Antuono, Hickory shock defending state champs
Wilmington (14) vs. Hickory (21)
Written: Oct 03, 2009
 By ED FARRELL
ncsports@ncnewsonline.com
Last night served as Wilmington High’s homecoming.
But Frank Antuono’s Hickory squad stole away the spotlight.
The New Castle native notched the most significant win of his high school coaching career, as his Hornets rallied from a 14-0 deficit to stun the defending PIAA Class AA champion Greyhounds, 21-14.
With approximately six minutes remaining and Hickory huddled at its own 8-yard line, Marlon Pegues — out of what Antuono termed a “jumbo package” — proved big in more than one sense.
With Wilmington stacked at the line of scrimmage for the second-and-10 play, Pegues produced a stinging 92-yard scoring sprint for the Hornets. Once Pegues broke into the second level of the Hounds’ Hammer defense, he was untouched. Safety Anthony Derrick dove at Pegues’ legs at approximately Wilmington’s 12, but for naught.
Antuono, a New Castle High grad, was an All-American offensive guard at nearby Westminster College and played for one of the school’s NAIA Division II championship teams.
“I’m happy to come back home to Lawrence County and win,” the animated Antuono said, before deflecting the attention from himself to his players and staff.
“I’m so proud of these kids, I can’t even explain it! I love these guys!” he gushed.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of Hickory’s own PIAA Class AA championship, while Wilmington won the Greyhounds first state grid title in December. But recently, the respective programs were polar opposites. Since Hickory’s 19-0 win over Wilmington in 1993, the ’Hounds had humbled the Hornets for five consecutive seasons by a composite 249-49 margin, including 69-28 in ’05. And although Antuono, in his third season at Hickory, and his players and coaches were not part of that, he related,
“I respect and love (’Hounds’ head coach) Terry Verrelli. I love Wilmington. I know all these kids and I love ’em. We’re trying to be like them. We know the discipline they have, and our kids are responding to that, and I’m very proud of them. But it’s a work in progress.
“This is a huge win for our program,” said Antuono, 5-14 during his first two years at Hickory following a six-year stint at Neshannock and a few years serving as an assistant to legendary Farrell head coach Lou Falconi. This year the Hornets dropped their opener to state-ranked and unbeaten Class A Sharpsville, then posted back-to-back wins over Titusville and Slippery Rock — teams that were a combined 0-8 entering this weekend.
“Hickory can be a great football place; we’re getting there,” Antuono emphasized. “And you know, the thing is, it seems like everybody out there is against Hickory. We told our kids, ‘In order for everyone to be for you, you have to earn that respect,’ and that’s what we’re trying to do each week.”
Wilmington was up 14-0 less than eight minutes in on Sutton Whiting’s 6- and 2-yard TD runs.
But from the 4:14 juncture of the first frame, the Hornets whitewashed Wilmington (2-1, 4-1), though the Greyhounds outgained them 310-210 on nearly twice as many offensive plays (59-33) and first downs (17-7). The veteran Verrelli, as usual a study in composure and class, as would be expected of the area’s all-time winningest scholastic football coach.
“Hickory played very well, very well, no question about it. They deserved to win and they played well enough to win.”
Continuing, Verrelli asked, “You know something? When you win, people are always after you. I tell my kids, ‘Hey, did you work as hard as you could in practice? Did you prepare?’ ’Cause I know I did. I accept the consequences when the game’s over. They (the Hornets) played a little better than you did and they won the game, so let’s move on. I don’t want to see any heads hanging.” And I think the kids agree and they understand.”
Arguably, the Greyhounds’ great start turned into a pivotal turning point. Penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct following Whiting’s second score, placekicker Bryce Wilson was forced to kick off from 15 yards deeper. The result was Rico Jones’ 83-yard kickoff return score, coupled with Sean Zippie’s conversion, drawing the Hornets within 14-7 just 14 seconds after Hickory had faced a two-score deficit.
The Greyhounds responded by driving 60 yards in a dozen plays to Hickory’s 28. However on fourth and 12, Wilson’s attempted 46-yard field goal from the left hashmark was short and wide right.
The Hornets (3-0, 3-1) embarked on a game-tying 10-play, 80-yard, sequence, culminating in Pegues’ 14-yard punch on second-and-10. Zippie’s PAT knotted the count at 14 with 4:37 remaining to intermission, and that’s where the score stood until 5:31 was left in the 4th frame.
While Wilmington converted one fourth down, fourth-quarter attempt to sustain a series, the Hornets twice stung the Hounds. Josh Phillian fell inches shy on fourth-and-1 with 6:26 remaining, setting up Pegues’ game-winner. Then with 3:19 left, Pegues picked off Jake DeMedal’s fourth-and-10 pass from Hickory’s 32.
And although Hickory went three-and-out on its ensuing series and DeMedal drove the Hounds from their own 21 to the Hornets’ 38, the upset was secured when Jake Smith intercepted DeMedal’s first-and-10 pass with 19 ticks to play and Wilmington without any remaining timeouts.
“This is the biggest win I’ve ever had as a coach, no question about it,” Antuono said. “The No. 1 team in the state. ... My national championship win with Westminster, it’s definitely up there, but this may have bypassed it.
“Coach (Scott) Renninger was in the stands — he coached me in college and told me he was coming and I couldn’t be happier to see him here. So this ranks right up there, without question.”
Wilmington was without senior two-way standout Derrick Burns — forced to sit out, as per PIAA rule — after being ejected from last week’s win at Oil City. Verrelli, however, refused to use that as an alibi.
“It hurt without Derrick, but we still played well enough to win. Just, defensively, you give them big plays,” Verrelli admitted.
Conversely, he was philosophical regarding the loss, admitting, “it could be” a positive for his club moving forward.
“We’ve got a big game next week with Sharon at their place. We’ve got some work to do defensively, and we’ve gotta get better to be a playoff team, so ... sometimes, you can’t talk to them, they have to see for themselves.
“Hopefully, this opens their eyes to get moving.”
HICKORY WILMINGTON
7 First downs 17
195 Yards Rushing 222
1 Passes Attempted 16
1 Passes Completed 6
0 Passes Intercepted 3
15 Yards Passing 88
210 Total Yards 310
2-0 Fumbles-Lost 1-0
6-45 Penalties-Yards 4-40
HICKORY 7 7 0 7 — 21
WILMINGTON 14 0 0 0 — 14
Scoring plays
WILMINGTON — Sutton Whiting, 6-yard run (Bryce Wilson kick).
WILMINGTON — Whiting, 2-yard run (Wilson kick).
HICKORY —Rico Jones, 83-yard kickoff return (Sean Zippie kick).
HICKORY —Marlon Pegues, 14-yard run (Zippie kick).
HICKORY —Pegues, 92-yard run (Zippie kick).
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