Berwick running back Ty’Meere Wilkerson holds the ball up after one of his five touchdowns against Hanover Area last Friday. Wilkerson leads the entire Wyoming Valley Conference in rushing and scoring.
Fred Adams | For Times Leader
Wyoming Area wide receiver Luke Kopetchny catches a 30-yard touchdown pass from Jack Gravine against Western Wayne earlier this month.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
If the Wyoming Area and Berwick players can’t get motivated for Friday night’s showdown, perhaps they’re playing the wrong sport.
The final two unbeaten Wyoming Valley Conference football teams play at 7 p.m. at Berwick’s historic Crispin Field with plenty on the line.
There’s the WVC Division 2 top spot. There’s possibly the top seed in the District 2 Class 3A playoffs. There’s the right to say you’re the better team — at least for one night.
“That’s one you really don’t have to say much to get ready for,” Wyoming Area coach Randy Spencer said after a 42-0 win over Tunkhannock last Friday. “It’s a big game in our division and also in terms of District 2, Triple-A standings.
“Potentially both of us could see each other down the road, so that’s one you play hard for, and I think both teams will be motivated.”
A handful of miles away, Berwick was dismantling its opponent with a 56-19 win over Hanover Area.
Both teams are 5-0. Berwick is 2-0 in Division 2 while Wyoming Area is 1-0.
“We’re halfway through the season and we’re in a good spot,” Berwick coach CJ Curry said after the victory. “But Wyoming Area is coming into town and both teams are undefeated so it should be a great showdown. But we have a lot of things to improve and get better.”
Here are some factors to consider:
• Breaking Point: Berwick has the best running back in the WVC in Ty’Meere Wilkerson. Wyoming Area has the best run defense in the WVC.
Wilkerson is 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds and is a combination of power and speed. He went over 1,000 yards last Friday with 265 in a five-touchdown game against Hanover Area. He has 1,098 yards and 17 TDs on 99 carries.
Wyoming Area has surrendered just 64.2 yards and 2.4 yards per carry this season. The Warriors’ top tacklers on the first two levels of defense are linebackers Donavon Miller and Ben Gravine and lineman Max Getzie.
• New QBs: Both teams have new quarterbacks from last season’s game.
Wyoming Area’s Jack Gravine has been strong running and passing the ball. The junior leads all WVC quarterbacks with 419 rushing yards and is tied with Crestwood’s Jaden Shedlock with five rushing TDs. He has also thrown seven touchdowns against one interception
Freshman Brady Cleaver won the battle for the starting spot at Berwick. He doesn’t run as much as Gravine, but is averaging 9 yards per carry and has four rushing touchdowns. He has thrown just 17 passes for 102 yards, but Curry said after the Hanover Area win that the Dawgs want to add more passing down the stretch.
• State Rankings: There are various state rankings, but here are three of the most popular.
Pennlive.com has Berwick ranked eighth in the state in Class 3A and Wyoming Area ranked ninth.
PA Football News had Berwick 10th and Wyoming Area an honorable mention.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has neither ranked, but it only ranks the top-five teams in each PIAA classification.
WEEK 5 REWIND
Some stuff that happened last weekend.
• Wyoming Valley West broke a 24-game losing streak with a 31-25 victory over Hazleton Area that had just three offensive touchdowns. Two of them came in the fourth quarter.
Valley West’s Malique Campbell scored touchdowns on a kick return and punt return. Chase Meyers added an interception return TD.
Hazleton Area scored its first touchdown when Markus West recovered a botched punt attempt by the Spartans in the end zone. Jose Lopez added an interception return touchdown and Xavier Heck had a kick return touchdown.
• Holy Redeemer was on pace to throw 92 passes after the first quarter in a 56-6 loss to Lake-Lehman.
Quarterback Brady McDermott threw 23 passes in the first quarter, completing 12 for 84 yards. He threw three more in the second quarter before leaving the game with an injury.
The teams decided at halftime to cut the second-half quarters to eight minutes with a running clock, so even if McDermott wasn’t injured he wouldn’t have reached 92 passes.
FRIDAY FLASHBACK
The Wyoming Area-Berwick series dates back to 1972 when Berwick wasn’t in the Wyoming Valley Conference and still a District 4 member. The Dawgs won 32-6, but Wyoming Area got its first win a year later.
The Warriors defeated Berwick 21-20 in 1973, overcoming the loss of standout running back Harry O’Dell in the first quarter due to a knee injury.
Jack Langan took over the bulk of the running, finishing with 116 yards on nine carries while adding a key interception on defense. Fullback Sam Sakocius had 58 yards on seven rushes.
Berwick took a 6-0 lead in the first quarter on a 25-yard run by Bob Pruitt. Wyoming Area answered with an 11-yard TD run by Sakocius. Ken Detato’s extra point gave Wyoming Area the lead for good, 7-6.
Wyoming Area took a 13-6 lead into the locker room on a 28 pass from Rick DeOrio to Craig Pahl. Langan intercepted a pass at the 5-yard line prior as Berwick threatened to take the lead.
Berwick cut the deficit to 13-12 in the third quarter on a 2-yard run by Dave Petriello, but a two-point conversion run was stuffed.
Berwick would go on to win the next 10 matchups until Wyoming Area defeated the Dawgs 15-13 in 2001.
BONUS FLASHBACK
PCN will show the 2019 Class 3A championship game between Wyoming Area and Center Valley at 10 p.m. Friday.
WEEK 6 AT A GLANCE
Dallas (1-4) at North Pocono (5-0)
7 p.m. Friday
The Coaches: Dallas’ Rich Mannello (86-40), 11th year; North Pocono’s Greg Dolhon (69-74), 14th year
Last Meeting: Dallas 45-28 in 2024
First Meeting: North Pocono 41-34 in 2000
All-Time Series: Dallas 3-2
Scouting Dallas: The Mountaineers rallied in the fourth quarter, but lost 36-35 in overtime to Pittston Area. The defense surrendered a season-high 315 yards on the ground, but did tie a season-high four turnovers. Despite their record, they should be able to secure a D2-4A playoff spot with just a few more wins.
Scouting North Pocono: The Trojans are no longer the D2-4A dark horse after soundly handling previously unbeaten Abington Heights 24-10. RB Joe Briskie went over 100 yards rushing for second consecutive game after returning from injury. WR Cole West brings plenty of versatility to the attack.
Bottom Line: Could be a preview of a D2-4A semifinal game.
Hanover Area (2-3) at Tunkhannock (2-3)
7 p.m. Friday
The Coaches: Hanover Area’s Eric Richardson (2-3), 1st year; Tunkhannock’s Pat Keating (90-53), 3rd year at Tunkhannock; 12th overall
Last Meeting: Tunkhannock 43-0 in 2024
First Meeting: Hanover Area 14-12 in 1982
All-Time Series: Tunkhannock 10-6
Scouting Hanover Area: The Hawkeyes played hard, but simply weren’t able to match up with Berwick in a 56-19 loss. They ran twice as many plays as Berwick as RB Dewayne Downey churned out 67 yards on the ground. K Chance Hall booted two field goals and showed a strong leg on kickoffs.
Scouting Tunkhannock: The Tigers lost 42-0 to Wyoming Area as the offense continued to struggle when matched up with very strong defenses. While RB Lucas Ciprich recorded his third 100-yard rushing game of the season, the team rushed for its third-lowest total of the season.
Bottom Line: The winner could be the final seed in the D2-3A playoffs.
Hazleton Area (1-4) at Wilkes-Barre Area (3-2)
7 p.m. Friday
The Coaches: Hazleton Area’s Scott Sacco (1-4), 1st year; WBA’s Ciro Cinti (106-106) 7th year at WBA, 20th year overall
Last Meeting: Hazleton Area 26-0 in 2024
First Meeting: WBA 34-20 in 2019
All-Time Series: Hazleton Area 4-3
Scouting Hazleton Area: The Cougars’ defense was solid in a 31-25 loss to Wyoming Valley West. The problems were elsewhere as special teams surrendered two TDs and another came via a pick-6. The remainder of the schedule is extremely difficult, so the D2/4-6A fourth seed seems a likely landing spot.
Scouting WBA: The Wolfpack bounced back big from a last-second loss to Dallas with a 42-14 rout of West Scranton. WR Treyvon Gembitski caught two of four TD passes by QB Jake Howe. The starting defense gave up one score, but West Scranton’s offense has been rather pedestrian.
Bottom Line: Hazleton Area could have trouble matching WBA score for score.
Nanticoke Area (0-5) at Lake-Lehman (2-3)
7 p.m. Friday
The Coaches: Nanticoke Area’s Damon Saxon (0-5), 1st year; Lake-Lehman’s Jerry Gilsky (94-76) 16th year
Last Meeting: Lehman 35-7 in 2024
First Meeting: Nanticoke Area 38-20 in 1967
All-Time Series: Lehman 27-26
Scouting Nanticoke Area: The young Trojans were on the wrong end of a lopsided score once again, losing 58-14 to Crestwood. They trailed 44-0 after the first quarter. They did go over 100 yards rushing for the first time this season. Progress might not be marked by victories this season.
Scouting Lehman: The Black Knights trampled Holy Redeemer 56-6. They rushed for 510 yards, a number which would have been higher if not for penalties and the second half being reduced to eight-minute quarters. A couple more wins should secure a spot in the eight-team D2-3A playoff field.
Bottom Line: Lehman makes it two wins in a row.
Pittston Area (4-1) at Crestwood (3-2)
7 p.m. Friday
The Coaches: Pittston Area’s Paul Russick (26-39), 1st year at Pittston Area, 6th overall; Crestwood’s Ryan Arcangeli (44-30), 7th year
Last Meeting: Crestwood 21-14 in 2024
First Meeting: Pittston Area 26-0 in 1981
All-Time Series: Crestwood 11-8
Scouting Pittston Area: The Patriots ended a 10-game losing streak to Dallas with a 36-35 overtime win. RB Brody Spindler, a district wrestling champ, ran 33 times for 196 yards, both individual records. WR Lucas LoPresto became the first player to catch, run and throw a touchdown this season.
Scouting Crestwood: The Comets, as expected, overwhelmed Nanticoke Area 58-14. They were up 44-0 after one quarter, so the starters will be fresher than Pittston Area’s. The schedule eased up the past few weeks and now the Patriots will be Crestwood’s biggest test since Valley View in Week 2.
Bottom Line: A very intriguing matchup.
Wyoming Area (5-0) at Berwick (5-0)
7 p.m. Friday
The Coaches: Wyoming Area’s Randy Spencer (120-65) 17th year; Berwick’s CJ Curry (9-7), 2nd year
Last Meeting: Wyoming Area 42-20 in 2024
First Meeting: Berwick 32-6 in 1972
All-Time Series: Berwick 21-6
Scouting Wyoming Area: The Warriors had no issues last Friday, rolling past Tunkhannock 42-0. The defense continued its strong play with three interceptions – two by Luke Kopetchny – and two fumble recoveries. LBs Donavon Miller and Ben Gravine lead a tough run defense which will face its biggest test.
Scouting Berwick: Berwick defeated Hanover Area 56-19 as RB Ty’Meere Wilkerson went over 1,000 yards rushing. The Dawgs don’t throw much, but did tinker with the pass with mixed results. A win vs. Wyoming Area could mean the top seed in the D2-3A playoffs based on how things could shake out.
Bottom Line: A preview of the D2-3A championship game perhaps?
Holy Redeemer (1-4) at Holy Cross (2-3)
1 p.m. Saturday
The Coaches: Redeemer’s Vito Quaglia (2-22) 1st year at Redeemer, 3rd overall; Holy Cross’ Joe Giorgio (12-34), 5th year
Last Meeting: Holy Cross 34-10 in 2024
First Meeting: Redeemer 62-7 in 2007
All-Time Series: Redeemer 11-6
Scouting Redeemer: After snapping a 24-game losing streak a week earlier, the Royals were run over by Lake-Lehman 56-6, surrendering 510 yards on the ground. They also suffered some key injuries, including starting QB Brady McDermott. If he can’t go, Redeemer will be starting a third different quarterback this season.
Scouting Holy Cross: The Crusaders defeated Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech 54-22. RB Kevin Vincent rushed for over 200 yards and five touchdowns. QB Chase Rutkoski had a solid game throwing the ball, but look for Holy Cross to rely heavily on the run. The pass defense will be tested after giving up three TDs vs. Vo-Tech.
Bottom Line: If it weren’t for Redeemer’s injury uncertainty, the Royals would be favored.
Wyo. Valley West (1-4) at Executive Education (2-3)
7 p.m. Saturday
The Coaches: Valley West’s Bob Stelma (2-24) 3rd year; Executive Education’s Kyle Haas (32-17), 1st year at Executive Education, 5th overall
Last Meeting: Executive Education 42-6 in 2024
First Meeting: Executive Education 42-6 in 2024
All-Time Series: Executive Education 1-0
Scouting Valley West: The Spartans ended a 24-game losing streak with a 31-25 win against Hazleton Area. The 31 points were the most they’ve score in their last 46 games, but comes with a caveat. The offense produced only two TDs, with two others coming on special teams returns and another on an interception.
Scouting Executive Education: Executive Education, a charter school from Allentown founded in 2013, defeated Biglerville 46-26. The defense allowed nearly 350 yards. The Raptors have run hot-and-cold on both sides of the ball this season. However, they had to replace plenty of skill guys lost to graduation.
Bottom Line: Unsure how this one will play out.
