Moeller, Prospect dispatch St. Viator
Prospect quarterback Gary Moeller showed Friday night that his broken hand he suffered last season is completely healed.
Moeller led a second half onslaught as the Knights dispatched host St. Viator 46-28 at Robert Morris College.
"He's like having a coach on the field," said Prospect coach Dan DeBoeuf of Moeller. "I trust him with calling the game."
Trailing the 0-1 Lions 13-8 at the halftime break, Moeller and the 1-0 Knights scored 3 touchdowns on their first three second half possessions to build a 29-13 lead with 6:35 left in the quarter.
Moeller's 3-yard run with 10:49 left in the quarter gave the Knights a lead that they would not relinquish at 16-13.
Moeller, who completed 14 of 26 passes good for 218 yards, connected with Noah Marx on a 27-yard pass for a 23-13 lead. Moments later Moeller tossed a 49-yard pass to Matt Meyer in building the 29-13 lead. It was Meyer's second reception. In the first quarter Meyer, who caught 3 passes for 98 yards, scored on a 33-yard pass.
The Lions' Jack Mahoney (9 of 25, 2 INT, 149 yards) closed the gap to 29-21 with an 11-yard pass to Joseph Laterza to make the score 29-21. The Knights countered on Luke Zardzin's 1-yard run for a 36-21 lead.
Zardzin would finish with 166 yards on 28 carries.
Prospect finished with 395 yards of total offense to the Lions' 324.
Tyson Splinter caught a 4-yard pass from Moeller early in the fourth quarter which was followed by a 38-yard field goal from Matt Brzys.
"Our guys up front on the offensive line really got us going in the second half," said Moeller. "That score was a big momentum factor for us. They stacked the box in the middle against us. But, I was able to pass over them to our receivers.
"This win really helped build our confidence. Coach wants to control what we can control."
The Lions were hit hard with injuries in the third quarter losing 5 players to various leg injuries.
"We showed in the second quarter what we could do," said coach Dave Archibald. "Jack showed us a lot of competitive heart. When we had the injuries to our top lineman we just didn't have the depth to cover that. It was just difficult to recover."