Mohawk: ‘A lot of things went right’
Mohawk (42) vs. Riverside (6)
Written: Sep 21, 2013
By Steve Treu
New Castle News
No football coach is ever completely satisfied after a win.
Mohawk’s Joe Lamenza, however, had to acknowledge that last night’s 42-6 thrashing of host Riverside in WPIAL Class AA Midwestern Athletic Conference action was a pretty impressive performance by his Warriors.
“It wasn’t perfect,” Lamenza said. “We still have a lot of work to do, but it was a good team win. A lot of things went right.”
A lot of things went right, that is, only if you count domination on offense, defense and special teams.
Offensively, the Warriors (2-1, 2-2) controlled the air, the land and would have dominated the sea if there were such a facet to the game.
Quarterback Gio Menichino completed a crisp 83 percent of his passes (10 of 12) for 133 yards, including a picturesque 21-yard touchdown to Ricky Malutic in the second quarter. Malutic burned his defender on a corner route and hauled in the perfect strike from Menichino for a 14-6 lead.
Menichino was complemented by an outstanding effort from Shane McFarland, who carried 19 times for 128 yards and the team’s first touchdown on a 5-yard toss right.
“That’s what we expect from Shane,” Lamenza said. “He’s a tough player. He’s our workhorse.”
Defensively, following a 14-yard scoring pass from Jason Dambach to Matt Tedys in the first quarter to give the Panthers (0-3, 0-4) a 6-0 lead, Mohawk pitched a shutout over the final three frames.
The Warriors forced three turnovers, including fumble recoveries by Spencer McConahy and James Holmes as well as an interception by Malutic. Michael Kurtz, Travis Giardina, Thomas Romano and Jack Trosky each had sacks.
The net result was a more-than-double advantage in total yardage for Mohawk, 300-142.
“We played our heart and soul out,” said Riverside coach Tom Liberty, “but we have to get better.”
Special teams were also nearly perfect for the Warriors, as their kick coverage was excellent (including a pair of big hits on returns by John Zagotti and McConahy) with McConahy turning in the most memorable play of the game to open the second half.
The versatile junior corralled a short kickoff by the Panthers, eluded a would-be tackler near the right sideline and outlasted another at the goal line for a 65-yard touchdown return.
“That was big,” Lamenza said. “We knew they were going to squib it, trying to kick away from Shane, but it just so happened they squibbed it to one of our best athletes.”
Menichino added a pair of touchdown runs on 1-yard keepers, while sophomore Vince Retort tacked on the game’s final score by bouncing outside for a 16-yard run to pay dirt with just over three minutes left in the fourth quarter. Retort finished with 52 yards on 11 carries.
“It was a good team win,” Lamenza reiterated. “We’re now 2-1 in the conference, but we still have to go watch some film and get better.”
(Email: ncsports@ncnewsonline.com)
MOHAWK RIVERSIDE
11 First downs 8
191 Yards Rushing 71
24 Yards Lost 43
167 Net Rushing 28
12 Passes Attempted 21
10 Passes Completed 8
0 Passes Intercepted 1
133 Yards Passing 114
300 Total Yards 142
0-0 Fumbles-Lost 2-2
4-33 Punts-Average 7-30
4-30 Penalties-Yards 4-30
MOHAWK 0 14 21 7 — 42
RIVERSIDE 6 0 0 0 — 6
Scoring plays
RIVERSIDE — Matt Tedys, 14-yard pass from Jason Dambach (kick failed).
MOHAWK — Shane McFarland, 5-yard run (Brock Barber kick).
MOHAWK — Ricky Malutic, 21-yard pass from Gio Menichino (Barber kick).
MOHAWK — Spencer McConahy, 65-yard kickoff return (Barber kick).
MOHAWK — Menichino, 1-yard run (Barber kick).
MOHAWK — Menichino, 1-yard run (Barber kick).
MOHAWK —Vince Retort, 16-yard run (Barber kick).
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