NANTICOKE – Winless Hanover Area was no match Friday night for a Wyoming Area football team chasing another championship.
The biggest competition became which unit was the most impressive – the Warriors offense or the Warriors defense.
Wyoming Area used overwhelming performances on both sides of the ball to post a 55-7, Wyoming Valley Conference Division 2 victory in a game that could have been worse.
The Warriors took extra time between plays to let more seconds run off the clock. They chose to kneel down while inside the Hawkeyes 30 to end both halves. Jamari Yates broke into the clear for what could have been another touchdown, but instead slid to the ground like a National Football League quarterback, with nothing but green grass in front of him, rather than push the total over 60 points.
Wyoming Area and coach Randy Spencer chose to slow things down after piling up 49 points in less than 20 minutes to begin the game.
A case could be made for either the offense or the defense as the most impressive.
When they were not kneeling down, the Warriors produced first downs or touchdowns on 16 of their first 20 plays. Quarterback Anthony DeLucca completed all seven pass attempts. The team averaged 16.1 yards per run and 18.3 per pass and was never thrown for a loss.
“I thought that early we just did what we needed to do,” Spencer said. “We got some big plays from some of our outstanding skill guys – Lidge Kellum and (Luke) Kopetchny; I think DeLucca threw the ball exceptionally well; Trustin Johnson and Mike Crane.
“We got big plays across the board.”
The defense held Hanover Area to minus-31 yards rushing and minus-15 yards total offense. It allowed just two first downs, none after the first quarter. Wyoming Area allowed only one pass play of more than three yards.
“The maturity and the experience up front made a difference,” Spencer said, “but also, in the secondary, I thought our guys did a nice job.”
The game got out of hand in a hurry.
Kellum went off the left side for a 62-yard touchdown on the fourth play.
The Warriors forced a three-and-out, then scored on the next play.
DeLucca faked into the line and hit Kopetchny behind the defense on a post pattern for a 14-0 lead with 8:34 still remaining in the first quarter.
The Warriors led 21-0 after one quarter with the help of DeLucca going 3-for-3 for 42 yards to three different receivers on the next possession. He hit Jack Gravine for the 11-yard touchdown.
Wyoming Area scored four times in 4:49 and five offensive plays in the second quarter.
Kellum ran 5 yards, Kopetchny got a foot down on the sideline in the end zone for a 25-yard touchdown from DeLucca, Johnson ran 13 yards and Crane burst through the middle for 39 yards for the scores.
Reserves accounted for one touchdown in the first half and another two plays into the second half when Oliver Bolin raced 50 yards for the score.
Hanover Area’s only score came on a 91-yard kickoff return by Jonathan Otway-Kellom after Wyoming Area led 42-0.
“I thought we came out and executed against a young Hanover team,” Spencer said. “You can see some of the athletes they have at the skill positions; Otway-Kellom with the big kickoff return was a great job on that.
“They have the potential to get the ball down the field in the passing game.”
Wyoming Area’s constant pressure up front made sure that was not the case.
Crane led the defense with three tackles for losses. Josh Mruk, who had a sack, and Tyler Reynolds had two each.
BY THE NUMBERS
Wyoming Area led in first downs 17-2. … The Warriors had 453 yards total offense, including 325 on the ground. … Anthony DeLucca was 7-for-7 for 128 yards and three touchdowns passing. … The only time the Wyoming Area first unit produced fewer than seven yards on a running play was on Lidge Kellum’s 5-yard touchdown. … Hanover Area had 45 yards on its first 10 plays, then had a net of -60 yards on its remaining 17. In all, the Warriors threw the Hawkeyes for 70 yards worth of losses. … Wyoming Area used just 20 plays on its eight scoring “drives”. The Warriors scored in one play three times and in two plays two other times.
UP NEXT
Lake-Lehman (3-0 in division, 5-2 overall) is at Wyoming Area (3-0, 6-1) Friday night for first place in Wyoming Valley Conference Division 2. The winner will clinch no worse than a tie for first place. The Black Knights are on a three-game winning streak in which they have outscored opponents 109-7. Jim Mitkowski has run for 518 yards and seven touchdowns during the streak. The Black Knights have already won more division games than they did a year ago when they went 2-4.