Pasquarello sparkles in Neshannock rout
Neshannock (36) vs. South Side Beaver (6)
Written: Oct 16, 2010
 By STEVE TREU
ncsports@ncnewsonline.com
The Pasquarello brothers ran wild last night at Neshannock High.
Leo supplied the body, while Benny provided the heart.
Leo Pasquarello ran for 171 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 21 carries to power the host Lancers to a 36-6 Big Seven Conference rout of South Side Beaver in a performance that was as emotional as it was dominating.
“This was for my little brother,” Pasquarello said. “He’s an inspiration to me.”
The Lancers (2-3 conference, 4-3 overall) mobbed the courageous senior after the game and presented him with the game ball in honor of his little brother, Benny, who is suffering from a terminally ill disease called Sanfilippo syndrome.
Pasquarello ran as if he were on a mission, playing inspired football from the start. The 5-foot-9, 175-pound senior followed up a 36-yard breakaway in the first quarter with runs of 24, 37 and 13 in the second while piling up 155 yards by halftime.
The 24-yarder was on the first play of the second quarter and went for the game’s first touchdown, as he took an inside handoff and pinballed off several Rams (0-5, 0-7) before heading into the end zone standing up. He added a second TD from 13 yards out just before the half, bowling over a defender along the way.
On this night, Pasquarello was not going to be denied.
“Leo was unbelievable,” Neshannock coach Pat Cuba said. “He plays hard each and every play. When he sees those seams, boy, he just takes off.”
While Pasquarello was hitting the holes hard, his teammates were pounding the Rams.
South Side’s only touchdown came on an 85-yard kickoff return by Luke Shaffer. Outside of that one highlight, the Rams accomplished nothing.
Less than nothing on the ground, in fact. Neshannock’s stingy defense held South Side Beaver to minus-7 rushing yards on 23 attempts.
“We did a good job on defense. I’m really proud of them,” Cuba said. “We don’t try to get too fancy; we just work on the fundamentals like blocking and tackling.”
In this game, most of their tackling was done behind the South Side line of scrimmage.
Two sacks by Kienan Owens and another by Greg Brzoza helped ground the Rams, while Brandon Torsello, Luke Tappe and Bryan Scheidemantle were among the Lancers who tackled Rams runners for losses. The first sack by Owens was for a safety and a 2-0 lead in the first quarter.
The minus-7 rushing yards allowed by the Neshannock ‘D’ was contrasted by the huge night from its offense, as Pasquarello’s 171 in just three quarters of action sparked the team’s 311 rushing yards. Erik Welker added 82 yards on four carries, including a 69-yard explosion down the right sideline to set up the first of two John Conglose touchdowns in the second half.
The Lancers also scored through the air, when Michael Sanfilippo threw a nice fade to the left corner of the end zone and found a leaping Nick Graziani for a 5-yard touchdown.
“We’re coming closer as a team as the season goes on,” Pasquarello said. “We’re working hard together and keeping our heads up. Hard work and dedication.”
“It was a total team effort and Leo led the way,” Cuba said. “They love him. He’s been a big influence on our program. We have good leadership from all of our seniors, but Leo brings another dimension.”
Owens, Torsello and Mike Morgan each recovered fumbles, and Sanfilippo had an interception to end South Side Beaver’s last possession.
The Lancers will stay at home to face undefeated Rochester (5-0, 7-0), which is coached by Shenango graduate Gene Matsook, next week.
SOUTH SIDE NESHANNOCK
3 First downs 10
32 Yards Rushing 350
39 Yards Lost 39
-7 Net Rushing 311
18 Passes Attempted 11
8 Passes Completed 4
1 Passes Intercepted 0
78 Yards Passing 42
71 Total Yards 392
5-4 Fumbles-Lost 3-1
5-25 Punts-Average 6-30
3-25 Penalties-Yards 4-46
SOUTH SIDE 0 6 0 0 —6
NESHANNOCK 2 20 7 7 — 36
Scoring plays
NESHANNOCK — Safety, Kienan Owens sacked Ryan Scialabba in the end zone.
NESHANNOCK — Leo Pasquarello, 24-yard run (Mark Bleggi kick).
NESHANNOCK — Pasquarello, 13-yard run (kick blocked).
SOUTH SIDE — Luke Shaffer, 85-yard kickoff return (kick blocked).
NESHANNOCK — Nick Graziani, 5-yard pass from Michael Sanfilippo (Bleggi kick).
NESHANNOCK — John Conglose, 5-yard run (Bleggi kick).
NESHANNOCK — Conglose, 13-yard run (Bleggi kick).
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