MOUNT CARMEL-Things continue trending upward for a Mount Carmel team that continues to score points in bunches. For the third consecutive week, the Red Tornadoes surpassed the 40-point mark in a 48-14 win over Milton. Cooper Karycki led the way with 122 yards rushing and three total touchdowns. Defensively, Mount Carmel was much-improved against the run, limiting the Black Panthers to just 78 yards on the ground, with a chunk of that coming in the fourth quarter against a group of reserves.

“I’m happy, but I’m not ecstatic,” Mount Carmel coach John Darrah said. “It’s good to get a win. I think we did some good things, worked on our pass game a little bit, and definitely played better defense. I still think there are things we could clean up. There’s some mistakes we made, especially some of the penalties. But it definitely feels good to be 3-0, to get a big win, so we’ll keep pushing forward.”

Milton (1-2) was aided by three defensive penalties on Mount Carmel, helping push its opening drive inside the Red Tornadoes’ 30-yard line. However, a holding penalty on the Black Panthers put them behind the chains, and ended up forcing them to punt. After that, it was all Mount Carmel, and things happened quickly. Karycki took a handoff on the first offensive snap and was gone. The senior raced untouched 79 yards to the end zone, opening the scoring at the 6:58 mark of the first quarter. It was the third 100–yard game of the season for Karycki, who made an impact on special teams as well.

“Cooper had a phenomenal game,” Darrah said. “I’m really happy for him. Just started with a bang, and it seemed like any time he touched the ball, he was making a big play. Great job by Cooper tonight.”

Karycki helped cap off an 11-play, 57-yard drive by crossing the goal line from 11 yards out late in the first quarter, expanding the lead to 14-0. After a three-and-out on defense, Karycki returned a punt 25 yards to give the Red Tornadoes a short field. Jaylen Delaney scored the third Mount Carmel touchdown in as many drives when he faked a pitch, then ran up the middle for a 12-yard touchdown run on a quarterback keeper. Karycki then made his final splash play of the game by taking a punt back 57 yards to the house with 4:51 left in the second quarter. With the run game netting next to nothing, Milton used a couple of big plays through the air to cut the lead to 28-7 at halftime. Jacori Brown hauled in passes of 30 and 27 yards to help set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Brady O’Rourke with 16 seconds remaining before intermission. It would be the only points scored against Mount Carmel’s first- team defense, which held the Black Panthers to negative rushing yards until their last drive of the night.

“We’ve been working for a while on defense,” Darrah said. “We knew we were close, and a lot of times, it was just a mental bust. We are doing some stuff a little bit different, so I think it’s just now starting to sink in with guys. They’re not thinking as much, they’re getting to their spots. If we continue to do that, I think we’re going to be very strong on defense.”

On the opening drive of the third quarter, the Red Tornadoes picked up right where they left off. Karycki returned the second-half kickoff 47 yards to once again put Mount Carmel in excellent field position. Jason Klokis finished the short drive with a 12-yard touchdown run on his sixth and final carry. The passing game wasn’t much of a factor in the first two games against Schuylkill Haven and Pottsville, but it did show some signs of life on Friday night. Delaney found Aiden Brokenshire on a 27-yard scoring strike to put Mount Carmel up 41-7, and pretty much end the night for the offensive starters. The passing numbers for Delaney may have looked pedestrian, as he went 3-of-6 for 54 yards, but a drop in the end zone along with another near-miss could have improved those numbers significantly.

“I did think Jaylen threw the ball well,” Darrah said. “We completed a few passes and we had some opportunities. Brokie is a great athlete. He’s a big guy, so he’s definitely a weapon on offense, and it’s good to see him make a nice catch like that in the end zone.”

Mount Carmel will be traveling to meet a winless North Schuylkill team next week that has faced a brutal schedule to start the season. The Spartans played Jersey Shore competitively on opening night, lost a lopsided game to Notre Dame-Green Pond last week, and let an early lead slip away against Williams Valley in a 19-14 loss on Friday. The game against Mount Carmel will mark the fourth consecutive state-ranked opponent the Spartans will play. North Schuylkill has had plenty of success against Mount Carmel in recent years, which should give the Red Tornadoes plenty of reason to focus on Week 4.

“We have a lot of respect for North Schuylkill,” Darrah said. “I know a lot of people over there, and things like that. We know what they’re going to bring to the table. It’s a really big rivalry game for both teams. Our guys have got to be ready. We’ve gotta have a great week of practice, but we’re looking forward to it.”

Milton 0 7 0 7-14
Mount Carmel 13 15 13 7-48

Individual Scoring
First Quarter
MC-Cooper Karycki 79 run (Josh Miller kick) 6:58
MC-C. Karycki 11 run (kick failed) :30

Second Quarter
MC-Jaylen Delaney 12 run (Max Karycki pass from Delaney) 8:39
MC-C. Karycki 57 punt return (Miller kick) 4:51
M-Brady O’Rourke 1 run (Cahner O’Grady kick) :16

Third Quarter
MC-Jason Klokis 12 run (kick failed) 9:39
MC-Aidan Brokenshire 27 pass from Delaney (Miller kick) 6:05

Fourth Quarter
MC-Jaxon Boblick 1 run (Miller kick) 10:02
M-Brody Locke 1 run (O’Grady kick) 3:02

Team Statistics
…………………M…………MC
1st downs………15…………16
rush-yds………45-78………..33-244
comp-att-int…6-12-0……..3-6-0
pass yds………..119…………54
total yds…………197………..298
fumb-lost………0-0…………1-0
pen-yds………..7-50………6-50

Individual Statistics
Rushing-Milton: Brody Locke 17-74, TD; Luis Santos 14-25; Brady O’Rourke 6-8, TD; Team 1-(-1); Paxton Humphrey 1-(-3); Kamryn Wilson 6-(-25). Mount Carmel: Cooper Karycki 6-122, 2 TDs; Jaylen Delaney 6-36, TD; Jason Klokis 6-26, TD; Michael Higgins 5-20; Logan Shuder 2-19; Jaxon Boblick 4-17, TD; James Spears 1-4; Bailey Pisarz 1-2; Jayden Rotolo 1-0; Vincent Addaman 1-(-2).

Passing-Milton: Wilson 6-12-0, 119 yds. Mount Carmel: Delaney 3-6-0, 54 yds., TD.

Receiving-Milton: Jacori Brown 4-100; Santos 2-19. Mount Carmel: Aidan Brokenshire 2-42, TD; Karycki 1-12.

WILLIAMSTOWN-Whether is was an emotional hangover from last week’s huge win over Wyomissing, a rare Saturday afternoon game, or a combination of both, it took some time for Southern Columbia to kick things into high gear against a Williams Valley team that came ready to play. The Tigers faced a worthy opponent who kept them mostly contained for the better part of three quarters. But if the cream rises to the top, the Tigers did just that in the last 14 minutes of play. Grady Garcia rushed for a game-high 175 yards and three total touchdowns and Southern’s defense established control in the second half, as the Tigers were able to pull away for a 30-12 victory.

“We didn’t seem like ourselves in terms of just our intensity and overall effort,” Southern coach Jim Roth said. “When that happens in a game like this, you kind of look back and think, was it the week before? And I think that probably had something to do with it. I think we need to take a lesson from that. You can say, well, odd game time, afternoon, warm, but they’re dealing with the same issues. It just seemed like we just didn’t have the right frame of mind to start with. Maybe we were taking them a little bit lightly, and that’s what can happen against a good team. You can tell by the way they were playing, they were very inspired, especially in the first half. With the guys up front on defense, it was evident.”

Williams Valley (1-1) won in overtime against Upper Dauphin last Friday night, and the Vikings started strong against the defending Class 2A state champions. Junior running back Fletcher Thompson broke a tackle at the line of scrimmage, and was gone on a 62-yard touchdown run that gave his team a 6-0 lead at the 2:55 mark of the opening quarter. Southern (2-0) needed a spark, and the Tigers got one thanks to the combination of Ayden Hockenbroch and Jace Malakoski. Facing 4th-and-goal at the 8, the duo connected against good coverage on a really nice throw by Hockenbroch, who put it where only Malakoski could get it in the back-right corner of the end zone. Hockenbroch ran in the two-point conversion, giving the Tigers an 8-6 lead which they carried into halftime.

“They had some coverage there, and that was a huge play in the game,” Roth said. “Those guys have gotten to point where they’re in a pretty good position. They had two touchdown passes last week and they have good rapport with one another as far as running routes and throwing the ball. The thing that’s nice is, Ayden knows in most cases that even if there’s pretty good coverage, if you put it in the right spot, Jace can outreach people and take the ball away. So that makes it nice when you have a bigger guy like that who is athletic.”

Early in the second half, Williams Valley was able to move the ball into Southern territory, but a holding penalty helped put an end to the drive. From that point on, it was all Tigers. Things started to open up, with Garcia being one of the main beneficiaries. Garcia made a house call from 60 yards out with 2:15 left in the third quarter that helped grow the lead to two possessions following another Hockenbroch run on a two-point conversion. Garcia only had 42 rushing yards at halftime, but that number would rapidly increase.

“Yeah, it’s definitely a great feeling,” Garcia said. “I can’t take any credit for it. It was the line. They gave me the hole I needed to run down the sideline. It was great. The line was blocking all day long. All of the other backs, making them stay honest. We can throw the ball now, it’s just not the run. It’s everything together that’s making the run happen.”

When Southern got the ball back after a quick defensive stop aided by a couple of Williams Valley penalties, it didn’t take long for Garcia to strike again. He helped set up excellent field position after a 29-yard punt return and two plays later, he would find the end zone again. Hockenbroch delivered a perfect pass down the middle into waiting arms of Garcia who was behind the secondary. The 33-yard touchdown pass pushed the lead to 22-6 early in the fourth quarter, as the defense started to show signs of fatigue. Hockenbroch does enough to keep opponents honest with his arm. He completed 4-of-7 passes for 70 yards and a pair of scores.

“Coach was saying all week that we are almost all one-way players,” Garcia said. “They’re team is almost all two-way players. So yeah, they’re going to wear down. When we’re only going one way, we can go out and give it our all. Them, they’re going the whole game giving their all every play. You can’t keep that up for four quarters, it’s tough.”

Fletcher made one more big play to bring Williams Valley within 10 points on the scoreboard, but once again Garcia would answer. This time, he sprinted 46 yards to paydirt and put the game away with 7:50 left. In the span of eight days, Southern has defeated a Wyomissing team who will certainly be a factor in the District 3 Class 3A playoffs and a Williams Valley team who will be a tough out at the Class A level.

“Both games, even with so much hype, we came out a little flat,” Garcia said. “In the locker room before the game, it just didn’t seem like everybody was ready to go. But I think this week was kind of a wake-up call. We’ve seen how we can’t just walk out on the field and win. We’ve got to come out and just play our best, and we can’t take any team for granted. We’ve just got to play whistle to whistle and go. If we have to go four quarters, then we have to go four quarters.”

Southern Columbia 0 8 8 14-30
Williams Valley 6 0 0 6-12
Individual Scoring
First Quarter
WV-Fletcher Thompson 62 run (pass failed) 2:55
Second Quarter
SC-Jace Malakoski 8 pass from Ayden Hockenbroch (Hockenbroch run) 8:17
Third Quarter
SC-Grady Garcia 60 run (Hockenbroch run) 2:15
Fourth Quarter
SC-Garcia 33 pass from Hockenbroch (run failed) 11:17
WV-Thompson 21 run (pass failed) 8:59
SC-Garcia 46 run (Joey Williams run) 7:50
Team Statistics
………………………SC…………….WV
1st downs…………….15……………….11
rush-yds…………..36-264…………..26-130
comp-att-int…….4-7-0……………..8-17-1
pass yds………………70……………….74
total yds………………334……………..204
fumb-lost…………..2-1………………..0-0
pen-yds…………….4-55……………….5-50
Individual Statistics
Rushing-Southern Columbia: Grady Garcia 14-175, 2 TDs; Joey Williams 10-33; Ayden Hockenbroch 6-29; Gavin Brown 6-11; Gavin Trometter 2-8; Kane Cecco 3-5; Cael Williams 1-4; Ryan Davis 1-(-1). Williams Valley: Fletcher Thompson 17-117, 2 TDs; Trevon Bair 2-21; Cole Hubler 3-5; Cayden Witmer 4-(-13).
Passing-Southern Columbia: Hockenbroch 4-7-0, 70 yds., 2 TDs. Williams Valley: Witmer 8-17-1, 74 yds.
Receiving-Southern Columbia: Jace Malakoski 3-37, TD; Garcia 1-33, TD. Williams Valley: Hubler 2-32; Mason Bowser 3-29; Thompson 3-13.

“You never want to see a game change momentum because of an injury,” Berwick coach C.J. Curry said. “But you know, things happen, and our guys did a really good job. We’re counting on these seniors and these leaders to show up and make big-time plays in big-time moments, and Gavin did that tonight. That was incredible, and then he comes back out, he runs hard, and he had a touchdown run. He called that play from the huddle when he had his (offensive) touchdown. He’s a gamer. He’s a warrior. All these guys are warriors. We’re playing a treacherous schedule with 35 guys on our team, and about 15 or 16 can contribute on the varsity level.”

Once Galutia scored to put Berwick up 24-17, the air was let out of the home sideline at Charley Trippi Stadium. The Bulldogs got bottled up a now one-dimensional Pittston offense that was without the services of Santo Capitano, who made a couple of key runs that gave the Patriots a 14-7 lead in the second quarter. Berwick (1-1) starting to rip off big chunks of yardage against a tiring defensive front. Brady Cleaver capped off a seven-play drive with a 1-yard quarterback sneak at the 8:15 mark of the fourth quarter, and Landon Zapata scored on a 5-yard run a little over five minutes later to put an exclamation point on a night that saw the Bulldogs rack up 370 rushing yards.

“That’s incredible,” Curry said. “You have to replace two all-staters from last year, but we’ve got three or four guys that are stepping up and doing a really, really nice job for us. How about a guy like Malikiah Brown stepping in as a sophomore on the offensive line when Nico (Lonczynski) gets hurt, and our offense really didn’t skip a beat. We had our fair share of pre-snap penalties we had our fair share of turnovers, which is unacceptable. But I’m really, really proud of the offensive line with the way they’ve come together.”

Trailing 14-10 at halftime, Berwick came out with an impressive three-play drive that quickly wrestled the lead back. Galutia finished it with authority as he bowled over a defender on his way to the end zone for a 31-yard touchdown run. Defensively, the Bulldogs were up against it a couple of times in the second half after giveaways. Chance Radzewicz recovered a fumble that gave Pittston a first-and-goal at the Berwick 10, but the defensive held up and only surrendered a field goal. On the Bulldogs’ next possession, Salvo intercepted a pass to give the Patriots a golden opportunity in the red zone, but after Capitano left with a hurt shoulder, Galutia did his thing and turned the game around. In addition to his heroics on defense Galutia finished with 120 rushing yards on 14 carries.

“We pride ourselves on being a second-half team,” Curry said. “All offseason, we worked our tails off. And with everything that we do at a specific point in our workouts, we really talk about a second-half mentality. The fours go up every time we go to the fourth quarter, and we’re saying everybody does it. It isn’t just hot air, but you really have to lock in, focus, and be about it, not just talk about it.”

Pittston (0-2) started the game with a bang when Lucas Lo Presto picked up the opening kickoff that a teammate originally muffed, made a nifty cutback, and was off to the races on a brilliant 84-yard kickoff return. Cleaver provided a swift answer when he executed a nice fake to the running back, kept the ball himself, and raced past the defense on an 85-yard sprint to paydirt with 9:13 left in the opening quarter. Berwick did all these good things despite being guilty of 15 penalties for 89 yards, which included four offsides penalties on Pittston’s opening offensive series. The Bulldogs had nine pre-snap penalties and were also offsides twice on kickoffs.

“Better enjoy it tonight, because Monday’s going to be brutal for these cats and they know it,” Curry said. “On their first drive, talking about unacceptable, we gave them like 20 yards. Then obviously, all of our false starts offensively, I think from a personnel standpoint from Week 1 to Week 2 we cleaned it up. We really didn’t have any miscommunications there, but still, young guys trying to figure it out, getting a little bit jumpy up there. (Pittston is) a really, really good football team. They’re going to have some success this season. But obviously we have to be much better than that, and they’re going to pay for it on Monday. They know that.”

Berwick 7 3 14 12-36
Pittston Area 6 8 3 0-17

Individual Scoring

First Quarter
PA-Lucas Lo Presto 84 kickoff return (run failed) 11:40
B-Brady Cleaver 85 run (Caleb Yost kick) 9:13

Second Quarter
PA-Santino Capitano 5 run (Kayden Bailey run) 3:45
B-Yost 27 field goal :06

Third Quarter
B-Gavin Galutia 33 run (Yost kick) 11:01
PA-Sam Augustine 24 field goal 7:07
B-Galutia 97 interception return (Yost kick) 3:38

Fourth Quarter
B-Cleaver 1 run (kick blocked) 8:15
B-Landon Zapata 5 run (kick blocked) 2:49

Team Statistics
…………………….B………………..PA
1st downs………….17…………………..11
rush-yds………….38-370………….31-102
comp-att-int……5-8-1……………….8-16-2
pass yds…………..38……………………87
total yds…………….408……………….189
fumb-lost………….2-1………………….2-0
pen-yds……………15-89……………..8-23

Individual Statistics
Rushing-Berwick: Brady Cleaver 10-161, 2 TDs; Gavin Galutia 14-120, TD; Landon Zapata 10-62, TD; Conner Roberts 2-21; Jake Lisnock 1-7; Team 1-(-1). Pittston Area: Santino Capitano 12-55, TD; Lucas Lo Presto 3-25; Jude Ferentino 11-23; Santino Salvo 1-7; Kayden Bailey 3-(-3); Chase Baron 1-(-5).

Passing-Berwick: Cleaver 5-8-1, 38 yds. Pittston Area: Capitano 4-8-1, 25 yds.; Salvo 4-8-1, 62 yds.

Receiving-Berwick: Gabe Decker 4-31; Zapata 1-7. Pittston Area: Ferentino 1-39; John Jadus 2-18; Lo Presto 3-15; Patrick Roman 1-11; Deondre Miller 1-4.

MILTON – Much like he did in a 2025 season that resulted in nine wins and a trip to the Class 2A semifinals, Bloomsburg quarterback Wyatt Brosious tried everything in his power to will his team to victory. Unfortunately for the Bloomsburg University commit, Brosious and his South teammates came up just a little bit short in a wild District 4 All-Star Game played at Milton High School. Loyalsock quarterback Danny Dowell made the last big play in a game that had so many, as his 4-yard touchdown run with 43 seconds left proved to be the difference. Dowell rushed for 127 yards and four touchdowns, enabling the North to rally from an early 14-point deficit in the 44-36 win.

“100 percent, I’m disappointed,” Brosious said. “That will bug me for the next couple of weeks.”

Brosious was able to show off what a true competitor he really is while playing with some excellent talent. Both the South and North scored on their opening plays of the night. Line Mountain quarterback Kaiden Maurer connected with Milton’s Monty Fisher on a 67-yard touchdown pass which was followed up by a Brosious run on the two-point conversion on a night where kickers were basically non-existent. The North answered right back when Montoursville workhorse Christian Banks broke free on a 74-yard run down the left sideline, and the ensuing two-point conversion run by Dowell tied things up at 8-8 just 35 seconds into play.

“It was a ton of fun,” Brosious said. “Practice all week was a ton of fun. I looked forward to coming here every day. Any chance I get to play football is a great opportunity.”

In a first half that ended with the North leading 24-22, there was some lingering doubt as to whether or not the game would reach its conclusion. Like several other All-Star games played throughout the state, personal fouls were a common theme. There were 16 accepted penalties for 156 yards, many of which were late hits or unsportsmanlike conduct fouls. When things finally settled down after the halftime, the caliber of football was actually pretty good. To sum it up, the game ended with a total of 27 penalties for 225 yards and took over three hours to finish.

“Not personally, it wasn’t a distraction for me,” Brosious said of the ongoing shenanigans in the first half. “I mean, that’s not good for the game, but it gets some people in the right mindset. I’m not really affected by any of it.”

Once things settled down, the big plays continued. Trailing 30-22 after Dowell’s second touchdown run of the night, Brosious helped engineer a 10-play, 49-yard drive that featured two fourth down conversions. Brosious found Mifflinburg’s Landon Murray on a 19-yard touchdown pass late in the third quarter to help pull his team even on the scoreboard. Yet again, Dowell would deliver a dagger by sprinting 53 yards to paydirt at the 7:33 mark of the quarter. However, Brosious had one more gem left in him. This time, he hit Murray with an absolute perfect strike down the middle, resulting in a 63-yard touchdown pass, pulling the South into a 36-36 tie with just over five minutes remaining.

“I dropped back, I know Landon is running deep, so I know he’s gonna catch it,” Brosious said. “I just chucked it to him.”

The North capped things off with a 10-play, 87-yard drive, led by some key contributions by Jersey Shore’s Bo Sechrist. Dowell hit Sechrist on a 22-yard pass that set up first-and-goal at the South 9. Two plays later, the North overcame a false start penalty and took the lead for good when Dowell scored.

Brosious had one last longshot opportunity to try and force overtime. The South did reach the North 31, but three incomplete passes ended the game. The final attempt was knocked down by Loyalsock’s Jalil Coates in the end zone as time expired. Brosious completed 7-of-15 passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed nine times for 39 yards and scored on a 1-yard quarterback sneak midway through the opening quarter. After the game, Brosious received the Coaches’ Award, given to a player who displayed good attitude and effort both in practice and in the game.

“Just wanted to get the ball to end zone, it didn’t end up working out,” Brosious said. “This whole year was a ton of fun. I loved this year. It was my favorite year of playing football. I love the guys I’m around no matter where I’m playing football at.”

Dowell was named MVP after the game. The much-deserved award winner finished with eight carries for 127 yards while also completing 11-of-14 passes for 171 yards. Banks also had a solid night, as he tallied 123 yards on eight carries. Coates led the North with 52 yards receiving on three catches. For the South, Maurer provided a nice compliment to Brosious, as he chipped in with 96 yards passing and a touchdown. Murray led all receivers with 87 yards on four catches and his two scores.

Game MVPs:
Russ Manney Most Outstanding Player: Danny Dowell (Loyalsock)
Jack Young North Coaches Awards: Bo Sechrist (Jersey Shore) & Hunter Shaffer (Montoursville)
Max Snyder Coaches Awards: Wyatt Brosious (Bloomsburg) & Monty Fisher (Milton)
Ken Robbins North Offensive Player of the Game: Christian Banks (Montoursville)
Ray Raffin North Defensive Player of the Game: Bo Sechrist (Jersey Shore
Joe “Jazz” Diminick South Offensive Player of the Game: Landen Murray (Mifflinburg)
Bill Scott Defensive Player of the Game: Ethan Makowski (Southern Columbia)

Jake Howe MVP QB WBA

WILKES-BARRE-The 75th Unico Game took place on a somewhat chilly Thursday night at Wilkes-Barre Area High School. Despite the cool weather conditions, it was some hot tempers that brought an abrupt end to things with just under two minutes remaining. The end result was a 14-14 tie.

It looked like the Pioneers made a huge play on a 4th and 12 that would have put the ball deep in Miners territory at the 1:52 mark of the fourth quarter. However, a penalty negated the long pass completion on a trick play. Flags flew shortly thereafter, as it appeared a Pioneers player was not happy with the call and was subsequently thrown out. The referees didn’t waste any time calling the game. Earlier in the third quarter, a scuffle on the Pioneers sideline on a kickoff return resulted in multiple ejections, and it definitely seemed like there were deep discussions of whether or not to continue the game then.

The game itself featured totally contrasting styles. Wilkes-Barre Area quarterback and Lock Haven commit Jake Howe completed 8-of-17 passes for 131 yards and a touchdown, good enough to capture the MVP award. His scoring strike went to fellow Wolfpack teammate Kevon Creech, which tied the game for a second time with 1:38 left in third quarter. Creech led the pass-happy Miners with five catches for 91 yards. It was quite an interesting day for Howe, who played shortstop on the Wolfpack baseball team in a playoff game against Hazleton Area earlier in the afternoon.

“We played in the District 2 6A championship game before this,” Howe said. “We sadly lost 6-2, but then I got here. I think it was the second or third snap of the game, and then it was just a great feeling to come and play one last high school football game.”

The Howe-to-Creech connection gave the Pioneers defense issues all night. That duo got started with a 14-yard completion on the Miners second possession of the game. Howe found Creech for gains of 15 and five yards on the Miners first scoring drive that was capped off by a 2-yard run from Wyoming Area’s Trustin Johnson that tied the game at 7-7 with 24 seconds remaining in the first half. Ironically, just before the long TD pass, Creech was stopped for a six-yard loss on the previous play. But Creech got well behind the defense on the next snap and easily hauled in the pretty pass from Howe.

“It felt great,” Howe said. “I had to like, get the rust off a little bit, but it felt good. One last pass to teammate I’ve been playing with for four years, so it just felt great.”

For the Pioneers, it was a run-heavy plan of attack without a true passing threat at quarterback. Dallas wide receiver Logan Geskey took the majority of the snaps, while Paulie Ferentino did play a couple of series. Lake-Lehman’s Jayden Skipalis led all rushers with 105 yards on 12 carries, and his 13-yard run put gave the Pioneers a 14-7 lead with 3:04 left in the third quarter. Skipalis shared the load with Brody Spindler of Pittston Area. Spindler had a productive night, as he tallied 52 yards on 12 carries. He crossed the goal line from four yards out in the middle part of the second quarter to open the scoring.

“I had a good time tonight,” Spindler said. “It was going back-and-forth. None of us are really in the best shape. The refs were kind of questionable tonight. But we can’t let the refs determine the game. Overall, it was a great time. I had fun my with my friends and made new friends in the process.”

Before the stoppage, the Pioneers ran 40 offensive plays. Of the 40 snaps, 35 were runs. In addition to Spindler and Skiplalis, Geskey chipped in with 43 yards on nine carries. Despite not playing football and taking on contact in months since his season ended, Spindler didn’t seem to mind the workload.

“It wasn’t as bad as other games before,” Spindler said. “Like I said before, I’m not in the best shape right now. But, we still were switching everybody in and out, so it wasn’t that bad.”

There were lots of changes to each roster leading up to the game. Obviously with Spring sports still going for some and graduation on the horizon, it was tough to get commitments from players. Despite limited practice time and learning to play along side new teammates, there were very few penalties outside of the second-half scuffles. Howe somehow found time to juggle multiple sports at the same time and had fun while doing so.

“It’s been rough but I love the grind,” Howe said. “It was great, and I’m not able to get these weeks back because I’m a senior. I had a bunch of fun.”

Miners 0 7 7 0-14
Pioneers 0 7 7 0-14

Individual Scoring
Second Quarter
P-Brody Spindler 4 run (Cole Baldwin kick) 5:04
M-Trustin Johnson 2 run (Jaedyn Sanchez kick) :24

Third Quarter
P-Jayden Skipalis 13 run (Baldwin kick) 3:04
M-Kevon Creech 61 pass from Jake Howe (Sanchez kick) 1:58

Team Statistics
………………………….M……………P
1st downs…………11……………..13
rush-yds…………16-68………….35-205
comp-att-int…….8-17-0……….0-5-0
pass yds…………..131…………….0
total yds……………199…………..205
fumb-lost……….3-1…………….0-0
pen-yds………….1-5……………2-20

Individual Statistics
Rushing-Miners: Trustin Johnson 7-28, TD; Jake Howe 5-13; Ashton Smith 2-11; Kevon Creech 1-10; Gene Ardo 1-6. Pioneers: Jayden Skipalis 12-105, TD; Brody Spindler 12-52, TD; Logan Geskey 9-43; John Richards 1-4; Aidan Brody 1-1.

Passing-Miners: Howe 8-17-0, 131 yds., TD. Pioneers: Geskey 0-3-0; Paulie Ferentino 0-2-0.

Receiving-Miners: Creech 5-89, TD; Jordan Kieselowsky 3-42.

LEHIGHTON-For the 23rd time in its illustrious history, Southern Columbia will play for a state championship.

Led by a defense that continues to shut down high-caliber opponents and a running game that made big plays when it counts, the Tigers earned a trip to Mechanicsburg with a well-earned 24-7 victory over Lansdale Catholic in the PIAA Class 2A state semifinals. Southern (14-1) will face the survivor of the Farrell-Seton LaSalle game, which will be played Saturday in Ellwood City. The Tigers will be in pursuit of a record-setting 15th state title next Friday afternoon, with kickoff scheduled for just after 1 PM.

The game was tied 7-7 at halftime, but quickly turned after the second-half kickoff. Preston Shadle booted a ball that landed inside the five. It rolled towards the goal line but never reached the end zone. Following a very short return, Lansdale Catholic (12-3) was forced to start a drive deep in its own territory. Two plays later, a high shotgun snap over the head of quarterback Yeboa Cobbold Jr. resulted in a safety, giving Southern 9-7 lead, and marked the beginning of the end for the Crusaders.

“It was a definitely a key in the game, there’s no doubt, both point-wise and momentum-wise,” Southern coach Jim Roth said. “It seemed like after that, we did a better job with controlling things. We had some problems up front, they gave us problems. Number one, they had a good scheme, and they had some good, quick, aggressive kids. Like I told our guys after the game, we can learn something from this game going into next week. Just be on top of things up front and do a little better job staying on people.”

Another unlikely series of events soon followed, starting with the ensuing free kick. The hard line drive hit a Southern player and was immediately recovered by Lansdale Catholic. However, another errant shotgun snap struck again, and Jace Malakoski fell on it at the Crusaders 2-yard line. Grady Garcia immediately cashed the turnover in for points, as he crossed the goal line on the very next play off the left side.

“Well, the kickoff started it for us,” Lansdale Catholic coach Dom D’Addona said. “Then the two bad snaps. We just didn’t regroup after that. The way that they were containing the quarterback from the edges, they weren’t letting him get on the edge, which we like to do. They did a nice job doing that. Their defense is pretty good, we knew that.”

Cobbold Jr., who is committed to play his college football at Akron, entered the game with over 1,300 yards rushing on the season. Southern held him to just 12 yards on 12 carries. He also entered the game with over 1,300 passing yards. Although Cobbold Jr. completed 14-of-19 passes for 150 yards, his stats through the air could have been better. A couple of important first-half drops while the game was still tied ended up being drive killers. Once Southern took a 16-7 lead following the Garcia touchdown, the defense took over. Brady Arnold recorded a sack for a loss of 14 yards and John Quinton recovered a fumble that stopped a drive when the Crusaders were nearing the red zone in the fourth quarter.

“Better job in the second half,” Roth said. “First half, we weren’t tackling real well, we weren’t finishing real well. But in the second half, we picked it up and pitched a shutout against them. What we saw on film was, they were in some close games at halftime. Then they were pulling away and really opening things up in the second half. That was our message at halftime, these guys have been a second-half team. We’ve got to go out and play well in the second half, which we were definitely able to do.”

With an impressive 85-yard drive late in the third quarter, Southern was basically able to put the game away. Garcia led all rushers with 77 yards on 11 carries, and he broke loose on a 38-yard run that put the ball in Crusaders’ territory. Two plays later, Ayden Hockenbroch scored on a 31-yard sprint to paydirt, which was his second long touchdown run of the night Brayden Andrews then scored on the two-point conversion to make it a three-possession lead. Hockenbroch finished with 61 yards on 10 carries. Although Lansdale Catholic did a good job limiting Andrews to 58 yards on 13 attempts, guys like Hockenbroch, Garcia, and Joey Williams (67 yards on nine carries), were able to pick up the slack.

“Grady stepped up and made some nice plays,” Roth said. “In a game where Brayden normally gets to a point where he’s able to break some, they were obviously keying on him. We didn’t get anything going in the passing game to speak of, but Ayden was huge running the ball. Some of those runs were definitely key.”

Nick O’Brien outran the defense on a 43-yard run to the end zone midway through the first quarter that tied the game. Unfortunately for Lansdale Catholic, it would be the last time the Crusaders would get on the scoreboard. Dropped passes, two turnovers and ten penalties made life even more difficult against a defense that its hitting its stride at the right time. After a season-opening loss to Wyomissing, Southern has rattled off 14 consecutive wins. The Tigers shoutout Troy, easily handled Steelton-Highspire, and contained a Lansdale Catholic offense with multiple Division I recruits over the past three weeks.

“The defensive front has really improved,” Roth said. “We have done a much better job against the run, and even when teams are throwing the ball, again tonight we got pressure on the quarterback. So whether it’s run or pass, the defensive front has set the tone for us. Our defense has controlled things, really ever since that first game. Even against an explosive Mifflinburg team, to hold them to 14 points get some critical stops in that game, a goal-line stand, our defensive front has really set the tone.”

Lansdale Catholic 7 0 0 0-7
Southern Columbia 7 0 17 0-24

Individual Scoring
First Quarter
SC-Ayden Hockenbroch 13 run (Preston Shadle kick) 7:53
LC-Nick O’Brien 43 run (Raymond Williamson kick) 5:54

Third Quarter
SC-Team safety, 10:51
SC-Grady Garcia 2 run (Shadle kick) 10:03
SC-Hockenbroch 31 run (Brayden Andrews run ) 3:51

Team Statistics
…………………………….LC……………………..SC
1st downs……………….10……………………..15
rush-yds……………24-46……………………46-274
comp-att-int…….14-19-0………………….3-6-0
pass yds……………..150……………………….35
total yds……………..196……………………..309
fumb-lost…………….3-2……………………..3-2
pen-yds………………10-79…………………..3-25

Individual Statistics
Rushing-Lansdale Catholic: Nick O’Brien 5-44, TD; Yeboa Cobbold Jr. 12-12; Braden Smith 1-6; John Cobbold 3-3; Asher Thickening 1-2; Team 2-(-21). Southern Columbia: Grady Garcia 11-77, TD; Joey Williams 9-67; Ayden Hockenbroch 10-61, 2 TDs; Brayden Andrews 13-58; Parker Pesarchick 2-12; Team 1-(-1).

Passing-Lansdale Catholic: Y. Cobbold Jr. 14-19-0, 150 yds. Southern Columbia: Hockenbroch 3-6-0, 35 yds.

Receiving-Lansdale Catholic: Thickening 5-50; James Webb Jr. 2-27; O’Brien 2-23; Saeed Robinson 2-18; Smith 1-17; Darren Jackson 2-15. Southern Columbia: Blaise Kissinger 2-27; Andrews 1-8.

SELINSGROVE-Although the performance wasn’t up to the lofty standards set by one of the elite high school football programs in the state, it was certainly enough to get the job done. Southern Columbia wasn’t perfect in a 55-26 victory over Steelton-Highspire on Friday night, but the Tigers were still able to inflict plenty of damage against an overmatched defense. Ayden Hockenbroch continued his fine play in the postseason by passing for 145 yards and three touchdowns, which was complemented by a trio of backs racking up at least 90 yards rushing. Southern Columbia (13-1) advances to the PIAA Class 2A semifinals next weekend, and will face District 12 winner Lansdale Catholic (12-2) with a trip to the state championship game on the line.

“We had some issues up front in the first half,” Southern coach Jim Roth said. “They did some things, just with their alignments and their quickness that gave us some problems at times. But nonetheless, we were still able to put points on the board, and the defense played well until we had a lead, and we kind of got soft on a drive. Their other two scores came on special teams, which we stressed to the guys after the game that when you get in games like this you can’t count on scoring 50 points. You can’t have a letdown and special teams can’t give up a big play there either. But overall, against a quality team, I thought it was a strong performance on both sides.”

Grady Garcia, who tallied 90 yards on nine carries, got things started in a hurry for Southern. After Steel High had a punt blocked, Garcia took the first carry of the game and was off to the races. The sophomore broke loose on a 52-yard touchdown run, beginning an offensive onslaught that saw the Tigers pile up 374 yards offense in the first half on 37 plays.

“Getting a stop, and then getting a big run like that obviously gave us momentum right off the bat,” Roth said. “Then Ayden threw the ball well again tonight, which the last couple of weeks here in the playoffs, that’s been a key for us.

Brayden Andrews led all rushers with 133 yards on just 11 attempts. He scored the first of his three touchdowns from nine yards out with 5:25 left in the first quarter. Leading 12-0, Hockenbroch began to make his presence felt. He completed a pair of passes to Andrews which totaled 51 yards. A couple of penalties would push the Tigers back to the edge of the red zone. Facing a 4th-and-19, Hockenbroch delivered a well-thrown ball to Nate Gallagher for a 20-yard touchdown against man coverage, delivering an early dagger to the Rollers.

“So there were a couple of games this year, not throwing a whole lot, where I was disappointed in the passing game,” Roth said. “I thought when we did throw, we should have executed better, been a little sharper. But the last couple of weeks, it’s been there for sure.”

Hockenbroch and Blaise Kissinger made it four touchdowns in as many drives when the duo hooked up on the first of two scoring strikes. Kissinger made an excellent catch where he got one foot down in the front-right corner of the end zone on a 25-yard touchdown early in the second quarter. The lead would jump to 41-0 following short touchdown runs by Joey Williams and Andrews. Steel High finally got on the board thanks to a 21-yard pass from Kayden Cole Stephens to Jerome Ross with 3:32 left in the first half. The Rollers would cut the deficit to 41-12 courtesy of a 39-yard blocked punt return by Quann Padgett.

“Honestly, we have a lot of stuff to clean up,” Hockenbroch said. “We heard about it in the locker room and we’re gonna hear about it at practice. We’ll clean it up, it’s the Southern Columbia way. So it looks good on the scoreboard, but we have a lot to clean up.”

Just before halftime, Garcia put Southern in position to strike back by returning the ensuing kickoff 62 yards. Hockenbroch finished off the efficient five-play, 19-yard drive when he hit Kissinger on a slant pattern that went for a 7-yard touchdown with 10 seconds left. After hitting all seven pass attempts last week against Troy, Hockenbroch completed 8-of-10 passes to five different receivers in the first half against Steel High.

“It was slant, and I tried to look off the safety, just to hold them in case there was press (coverage),” Hockenbroch said. “They did press, but Blaise did a great job holding him off, getting position, and making a great catch in traffic.”

Andrews fumbled the second-half kickoff, but Southern’s defense bailed him out by holding the Rollers without a first down. It wouldn’t take long for Andrews to atone for the mistake. Joey Williams got the drive underway by breaking off a 31-yard run. Two plays later, Andrews made a house call on a 37-yard sprint to paydirt as he blew past the defense to complete his hat trick.

“It’s a great group to work with,” Hockenbroch said of the running backs. “They all work hard. They work in the summer, and it’s just fun to work with them. Running the ball really sets up the pass, because you bring up their safeties, your bring up their corners, you just catch them off guard, and I thank them for that.”

With the game well in hand, Steel High scored a on 91-yard kickoff return by Jaishawn George, and added a late touchdown against the Southern reserves. If anything, the breakdowns on special teams and minor bumps in the road will provide an easy focus for the Tigers in preparation for Lansdale Catholic next week. Southern will not ignore in victory what they otherwise wouldn’t have ignored in defeat.

“We’ll definitely do some different stuff in practice,” Hockenbroch said. “It’s up the coaches, they know what they’re doing, they’ve been doing this for a long time, so they know what to do. We’ll do it. We’ll fix it. We’ll be ready for next week.”

Individual Scoring
First Quarter
SC-Grady Garcia 52 run (kick blocked) 9:14
SC-Brayden Andrews 9 run (run failed) 5:25

Second Quarter
SC-Nate Gallagher 20 pass from Ayden Hockenbroch (Andrews run) 11:48
SC-Blaise Kissinger 25 pass from Hockenbroch (Preston Shadle kick) 8:15
SC-Joey Williams 2 run (Shadle kick) 7:04
SC-Andrews 4 run (Shadle kick) 4:54
SH-Jerome Ross 21 pass from Kayden Cole Stephens (pass failed) 3:32
SH-Quann Padgett 39 blocked punt return (pass failed) 1:28
SC-Kissinger 7 pass from Hockenbroch (Shadle kick) :10

Third Quarter
SC-Andrews 37 run (Shadle kick) 7:54
SH-Jaishawn George 91 kickoff return (pass failed) 7:34

Fourth Quarter
SH-Silas Hernandez 18 pass from Stephens (Stephens run) 6:44

Team Statistics
………………………….SC…………………..SH
1st downs…………..21……………………11
rush-yds…………47-348……………….18-21
comp-att-int…….8-10-0………………16-31-3
pass yds……………145…………………..220
total yds…………..493……………………241
fumb-lost…………2-1……………………0-0
pen-yds…………….7-60………………….11-58

Individual Statistics
Rushing-Southern Columbia: Brayden Andrews 11-133, 3 TDs; Joey Williams 9-91, TD; Grady Garcia 9-90, TD; Caden Hopper 5-36; Cael Williams 4-8; Ayden Hockenbroch 3-2; Parker Pesarchick 1-2; Kane Cecco 2-(-3); Gavin Brown 3-(-11). Steelton-Highspire: Jaishawn George 3-15; Jerome Ross 6-7; Kayden Cole Stephens 6-5; Isa Mohammed 1-1; Jayden Cleckner 1-0; Jayce Jones 1-(-7).

Passing-Southern Columbia: Hockenbroch 8-10-0, 145 yds., 3 TDs. Steelton-Highspire: Stephens 14-26-2, 198 yds., 2 TDs; Jones 2-5-1, 22 yds.

Receiving-Southern Columbia: Andrews 2-51; Blaise Kissinger 2-32, 2 TDs; Nate Gallagher 2-30, TD; Jace Malakoski 1-31; J. Williams 1-1 Steelton-Highspire: Silas Hernandez 6-130, TD; Ross 5-42, TD; Kalvin Pillier 2-30; George 3-18.

FRANKLIN TWP.-Southern Columbia brought the District 4 championship back to familiar territory on Friday night by putting on a clinic. The Tigers executed their running game to consistently stay ahead of the chains, got meaningful contributions through the air while totally shutting down an offense that featured a pair of 1,000-yard rushers. Brayden Andrews ran for 175 yards and three touchdowns, and Ayden Hockenbroch completed all seven of his pass attempts, as Southern captured its 32nd district title in the last 35 years thanks to an impressive 42-0 win over Troy. Southern (12-1) will play District 3 champion Steelton in the PIAA Class 2A quarterfinals next week.

“I was very pleased,” Southern coach Jim Roth said. “You come into a game like this, and the way it started with us getting down there, having that penalty, getting backed up, and not being able to get any points out of that, sometimes when a game starts that way, it can be a bad momentum swing. We obviously recovered from it. We didn’t punt all night, hit a couple key passes in the first half when the going was tough, and then I think it was just a matter of wearing them down, and our defense playing well enough that they never really got much momentum.”

On their opening drive, the Tigers got inside the red zone, but a holding penalty and 10-yard loss on a fumble thwarted the early threat. It proved to only a be a temporary speed bump for a Southern team that ran 43 plays in the first half. Joey Williams opened the scoring by crossing the goal line on a 3-yard run to complete a lengthy 12-play drive early in the second quarter. Troy (11-2) had its best scoring chance taken away by a costly unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that turned a 3rd and 2 into a 3rd and 17 from the Southern 28. Eventually, a 36-yard field goal attempt was low and never had a chance. The Trojans only ran 16 plays of their own in the first half, as Southern began to pull away in the waning minutes of the second quarter. Quarterback Mason Smith led Troy with 69 yards on 15 carries, with 43 of those yards coming on one play.

“With our offense, if our defense plays like that, and just keeps giving us the ball back, that’s just huge when you keep getting those opportunities,” Roth said. “They’re option game, especially with the quarterback keeping it, they burned us a few times last year with the quarterback running it, we worked real hard at that. But overall, we did a great job with (Brendan) Gilliland, as good of a running back as he is. We kept him bottled up pretty much the whole game. So, I can’t say enough about the way the defense played.”

Andrews scored on a 14-yard run off the right side, capping off a 92-yard march, and giving Southern a 14-0 lead at the 2:15 mark of the second quarter. Things went from bad to worse on the very next play when Caius Morrow recovered a fumble at the Troy 34. Hockenbroch used the clock wisely and delivered a dagger by finding Nate Gallagher on a fade route for an 11-yard touchdown with only 14 seconds left before halftime. Hockenbroch finished with 74 yards passing, as he continues to put together a very solid junior season. He now has 14 touchdown passes to go with just three interceptions.

“We were in the huddle before the play, and coach called out the fade,” Gallagher said. “I told Hock, just throw it up. I went up and just made a play on it, and it really gave us momentum going into the second half. We knew we could end this and put them down for good.”

In the second half, the Tigers picked up right where they left off. Southern took the kickoff and drove 62 yards in eight plays. Andrews looked like he was stopped for short gain, but kept his legs churning as he scored on a 7-yard run. Following another three-and-out by the Southern defense, Andrews made his best play of the night. Facing a 3rd-and-8, Andrews took a handoff, patiently waited for things to open up, and once he turned the corner, he was gone. Andrews outraced the final defender down the right sideline for an outstanding 87-yard sprint to paydirt with 4:25 left in the third quarter. In addition to the big night from Andrews, Williams added 90 yards on 16 carries and Grady Garcia chipped in with 63 yards on eight attempts, as Southern rushed for 57 times for 367 yards in the game.

“All three backs ran well and contributed,” Roth said. “I know Garcia didn’t have the numbers Andrews did, but Joey really kept them honest inside and had some big key runs for us. It was definitely a team effort. (Troy) is maybe not quite as good as last year, but they’re still a quality team.”

This victory erases a bitter taste Southern felt just over a year ago when Troy beat them 69-28 in the District 4 semifinals. The Trojans went on to bring home their first state championship, and came into Friday’s matchup riding a 10-game winning streak. Despite earning a huge measure of revenge that was a long time coming, there is still plenty of work to be done for the Tigers, beginning with preparation for Steelton.

“To have an outcome like this, it’s a tremendous effort,” Roth said. “We just have to realize that there’s not much celebrating you can do because you’re in the state playoffs. So you’ve got a big game next week against a quality team.”

Individual Scoring
Second Quarter
SC-Joey Williams 3 run (Preston Shadle kick) 8:44
SC-Brayden Andrews 14 run (Shadle kick) 2:15
SC-Nate Gallagher 11 pass from Ayden Hockenbroch (Shadle kick) :14

Third Quarter
SC-Andrews 7 run (Shadle kick) 8:07
SC-Andrews 87 run (Shadle kick) 4:25

Fourth Quarter
SC-Parker Pesarchick 1 run (Shadle kick) 4:53

Team Statistics
………………………T………………..SC
1st downs………..6………………….20
rush-yds………32-140………….57-367
comp-att-int…1-3-0……………7-7-0
pass yds……….8………………….74
total yds………148………………441
fumb-lost…….2-2……………….2-0
pen-yds………..1-15…………….3-35

Individual Statistics
Rushing-Troy: Mason Smith 15-69; Brendan Gilliland 8-24; Hunter Watson 2-16; Kael Millard 3-14; Landon Cole 3-11; Bridon Putnam 1-6. Southern Columbia: Brayden Andrews 16-175, 3 TDs; Joey Williams 16-90, TD; Grady Garcia 8-63; Caden Hopper 3-22; Ayden Hockenbroch 9-10; Parker Pesarchick 5-7, TD.

Passing-Troy: Smith 1-3-0, 8 yds. Southern Columbia: Hockenbroch 7-7-0, 74 yds., TD.

Receiving-Troy: Gilliland 1-8. Southern Columbia: Jace Malakoski 2-26; Garcia 2-24; Nate Gallagher 1-11, TD; Andrews 1-8; Blaise Kissinger 1-5.

BERWICK – For eleven consecutive weeks, Berwick was able to play stress-free football with very little difficulty encountered along the way. That came to a screeching halt on Friday night against a Scranton Prep team that looks to be peaking at just the right time. The Cavaliers came to Crispin Field on a mission, and it was all systems go right from the outset. Led by quarterback Will McPartland, Scranton Prep scored on its first four possessions and captured its fifth consecutive District 2 championship thanks to an impressive 42-7 win.

“I think the kids executed,” Scranton Prep coach Terry Gallagher said. “Obviously, we have a pretty dynamic group of guys that all do their little part. It starts with No. 12 (McPartland), I think he sets the tone. He comes out, plays the best in the biggest games, and the kids followed him along the way. That’s what good seniors do. We have a good group of seniors that kind of led us through the whole process, through the tough adversity that we went through. They didn’t pack it in, they didn’t point fingers. They just got back to work, got better, kept working at it, and that’s what you have to do if you want to continue to improve and be a good football team.”

Scranton Prep (7-5) will face District 4 champion Mifflinburg in the first round of the PIAA Class 3A playoffs next week. After losing their first three games of the year against a challenging schedule and without McPartland, who was recovering from a torn ACL last season, the Cavaliers have hit their stride. McPartland scored the first of his four rushing touchdowns on a 7-yard run that capped off a 70-yard drive to start the game. The senior was also a handful for the Berwick defense through the air. He connected with Noah Krzywiec on a well-executed screen pass off a reverse flea-flicker that went for a 67-yard gain. McPartland scored on the very next play from three yards out, extending the lead to 14-0 at the 4:19 mark of the opening quarter.

“A huge credit to the guys upfront,” McPartland said. “Our line blocked tremendously tonight, and then when you get running backs going downhill, with those guys pulling and whatnot, they’re a special group and it’s hard to stop.”

Berwick (11-1) had a special teams miscue when a bad snap resulted in a punt that went minus-12 yards, and set up Scranton Prep with outstanding field position. McPartland connected with younger brother Braedon McPartland on an 18-yard screen pass that went for a touchdown. Following an Anthony Croom interception that set up yet another short field, McPartland dropped a perfectly thrown ball into the hands of Braedon McPartland for a 32-yard gain. Once McPartland scored on a 1-yard quarterback sneak, the Cavaliers enjoyed a 28-0 lead with 10:43 left in the second quarter.

“They are a good football team,” Berwick coach C.J. Curry said. “They’re more physical than us. They were prepared, and we just didn’t have it. The better football team won tonight, unfortunately, but credit to them and their coaching staff. Like I said before, I think they were the best 6-5 team in the state, and it showed tonight. I’m super proud of our guys for what they’ve done to turn this thing around in two years. It’s going to inspire us to keep working and just get back here.”

McPartland put an exclamation point on his outstanding first half as time expired. With the ball at the Berwick 48, McPartland made a defender miss, escaped trouble, and launched a Hail Mary towards the end zone. His prayer was answered when Mackey Lynett got behind the defense, and made the most of his only reception of the night. McPartland finished the game 9-of-9 passing for 202 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 50 yards on 11 carries.

“I saw my guy Mackey Lynett, and you know, I bought a lot of time, and I knew I was going to throw it up to him,” McPartland said. “He was one-on-one, so I just put all the trust in him, and he made a hell of a play.”

Trailing 42-0, Berwick did finally reach the end zone late in the third quarter. Ty’Meere Wilkerson scored on a 10-yard run for his 40th touchdown of the season. In the final game of his outstanding career, Wilkerson rushed for 145 yards on 25 carries. He will finish the season with over 2,800 yards, and should be a lock for an All-State selection, before taking his talents to New Hampshire next year.

“The best is yet to come for him, for sure,” Curry said of Wilkerson. “For a program that’s been playing since 1888, for him to have those records and do what he did this year, I think he was 70 percent of our offense. Obviously, I’m so proud of him and so blessed to be able to have coached him and get to know him as a young man. The University of New Hampshire has got a great one coming. The best is yet to come for him, and a lot of these guys.”

Following the 0-3 start, Scranton Prep has won seven of its last nine games. The Cavaliers lost two games to schools from New York and Maryland before McPartland got healthy. Since his return, Scranton Prep has knocked off the likes of Jersey Shore, Delaware Valley, and Wyoming Area. North Pocono and Abington Heights are the only teams to beat the Cavaliers, both in very close games. That tough schedule Scranton Prep faced is certainly paying dividends in the postseason.

“The schedule helps you, it’s early in the season,” Gallagher said. “Obviously, what helps is getting your best player back. Our younger guys during those three weeks learned a ton of football, and they’re going to be really good football players, I firmly believe that and I think our staff does as well. But when you really get a special kid like that back, then you’re able to put all the pieces where we anticipated them being. We’re going to try to prepare the kids to go play football games and win, I don’t care who we’re playing. Luckily, the kids stuck with it, fought, and we were able to continue to win and get another district championship.”

Scranton Prep 21 14 7 0-42
Berwick 0 0 7 0-7

Individual Scoring
First Quarter
SP-Will McPartland 7 run (Tyler Bianchi kick) 9:26
SP- W. McPartland 3 run (Bianchi kick) 4:19
SP-Braedon McPartland 18 pass from W. McPartland (Bianchi kick) 1:01

Second Quarter
SP-W. McPartland 1 run (Bianchi kick) 10:43
SP-Mackey Lynett 48 pass from W. McPartland (Bianchi kick) :00

Third Quarter
SP-W. McPartland 1 run (Bianchi kick) 5:50
B-Ty’Meere Wilkerson 10 run (Caleb Yost kick) 3:11

Team Statistics
……………………………SP…………………B
1st downs……………13…………………11
rush-yds……………24-140……….35-173
comp-att-int…..10-13-0………….2-7-2
pass yds…………..226……………….(-3)
total yds……………366………………170
fumb-lost………….0-0……………….2-0
pen-yds……………..4-44…………….4-45

Individual Statistics
Rushing:
Scranton Prep: Braedon McPartland 4-56; Will McPartland 11-50, 4 TDs; Anthony Prince 4-16; Noah Krzywiec 2-13; Caleb Rutkoski 2-5; Salvatore Talarico 1-0.
Berwick: Ty’Meere Wilkerson 25-145, TD; Caleb May 4-25; Conner Roberts 2-10; Ashton Smith 1-4; Brady Cleaver 3-(-9).

Passing:
Scranton Prep: W. McPartland 9-9, 225 yds., 2 TDs; Oliver Swingle 1-2-0, 1 yd.; Owen Jeffers 0-1-0; Team 0-1-0.
Berwick: Cleaver 2-7-2, (-3) yds.

Receiving:
Scranton Prep: B. McPartland 5-98, TD; Krzywiec 3-81; Mackey Lynett 1-48, TD; Jaxsen Silfee 1-1.
Berwick: Alex Estrella 1-4; Everett Snyder 1-(-7).