Neshannock turns back Washington
Neshannock (27) vs. Washington (7)
Written: Nov 20, 2016
  By Joe Sager
New Castle News
MOON TOWNSHIP — Neshannock was determined to turn the WPIAL semifinals into a positive experience.
After three losses at that level and another in last year's quarterfinals, the Lancers hoped to break through to the championship game. They achieved that Saturday with a 27-7 win over Washington in a Class 2A showdown at Moon High School's Tiger Stadium.
"We've been playing to get there every year and came up short a few times," Neshannock coach Fred Mozzocio said. "Finally, jumping that hurdle is tremendous. I'm just so happy for these kids. They, and the guys who came before them, put so much time and effort into the program."
Neshannock (12-1) takes on top-seeded Steel Valley (12-0), a 42-0 winner over Riverside, in the WPIAL championship Saturday at 6 p.m. at Robert Morris University.
"I don't even know what to say — to finally get there is great," Neshannock's Danny Welker said. "But, it's not just about getting there. We have to get the win, too."
The Lancers played in three straight WPIAL Class A semifinals once Mozzocio and his assistants took over the program in 2012, but fell to Clairton in '12 and '14 and Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic in '13. The team dropped a 25-15 decision to Jeannette in last year's quarterfinals.
"It's absolutely unreal — just the work we've been putting in for four years," Neshannock's Frank Antuono said. "After we lost to Jeannette last year, we were in the weight room and the gym, working out, doing speed work and lifting. I love all these guys. This is my family."
Neshannock took charge early as it drove 80 yards with ease on its first drive. Antuono capped the march with a 7-yard TD run with 5:45 left in the first quarter.
"We heard all week about how their line averages 300 (lbs.) across the board," Antuono said. "We knew we were physical and we knew we could come in and run the ball."
The Lancers increased their lead to 14-0 when Antuono found Welker for a 4-yard TD strike with 2:53 left in the second quarter. The pass was partially tipped, but Welker hauled it in for the score.
"We wanted to get on top of them really fast, which we did," Welker said. "It puts the momentum in our favor and we just kept going from there."
Neshannock squibbed the ensuing kickoff and recovered the ball. On the Lancers' first play, Welker took a handoff and lofted an option pass 28 yards to Chris Scott. It set up Antuono's 3-yard touchdown pass to Scott on fourth down with 8.2 seconds left on the clock. That score gave Neshannock a 21-0 lead heading into halftime.
"I rolled to my right and he was wide open. All I had to do was get it to him and he made a good play," Antuono said. "That was a huge change of momentum. We had all the momentum going into halftime."
The Little Prexies broke the shutout late in the third quarter. But, Neshannock slammed the door shut when Antuono lofted a pass to Welker on a fly pattern. He snagged the ball in stride and exploded 72 yards for a touchdown with 4:36 to play.
"It was tremendous. We just executed and did a great job and kept pounding. Our kids stayed with the plan and it paid off," Mozzocio said. "That's a great, great football team we played. Our guys were prepared and our coaches did a great job preparing them and we got it done."
Antuono led the Lancers with 82 yards rushing. He passed for 187 yards and three scores. Welker hauled in four passes for 110 yards and two scores. Neshannock's defense limited Washington to 122 total yards.
"We've been playing like that all year. Our defense has been our rock for us all year," Mozzocio said. "We felt we could defend them well and we did a great job."
NESHANNOCK WASHINGTON
13 First downs 8
144 Yards Rushing 103
2 Yards Lost 18
142 Net Rushing 85
17 Passes Attempted 8
11 Passes Completed 3
0 Passes Intercepted 1
215 Yards Passing 122
357 Total Yards 207
3-1 Fumbles-Lost 1-1
3-31.7 Punts-Average 4-29.8
2-30 Penalties-Yards 3-36
NESHANNOCK 7 14 0 6 — 27
WASHINGTON 0 0 7 0 — 7
Scoring plays
NESHANNOCK — Frank Antuono, 7-yard run (Tristan Tuck kick).
NESHANNOCK — Danny Welker, 4-yard pass from Antuono (Tuck kick).
NESHANNOCK — Chris Scott, 3-yard pass from Antuono (Tuck kick).
WASHINGTON— Zyan Wallace, 5-yard run (Lillian Christy kick).
NESHANNOCK — Welker, 72-yard pass from Antuono (kick failed).
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