Lancers’ frantic comeback falls just short
Neshannock (14) vs. North Catholic (21)
Written: Oct 19, 2013
By Joe Sager
New Castle News
NORTH PARK — Halloween is a couple weeks away, but Neshannock almost turned its biggest trick into a treat last night.
An Eli Owens desperation halfback pass on fourth down found Ernie Burkes in stride, but bounced out of his hands with 1:26 remaining. It allowed North Catholic to hold on for a 21-14 nonconference win at Lt. J.C. Stone Field.
“We almost pulled a rabbit out of the hat there,” Neshannock coach Fred Mozzocio said. “Sometimes you get the bear and sometimes the bear gets you. That’s why we play the game. These boys lay it on the line every Friday night. Sometimes, you’re fortunate enough to make the play and sometimes you’re not. I can honestly say I’ve never been prouder of a group of guys. To fight back and do what we did and scratch our way back into the game and come one play away from winning it was unbelievable.”
The final Lancers play nearly capped a strong second-half comeback in which the visitors rallied from a 21-0 deficit.
“I am glad the clock read 0:00. They ran out of time and we were on the ropes a little bit, but I have to give our kids credit. They battled the whole game,” North Catholic coach Bob Ravenstahl said. “We knew it would be a good test. They waxed us pretty good last year (42-7) and we knew they were a good team. We might see each other again (in the playoffs).”
Even though it was a nonconference battle, the game served as a strong test for both teams. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette had the Trojans (8-0) and Neshannock (6-2) ranked second and third, respectively, in WPIAL Class A. Sto-Rox (8-0), which beat the Lancers 34-31 earlier this year, was first.
“It was a hard-fought game. I am glad we went through it. Being battle-tested and going into the playoffs is great,” Mozzocio said. “There are a lot of teams that haven’t played the first- and second-ranked teams already on their home fields. We’ve had that experience and we came up short twice. But, if we get them again, we’ll be ready.”
North Catholic scored on two of its first three possessions and stifled Neshannock defensively. At one point in the second quarter, the Lancers had as many total yards as the Trojans had points (14).
“Credit North Catholic. They came out in the first half and controlled the football on us. They slowed us down offensively and had us out of rhythm,” Mozzocio said. “They got up 21-0 on us and things started to click again for us. Our kids just tightened up their belts and they made it into a war in the second half.”
The hosts made it a 21-0 game halfway through the third quarter. However, Burkes ignited Neshannock when he broke free for a 35-yard touchdown run with 3:03 remaining in the frame.
Gianni Oliva gave the Lancers a big defensive boost on North Catholic’s ensuing position. Quarterback Adam Sharlow, who rushed for 114 yards and threw for 114 more, scrambled to his left and Oliva leveled him at full speed near the Neshannock sideline. After a couple minutes, Sharlow was helped off the field and did not return.
“Thank God the young man is OK. That might have been the hardest hit I’ve seen in a high school game my whole life, playing or coaching,” Mozzocio said. “You could feel the momentum swing.”
With Sharlow out and running back P.J. Fulmore taking direct snaps, North Catholic’s offense struggled. A Burkes 37-yard punt return helped set up the Lancers’ next score. Burkes flipped a 2-yard pass to Steven Jefferies with 3:03 remaining to trim the deficit to 21-14.
Fulmore, who rushed for 123 yards, found more room running the ball out of the wildcat formation and the Trojans marched deep into Neshannock territory. However, the Lancers forced Fulmore to fumble and recovered it on their own 21 with 2:26 left on the clock.
Owens was dropped for a 6-yard loss on first down and Burkes threw an incomplete pass on second down. He found Owens for an 8-yard gain on third down. With 1:36 remaining, Neshannock broke out the trick play. Burkes pitched the ball to Owens on his right and then bolted around the left side. Owens lofted a pass that found an open Burkes at the North Catholic 40, but he did not hold onto the ball. The Trojans took over on downs and ran out the clock.
“They are a real good team,” Ravenstahl said. “I think our game plan worked really well on both sides of the ball. We started to face a lot of adversity. We had a couple kids go down and we had a lot of kids step up, which is favorable for us. Our quarterback will be OK. I am hoping he’s back next week.”
(Email: ncsports@ncnewsonline.com)
NESHANNOCK NORTH CATHOLIC
9 First downs 18
180 Yards Rushing 255
16 Yards Lost 20
164 Net Rushing 235
17 Passes Attempted 19
3 Passes Completed 13
3 Passes Intercepted 0
18 Yards Passing 114
182 Total Yards 349
1-0 Fumbles-Lost 3-1
2-37 Punts-Average 4-36.8
2-20 Penalties-Yards 2-62
NESHANNOCK 0 0 7 7 — 14
NORTH CATHOLIC..6 8 7 0— 21
Scoring plays
NORTH CATHOLIC — Adam Sharlow, 1-yard run (kick blocked).
NORTH CATHOLIC — Eric Timbers, 12-yard pass from Sharlow (P.J. Fulmore pass from Sharlow).
NORTH CATHOLIC — Fulmore, 2-yard pass from Sharlow (Trarsovich kick).
NESHANNOCK — Ernie Burkes, 35-yard run (Jason Owrey kick).
NESHANNOCK —Steven Jefferies, 2-yard pass from Sharlow (Owrey kick).
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