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'Canes look to avenge early season loss to Indiana

Written: Sep 04, 2009
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By RON PONIEWASZ JR.

rponiewasz@ncnewsonline.com

Ring the bell for Round 2.

The New Castle High football team got what it wanted — a rematch with Indiana. The Little Indians handed the Red Hurricane a 27-18 setback on Sept. 5.

At 7:30 p.m. tomorrow, New Castle will have a chance to avenge that loss at Butler High School in the WPIAL Class AAA quarterfinals.

“The kids are excited to play Indiana again,” ’Canes coach Frank Bongivengo Jr. said. “Any time a team beats you and you have an opportunity to play them again, that gives you a little extra drive.

“We’re viewing it as a game to get that loss back.”

The ’Canes, the No. 4 seed, have won seven games in a row, while the Little Indians have won four straight. Both teams have received honorable mention status in the state poll.

“Any team that gets to this point has improved greatly and that’s true with these guys,” Indiana coach Mark Zilinskas said of New Castle.

GETTING HERE

New Castle (7-3) advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2002 with a 53-20 decision over Franklin Regional. It’s the most points ever in a playoff game for the ’Canes.

Indiana (8-2) moved on with a 21-6 decision over Trinity. It was the 400th victory in the history of the program and the first postseason victory.

Friday’s winner will take on the survivor of the Thomas Jefferson-Hopewell contest at time, date and site to be determined by the WPIAL.

INDIANA’S ATTACK

Dual threat quarterback Ben Fiscus, 6-foot and 175 pounds, directs Indiana’s offense. Fiscus has completed 45 of 92 passes for 650 yards with six TDs and four interceptions. He has rushed for 948 yards and 17 touchdowns on 155 attempts.

“He’s a tremendous football player,” Bongivengo said of Fiscus. “He’s elusive and he does a great job with the ball in his hands.

“He can hurt you at any time or place on the field.”

Fiscus is a grandson of former New Castle High football star and longtime coach Chuck Abramski. He needs just 52 yards rushing to become the third player in school history to reach 1,000 in a season.

“Nobody has stopped him this year and we didn’t either,” Bongivengo said.

Jay Pettina, a 6-0, 185-pound running back, has gained 819 yards and scored six TDs on 172 carries.

“Pettina is a tough kid and he runs hard,” Bongivengo said. “He will rush with authority and he can break it.”

Indiana is averaging 310 yards a game in total offense and 25.9 points.

Bongivengo compared the Little Indians’ offensive attack to that used by Navy.

“They like to run that mid-line veer option,” Bongivengo said. “They do that extremely well and they’re not going to change for anyone.”

Indiana’s defense surrenders 14.1 points a game, but the Little Indians haven’t seen much of the spread offense since facing the ’Canes.

’CANES’ STANDOUTS

Michael Bongivengo, the coach’s son, directs the ’Canes’ potent offense. The 6-foot, 185-pound senior quarterback is 109 of 180 passing for a county-best 1,670 yards. He’s thrown for 17 touchdowns with only five interceptions.

“He does a great job executing that offense,” Zilinskas said. “He’s well balanced and is able to run and throw... we’ll have our hands full.”

Keith Keene, a 5-9 175-pound junior running back/defensive back, leads New Castle’s ground game. Keene rushed for a county-high 1,249 yards on 127 carries with 17 touchdowns.

“Keene is pretty elusive and you don’t see too many with his ability, “ Zilinskas said. “He’s a dangerous player.”

New Castle’s defense is also a strength. The ’Canes have allowed 19 points a contest, but only 13.7 during their winning streak.

“They’ve shown they like to change coverages,” Zilinskas said. “They’re an even front team and they have the ability to go to an odd front.”

STANDING TALL

Last week, New Castle forced five Franklin Regional turnovers, all of which came in the first half. The ’Canes turned those miscues into 34 points. Brandon Burley led the charge with two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble and an interception. He returned a first-quarter fumble 43 yards for a score.

“They got kids that can make big plays,” Zilinskas said. “Burley had a strong game against Franklin Regional in particular.

“It’s hard for any team to recover from that many turnovers and to get two scores out of them like they did was even bigger.”

Frank Bongivengo Jr. continues to believe in his defensive unit. He said the Little Indians were successful on second and third-down plays of medium and long range in the first encounter.

“What they did to us was control the ball for a large part of the game,” he said. “They limited our touches and forced us to score every time we got it.

“We can’t let them go on those long drives like the first time.”

This will be the eighth meeting between the schools and New Castle leads the all-time series, 4-3.
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