,” Neshannock coach Fred Mozzocio said. “It continued tonight. I think we had 16 or 17 turnovers on defense coming into the game, and again the trend continued. It was a great team effort from top to bottom.”
Joey Nerti finished with a “hat trick” for the Lancers, returning an interception, a punt and a fumble for scores as Neshannock posted its fifth straight victory to improve to 5-0 in the conference and 7-1 overall.
“Joey just picks his spots,” Mozzocio said. “When he gets his hands on the ball, he’s very, very dangerous.”
After going three and out on their first possession, the Lancers got their offense going the second time they had the football.
Quarterback Frank Antuono hooked up with Chris Scott for a 60-yard gain on first down. Antuono then found Danny Welker on a 14-yard scoring strike. Antuono ran in the conversion to give the Lancers an 8-0 lead four minutes into the game.
“We wanted to come out and make a statement and get our offense rolling since it’s been lacking the last couple of games,” Welker said. “On the touchdown, we knew the outside ‘backer was biting up and knew we could beat him deep. Frank threw a nice ball, and I went up and made a play.”
Welker snuffed out the ensuing Rams possession as he stepped in front of a pass by Robbie Heberle and returned it 42 yards for the score. Antuono again ran in the conversion, as Neshannock increased its lead to 16-0 with 6:23 remaining in the opening stanza.
“That was a big momentum change,” Welker said. “We just wanted to create some turnovers, and we made it happen.”
Nerti gave the Lancers a 22-0 lead three minutes later, as he returned a punt 51 yards for a score.
“I got great blocking by everybody on the punt return,” Nerti said.
South Side, which dipped to 2-4 and 2-5, finally got its offense untracked late in the second quarter, as Heberle connected with Matt Roach on an 11-yard TD strike. Calli Grimplin’s point-after kick cut the Neshannock lead to 22-7 at the half.
“We got up early and once we got up early, we went to our normal relax mode,” Mozzocio said. “That’s something we have to get rid of. When we get teams down, we’ve got to finish them right then. We seem to relax once we get a lead. But, believe me, that will stop.”
The third quarter was all Lancers, as they racked up 26 points to break open the game.
Nerti ended the Rams’ first drive, by picking off Heberle and racing 66 yards for the score.
“I saw the receiver open his shoulder, and as soon as the quarterback threw it, I just closed on the ball,” Nerti said.
Following a punt, Neshannock drove 45 yards in just three plays, with Sean Doran bulling his way into the end zone from 21 yards out to increase the Lancers’ lead to 34-7 less than five minutes into the second half.
“We don’t call Sean the Baby Bull for nothing,” Mozzocio said. “I think everybody got a glimpse of what he can do once he gets into the open field. He must have run at least 15 people over on the way to the end zone.”
The Lancers’ longest sustained offensive drive of the game came midway through the third quarter, as they engineered a 12-play, 69-yard march that chewed over five minutes off the clock. Doran capped the drive by scoring from a yard out with 10 seconds remaining in the quarter.
Neshannock, however, wasn’t quite done scoring in the third quarter, as Nerti scooped up a loose ball on South Side’s first offensive play and rambled 40 yards for the touchdown as the clock read :00 to give the Lancers a 48-7 lead.
“It was a great job by Seth Fehrs to hit the guy and knock the ball out,” Nerti said. “I just picked it up and ran with it.”
South Side got a 5-yard TD run from Cole Campbell in the fourth quarter. Neshannock countered with a 37-yard TD burst by Jared Staph on a quarterback keeper. D.J. DeBlasio ran in the conversion to set the final.
(Email: ncsports@ncnewsonline.com).
NESHANNOCK SOUTH SIDE
13 First downs 7
151 Yards Rushing 124
19 Yards Lost 38
132 Net Rushing 86
14 Passes Attempted 15
7 Passes Completed 5
1 Passes Intercepted 2
158 Yards Passing 66
290 Total Yards 152
3-1 Fumbles-Lost 1-1
3-32.1 Punts-Average 5-31
6-42 Penalties-Yards 5-35
NESHANNOCK 22 0 26 8 — 56
SOUTH SIDE 0 7 0 6 — 13
Scoring plays
NESHANNOCK – Danny Welker, 14-yard pass from Frank Antuono (Antuono run).
NESHANNOCK – Welker, 42-yard interception return (Antuono run).
NESHANNOCK – Joey Nerti, 51-yard punt return (pass failed).
SOUTH SIDE – Matt Roach, 11-yard pass from Robbie Heberle (Calli Grimplin kick).
NESHANNOCK – Nerti, 66-yard interception return (pass failed).
NESHANNOCK – Sean Doran, 21-yard run (run failed).
NESHANNOCK – Doran, 1-yard run (run failed).
NESHANNOCK – Nerti, 40-yard fumble return (Michael Mozzocio pass from Antuono).
SOUTH SIDE – Cole Campbell, 5-yard run (kick failed).
NESHANNOCK – Jared Staph, 37-yard run (D.J. DiBlasio run).
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