Call it the Wilkes-Barre Area trickle-down effect.
When the school district consolidated the athletic programs of Coughlin, GAR and Meyers, it left schools with those three on the schedule scrambling to fill the gaps. Even worse, the sports merger came in the middle of the two-year scheduling cycle.
For most sports, it wasn’t overly difficult. For football, it was a headache. For example, Wyoming Area had all three on its 2018 schedule and needed to find opponents.
The Warriors picked up a really tough one in four-time defending District 2 Class 3A champion Scranton Prep. How tough will be decided starting at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Scranton Memorial Stadium. Both teams are considered the top contenders for the District 2 Class 3A crown.
Wyoming Area played Coughlin and Prep played Scranton in Week 2 last season, making this fix in the schedule rather easy. Prep switched places with Coughlin on Wyoming Area’s schedule. Scranton then filled the void with WBA.
Of course, Prep presents a much bigger challenge than if Coughlin was still around. The Cavaliers are coming off a 13-2 season where they advanced to the PIAA Class 3A semifinals. Unlike Wyoming Area, which is accustomed to playing Friday nights, Prep thrives in matinee starts, having won 17 consecutive day home games and 21 in a row in all. (Four Prep playoff games were played on Friday nights).
The last team to defeat Prep at home on a Saturday afternoon was Abington Heights, which also plays its home games on Saturday afternoons, in the 2016 season opener.
“Everybody kind of has their clock whether you’re normally playing on a Friday night or whether you normally play on a Saturday,” Wyoming Area coach Randy Spencer said. “There are some teams that play on Saturday, Scranton Prep being one.”
“But for the most part what you hope for is when you have those experienced, talented kids that have kind of played a few years at a high level that they’re ready to play regardless of Friday night or Saturday.”
Wyoming Area has those guys. Quarterback Dominic DeLuca is in his third year of starting. Running back/linebacker Corey Mruk is one of the Wyoming Valley Conference’s top two-way players. So is receiver/defensive back Brian Williams, and two-way lineman Sam Solomon is a Division I prospect.
However, the Warriors weren’t tested for four quarters in their opener as they controlled things early in a 56-13 victory over Mid Valley. The following afternoon, Prep played a strong Dunmore team and prevailed 28-17.
“I think what’s important Saturday is all those things that go into execution, especially in a big game,” Spencer said. “I’m also concerned about conditioning. Our first guys played about a half and Saturday Prep played a full game against Dunmore.”
Prep led Dunmore 14-0 at halftime, but fell behind 17-14 before recovering. Carter Odell played a huge part with a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. He also returned a punt for a score.
Prep quarterback Paddy Grady was solid in his first start. Veteran fullback Tucker Johnson and freshman tailback London Montgomery led a ground attack that finished with 147 yards.
Spencer coached the Mid Valley game from the press box and will do so again on Saturday. The 49-year-old is recovering from open heart surgery in mid-July and expects to be on the sideline some time this season. Assistant head coach Mike Fanti will coordinate things from field level.
WEEK 2 AT A GLANCE
Hazleton Area (0-1) at Wyoming Valley West (1-0)
7 p.m. Friday
The Coaches: Hazleton Area’s Mike Brennan (134-97, 18th year); WVW’s Jack Baranski (1-0, 1st year)
Last Meeting: WVW 21-20 in 2018
All-Time Series: WVW leads 21-9-1
Scouting Hazleton Area: The Cougars were defeated 35-7 by Pottsville in their opener. The offense, which lost plenty of talent to graduation, couldn’t get any traction. The only touchdown came in the second half. The defense gave up 35 points by halftime, including four via TD passes. The rebuild may take more time than expected.
Scouting WVW: The Spartans needed a fourth-quarter touchdown to escape with a 14-10 win against Scranton. RB Brendan Woods capped the long scoring drive. DB Dylan Nastanski saved the day with a late interception, one of two by WVW. The Spartans have some solid receivers, so they could throw vs. Hazleton Area like Pottsville did.
What To Expect: Valley West’s defense will be the difference.
Scranton (0-1) at Wilkes-Barre Area (0-1)
7 p.m. Friday
The Coaches: Scranton’s Steve Shumbres (1-11, 2nd year); WBA’s Ciro Centi (71-74, 14th year)
Last Meeting: never played
All-Time Series: never played
Scouting Scranton: A late interception ended a bid for a comeback in a 14-10 loss to Wyoming Valley West. Otherwise, QB Tylil White had some success when he put the ball in the air. He also led the Knights in rushing with 66 yards. The team has lost seven in a row and 15 of its last 18 games dating back to 2017.
Scouting WBA: The Wolfpack fell inches short of the program’s first-ever win as Crestwood stopped a two-point run in overtime for a 28-27 victory. The WBA defense was on the field way too long as Crestwood ran 74 plays with a grind-it-out running game. WBA has to get its running game going because it can’t count on quick scores and defensive and special teams TDs like last week.
What To Expect: A close game, but WBA may have to wait another week for a win.
Altoona (0-1) at Williamsport (1-0)
7 p.m. Friday
The Coaches: Altoona’s Vince Nedimeyer Jr. (0-1, 1st year); Williamsport’s Chuck Crews (42-46, 9th year)
Last Meeting: Altoona 38-0 in 2018
All-Time Series: Altoona leads 1-0
Scouting Altoona: Former school QB standout Vince Nedimeyer Jr. is trying to fix a program which has one winning season since 2007. Even with the surprising blowout of Williamsport last season the Mountain Lions finished 3-7. There was no middle ground last season as games were nailbiters or blowouts in either direction. Altoona opened with a 35-21 loss to Hollidaysburg.
Scouting Wiliamsport: The Millionaires opened with a 28-0 victory over Central Mountain, their first shutout since 2009. However, enthusiasm needs to be tempered somewhat. Central Mountain hasn’t been competitive in recent years. New QB Dallas Griess, though, had a strong game throwing and running the ball.
What To Expect: A high-scoring contest that can go either way.
Berwick (1-0) at Pittston Area (1-0)
7 p.m. Friday
The Coaches: Berwick’s Carmen DeFrancesco (153-97, 23rd year); Nick Barbieri (11-12, 3rd year)
Last Meeting: Berwick 42-0 in 2018
All-Time Series: Berwick leads 34-2
Scouting Berwick: The Dawgs gave their new coach a 28-6 win at Abington Heights in the opener. The defense was very strong with two sacks, two interceptions and a touchdown. As for the offense, well it got a couple of long runs from RBs Aiden Mason and Blake Maurer, but overall the unit needs to find an acceptable level of consistency.
Scouting Pittston Area: The Patriots defeated Nanticoke Area 30-8, but like Berwick needed help from the guys on the other side of the ball. Pittston Area scored via blocked field goal, interception and a safety before the offense got on the board in the fourth quarter. Without those scores, the Patriots would have entered the fourth quarter down 8-0.
What To Expect: Berwick’s defense will be too much for the Patriots to handle.
Crestwood (1-0) at Dallas (1-0)
7 p.m. Friday
The Coaches: Crestwood’s Ryan Arcangeli (1-0, 1st year); Dallas’ Rich Mannello (27-20, 5th year)
Last Meeting: Dallas 32-12 in 2018
All-Time Series: Dallas leads 26-9
Scouting Crestwood: With all the hoopla surrounding Wilkes-Barre Area’s first game, almost lost was the fact that Crestwood won 28-27 in overtime. The Comets were able to steer much of the game with a multi-pronged running attack led by RB Ryan Miller. However, they fell victim to the big play too many times that, perhaps, cost them from winning in regulation.
Scouting Dallas: Dallas routed Tunkhannock 49-13 with RBs Lenny Kelley and Danny Meuser each rushing over 100 yards on limited carries. QB Mike Starbuck threw for 200 yards and two TDs to WR Luke DelGaudio. The run defense was outstanding and needs to turn in another strong effort.
What To Expect: Dallas simply has too many weapons to drop this one.
Tunkhannock (0-1) at Nanticoke Area (0-1)
7 p.m. Friday
The Coaches: Tunkhannock’s Mike Marabell (3-8, 2nd year); Nanticoke Area’s Ron Bruza (39-55, 10th year)
Last Meeting: Nanticoke Area 53-31 in 2018
All-Time Series: Nanticoke Area leads 6-5
Scouting Tunkhannock: Tunkhannock had a tough opener in Dallas, which defeated the Tigers 49-13. The run defense surrendered over 10 yards per carry as Dallas had a pair of 100-yard rushers. The secondary gave up two touchdown passes and 200 yards. On offense, the Tigers never got the running game going and ended up throwing 36 times.
Scouting Nanticoke Area: If not for some mistakes, Nanticoke would have led Pittston Area 8-0 going into the fourth quarter. Instead, those miscues led to a 30-8 loss. The Trojans’ offense failed to find the end zone as the only touchdown came on a 90-yard kickoff return by Keanu Ammons. The running game has some success at times.
What To Expect: A close game that could come down to breaks.
Lakeland (1-0) at Lake-Lehman (0-1)
7 p.m. Friday
The Coaches: Lakeland’s David Piwowarczyk (1-0, 1st year); Lehman’s Jerry Gilsky (63-40, 10th year)
Last Meeting: Lakeland 6-3 in overtime in 2018
All-Time Series: Lehman leads 2-1
Scouting Lakeland: The Chiefs opened with a 28-8 victory over Honesdale, needing a couple second-half touchdowns to shake the Hornets despite a significant statistical edge. RB Giovanni Spataro picked up where he left off last season and turned in an outstanding performance. Veteran QB CJ Dippre was off a tick, but has shown the ability to change that.
Scouting Lehman: The Black Knights came into the season a solid contender in the District 2 Class 3A picture. But after a 33-7 thrashing at the hands of Western Wayne, those expectations need to be reevaluated. Western Wayne control the game with its run offense while Lehman had issues running the ball. There’s plenty of season left, but the quicker things get fixed the better.
What To Expect: Lehman to play better, but getting a win could be difficult.
Hanover Area (1-0) at Old Forge (1-0)
7 p.m. Friday
The Coaches: Hanover Area’s Rick Hummer (1-0, 1st year); Old Forge’s Mike Schuback (152-57, 18th year)
Last Meeting: Old Forge 44-0 in 2017
All-Time Series: Old Forge leads 4-3
Scouting Hanover Area: The Hawkeyes made a winner of their new coach as RB Joe Curcio rushed for 115 yards in a 31-21 victory over Athens. Curcio had the team’s only two 100-yard rushing games last year. The defense forced four turnovers, another good sign after having 10 total in 2018. The line will be tested because Old Forge always has tough guys in the trenches.
Scouting Old Forge: The Blue Devils trampled Carbondale 46-0 in their opener. Veteran QB Dante Lucarelli had a strong game throwing the ball, especially to WR Tyler Carey. RB Kevin Pepsin, the team’s leading rusher last season, carried just two times so there might be something up there. Old Forge had things sewn up by halftime.
What To Expect: Old Forge to take control in the second half.
Wyoming Area (1-0) at Scranton Prep (1-0)
1:30 p.m. Saturday
The Coaches: Wyoming Area’s Randy Spencer (61-50, 11th year); Prep’s Terry Gallagher (39-5, 4th year)
Last Meeting: Prep 24-0 in 2017
All-Time Series: Prep leads 7-2
Scouting Wyoming Area: Wyoming Area pounded Mid Valley 56-13 in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated. The Warriors were up 49-0 at halftime and turned the game over to the reserves in the second half. They need to be ready to go four quarters Saturday because this one certainly won’t be locked up after two quarters.
Scouting Prep: The four-time defending District 2 Class 3A champion lost its leading passer, rusher and receiver to graduation yet had enough to defeat a very solid Dunmore squad 28-17. New QB Paddy Grady had a good afternoon throwing the ball and also returned an interception for a TD. The running game was OK and has a very good back in Tucker Johnson.
What To Expect: Slight edge to Prep … maybe.
Northwest (1-0) at Holy Redeemer (0-0)
1 p.m. Saturday
The Coaches: Northwest’s Lon Hazlet (111-104, 21st year); Redeemer’s Tyson Kelley (0-0, 1st year)
Last Meeting: Northwest 58-21 in 2018
All-Time Series: Northwest leads 12-0
Scouting Northwest: Northwest enters off one of its biggest wins in recent memory, an 8-7 victory over Class A state runner-up Lackawanna Trail. That win could end up deciding whether the Rangers are playing Week 11 or sitting home like last year. RB George May pounded out 172 yards rushing and could have another big game vs. Redeemer.
Scouting Redeemer: The Royals will be the final District 2 team to take the field. Their opener with was cancelled after Holy Cross shuttered the program due to a lack of players. Perhaps it was a bit of a blessing. Kelley didn’t get the job until very late when coach Dwayne Downing stepped down after a job change. An extra week of getting acclimated couldn’t hurt.
What To Expect: Northwest to roll into Week 3 undefeated.
