Mohawk vs. Ellwood can boost playoff hopes
Written: Oct 03, 2013
By Joe Sager
New Castle News
Win or stay home.
That’s the potential scenario for Ellwood City Lincoln and Mohawk on a weekly basis as the WPIAL Class AA Midwestern Conference playoff race enters the final stretch.
The two squads meet at 7 p.m. tomorrow at the Warriors’ stadium in a pivotal battle. While the outcome won’t officially clinch a playoff berth for the victor, it certainly gives the triumphant squad a major boost toward the postseason — and a key head-to-head tiebreaker edge.
“This is a very big game for both teams. I know our kids are looking forward to it and I am sure it’s the same for Mohawk. Mohawk is doing well. They are very impressive. Their kids play with a lot of enthusiasm and we have to play to that level if we are going to be in the game,” Ellwood coach Don Phillips said. “It should be a good game. We’re hoping to go up there and play the game we know how to play. We have to be on top of every phase of our game because I know they will be.”
Ellwood City (2-2 conference, 3-2 overall) and Mohawk (2-2, 2-3) are tied for the conference’s fourth playoff berth. New Brighton (3-1) and Beaver (1-2) are sandwiched around the two. Aliquippa (3-0) and Beaver Falls (4-0) are atop the standings. Riverside (0-4) and Freedom (0-4) languish in the cellar.
“Besides Aliquippa and Beaver Falls, almost everyone finds themselves in the same spot,” Mohawk coach Joe Lamenza said. “The next four weeks will sort everything out.”
The host Warriors are looking to bounce back after a 56-8 loss to Aliquippa last week. Their offense, especially the running game, was stifled against the Quips. However, Shane McFarland leads the team with 521 yards rushing, which ranks fourth in the county. He returned a kickoff for an 85-yard score against Aliquippa.
“He’s very good. He is everything that people may say about him. He is special. He runs hard; he has speed, quickness and power,” Phillips said. “When you watch him against Aliquippa and Montour, the kid just gets after it. He gets your attention and he will hurt you in every phase — offense, defense and returning kicks and punts.”
Mohawk had some success passing the ball last week. On the year, quarterback Gio Menichino has passed for 241 yards and rushed for 81 more. Spencer McConahy has hauled in 10 passes for 105 yards.
“The passing game was a bright spot in the Aliquippa game. We’ll just see how it goes this week. Ellwood plays pretty good defense. I don’t think anything’s guaranteed. Just because we did something good in one game doesn’t mean it’ll work in the next game,” Lamenza said. “We’ll need a big game out of Shane. Likewise, he can’t do it by himself. The line has to do a better job blocking this week and the receivers will have to stay on their blocks. Shane is a great player. It’ll take the other 10 guys, too, to make it happen.”
The Wolverines rolled past Riverside 58-21 last week. Ellwood racked up 654 yards on the ground in the triumph. Jared Meyers led the way with 224 and boosted his county-leading mark to 740. Paul Lutz added 160 yards on seven carries last week, while sophomore Nick Ioanilli added 88 yards on six carries.
“They are a big, strong football team. Meyers is having a great season. He is tough to bring down. But, it’s not just him — other guys are doing a good job running and their guys are doing a good job blocking. Defensively, they’ve done a good job. They are a good team. We’ll have our hands full.”
Phillips hopes his squad can get the ground game going and maintain control of the ball.
“We have to control the ball and keep the ball – not just keep the clock running, but keep the ball without turning it over,” he said. “We’ve had a couple situations where we’ve turned it over and it’s come back to haunt us. Turnovers are crucial in a game like this. We need to move the ball and get some points off that. That’ll limit their opportunities because they can score any time and any place and in any phase of the game. They are solid all around.”
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