Heartbreaker
Neshannock (42) vs. Clairton (48)
Written: Nov 15, 2014
By Andrew Koob
New Castle News
Forty-eight minutes just wasn’t enough.
The Neshannock and Clairton high football teams needed an extra period to determine a winner last night.
Overtime didn’t fall in the Lancers’ favor as the Bears earned a grueling 48-42 victory in the WPIAL Class A semifinals at Canon-McMillan High School.
“It doesn’t matter that we lost this football game,” Neshannock coach Fred Mozzocio said. “This football team proved that they’re one of the best teams in Pennsylvania. We came up a little bit short tonight, but hopefully people realize what a great football team this was.”
Clairton tailback Lamont Wade tallied 268 yards and six touchdowns, including the 10-yard game winner, on 21 carries. The Bears rushed for over 307 yards and accumulated 457 yards of total offense.
Neshannock’s offense kept pace, however, piling up 236 rushing yards and 351 total yards.
“I know everybody doubted us coming into this game, but we never doubted ourselves,” Mozzocio said. “These kids never doubted
themselves. We knew we could play with this football team and those young men in there played their hearts out tonight and they proved that they can play with anybody, any day.
“We came up short tonight and, like I always say, we’ll be the first across to shake their hands. They earned our respect as well and we
congratulate them on the win and we wish them the best of luck.”
Wade scored his first touchdown on a 55-yard scamper, Clairton’s first play after Neshannock turned the ball over on downs.
The Lancers (11-1) responded on the next possession. A 61-yard Frank Antuono rush set up Eli Owens for the first of three rushing touchdowns for the senior.
Antuono hooked up with Jimmy Medure on fourth-and-5 to score a 23-yard touchdown, but Wade raced 65 yards on the first play of the ensuing drive to cut the Neshannock lead to 14-12 after 12 minutes of play.
Clairton (12-0) would score the first two touchdowns of the second quarter, a one-yard plunge by Harrison Dreher and a 16-yard run by
Wade. A Medure 59 yard reception set up an 11-yard Owens score to bring the tally to 26-21 in favor of Clairton at the break.
Owens scored his final touchdown with less than five minutes remaining in the third quarter to retake the lead for the Lancers. Wade responded with two more scores, from 28 and 15 yards, to put the Bears up 42-28.
Neshannock, staring at a two-possession deficit, rallied with under 10 minutes to play. Antuono found Seth Dueitt for a five-yard score and, with 6:26 remaining, the Lancers recovered the onside kick.
Antuono found paydirt from two yards away with 1:17 remaining and Dueitt knocked in his sixth extra point attempt to tie the game.
Clairton won the toss in overtime and elected to play defense first.
The Lancers took the ball in overtime and struggled. Neshannock lost four yards on the first three plays before a desperation heave by Antuono on fourth and 14 was intercepted by Wade in the end zone.
Wade wasted no time in ending the game, taking the first play to the left sideline before cutting up and scoring from 10 yards away.
“We knew coming in that this was a great team, a well-coached team,” Clairton coach Wayne Wade said. “They fought for it and that’s what the playoffs are all about. We just came out on top.
“Our defense wanted to be on the field first so we figured if we could stop them, we could win the game.”
Neither team could get a handle on the football. The two sides combined for seven fumbles, four of which changed hands, and three interceptions. Penalties played a factor as well, with the Lancers and Bears drawing flags a total of 19 times for 157 yards.
“It was just a slugfest,” Mozzocio said. “Sometimes when you’re in these big games like this and emotions are flying, guys are just selling out. Those turnovers and penalties and things like that happen,
but this was just a flat out war. Our kids left it all out there, they could barely walk off the football field at the end of the game.
“I just hope we earned some peoples’ respect.”
The loss marks the third straight year that the Lancers have fallen a game short of the WPIAL Class A championship game. Neshannock lost to Clairton 37-7 in 2012 and to Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic 27-14 last year, both in the semifinals.
The Neshannock senior class, a total of 16 players, leaves its legacy with a number of positives. Since Mozzocio took the reigns in 2012, the Lancers have posted a 30-5 record and have replaced .500 seasons with plenty of success.
“It’s devastating for them,” Mozzocio said. “Thirty wins in three years, with us 11 months out of the year. They just put their heart and soul into this program. You see the results, they’ve turned it around and I’m grateful for all of them.”
Email: A_Koob@ncnewsonline.com)
NESHANNOCK CLAIRTON
13 First downs 15
268 Yards Rushing 320
33 Yards Lost 13
235 Net Rushing 307
11 Passes Attempted 21
6 Passes Completed 13
2 Passes Intercepted 1
121 Yards Passing 150
356 Total Yards 457
3-1 Fumbles-Lost 4-3
3-38.3 Punts-Average 1-36
7-50 Penalties-Yards 12-107
NESHANNOCK 14 7 7 14 0 — 42
CLAIRTON 12 14 8 8 6 — 48
Scoring plays
CLAIRTON — Lamont Wade, 55-yard run (run failed).
NESHANNOCK — Eli Owens, 3-yard run (Seth Dueitt kick).
NESHANNOCK — Jimmy Medure, 23-yard pass from Frank Antuono (Dueitt kick).
CLAIRTON — Wade, 65-yard run (pass failed).
CLAIRTON — Harrison Dreher, 1-yard run (Aaron Mathews run successful).
CLAIRTON — Wade, 16-yard run (pass failed).
NESHANNOCK — Owens, 11-yard run (Dueitt kick).
NESHANNOCK — Owens, 1-yard run (Dueitt kick).
CLAIRTON — Wade, 28-yard run (Ryan Williams pass successful).
CLAIRTON — Wade, 15-yard run (Wade run successful).
NESHANNOCK — Dueitt, 5-yard pass from Antuono (Dueitt kick).
NESHANNOCK — Antuono, 2-yard run (Dueitt kick).
CLAIRTON — Wade, 10-yard run.
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