Neshannock routs North Catholic
Neshannock (36) vs. Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic (0)
Written: Sep 03, 2016
  By Ron Poniewasz Jr.
New Castle News
There was no letdown for the Neshannock High football team.
In fact, the Lancers seemed to have picked up where they left off last week.
Neshannock allowed eight first downs and put the game into mercy-rule status by the end of the first half in a 36-0 WPIAL Class 2A Midwestern Conference win over Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic on Friday at Bob Bleggi Stadium.
Last week, the Lancers breezed to a 42-14 decision over PIAA Class A runner-up Farrell in the Kickoff Classic at New Castle’s Taggart Stadium.
Neshannock came in ranked No. 4 in the WPIAL in Class 2A, while Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic entered at No. 3, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
“It was a good win for our football team this evening,” Neshannock coach Fred Mozzocio said. “It was a quality opponent that we faced. There was a lot of hoopla around the game and our kids came out and performed and showed they were ready to play.
“These guys were chomping at the bit all week. As soon as the Farrell game was over, we couldn’t wait to get on the field against these guys. I’m proud of their performance tonight.”
Neshannock (1-0 conference, 2-0 overall) took advantage of an eight-yard Trojans punt when the hosts took over at the visitors’ 32 with 7:34 to go in the opening frame.
Frank Antuono ran in from seven yards out and Tristan Tuck tallied the extra point to give the Lancers a 7-0 lead with 5:48 to go in the opening frame.
The score held until Neshannock erupted in the second quarter for 29 more points.
Antuono added his second scoring scamper on a one-yard run off a quarterback draw. He took the snap in the shotgun and ran right up the middle for the score. Tuck booted another successful conversion for a 14-0 margin with 9:15 left in the half.
Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic had its best drive of the first half when it marched 32 yards to the Neshannock 33. But quarterback Ryan Maziarz fired an incomplete pass on fourth-and-four and the Lancers took over.
Antuono wasted no time in guiding his squad back to the end zone. This time he did it through the air, and quickly. Antuono found Danny Welker racing behind the coverage for a 67-yard scoring pass on the first play after the change of possession.
The Trojans jumped offside on the conversion try and Neshannock elected to put its offense back on the field following the half-the-distance-to-the-goal penalty. Antuono took care of the rest, plowing in for the two-point conversion and a 22-0 advantage.
“Danny is an amazing wide receiver,” Antuono said. “When we work in practice all week we develop a chemistry.
“When we’re on and we’re clicking, Danny is out there making great catches and breaking tackles. He makes me look good.”
Said Welker, “I just knew when he was playing me up I could beat him. Frank threw a good ball on that one and I made the play.”
The tandem connected on another scoring strike after a penalty nullified a touchdown on fourth down. The Lancers were faced with fourth-and-21 from the 33 and they elected to go for it.
Antuono and Welker hooked up again to not only convert the first down, but to reach the end zone as well. Antuono found Welker again behind the coverage for a 33-yard scoring aerial. That score, coupled with Tuck’s conversion kick, pushed the buffer to 29-0 with 1:16 to go in the half.
“We knew we could beat them deep,” Welker said. “We just came back to it and we knew we could do it. We made it work.”
Welker helped cap the half in style when he picked off an errant Maziarz aerial and raced 60 yards for another touchdown as the half expired. Tuck booted another successful conversion to send the hosts into the break with a 36-0 lead.
“He’s always ready and he’s always prepared,” Mozzocio said of Welker. “Our defensive coaches did a great job of preparing for what they do. In that instance, our guys had an idea of what they were going to run there. Danny just stepped in front of it and took it to the house. It was a great play by Danny.”
“Coach told the secondary to watch so you don’t get beat,” Welker said. “I was looking at the running back. I saw the under route coming from the side and I just jumped on that.”
Antuono finished with 19 rushing yards. He was 9 of 16 through the air for 178 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
Antuono acknowledged the team was ready to play the Trojans, who lost in the WPIAL Class A semifinals last season.
“Early in the season we saw North Catholic was on our schedule,” he said. “My freshman year, I started at defensive end and they beat us twice. I never beat North Catholic.
“Coming into this game, we had it circled. People were wondering if we could beat them and we wanted to make another statement this week.”
Welker hauled in six passes for 146 yards with two scores.
“I didn’t expect it at all,” Welker said of the lopsided score. “It feels really good to be 2-0. We wanted to come out and win. We knew these first two games would be two hard games.”
Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic amassed 164 yards of total offense. The Trojans’ deepest penetration came on their first drive of the second half. But they fumbled at Neshannock’s 25 as the hosts preserved the shutout.
“We want people to know we are a team to be reckoned with,” Mozzocio said. “The defense played stellar tonight. We’ll continue to do a lot of film study and hopefully it continues to pay off.”
The Lancers return to action at 7 p.m. next Friday when they travel to Quaker Valley (1-0) for another Midwestern Conference clash.
(Email: rponiewasz@ncnewsonline.com)
N. CATHOLIC NESHANNOCK
8 First downs 18
95 Yards Rushing 198
22 Yards Lost 21
73 Net Rushing 177
15 Passes Attempted 16
7 Passes Completed 9
2 Passes Intercepted 1
91 Yards Passing 178
164 Total Yards 355
1-0 Fumbles-Lost 1-0
4-28.2 Punts-Average 0-0
5-43 Penalties-Yards 5-37
C.W. N. CATHOLIC 0 0 0 0 — 0
NESHANNOCK 7 29 0 0 — 0
Scoring plays
NESHANNOCK — Frank Antuono, 7-yard run (Tristan Tuck kick).
NESHANNOCK — Antuono, 1-yard run (Tuck kick).
NESHANNOCK — Danny Welker, 67-yard pass from Antuono (Antuono run).
NESHANNOCK — Welker, 33-yard pass from Antuono (Tuck kick).
NESHANNOCK — Welker, 60-yard interception return (Tuck kick).
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