Two weeks ago, Neshannock used a late stop of an opponent’s 2-point attempt to pull out a dramatic 27-26 win.
The Lancers then did the same exact thing last week. Same type of stop. Same final score.
Those back-to-back heart-thumping finishes has Neshannock coach Fred Mozzocio hoping his team’s margin of victory is a bit wider the next time the Lancers (4-1) hit the win column, potentially as soon as Friday when they travel to winless New Brighton (0-5).
“Especially for me at my age,” joked Mozzocio, who recently celebrated his 57th birthday.
Neshannock was the “Cardiac Lancers” the past two weeks, beating conference foes Western Beaver and Beaver Falls by 27-26 scores. Neshannock and Mohawk are tied atop the Class 2A Midwestern Conference with 2-0 records. The Lancers are the PUP’s No. 3-ranked team.
The first frantic finish came against Western Beaver on Sept. 15. After Western Beaver scored a touchdown to pull within a point with 1:56 left, the Golden Beavers elected to go for two points and the lead instead of kicking a game-tying extra point. However, the play blew up after a fumbled snap, allowing Neshannock to stay ahead.
Last week’s thriller was even more dramatic, as it came on the road and wasn’t decided until the final play of overtime. Neshannock went ahead, 27-20, after scoring on its first possession of the extra period. Beaver Falls quickly answered with a touchdown of its own. On the 2-point try, Da’Talian Beauford took a pass from Da’Sean Anderson and ran toward the right pylon, but was knocked out of bounds just before the goal line by Neshannock’s Anthony Bonner and Braden Huff.
“It was pretty crazy,” Mozzocio said of the two finishes. “Lots of nerves, of course, going down to the end like that. Thank goodness we came out on top in both of them.”
Mozzocio said that while he is pleased with how hard his team is playing, they are not playing up to their potential as of yet. He added that the Lancers have been carried by a veteran offensive line that includes seniors Aidan Shaffer, Mike Ponziani and Jaxon Mozzocio, junior Tony Perrotta and sophomore Joe Veronesi. Shaffer and Mozzocio are three-year starters.
Jaxon Mozzocio is one of two Mozzocios who play on the team. The two are brothers and the sons of one of Fred Mozzocio’s first cousins. Jaxon starts on both the offensive and defensive lines, while Jino is the team’s starting quarterback. Jaxon has collected 20 tackles and a team-best three sacks. Jino, one of the key members of the team’s talented sophomore class, has passed for 300 yards and four touchdowns and leads the team in rushing with 371 yards and five touchdowns.
Pick six
Samir Crosby is doing an outstanding job of “picking on” the competition again this season, and his penchant for producing interceptions has him on a historic pace.
Crosby, a sophomore wide receiver-defensive back at Greensburg Central Catholic, ranks among the state leaders in interceptions with six. He has picked off at least one pass in all but one game and had two against both West Greene and Mount Pleasant.
Crosby’s career interceptions now stand at 14. He had eight as a freshman last season. That means Crosby is on pace to break the longstanding WPIAL career interception total of 37 set by former Frazier star and current Hampton basketball coach Joe Lafko from 1981-83.
It has been a strong season all around for Crosby, who leads the Centurions in receiving (14 catches, 301 yards) and tackles (47). He holds an offer from UNLV.
Workhorse back
The WPIAL’s leading rusher has been a busy kid this season. Ellwood City junior running back Elijah Palmer-McCane not only leads the district with 779 rushing yards, but he also tops the area in carries, as well.
Palmer-McCane has been a workhorse for the Wolverines, who are 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the Class 2A Midwestern Conference. Palmer-McCane (6 feet, 205 pounds) has already collected 142 carries in just five games, registering at least 24 attempts in every game. He produced a career-high 38 carries for 216 yards in last week’s 41-18 loss to Western Beaver. Palmer McCane is averaging 5.5 yards per carry and has scored five touchdowns.
Palmer-McCane is looking to hit 1,000 yards for the second year in a row. As a sophomore, he ran for 1,156 yards on 207 yards and scored 12 touchdowns on his way to all-conference honors.
Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.