Freedom topples Mohawk
Mohawk (20) vs. Freedom (35)
Written: Sep 17, 2011
 Special to the News
Last night’s Freedom at Mohawk game came with a guarantee: One head coach would collect his first win.
Joe Lamenza is in his first season leading the Warriors. Frank Hernandez is in his second year as Freedom’s boss but suffered through a 0-10 record in Year One. Both teams took 0-2 overall and Class AA Midwestern Athletic Conference records into the contest.
Early on it looked as if Lamenza was going to be the one smiling at the end. However, a fake punt that went for a first down and led to a touchdown, along with two intercepted passes made Freedom and Hernandez the winner.
The Bulldogs came on in the second half behind quarterback Forrest Petcovic to defeat Mohawk, 35-20.
The big play was a fake punt on which Allen-Michael Conforti skirted right end for 34 yards. That gave Freedom a first down at the Mohawk 30. The Bulldogs scored four plays later on a 1-yard run by Petcovic to take a 14-7 lead with 8:41 left in the third quarter.
Freedom then got the ball back three plays on an interception by Conforti. Then on a third-and-18 play, Petcovic hooked up with Sam Becky on a 54-yard touchdown pass with 4:50 left in the period.
“The score doesn’t show it but we are improving every week,” Lamenza said. “We are improving a little bit more and a little bit more, and just aren’t there yet.”
Mohawk looked good in the first quarter and scored on its first possession, driving 55 yards in nine plays. Shane McFarland went into the end zone from 5 yards out with 6:33 left in the quarter, and Marcus Gurgiolo kicked the extra point.
After holding Freedom and forcing a punt, the Warriors moved from the 50 to the Freedom 15 but lost a yard on a fourth-and-3 play.
Again the Mohawk defense held and forced the Bulldogs to punt from their own 6. The Warriors took over at the Freedom 34 but came up empty on a fourth-down play, this one from the 26.
“We weathered the storm if you want to call it that,” Hernandez said.
“We’ve got to learn how to finish. That’s part of the game,” Lamenza said. “They made some plays when they had to and we didn’t.”
Hernandez put Petcovic in at quarterback and moved starting quarterback Becky to flanker when Freedom took over at its 27 with 5:38 left in the first half. Petcovic sparked the Bulldogs and took them on a 73-yard drive to tie the score, 7-7, with Conforti going in from 7 yards out.
“We had planned to give Forrest some snaps (at quarterback),” Hernandez said. “When he went in the offense just started to click, and we never looked back. He gave us a jolt of energy.”
Still, the fake punt was the big play. Hernandez said Conforti, the Bulldogs ’ punter, has the OK to run if the situation is right.
“We do practice that, and we hit on it last week,” Hernandez said. “We have to count the punt return team and if we have an overload (of blocker to defenders) we want to run that way. (Conforti) and the upback, Tyler Cousins, who makes the calls, have to recognize it.”
“No excuse there, we have to be ready for that,” Lamenza said of the fake.
Thomas Beatty scored on a 30-yard run for Mohawk with 1:41 left in the third quarter to cut the Freedom lead to 21-14 and the Warriors got the ball back when Freedom fumbled the kickoff return. But quarterback Vince Menichino was intercepted for the second time on the first play of the fourth quarter, and Freedom scored two plays later.
The only other bright spot for Mohawk fans was Austin Main’s 80-yard kickoff return for a touchdown with 47 seconds left to make the score respectable.
“I’m proud of my kids … we’re fighting to the end,” Lamenza said. “The effort is there … the kids are trying. We just have to make more plays.”
(E-mail: ncsports@ncnewsonline.com)
FREEDOM MOHAWK
9 First downs 9
208 Yards Rushing 160
6 Yards Lost 35
202 Net Rushing 125
6 Passes Attempted 10
4 Passes Completed 6
0 Passes Intercepted 2
83 Yards Passing 76
285 Total Yards 201
3-1 Fumbles-Lost 0-0
3-30 Punts-Average 1-31
8-48 Penalties-Yards 3-25
FREEDOM 0 7 14 14 — 35
MOHAWK 7 0 7 6 — 20
Scoring plays
MOHAWK — Shane McFarland, 5-yard run (Marcus Gurgiolo kick).
FREEDOM — Allan-Michael Conforti, 7-yard run (Jon Cleak kick).
FREEDOM — Forrest Petcovic, 1-yard run (Cleak kick).
FREEDOM — Sam Becky, 54-yard pass from Petcovic (Cleak kick).
MOHAWK — Thomas Beatty, 30-yard run (Gurgiolo kick).
FREEDOM — Becky, 30-yard run (Cleak kick).
FREEDOM — Doug Hansen, 4-yard run (Cleak kick).
MOHAWK — Austin Main, 80-yard kick return (kick failed).
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