DALLAS — When Owen Oldt came untouched off the edge of the most important play in Friday’s District 2 Class AAAA semifinal, the Dallas linebacker forced Wallenpaupack freshman quarterback Sam Kiesendahl to make a quick decision. And when defensive tackle Wyatt Teetsel broke free up the middle for the Mountaineers, he didn’t give Kiesendahl a decision to make.
Oldt and Teetsel met at the quarterback, throwing him for an 8-yard loss on fourth-and-5 from the Dallas 21-yard line. One first-down carry from Hunter Pitcavage later, Dallas was celebrating a return trip to the district final with a 14-6 win over the Buckhorns at Mountaineer Stadium.
Dallas will host North Pocono next week in a rematch of last year’s district final. North Pocono was a 42-0 winner over Valley View in the other semifinal.
Dallas’ eight-point win was its closest game of the season and the first time the Mountaineers failed to score at least 35 points in its 12 games this season. But clinging to a one-point lead in the fourth quarter, Mark Saracinaj hauled in a 66-yard touchdown pass from Talan Geskey to extend the lead before Oldt and Teetsel finished the game.
“You gotta be comfortable being uncomfortable, right,” Dallas coach Rich Mannello said. “And it was uncomfortable from wire to wire, but these guys never flinched.”
Despite a night where its offense was outgained in yardage (244-227) and allowed more first downs than it gained (14-11), Dallas won with a defensive performance they’ve been known for all season. For the eighth time it held an opponent to one score or fewer. The 127 rushing yards allowed was the fourth-fewest gained this year by a Wallenpaupack offense which has averaged more than 218 rushing yards per game.
Running back Ed Kiesendahl went over 1,500 yards for the season with his 130-yard performance, but was held out of the end zone for just the third time. Of Wallenpaupack’s 40 rushing attempts, 19 went for 1 yard or fewer.
“We really limited the gash plays, but (Kiesendahl’s) a really good back,” Mannello said. “And you know you have to commit to stopping that, right? So when you do that, other stuff happens passing wise. But we still limited those plays. The defense just kept chopping.”
And then, facing that decisive fourth-and-5 called with only 1 minute, 48 seconds to go in the game, Dallas’ defense could pin its ears back a little bit. That’s why Oldt came off the edge on a blitz. And it’s why Teetsel was able to keep Sam Kiesendahl from scrambling with pressure up the middle.
“We were just trying to come hard off the edge,” Oldt said. “I came off the edge and I was able to make a good play and seal the game.”
“Coach Matt Austin is very aggressive, and our kids allow us to make a call like that,” Mannello said. “You’ve got to be able to play coverage behind that. And then you have to be able to play fast. And when we play fast is when we’re really good.”
It was the fourth turnover on downs the Dallas defense forced Friday night, the second of which came in its own territory. Ed Kiesendahl recorded 76 of his 130 rushing yards in the second half Friday night. But Wallenpaupack wasn’t able to capitalize.
The Buckhorns missed a potential go-ahead field goal from 36 yards with 7:46 to go in the game. An Oldt sack forced Wallenpaupack to punt the ball away early in the third quarter. And pressure in Sam Kiesendahl’s face on a fourth-down pass later in the third quarter forced an incompletion and a turnover on downs.
“We were knocking on the doorstep. We were right there,” Ed Kiesendahl said. “But that’s the difference between a team that’s going to the district championship and one that’s not. It’s those few mistakes that cause you to not get a first down or a touchdown, and you can’t put those points on the board you need to win.”
Dallas’ offense really stalled in the second half. It had taken a 7-0 lead in the first half when a third-down pass from Geskey to Jim Youngblood converted a third-and-6 and extended a drive which ended in a Saracinaj 1-yard scoring run. Of the Mounts’ 106 first-half yards, 57 came on that scoring drive.
And very similarly in the second half Dallas had just 43 yards of offense before calling for a third-down post pattern to Saracinaj. Geskey threaded the needle between two safeties, hitting Saracinaj in stride and allowing him to outrun those safeties for the 66-yard scoring pass to extend the Dallas lead.
The touchdown catch made up for the sure touchdown pass Saracinaj dropped as he ran free down the seam on the third play of the third quarter.
“That was a great feeling because I know Mark was down after dropping one,” Oldt said. “It was just great to see him make a big play and help seal the game for us.”
“He’s a great player and a great competitor. We had no thoughts about not throwing it to him again,” Mannello said. “He’s a great football player and he made a great catch that turned the game at the end.”
Now, the top-seeded Mountaineers will get to host second-seeded North Pocono with a district title on the line. A year ago, North Pocono beat a young Dallas team, 38-6, to claim District 2 gold. The two teams will enter ranked third (North Pocono) and fourth (Dallas) in the state by PennLive.
“I’m thrilled that we get to play that game,” Oldt said. “We want to get revenge from last year and we’ve got them on our field.”
Dallas 14, Wallenpaupack 6
Wallenpaupack 0 6 0 0 – 6
Dallas 0 7 0 7 – 14
Second quarter
D—Mark Saracinaj 1 run (Brandon Miller kick), 8:28
W—Jake Rafferty 1 run (kick blocked), :42
Fourth quarter
D—Saracinaj 66 pass from Talan Geskey (David Worth kick), 6:01
Wal Dal
First downs 14 11
Rushes-yds 40-127 36-138
Com-att-int 10-20-0 7-11-0
Pass yards 117 89
Total yards 244 227
Fumbles-lost 2-0 1-0
Penalties-yards 2-10 3-25
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing—Wallenpaupack, Ed Kiesendahl, 29-130; Jake Rafferty, 6-9, TD; Sam Kiesendahl, 4-(-4); Dawid Mrowka, 1-(-8). Dallas, Hunter Pitcavage, 12-63; Mark Saracinaj, 10-39, TD; Talan Geskey, 8-38; Owen Oldt, 1-2; Trevor Slavinski, 1-0; Tyce Mason, 1-(-1); Team, 3-(-3).
Passing—Wallenpaupack, S. Kiesendahl, 10-20-0, 117 yds. Dallas, Geskey, 7-11-0, 89 yds., TD.
Receiving—Wallenpaupack, Jevin Folk, 5-60; Ryan Vargo, 2-26; Kenny Morrison, 1-19; Jake Rafferty, 1-10; E. Kiesendahl, 1-2. Dallas, Mason, 2-6; Saracinaj, 1-66, TD; Jim Youngblood, 1-12; Pitcavage, 1-3; Oldt, 1-3; Slavinski, 1-(-1).
RECORDS: Dallas (12-0); Wallenpaupack (7-5).