Hazleton – Berwick Preview
Written by: Josh Funk on Tuesday, October 28th, 2008. Follow Josh Funk on Twitter.
The Game: Hazleton Area (2 AAAA) @ Berwick Area (2 AAA)
Date: Friday, Oct. 31, 2008, from Crispin Field in Berwick
2008 Record: Hazleton Area (8-1), Berwick Area (8-1)
About Hazleton Area: The Cougars rolled over District 11 powers Easton and Liberty before bowing to Parkland in the District 2/11 “AAAA” subregional, ending one of the more impressive three-week playoff runs in recent memory. Hazleton, which has won 19 of its last 22 games, brings some decent athletes to Crispin Field, but, be advised, Cougar fans, Berwick hasn’t lost a game at home this season.
Keying the Hazleton ground attack are backs Jonathan Nahay and AJ Petrone. Nahay has carried the ball 124 times for 948 yards and nine touchdowns. Petrone adds 69 attempts for 401 yards and six touchdowns. All told, Hazleton Area’s rushing offense averages 222 yards per game.
Matt Drumheller directs the Cougar offense, which averages a hair under 30 points per game. Drumheller has thrown for 651 yards and seven touchdowns this season, and his favorite targets are Shane McKerman (13 rec., 254 yards, 3 TD), Chad Nicholas (14 rec., 341 yards, 4 TD), and Andrew Yablonsky (7 rec., 107 yards, TD).
Hazleton, though, has one statistic going against it, and it is this: the Cougars lost to Wyoming Valley West 24-14, snapping a six-game winning streak. That was the same Spartan team that Berwick pummeled 34-7 in the fourth week of the season.
About Berwick Area: Since a Week 5 loss to District 4 powerhouse Selinsgrove, the Dawgs have been rolling right along. Consider the fact that the Berwick offense, which averages over 28 points per game, has hit the 30-points or more mark six times this season, and enters this game on a four-game winning streak.
Alec Ladonis and Louis Hampton are the keys to the Berwick ground attack, with quarterback AJ Mihaly also chipping in with a carry here and there. Zach Powell, Cory Davenport, and Ryan Sitler are all targets for Mihaly’s passes. And just for good measure, Mihaly, only a junior, threw 10 touchdown passes in the first four weeks of the season. Impressed yet?
Berwick’s defense has been rather nasty as well, allowing only a total of 95 points on the season, an average of 10.6 per game. The Dawgs’ defense has also posted three shutouts.
Hazleton statistics from Maxpreps.com.
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October 31st, 2008 at 12:06 am
those dawg fans appearently dont know football these days and yes there must have been aleak at the nuke plant because they been sniffin it. but seriously, no disrespect to the bulldogs it will a showdown between the berwick offense against the hazleton defense. it will be a very competitive game with the cougars winning 28-24. berwick fans be realistic for a change your good but your not great.the fact that WVW lost to berwick and beat hazleton is true but if berwick played the spartans now the result would not be the same because valley west has played much better than they did in week 4. the fans tomorrow will get a treat by going to the game. and maybe just maybe these 2 teams can get some respect from these television reporters who talk mainly about dunmore, lakeland and the rest of the teams in that area.
October 30th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
Hay lee what you call selinsgrove a fluke haha i believe they dropped 28 or something like that on ya
October 30th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
OK all yahh Berwick fans must be breathing in to much nuclear air. Cuz there is no way you will CRUSH Hazleton as yall have been saying yes you will win but not by more than 10 points. That idea with wearing Jason masks is idiotic. LOL. Just had to throw that in there. You guys can’t compete outside the district anyways face it.
October 30th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
seals or in the east this year berwick can play them in the 3rd round in the playoffs this year so go seals and GO DAWGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
October 30th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
If you have been on berwickdawgs.com then you would know that us dawgs are wearing jason masks and I am pretty sure that Hazleton is wearing Freddy. It will be classic Freddy vs. Jason and we all know that at the end jason cuts off freddy’s head….haha =)…..GO DAWGS!!!!!
October 30th, 2008 at 6:51 am
Larry thanks for supporting the Dawgs… I’d like to see the Dawgs and the Seals run the table in the playoffs and make for one heck of a re-match. State title game: Berwick -vs- Selinsgrove. Wouldn’t that be something? The Dawgs will pull out an early half time lead by at least 2 scores. Berwick out scored their opponents in the first half 192 – 51. And if you think Hazleton will have a good shot in the 3rd to make up ground; think again. Berwick has put up 43 pts in the 3rd to the opponents 8! Berwick wins by 2 scores.
October 30th, 2008 at 2:44 am
The only way hazelton can win this game is if the dawgs all get sick and can’t make the game o nevermind the berwick jr high team will beat them berwick jr high 16 hazelton 10 hahaha
October 30th, 2008 at 2:34 am
WHO DAT WHO DAT GOING TO BEAT THEM DAWGS WHO DAT GO DAWGS ALL THE WAY
October 29th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
Go DAWGS stomp the cougars, like WVW wamped them, 24 to 14 in week #7 and if I remember correctly the DAWGS destroyed WVW in Wk.#4 34 to 7. This is one SEALS – FAN that is rooting for the DAWGS , even though the SEALS demolished the DAWGS 28 to 3 in Wk.#5,and completely demolished S.Col.47 to 7 in Wk#7,only to hear a Hazelton fan run his mouth off how every one knows that the Cougars(AAAA) would easily stomp the SEALS(AAA),(I DON!T THINK SO).We!ll see who goes further with a better record in the state play-off!s.Go Git on Em DAWGS.
October 29th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
Berwick’s starting defensive line has only allowed 3 points at home for the entire season. Hazelton has no chance….there’s always next year!!
GO DAWGS!!!
October 29th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
PARKLAND TROJAN FOOTBALL.
October 29th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
It doenst matter who will win because in the playoffs hazleton will face parkland first round. and lose 🙂
October 29th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
GOOOOOO BERWICK!!! Hazelton lost to Valley West… Valley West lost to Berwick…Hazelton will lose to Berwick… Berwick-14 Hazelton-10
little kittens shouldn’t play with the BIG DAWGS!
October 29th, 2008 at 7:06 am
Both of those sound good. Hazleton’s defense will not allow Berwick to run them out on the score. Look at the two games West Scranton and Coughlin. Hazleton will lose this game to Berwick in the Dawg Pound. Hazleton 14 Berwick 20
October 29th, 2008 at 1:13 am
dawgs win pretty easy the dawgs defence is to strong for hazleton O dawgs 34 hazleton 6
October 29th, 2008 at 1:05 am
this game is a big one but not the big because berwick has a number 2 seed locked up and do the DAWGS go for it are do they take it easy they let it all out and go for the win they go for the win and they got it DAWGS 26 COUGARS 13 GO DAWGS FINISH STRONG GOOD LUCK