Neshannock ginds out win over Mohawk @MHSAthletics667 @NeshannockF @Nesh_Sports @coachmo76

Tagged under: District 7, Gameday Hub, News

Shane Lux | September 18, 2020

Kurt Sommerfeld celebrates the game’s final touchdown. Photo by Sykotyk.

Neshannock piled up 227 rushing yards and pulled away for a 37-22 win over Mohawk Thursday night in New Castle.

“It was great to get back into the win column,” said Neshannock head coach Fred Mozzocio. “We still have a lot of work to do. We have inexperienced guys at key positions, but they’re learning as they go. Our team is playing with great effort. We need to get their minds right.”

The Lancers used a balanced ground game led by Camron Owens, who rushed for a game-high 86 yards on 13 carries. He gained 79 of those yards in the second half.

Quarterback Kurt Sommerfeld rushed for 71 yards and pair of touchdowns while also completing 6-of-10 passes for 65 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Matt Ioanilli chipped in with 61 yards on nine carries.

Neshannock opened the scoring on its initial drive as Sommerfeld found Luciano DeLillo on a crossing route for a 47-yard touchdown.

@NeshannockF @NeshannockF Luciano DeLillo 47 yd td from Kurt Sommerfeld, Neshannock 7 Mohawk 0, @AJWPIAL @PaFootballNews pic.twitter.com/39Mk0tGGsz

— Shane Lux (@PFN_Luxy) September 17, 2020

Mohawk responded when quarterback John Voss did his best Fran Tarkenton impersonation scrambling all over the pocket before eventually shoveling the ball forward to Etan Fritzley, who took it 21 yards to tie the game.

The Lancers took the lead before halftime as Owens dashed nine yards, putting Neshannock ahead 13-7.

Neshannock’s offensive line took the game over in the second half as they engineered a pair of touchdown drives that pushed the Lancers lead to 25-7 after three quarters.

“We talked at halftime about cleaning up our game,” said Mozzocio. “We wanted to make sure we were in the right spots defensively, and making sure we carried out our assignments on offense.”

Ioanilli capped the second half’s opening drive with a 1-yard plunge, while Sommerfeld ran an option keeper 14 yards for a touchdown.

“We tried to stay basic right there,” said Mozzocio. “We let the kids be confident and let them come off the football. I told our backs to hit those holes and run hard.”

Sommerfeld had negative six yards rushing in the first half, but put together a solid final two quarters with 71 yards.

“Once we fixed those few things on our end, we were okay, “Mozzocio said. “It was there in the first half, but we had a few errors.”

The Warriors scored their second touchdown when Cory Brown had an excellent punt return to the Lancer 28-yard line. On the next play, Brown found himself wide open for an easy 28-yard score from Voss.

@MHSAthletics667 Cory Brown 28 yd td from Voss, Neshannock 25 Mohawk 14, 933 4th, @PaFootballNews @AJWPIAL pic.twitter.com/mBRnUcpsHX

— Shane Lux (@PFN_Luxy) September 18, 2020

Owens responded for Neshannock with a 15-yard run.

“Our offensive line was one of our strengths coming into the season,” said Mozzocio. “We lost Landon Shaffer and Connor Montgomery to injuries, so we have some young guys in their starting. They did a great job stepping up in the second half.”

Mohawk scored their final touchdown when Austin McBride intercepted a Sommerfeld pass and returned it inside the Lancer ten.

Two plays later, Voss found Brian Kline for a 9-yard score. Sommerfeld capped the scoring with a 28-yard run with 72 seconds to play.

Voss led the Warriors, going 13-for-30 passing for 127 yards and three touchdowns. He was also intercepted twice.

Mohawk will try to bounce next week as the host New Brighton. Neshannock will attempt to keep their momentum going as they travel to Freedom.

“There is no doubt that this was a big win for us,” Mozzocio. “We’re heading down to hostile Freedom next week. It’s always tough to go down there and get a win. This could be a springboard to give us the momentum to go down there and get a win.”

Game Highlights:

Neshannock 37 Mohawk 22

Score by Quarters

Mohawk – 0 7 0 15 – 22

Neshannock – 7 6 12 12 – 37

Scoring Summary

First Quarter

N – Luciano DeLillo 47 yd pass from Kurt Sommerfeld, (Sommerfelf pat), 7:13

Second Quarter

M – Ethan Fritzley 21 yd pass from John Voss, (Josh Wilkins pat), 5:57

N – Camron Owens 9 yd run, (kick blocked), 1:51

Third Quarter

N – Matt Ioanilli 1 yd run, (run failed), 7:09

N – Sommerfeld 14 yd run, (pass failed), 3:50

Fourth Quarter

M – Cory Brown 28 yd pass from Voss, (Wilkins pat), 9:33

N – Owens 15 yd run, (run failed), 7:12

M – Brian Kline 9 yd pass from Voss, (Jordan Mollenkopt from Voss), 2:44

N – Sommerfeld 28 yd run, (kick failed), 1:12

Individual Stats

Rushing: Mohawk – Brian Kline 12-39, John Voss 6-7, Junior Micco 1-2, Roy Crespo 1-8, Vincent Argiro 1-(-8). Totals: 21-48. Neshannock – Camron Owens 13-86, Kurt Sommerfeld 14-71, Matt Ioanilli 9-61, Chris Petronellis 5-13, Luciano DeLillo 1(-4), Team 1-0. Totals: 43-227.

Passing: Mohawk – John Voss 13-for-30, 127 yards, 3 touchdowns, 2 interceptions. Neshannock – Kurt Sommerfeld 6-for-10, 65 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception.

Receiving: Mohawk – Ethan Fritzley 5-61, Cory Brown 2-32, Matt Micco 2-13, Junior Micco 1-4, Brian Kline 1-9, Trent Miller 1-7, Austin McBride 1-1. Neshannock – Luciano DeLillo 2-49, Spencer Perry 3-15, Camron Owens 1-1.

Interceptions: Mohawk – Austin McBride. Neshannock – Matt Nativio, Artie Prioletti.

Photos of the game: