Shootout
Neshannock (71) vs. Riverside (48)
Written: Sep 19, 2015
By Joe Sager
New Castle News
It was a bad night to be a defender, but a good evening to be a Lancer.
Both the Neshannock and Riverside football teams put on an offensive display last night, but the Lancers survived for a 71-48 win in a WPIAL Class A Big Seven Conference battle at Bob Bleggi Stadium.
Defense was scarce as the teams combined for 1,228 yards of total offense.
“I really never had an experience like that. We just wanted to come out and make a statement tonight after what happened last week,” Neshannock quarterback Frank Antuono said. “I think we proved that. Riverside has some good players; the Dambach brothers are good players. We knew they were going to put up some points, but we had to come out and make a statement.”
The Lancers (2-1 conference, 2-1 overall) did exactly that in rebounding from their 20-12 setback at Shenango last Saturday. Antuono helped lead the way by completing 15 of 20 passes for 314 yards and three touchdowns. He ran the ball 12 times for 76 yards and two scores.
“It was a good win for our kids. Last week was a very rough week for us with what happened to Adrian Holmes, their former classmate and teammate (Holmes died in a traffic accident). We had a tough loss last Saturday. So, it’s been a rough two weeks for us and we’re a very young football team,” Neshannock coach Fred Mozzocio said. “I couldn’t be prouder of the way they fought tonight. We knew it was going to be a shootout. I am proud of the way they responded.”
Neshannock overcame the career outings of Riverside’s Dambach brothers. Jason, a senior quarterback, completed 28 of 47 passes for 551 yards and five touchdowns. Austin, a sophomore receiver, was his top target with 13 catches for 348 yards and three scores.
“Dambach is a fierce competitor and they have some great receivers over there. Their kids are tough kids. We just had to keep pounding it and not relaxing at all. Every time we seemed to relax a little bit, they seemed to get back within striking distance,” Mozzocio said. “(The 551 yards passing) is something we have to clean up and get a little better at. Defensively, we held them to two touchdowns in the second half, so that was nice.”
The teams combined for 776 yards and 70 points in a wild first half as the hosts went into intermission with a 42-28 edge.
Jason Dambach found brother Austin down the near sideline on a fly pattern for an 89-yard touchdown strike and a 7-0 lead on Riverside’s first snap. The Lancers retaliated 1:38 later when Jonah Vitale broke loose for a 45-yard TD scamper to tie the game at 7-all.
Neshannock forced a Riverside punt and then went ahead, 14-7, on its next drive. Antuono capped the march with a 25-yard run with 2:15 left.
The Panthers (1-1, 2-1) responded with a touchdown of their own. Dambach hit Ricky Wass for an 11-yard scoring strike with 49.8 seconds left in the opening stanza.
On the Lancers’ first play after that, Robert Lindsey rambled 79 yards for a touchdown. The PAT hit the upright, which gave Neshannock a 20-14 lead with 30.2 on the clock.
Garrett Bishop’s short run gave the guests a 21-20 lead with 7:51 to go. Neshannock regained the lead on its next drive when Antuono found Vitale for a 28-yard TD pass. Antuono floated a short pass to Ty Sear for the 2-point conversion to give the hosts a 28-21 edge with 7:29 to play before intermission.
Austin Dambach hauled in his second TD pass from his brother, this time a 32-yarder with 5:11 on the clock to knot the game at 28-all.
A long Vitale run gave the Lancers the ball deep in Riverside territory. Lindsey cashed in from the 6, but the PAT kick failed, which left the Lancers a 34-28 lead with 3:48 left.
Neshannock recovered a Panthers fumble on its own 40 with 2:32 on the clock. On the next play, Antuono lofted a strike to Danny Welker down the middle and he went 60 yards for a touchdown. Antuono found Welker for the 2-point conversion and a 42-28 edge with 2:23 to play.
In the second half, Antuono connected with Chris Scott for a 52-yard TD. The PAT kick failed, which gave the hosts a 48-28 lead with 7:58 left in the third.
The Panthers appeared poised to score on their next drive, but Scott jumped in front of a pass and returned it nearly 60 yards to the 22. Lindsey reached the end zone on a 1-yard run to give the Lancers a 56-28 lead with 3:44 remaining.
“I knew that our offense was clicking and I knew that our defense had to get just a couple stops,” Antuono said. “If we got a couple stops, I knew we were scoring.”
Austin Dambach hauled in a 33-yard TD pass from Jason to cut the Neshannock lead to 56-35 with 2:09 left in the third. Wass ripped the ball out of Lindsey’s hands and raced 69 yards for a score 57 seconds into the fourth quarter to cut the Lancers’ lead to 56-42.
Neshannock responded with a touchdown when Antuono scampered in from the 15. Lindsey added the 2-point conversion run for a 64-42 lead with 7:57 to go.
The Panthers answered back with a touchdown. Jason Dambach hit Justin Baust for a 29-yard TD pass. The conversion failed and the Lancers held a 64-48 lead with 7:04 left.
Lindsey capped the scoring with a 2-yard run for a 71-48 lead with 1:24 to go.
Vitale finished with 128 yards and a score on the ground. Welker had five catches for 142 yards and a touchdown, while Scott had 5 catches for 112 yards and a TD.
“We can’t let down. We have to stay focused,” Mozzocio said. “We’re a football team that’s going to get better every week because we have young kids playing in varsity games and they’re just continuing to get better. When it’s time, hopefully, we’ll be ready to make a run.”
(Email: ncsports@ncnewsonline.com)
RIVERSIDE NESHANNOCK
26 First downs 26
119 Yards Rushing 364
24 Yards Lost 96
95 Net Rushing 268
47 Passes Attempted 20
28 Passes Completed 15
2 Passes Intercepted 0
551 Yards Passing 314
646 Total Yards 582
1-1 Fumbles-Lost 3-2
2-37 Punts-Average 0-0
8-64 Penalties-Yards 9-85
RIVERSIDE 14 14 7 13 — 48
NESHANNOCK 20 22 14 15 — 71
Scoring plays
RIVERSIDE — Austin Dambach, 89-yard pass from Jason Dambach (Adam Saunders kick).
NESHANNOCK — Jonah Vitale, 45-yard run (Essa Barhoum kick).
NESHANNOCK — Frank Antuono, 25-yard run (Barhoum kick).
RIVERSIDE — Ricky Wass, 11-yard pass from J. Dambach (Saunders kick).
NESHANNOCK — Robert Lindsey, 79-yard run (kick failed).
RIVERSIDE — Garrett Bishop, 4-yard run (Saunders kick).
NESHANNOCK — Vitale, 28-yard pass from Antuono (Ty Sear pass from Antuono).
RIVERSIDE — A. Dambach, 32-yard pass from J. Dambach (Saunders kick).
NESHANNOCK — Lindsey, 6-yard run (kick failed).
NESHANNOCK — Danny Welker, 60-yard pass from Antuono (Welker pass from Antuono).
NESHANNOCK — Chris Scott, 52-yard pass from Antuono (kick failed).
NESHANNOCK — Lindsey, 1-yard run (Welker pass from Antuono).
RIVERSIDE — A. Dambach, 33-yard pass from J. Dambach (Saunders kick).
RIVERSIDE — Wass, 69-yard fumble return (Saunders kick).
NESHANNOCK — Antuono, 15-yard run (Lindsey run).
RIVERSIDE — Justin Baust, 29-yard pass from J. Dambach (pass failed).
NESHANNOCK — Lindsey, 2-yard run (Barhoum kick).
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