Wyoming Area running back Lidge Kellum, shown against Pittston Area in the regular-season finale, rushed for 164 yards and two touchdowns in a Week 3 loss to Western Wayne. The Warriors play the Wildcats in the D2-3A semifinals on Friday.
Tony Callaio file photo | For Times Leader
Sometimes connecting the dots in high school football is meaningless.
For example, the District 2 Class 3A semifinal game 7 p.m. Friday between Wyoming Area (10-1) and host Western Wayne (10-1).
• Western Wayne defeated Wyoming Area 34-23 in Week 3.
• Three weeks later, Wyoming Area built a 42-7 lead against Berwick before a couple late touchdowns made the final score, 42-20, look like the game was closer.
• Then last Friday, Western Wayne escaped with a 7-0 victory over Berwick in the quarterfinals.
Now why those dots shouldn’t be connected.
• Wyoming Area outgained Western Wayne 352-244, but a pick-6 by the Wildcats midway through the fourth quarter changed the complexion. Plus, Wyoming Area was missing a couple key players.
• The Berwick team which played Wyoming Area in Week 6 hardly resembled the Berwick team which played Western Wayne last Friday. The Dawgs found their identity on offense and defense over the latter part of the regular season and had won three of their last four games.
“The hope is we’ve grown and developed,” Wyoming Area coach Randy Spencer said. “I certainly feel that way. We are also healthier than we were in Week 3. We’ll have players available, significant contributors who weren’t available Week 3.”
The game will feature two of the top running backs in the state — Wyoming Area’s Lidge Kellum and Western Wayne’s Josh Vinton. Both will likely surpass 2,000 yards rushing for the season Friday night.
Kellum and Vinton blend outstanding speed with physical running styles and durability. Kellum had 29 carries for 164 yards and two TDs in the first meeting; Vinton had 29 carries for 184 yards and two TDs.
Western Wayne had an edge in the trenches back on Sept. 6 with its entire starting line returning from 2023. Wyoming Area had a few newcomers up front but went on to average a WVC-high 269.8 yards on the ground.
“The challenge for us will be to play at that level of physicality, meet Western Wayne at their level.” Spencer said. “They really did a good job physically throughout the course of the game. We played with physicality, but we didn’t play consistently enough throughout the game.”
Wyoming Area’s defense has posted three consecutive shutouts. Western Wayne has surrendered just seven points in its last two games after a 22-10 loss to Mid Valley where turnovers were costly.
