By Joe Sager

New Castle News

Shane McFarland might not be known for fiery speeches or loud cheering.

On Friday, though, he and his Warriors teammates spoke loudly.

McFarland scored a pair of touchdowns to lift Mohawk to a 21-20 win at Freedom in a Midwestern Athletic Conference battle. It snapped the Warriors’ losing streak at 14 games.

“We put a lot of hard work in during the offseason, so we were all very excited when we broke the losing streak,” he said. “It gave us a lot of confidence going into the next game.”

The performance earned him Lawrence County Athlete of the Week honors, an award sponsored by Washington Centre Physical Therapy and selected by the New Castle News sports staff.

McFarland, a junior running back and safety, finished the game with 72 yards rushing on 20 carries. His success was no surprise as head coach Joe Lamenza knew McFarland would have to be one of the players to step up this season.

“He is incredible. He never ceases to amaze me. He’s had a phenomenal offseason,” Lamenza said. “When last season ended, I met with him privately and told him what we expected of him in the offseason and what we expected from him this season and what he needed to do to get ready for that. I told him that he’d have to get his body ready to carry the bulk of our offense and he’s done that. He’s put on about 20 good pounds of muscle. Pound for pound, he’s one of the strongest players on the team.

“He’s a two-way player and he plays special teams; he never comes off the field. He is a true ironman,” he continued. “He has my complete confidence. I trust him. He is an extremely coachable player. In the two years I’ve been here, I don’t know that I’ve ever heard him say a complete sentence. He’s very quiet and unassuming. He just does his job and you can always count on him.”

McFarland prefers to let his actions do the talking.

“I just try to lead by example,” he said.

McFarland’s 10-yard TD run gave the Warriors (1-0 conference, 1-0 overall), a 14-12 lead in the third. The Bulldogs regained the lead, 20-14, but McFarland’s 85-yard punt return put Mohawk ahead for good.

“It’s really exciting (to return a punt for a touchdown). It gives you a good adrenaline rush and gets the team pumped up, too,” McFarland said. “ Vince (Menichino), at the end, had the last block and sprung me free. If it wasn’t for my line and my other teammates, I wouldn’t have been able to have any success. It’s a credit to them.”

Late in the game, Mohawk stopped Freedom at the Warriors’ 1 and McFarland followed with a long run to seemingly seal the game. However, a penalty wiped out the play. The Bulldogs recovered a fumble and had another chance to win, but Zach Shasteen intercepted a pass in the end zone to ice Mohawk’s victory.

“The thing that stands out most is that our kids never gave up,” Lamenza said. “We always talk about finishing and how good things happen when you play hard and you don’t give up. That’s exactly what happened.”

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THE SHANE MCFARLAND FILE

POSITION: Running back/Safety

TEAM: Mohawk

GRADE: 11

KNOWN FOR: McFarland helped Mohawk snap a 14-game losing streak with a 21-20 win at Freedom. The junior had a 10-yard TD run and returned a punt 85 yards for another score.

PARENT: Brian and Linda McFarland.

FAVORITE PRO PLAYER AND WHY: No specific player. “I like to follow guys at my positions, like running backs to see how they did. I try to learn from them.”

FAVORITE PRO TEAM AND WHY: Pittsburgh Steelers. “I just have liked them since I was little.”

FUTURE PLANS: Only a junior, McFarland wants to help the Warriors improve. “Obviously, we want to get better and finish better than last year. We have to keep working.”