Neshannock gridders set for clash with Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic
Written: Sep 01, 2016
  This time, a clash of two WPIAL football powers will take place.
Last year, the Neshannock and Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic high football programs were on course to meet in the WPIAL Class A semifinals. But the Lancers were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Jeannette, 25-15.
The Jayhawks then ousted the Trojans in the semifinals the following week, 22-14.
Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic will invade Neshannock for a battle with the Lancers at 7 p.m. Friday in the WPIAL Class 2A Midwestern Conference opener for both schools.
"We were looking forward to having the possibility of meeting up with them in the semifinals last year. But we didn't hold up our end of the bargain," said fifth-year Lancers coach Fred Mozzocio. "That's in the past; we're looking forward."
This will be the fourth meeting all time between the teams. The Trojans lead the series 2-1, including winning the previous two matchups, both in the 2013 season. Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic captured the regular season encounter (21-14) and the semifinal clash at Mars (27-14).
"Any time we've played North Catholic, and we've played them three times in the last four years, it's been a battle."
Both teams enter Friday's matchup highly touted. Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic is ranked No. 3 in the WPIAL Class 2A poll at No. 3, while Neshannock (1-0) sits at No. 4. It's the season opener for the Trojans.
"It would be great to get out to a 2-0 start," Mozzocio said. "Right out of the gate, if we can come out of it 2-0, that will be a great start for us.
"The kids are excited about it and they've been working hard. We won't have to say too much to get them ready for Friday's game."
The Lancers opened with an impressive 42-14 victory over Farrell in the Kickoff Classic on Saturday at Taggart Stadium. The Steelers came in as the PIAA Class A runner-up.
"We're very happy with the outcome of Saturday's game," Mozzocio said. "We still have a lot of work to do.
"It was sloppy at times, but a lot of that can be attributed to the heat index, which I heard reached 114 at one point."
"We've been watching them on film," Mozzocio said. "They're a very good team and they have a lot of weapons.
"They're a young football team and very skilled. We expect a tough challenge Friday night."
Mozzocio said Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic's offensive attack mirrors Neshannock's.
"Their offense is very similar to what we do," he said. "They use a lot of spread sets. They run some zones and some multiple passes out of spread formations. A lot of the things they do are similar to what we do.
"They have a very good and fast defense. They run to the ball and they're a very aggressive group. We'll have our hands full. We have to execute and take care of the ball."
Frank Antuono led the scoring barrage for the Lancers with three rushing touchdowns and a scoring aerial to Danny Welker against Farrell. Sean Doran and Chris Scott added a rushing touchdown apiece.
Doran and Antuono notched a two-point conversion run apiece, while Tristan Tuck booted a pair of extra points.
(Email: rponiewasz@ncnewsonline.com)
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