WEST PITTSTON — An emotional Dominic DeLuca couldn’t keep from thinking back to the losses.
The loss of star running back Corey Mruk.
The seven-point loss to Lakeland in last year’s district semifinals.
The only loss of this year, against powerful Southern Columbia.
In the end, they all led to Wyoming Area’s biggest win.
DeLuca ran for 162 yards and two touchdowns Friday night, Leo Haros intercepted a last-gasp scoring attempt and added the game’s final touchdown and the Warriors trampled four-time defending champion Scranton Prep, 27-0, to win the District 2 Class 3A football championship at Anthony “Jake” Sobeski Stadium.
“We’ve been waiting forever for this,” DeLuca said.
It was Wyoming Area’s first District 2 title since 2012 and first at the Class 3A level, where the Warriors were moved when the PIAA went to a six-classification high school system from four in time for the 2016 season. And it sent Wyoming Area into the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association quarterfinals.
“Last year, we came up short,” DeLuca said. “We worked out butts off the whole offseason.
“We came back with a mission.”
That resolve was tested early when Scranton Prep opened the game by marching right down the field.
Paddy Grady hit a 15-yard pass on the first play, running back Tucker Johnson went for 17 and 24 yards on the next two and the Cavaliers stormed 80 yards in six plays and a penalty.
The seventh turned into a backbreaker, though.
Led by 295-pound lineman Sammy Solomon, the Warriors defense stuffed Prep on a fourth-and-1 play three yards from the end zone and turned the ball over to Wyoming Area’s offense.
Scranton Prep regained possession at the Wyoming Area 26 on a punt, but went backward from there on two penalties and three incompletions.
“I couldn’t be more proud,” Wyoming Area coach Randy Spencer said. “Prep came out strong early. We had a big goal line stand on the first drive, then were able to turn it around. We look at that Southern Columbia game, that gave us an opportunity to improve ourselves.”
It was DeLuca who turned the whole district title game around.
DeLuca scored a touchdown on a 1-yard quarterback sneak to give the Warriors a 7-0 lead midway through the second quarter, and it looked like the score was about to stay that way as the teams readied to head into halftime.
But there were still a few seconds on the clock when Wyoming Area fielded a punt at midfield — plenty enough time for the Warriors star quarterback to work some late-half magic.
DeLuca took a shotgun snap and headed straight over center, and didn’t stop until he zigged and zagged his way to a 50-yard touchdown with eight-tenths of a second still on the clock, giving Wyoming Area a two-touchdown lead at the break.
“It was just to get the ball moving,” DeLuca said of the game-changing quarterback draw. “I got the down-field blocks, which helped a lot, and made one cut.”
Suddenly, Scranton Prep couldn’t stop the bleeding.
DeLuca carried five times for 34 yards as Wyoming Area came out of intermission with a 62-yard touchdown march, capped when he faked another draw, stopped short and tossed an easy, 28-yard touchdown pass to Derek Ambrosino for a 21-0 Warriors lead.
“Dom DeLuca does what Dom DeLuca does all year,” Spencer said. “Big-time playmaker.”
The plays were just starting for Wyoming Area.
Jacob Williams and Brian Williams pulled down the first two of three interceptions by Wyoming Area defensive backs. And fullback Dillon Williams took a direct snap and found DeLuca for an apparent 14-yard touchdown pass on a trick play early in the fourth quarter.
“I do whatever they need me to,” shrugged DeLuca, who earlier caught a 13-yard pass from Jacob Williams after a lateral to the wide receiver.
That tricky fourth-quarter play was called back by penalty, nullifying the apparent touchdown but it proved no big deal to DeLuca.
He promptly hit Haros for 28 yards to the Scranton Prep 1, then Haros romped into the end zone on a 1-yard dive to set the final score.
“Dom is a great leader,” Haros said. “He really pushes us, makes sure we know about what we’re doing.”
The Warriors knew they had just one mission left, to complete the shutout.
And Haros sealed it with a leaping, one-handed interception in the back of the end zone with just over a minute to play. He also launched Wyoming Area’s celebration.
“That was the biggest play I’ve ever had in a football game in my life,” Haros said. “Locking down on defense was pretty good. I got to come out with my family and do what I love. It was just the keys I had to read, knowing what I had to do. Our secondary did a good job of coming up.
“Biggest step of my life.”
