Nov 5, 2021 3 min read

HOUSTON – Chartiers-Houston returned to the WPIAL football playoffs for the first time in five years Friday night, but unfortunately for the Buccaneers, they will have to wait another year to try and pick up their first playoff win since 2000 after losing to Mohawk, 34-12, in a Class 2A first-round game.

“I say all the time if you can control the line of scrimmage, then you can win the game and they did on us,” said C-H coach Terry Fetsko. “It is disappointing, especially for the seniors, but I am proud of them and everything they gave all year.”

The biggest difference in the game was up front as Mohawk (6-5) was relentless on the line of scrimmage as it rushed for 205 yards on 41 carries while holding the Buccaneers (7-2) to four yards rushing on 20 carries.

The Warriors didn’t take long to make a splash play as JC Voss hit Marc Conti with a 56-yard pass on the first play of the game.

The Buccaneers appeared to hold Mohawk with a blocked field goal later in the drive, but C-H was called for offsides.

On the next play, Voss hit Joe Reed with a 10-yard touchdown pass and the Warriors led 7-0 with 10:28 to play in the first quarter.

After each team punted, the Bucs got on the board as Terry Fetsko, the head coach’s son, hit Jake Mele with a 69-yard touchdown pass. The Bucs missed the extra point, and the score was 7-6 with 5:17 to go in the quarter and the score held into the second.

The teams exchanged interceptions within the Bucs’ five-yard line and the Warriors came out ahead as it took over at the C-H 2. Three plays later, Voss scored from one-yard out to give the guests a 14-6 lead.

“I give our kids credit and we kept battling back,” Fetsko said. “We hit a couple of big plays that kept us in the game.”

Chartiers-Houston countered with a score as Fetsko hit Mele with a 38-yard scoring strike, but the two-point conversion failed with 6:40 to go before halftime.

Mohawk took over and went 73 yards in 14 plays with Voss hitting Jimmy Guerrieri with an eight-yard touchdown pass with only two seconds to go in the half, and the Warriors took a 21-12 lead into halftime.

In the first half, Voss threw for 121 yards and rushed for 46 yards for Mohawk while Fetsko threw for 131 yards.

The Bucs appeared prime to get back in the game as Jordan Irson returned the second-half kick 91 yards to the Mohawk 4, but the Bucs came up empty.

It was the biggest play of the game for Irson, who came into the game with 717 yards and 13 touchdowns rushing but Mohawk limited the senior to seven yards on nine carries.

The Warriors added two fourth-quarter touchdown runs and advances to face second-seeded Sto-Rox (11-0) Friday.

Voss finished with 129 yards passing while Fetsko finished with 143 as the Bucs were limited to nine yards in the second half.

While the loss stings, Fetsko and his staff remained on the field after the game consoling the players.

“If you would have told us we would finish 7-2 and second in the conference, a lot of people wouldn’t have put us there, but these kids put us there,” Fetsko said. “They come to practice, made it fun and competitive and are a great group of kids.

“It’s disappointing now, but it was a great season for us.”