TRIB TOTAL MEDIA • 89
NESHANNOCK • MAC
JOEY ANTUONO
LINE LEADS NESHANNOCK
RELOADING EFFORT
After going 8-2 in the regular season
and advancing to the WPIAL
Class 2A quarterfinals last season,
Neshannock lost some productive
skill players to graduation.
Gone are 1,500-yard rusher Braden
Gennock, who coach Fred Mozzocio
called the MVP of the Midwestern
Athletic Conference, and
1,000-yard passer Jason Nativio.
Yet optimism remains high on
the Lawrence County campus, and
there’s a big reason for that.
More accurately, five or six big
reasons.
The Lancers return their entire
offensive line from a team that
scored a conference-best 344 points
a year ago.
“These guys have all either been
starting or playing significant minutes
since they’ve been freshmen,”
Mozzocio said. “We’re finally a
junior- and senior-laden offensive
and defensive line team.”
Success in the trenches starts
with 6-foot-1, 270-pound four-year
starter Joey Antuono at tackle.
“Joe’s a hard worker,” Mozzocio
said. “He’s one of the most powerful
and explosive kids I’ve ever
coached. Never misses a workout.
Can’t wait to get in the weight room
and carries the same excitement
and enthusiasm onto the field every
day. He’s a great leader for us.”
Three-year starter Connor Montgomery
also returns at center.
The tight end is a player to watch
as well — 6-5, 225-pound senior
Spencer Perry.
“He’s just blossomed over the
last two years into a great football
player,” Mozzocio said.
Camron Owens, the team’s leading
pass catcher last season, is set
to move to quarterback, but Mozzocio
said he’ll see time at running
back and wide receiver as well.
The same personnel should
make the Lancers tough to score
on too.
“Our strong suit defensively,
we’re going to hang our hat on
our defensive line week in and
week out,” Mozzocio said. “These
guys have been playing since their
freshman year. If they weren’t
starting, they were definitely in
the mix, playing a lot. They’re a
very veteran group, and a lot of
the success we had on defense last
year was created with this front
four. We’re pretty excited about
those guys.”
By any objective measure, the
Lancers are coming off a strong
season. After a year away, they
returned to the postseason and
scored a first-round win over Serra
Catholic before falling to Brentwood
in the quarterfinals.
Standards are high at Neshannock,
however, so the returning
starters are more likely to
be hungry for more than satisfied
with what they’ve already
accomplished.
“We had an outstanding year last
year. It was definitely a team that
came in and gave us their all and
overachieved for us,” Mozzocio
said. “We felt that we were going
to advance when we got to the
quarterfinals. We were confident.
We felt we had a nice game plan
together. We worked hard during
the week, but we ran into a team
that played a little better than us
that night.
“I don’t want to say we have a
sour taste in our mouth about the
season last year, but it’s definitely
something that nags these kids
that were juniors last year going
into their senior years.”
The Lancers welcome the
changes realignment brought to
the MAC. Beaver Falls and Laurel
replace Western Beaver and
Shenango.
“Laurel’s just a stone’s throw
away from us, so we’ll renew a
rivalry there, which will be pretty
exciting,” Mozzocio said. “Beaver
Falls is one of those traditional
football powerhouse names in
the WPIAL and that’s what we’re
striving to be here at Neshannock,
somebody that consistently is
knocking on the door and is in the
mix for WPIAL championships.
We’re still trying to get our first,
but we’ll keep knocking until we
get there.”
by JONATHAN BOMBULIE
Coach: Fred Mozzocio
2019 record: 9-3, 6-1 in
Class 2A Midwestern Athletic
Conference
All-time record: 274-322-15
SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Time
9.11 Laurel* 7
9.17 Mohawk* 7
9.25 at Freedom* 7:30
10.2 Ellwood City* 7
10.9 at Riverside* 7
10.16 New Brighton* 7
10.23 at Beaver Falls* 7
*CONFERENCE GAME
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Passing Jason Nativio*
57-136, 1,053 yards, 7 TDs
Receiving Camron Owens
15-400 yards, 5 TDs
Rushing Braden Gennock*
211-1,523 yards, 21 TDs
*GRADUATED
FAST FACTS
• Although it was probably
little consolation at the time,
Neshannock played better
defense against WPIAL champion
Avonworth than anyone
else in the district last season.
The Lancers lost the season
opener 21-7. Avonworth scored
at least 24 points against every
other WPIAL foe it faced.
• Neshannock was a juggernaut
at home last season,
going 5-0, scoring at least
34 points in each victory and
outscoring opponents 227-72.
• It should come as no
surprise that Neshannock
bounced back from missing
the playoffs in 2018 with a
strong effort in 2019. In coach
Fred Mozzocio’s eight years
on the sidelines, the Lancers
have gone 67-17 and won four
conference titles.
• Joey Antuono, a returning
first-team all-conference
offensive lineman, has received
scholarship offers from St.
Francis, Clarion and Lake Erie
College.
SPENCER PERRY