Lancers prep for WPIAL playoffs with seventh victory
Neshannock (35) vs. Chartiers-Houston (28)
Written: Oct 24, 2015
By John D'Abruzzo
New Castle News
CHARTIERS TOWNSHIP —The WPIAL football playoffs are just two weeks away.
Last night, however, Neshannock High got an early taste of the type of postseason competition it will likely face in November.
The Lancers held on for a 35-28 Class A non-conference win on the road down in Washington County against Chartiers-Houston. It was Neshannock’s sixth consecutive victory this season and helped the program improve to a 7-1 overall record.
“We’re fine,” Lancers coach Fred Mozzocio said. “We’ll be ready for the playoffs. We’re 7-1and I think everyone forgot about us, but that’s okay. We’ll be showing up the first round and ready to play.”
Following a 14-7 lead at the half, Neshannock jumped out to a commanding 28-13 lead at the end of the third quarter before Chartiers-Houston (4-4) fought back and scored 15 points in the fourth quarter.
“We’ve battled all year and we’re proud of our players,” Chartiers-Houston coach Terry Fetsko said. “We’ve won some games in the last few minutes. We’re playing well and playing well at the right time.”
Neshannock took a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter after Jonah Vitale caught a 12-yard pass from quarterback Frank Antuono. Two minutes later, the Buccaneers tied the game when junior quarterback T.J. Johnston connected with Tyrone Wormsley on a 59-yard touchdown pass.
In the closing seconds of the first half, Neshannock took control of the game when Robert Lindsey scored on a six-yard touchdown run. Chartiers-Houston tried to close the gap with two seconds remaining in the half by attempting a 61-yard field goal. That kick, however, came up very short.
“Neshannock is a great team and they always have been,” Fetsko said. “I’m really proud of our players playing that hard against them.”
Ty Sear added a touchdown for Neshannock midway through the third quarter after he caught a four-yard pass from Antuono. The junior quarterback added a four-yard rushing touchdown late in the period to give the Lancers a 28-13 lead entering the fourth quarter.
The Buccaneers, who are still fighting for a playoff bid out of the Black Hills Conference, kept their chances against the Lancers alive thanks to the arm of Johnston. The first-year starting quarterback completed 26 of 35 passes for 319 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for a score on a four-yard run midway through the fourth quarter.
“He played extremely well,” Fetsko said. “He’s been solid all year long. Without a doubt, this was his best game. He keeps getting better and better.”
Neshannock struggled to hold on to the ball all night and coughed up two turnovers off six fumbles. The Lancers also were penalized 10 times for a total of 79 yards.
“When we didn’t have penalties, we pretty much moved the ball at will,” Mozzocio said. “Penalties brought us back and we also put the ball on the ground, too.”
Antuono once against paced Neshannock’s offense by accumulating 234 yards of total offense. He completed 12 of 19 passes for 147 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He also rushed for 89 yards and a score.
Vitale rushed two touchdowns on 26 yards, while Lindsey ran for 61 yards and a score on 13 carries and added 78 yards on six receptions.
“With the teams we’ve played in our conference against Avonworth, North Catholic, Bishop Canevin and now against a great non-conference team like Neshannock, if we get into the playoffs it’s not going to be a big surprise,” Fetsko said. “We’re going to be able to compete, know the game speed and know what it’s going to be like with the physicality.”
The Lancers are set to close out their Big Seven Conference schedule next Friday night on the road against Union (3-2 conference, 4-3 overall).
“We’ll keep plugging away,” Mozzocio said. “We’re 7-1. I don’t think anyone wants to match up with us. We’ll show up next week and we’ll be ready to go. We’ll be ready for the playoffs.”
(Email: ncsports@ncnewsonline.com)
NESHANNOCK CHAR-HOUSTON
17 First downs 18
202 Yards Rushing 66
24 Yards Lost 41
178 Net Rushing 25
19 Passes Attempted 35
12 Passes Completed 26
1 Passes Intercepted 0
147 Yards Passing 319
325 Total Yards 344
6-2 Fumbles-Lost 0-0
0-0 Punts-Average 4-37
10-79 Penalties-Yards 2-9
NESHANNOCK 7 7 14 7 — 35
CHAR-HOUSTON 7 0 6 15 — 28
Scoring plays
NESHANNOCK — Jonah Vitale, 12-yard pass from Frank Antuono (Esa Barhoum kick).
CHARTIERS-HOUSTON — Tyrone Wormsley, 59-yard pass from T.J. Johnston (Mike Cushma kick).
NESHANNOCK — Robert Lindsey, 6-yard run (Barhoum kick).
NESHANNOCK — Ty Sear, 4-yard pass from Antuono (Barhoum kick).
CHARTIERS-HOUSTON — Jacob Cavallo, 15-yard pass from Johnson (kick failed).
NESHANNOCK — Antuono, 4-yard run (Barhoum kick).
NESHANNOCK — Vitale, 6-yard run (Barhoum kick).
CHARTIERS-HOUSTON — Johnston, 4-yard run (Ethan Shober, pass from Johnston).
CHARTIERS-HOUSTON — Shober, 2-yard pass from Johnston (Cushma kick).
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