Nov 18, 2016 3 min read

One of the many aspects of Washington High school’s football team that will be sure to catch the eye of any opponent coaching staff is the offensive line.

This group has worked well together and is the catalyst to an all-important running game.

Neshannock will test that line today in the WPIAL Class AA semifinal game at Moon.

Kickoff is 7 p.m.

“They are a huge mass of humanity,” said Neshannock head coach Fred Mozzocio.

The winner of this game moves to next week’s Double-A title game at Robert Morris. Kickoff for that Saturday game will be 6 p.m.

Neshannock, 11-1 and champions of the Midwestern Conference, has never made it to a WPIAL football championship game. Washington, 11-0 and champions of the Century Conference, last earned a berth in the finals in 2012. The Prexies, who have strung together three straight undefeated regular seasons, lost to Aliquippa 34-7, the only defeat in a 13-game season in 2012.

“Our line is one of the keys to victory,” said Wash High head coach Mike Bosnic. “They’ve gotten better and better all year long and will be important in this game.”

Wash High’s line has size, strength and depth in Andrew Mercer (6-2, 285), Ian Smith (6-8, 285), Ross Goldstone (6-2, 340), Liam Wolf (6-0, 215), Raekwon Dillard (6-4, 315), Anthony Rivera (6-0, 280) and Myckel Brown (6-3, 230).

Mercer is a three-time all-conference selection at tackle and knows how important running the ball will be against Neshannock’s multiple fronts.

“They’re pretty good but if we can move them around up front, we can get a lot of points out of that,” said Mercer. “We just have to play our game. Our line has been together for a while and have a lot of chemistry. We work well together.”

Wash High again will unleash its stable of running backs and try to take advantage of its talented wide receivers. Lyle Webb leads a pack of four running backs who have gained 300 yards or more. Webb and Zyan Wallace, two undersized but slippery seniors, have combined for 976 yards and 16 touchdowns.

“Their defense is pretty good but for us, it’s all about executing plays,” said Webb, who has 508 yards rushing. “I heard it’s going to rain, so the teams might be one dimensional. The running game will be big for this game.”

Wash High uses the single-wing, an offense not many defenses still see. That could be crucial in this game.

“If we can run the football, we can win the game,” said Wallace, who has gained 468 yards and averages 9.0 yards per carry. “All the different formations we run out of the single-wing, counters, misdirection, and mixing the pass in there, I think that has helped us win big games. No one has really seen it. When we’re getting tackled without the football, that’s how we know we’re executing the single-wing as we should.”

Neshannock will unleash its dual-threat at quarterback, senior Frank Antuono. The 6-2, 220-pounder is approaching 2,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing, a rare feat in high school football. Antuono, whose father coached Neshannock at one time, is headed to Robert Morris on scholarship to play linebacker.

Senior Sean Doran, a converted center, has rushed for 1,066 yards and at 5-10 and 220 pounds, is a bullish runner who can pick up the tough yards. Ty Sear, a 6-6, 255-pound senior, is a tight end who will play for Pitt next fall. He is a good blocker and is a threat to catch the ball (24 rec., 326 yds, 2 TDs).