Mohawk aims to pass less, win more
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Saturday, August 21, 2021 | 6:01 AM
Mohawk’s Marc Conti carries during practice on Aug. 16, 2021, in North Beaver.
Mohawk’s A.J. Carnuche carries during practice on Aug. 16, 2021, in North Beaver.
Mohawk’s Leslie Boden catches a touchdown pass during practice on Aug. 16, 2021, in North Beaver.
Mohawk quaterback JC Voss throws a pass during practice on Aug. 16, 2021, in North Beaver.
Mohawk’s Marc Conti carries during practice on Aug. 16, 2021, in North Beaver.
There was hope going into the 2020 season that Mohawk would be able to capitalize on the modest, two-game winning streak that ended the 2019 campaign.
But that hope soon came unraveled as the covid pandemic struck and injury problems, especially on the line, emerged.
“Last year was brutal as there were concerns about the upfront guys” said Warriors coach Tim McCutcheon. “We needed to win the offseason, but covid shut us down from March until the last week of June.”
The Warriors finished 1-6, all in the Midwestern Conference.
One bright spot was quarterback John Voss’ passing. He threw for 1,276 yards on 93 completions and 12 touchdowns.
Good numbers — but Mohawk got behind so often that the Warriors had to go to the passing attack to try to get back into games.
“I think everybody in the stadium knew we had to pass,” said McCutcheon with a laugh. “We had to throw more than we wanted to. We couldn’t run and fell behind quite a bit.”
Now, however, those underclassmen pressed into action last year because of injuries now give the program some hope.
“The competition’s been great,” said the seventh-year coach. “We want to be a more physical football team and we plan on being more balanced.”
Voss is back this season for his senior year and will have Junior Micco, a junior, to hand off to. Senior wide receiver A.J. Canuche is also expected to line up in the slot and, at times, in the backfield.
Marc Conti, the leading receiver last year as a junior with 25 catches, also is expected to make big contributions.
Senior Charlie Schillingburg and junior Coleton Root are mainstays on the line.
Conti will also be in defensive backfield, where the competition for playing time is fierce.
“We have a lot of names back there and we might end up with a rotation,” McCutcheon said.
Anchoring the line will be sophomore nose guard Vinnie Perry. The Warriors like a hybrid 4-4 defense where a nose guard will come into play at times.
Other key defenders will be inside linebackers Voss and junior Luke Kuhn. Micco will be an outside linebacker, along with first-year starter Jimmy Guerrieri.
The smaller Lawrence County schools have maintained their rivalries over the years and Mohawk is one of them. The Warriors will open the season against Union, a next door neighbor that has been on the schedule since 1927 during the days of predecessor school Bessemer.
The Warriors will have the luxury of having six of its 10 games at home, including four against conference rivals Neshannock, Laurel, Riverside and Ellwood City. But a trip to defending WPIAL champion Beaver Falls looms in Week 7.
“It’s an old school, physical conference,” McCutcheon said. “The WPIAL champion or runner-up seems to be from here the last several years.”
Mohawk
Coach: Tim McCutcheon
2020 record: 1-6, 1-6 in Class 2A Midwestern Athletic Conference
All-time record: 357-470-40
SCHEDULE
Date, Opponent, Time
8.27 Union, 7
9.3 at Cornell, 7
9.10 Rochester, 7
9.17 Neshannock*, 7
9.24 at New Brighton*, 7
10.1 Riverside*, 7
10.8 Beaver Falls*, 7
10.15 Laurel*, 7
10.22 at Freedom*, 7:30
10.29 Ellwood City*, 7
*Conference game
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Passing: John Voss
93-192, 1,276 yards, 12 TDs
Rushing: Cory Brown*
24-193, 5 TDs
Receiving: Marc Conti
25-275, 3TDs
*Graduated
FAST FACTS
• Mohawk was created by way of a merger between Bessemer and Mount Jackson high schools in 1958.
• Bessemer had one of the cooler nicknames — the Cementers — after the town’s main industry. Many high schools of that era adopted monikers aligned with industries like the Homestead Steelers and the Ford City Glassers.
• Voss’ 1,276 passing yards were third in Class 2A during the WPIAL regular season.
• Mohawk has made the WPIAL playoffs six times, winning two games. The latest victory was a 48-0 rout of Seton LaSalle in the 2018 first round.
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