By JOHN D’ABRUZZO

jd’abruzzo@ncnewsonline.com

It might have been one of the most crucial games of the season for the New Castle High football team.

Riding an impressive three-game win streak against ranked Parkway Conference opponents, the Red Hurricane couldn’t afford the slightest slip up against a winless Moon team

No problem. The ’Canes rolled a 40-6 victory to assure their second consecutive trip to the WPIAL Class AAA playoffs.

And while the offense put points on the board, it was the defense that held Moon to just 154 yards of total offense.

“Defense is the key every week,” New Castle coach Frank Bongivengo Jr. said. “The better defense we play, the better opportunity we’re going to have to win.

“Going against a good running back and a good quarterback last week and being able to shut them down, that’s really important for our defense.”

For its performance, New Castle’s defense is Lawrence County’s Athlete of the Week, as selected by The New Castle News sports staff. The award is sponsored by Washington Centre Physical Therapy.

New Castle’s defense includes linemen Jared Fleo, Vince Pavia, Dom Cook and Latrell McKnight; linebackers Michael Razzano, Jordan Lyles, John Fields, E.J. Padula; cornerbacks Marcus Carter and Jajuan Jay and safety Brandon Burley.

“We knew we had to win this game to hopefully clinch a share of the section title (Friday) against Ambridge,” said Razzano, who is defensive captain. “We can’t let down these next two weeks because we have to be ready for the playoffs and hopefully make a run.”

Fields led the ’Canes with eight tackles against Moon, while McKnight and Fleo each had six.

“Everything clicked for us,” Fleo said. “The linebackers and line played well. We defended the pass and did a good job stopping them.”

“We knew what we had to do,” Burley said. “Moon wasn’t a bad team. They were ready to play, but so were we.”

Moon running back Justice Jordan entered the game as one of the WPIAL’s top rushers with 664 yards. He registered minus-9 yards on six carries against the ’Canes’ defense.

“We’re getting to the ball faster and we’re hitting people,” Burley said. “When we hit people, they don’t want to run the ball anymore.”

Burley, Carter and Fields lead the unit with two interceptions each. Fields averages 9.1 tackles a game followed by Fleo (6.3 stops) and Razzano (5.3).

“They’ve made great strides,” Bongivengo said. “They still have a long way to go, but they are making stops and forcing three-and-outs.”

New Castle is confident that if the defense can make a stop, its offense can find the end zone.

“We know we can move the ball,” Bongivengo said. “The more opportunities we get to do that, the more affective we’ll be. The defense is starting to understand they want to get off the field and give our offense the ball. They’ve done a great job the last four weeks of doing that.”

The ’Canes wrap up Parkway Conference play Friday night at Taggart Stadium against Ambridge before closing their regular season against Mohawk in a nonconference contest.

“If we’re going to go anywhere and be a quality team in the playoffs, it’s going to be on the defense,” Bongivengo said.