Nov 9, 2013 3 min read

HOUSTON – The Class A quarterfinal rematch between Monessen and Neshannock was marked with intrigue even before Friday night’s kickoff at Chartiers-Houston High School.

The Greyhounds stormed onto the field during pregame introductions, throwing their hands in the air and strutting toward the Neshannock football team. The result was a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.

The Lancers didn’t flinch at the boastful Greyhounds. They just responded by forcing five turnovers and accumulating almost 400 yards of total offense.

Lancers senior quarterback Ernie Burkes used his legs and his arm, compiling four touchdowns, as Neshannock defeated Monessen, 35-6, in the WPIAL Class A quarterfinals for the second year in a row.

“I was surprised we got the hell beat out of us,” Monessen head coach Andy Pacak said. “Seven turnovers with six in the first half (including turnovers on downs), that’s going to be all she wrote. That’s hard to overcome.”

Last year in the WPIAL quarterfinals, Burkes’s last-second touchdown lifted Neshannock to a 24-21 victory. He finished the game with 101 rushing yards, 85 passing yards and four touchdowns.

The Lancers’ uptempo, spread attack exploited Monessen’s defensive front, which could not pressure Burkes in the pocket. As the Greyhounds had their eye on Burkes throughout the first half, his tailback Eli Owens had a career-high 160 rushing yards on 22 carries; adding the Lancers’ final score of the game with 6:45 remaining in the third quarter.

“Ernie Burkes is one of the best playmakers in the WPIAL, bar none,” Neshannock head coach Fred Mozzocio said. “The kid can flat out play football.”

With Neshannock leading 14-0, Burkes fumbled a snap with just under 10 minutes remaining in the second quarter. The Monessen faithful rose to their feet, as it was the first sign of life from the Greyhounds. The offense had struggled, but the turnover was the second of the game produced by Monessen.

“There was nothing that they ran that we didn’t practice over and over again,” Pacak said. “To practice it over and over again and go live against them with that speed and the way their linemen come out, it’s difficult to simulate.”

The Greyhounds could not sustain momentum. Monessen junior quarterback Noah Rullo forced a pass into double coverage, leading to a Neshannock interception and possession at midfield. On the next play, Burkes found 6-5 senior tight end Steven Jeffries wide open on a slant route for a 50-yard touchdown and a 21-0 lead.

“It was a great win against a very football team,” Neshannock head coach Fred Mozzocio said. “Our defensive front seven, they had constant pressure from the start. Once we force teams to pass, our guys are like sharks in a frenzy.”

The Lancers capitalized on favorable field position early on but Neshannock was truly tested after intercepting a Justice Rawlins pass at its own 16-yard line. Burkes led the Lancers downfield with an eight-play, 84-yard drive that was capped by a perfect play-action pass to Neshannock junior wide receiver Jimmy Medure for a 28-0 lead.

Monessen was limited to 50 yards of total offense in the first half, and only converted for one first down, which came on the first drive.

“We have a chip on our shoulder every week,” Mozzocio said. “Every week, we feel that. We are Neshannock; teams don’t take us seriously, so we are always out for something to prove.”