YATESVILLE — As North Pocono’s Cole West was in the process of ripping off his second 20-plus yard run of the third quarter, the public address announcer at Pittston’s Charley Trippi Stadium was caught with a hot microphone.
“Oh, not this guy again,” the PA announcer said not so quietly to a stadium full of fans.
Everybody on the Pittston sideline could understand his frustration. Even those on North Pocono’s sideline could empathize.
West dominated the second half of Friday’s football game. Every time Pittston threw a punch to cut into a two-score Trojans lead, West threw a counter-punch to keep the Patriots at bay in a 34-21 North Pocono win.
West carried five times for 102 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the second half last night. He also caught a 71-yard touchdown pass. And for good measure he also intercepted a pass on defense.
“Cole West is a big, talented, physical kid,” Pittston coach Paul Russick said. “It was so impressive to watch. He’s going to be a good college football player someday, and we just couldn’t stop him.”
North Pocono coach Greg Dolhon, without hesitation, said the idea in the second half, with the Trojans holding a slim 14-7 lead, was to simply get the football in West’s hands. The junior carried twice in the first half for just 8 yards and was held without a catch. So with starting running back Joe Briskie out of the game with a shoulder injury, Dolhon just wanted the football in West’s hands.
So they called a quick hitch pass to the 6-foot-2, 195-pounder on the second play of the third quarter. West made the reception, quickly spun out of a tackle, and outraced the Pittston defense to the end zone for a 71-yard score. It stole all the momentum Pittston had built scoring with less than a minute to go in the first half. It pushed the North Pocono lead back to two scores. And it once again forced the Patriots to play catch-up.
“I think sometimes we tend to complicate football (as coaches),” Dolhon said. “Football is about putting the ball in the hands of your best players. We really had to give the ball to (West), and he answered the bell.”
North Pocono had a wildcat package in its back pocket built around West carrying the football. They didn’t show it in a Week 1 blowout of Nanticoke. But with Briskie on the sideline and both quarterback Chase Zimmerman (9 carries, 45 yards, 2 touchdowns) and Jayden Taylor (20 carries, 107 yards) grinding out yards on the ground, West handling the snap in the backfield gave the Trojans just a little different wrinkle, one Russick said the Patriots weren’t ready for at the volume North Pocono used it.
First it was a direct snap which West took over the right side to scoot 49 yards for a touchdown to answer a Pittston score which got the Patriots within one score. Then it was a 20-yard run which set up the Trojans just outside of the red zone midway through the fourth quarter. Two plays later, West went off the left side 28 yards for his second rushing touchdown of the half.
His three carries bridging the third and fourth quarters totaled 97 of his 102 rushing yards. And both his touchdown runs were gut-punches to a Pittston team which fought valiantly to keep itself in the game.
“We didn’t want to show it off last week, but we definitely had it set up,” West said. “It all starts with the line, and then it goes to the receivers blocking on the outside, too.”
“It’s just a hunch and a feeling when you go to that,” Dolhon said. “All the credit to our backup tailback Jayden Taylor and our quarterback for running hard, but then all of a sudden you get to say ‘hey, let’s get the ball to this beast.’ (West) is electric.”
Each of Pittston’s three scores Friday trimmed its deficit to a single score. First it was a Brody Spindler 3-yard scoring run at the end of the first half to get the Patriots within 14-7. Then it was a Steven Barnic 26-yard touchdown reception from Paulie Ferentino on a broken coverage that made it 21-14. Then it was the second Spindler touchdown run from a yard out in the fourth quarter that got Pittston within 27-21.
It was the kind of fight Russick was hoping to see, even if the night didn’t end in a win.
“I’m really proud of their effort. This is going to help us later on,” Russick said. “They fought tooth and nail. But they obviously won more plays than we did.”
North Pocono 34, Pittston 21
North Pocono 7 7 13 7 – 34
Pittston 0 7 7 7 – 21
First quarter
NP—Chase Zimmerman 10 run (Shane Youngblood kick), :46
Second quarter
NP—Zimmerman 2 run (Youngblood kick), 5:57
P—Brody Spindler 3 run (Cole Baldwin kick), :27
Third quarter
NP—Cole West 71 pass from Zimmerman (Youngblood kick), 11:07
P—Steven Barnic 26 pass from Paulie Ferentino (Baldwin kick), 7:15
NP—West 49 run (kick failed), 1:59
Fourth quarter
P—Spindler 1 run (Baldwin kick), 10:18
NP—West 28 run (Youngblood kick), 7:12
NP PA
First downs 21 14
Rushes-yds 46-305 33-134
Com-att-int 6-9-0 10-19-2
Pass yards 133 139
Total yards 438 273
Fumbles-lost 2-2 1-0
Penalties-yards 5-25 7-55
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing—North Pocono, Cole West, 7-110, 2 TDs; Jayden Taylor, 20-107; Chase Zimmerman, 9-45, 2 TDs; Josiah Grey, 4-21; Joe Briskie, 2-13; Aidan Maguire, 2-11; Team, 2-(-2). Pittston, Jude Ferentino, 20-83; Lucas LoPresto, 4-28; Brody Spindler, 8-18, 2 TDs; Paulie Ferentino, 1-5.
Passing—North Pocono, Zimmerman, 6-9-0, 133 yds., TD. Pittston, P. Ferentino, 10-19-2, 139 yds., TD.
Receiving—North Pocono, West, 2-81, TD; Maguire, 2-18; Evan Wolff, 1-25; Henry Wolff, 1-9. Pittston, John Jadus, 4-70; Steven Barnic, 3-40, TD; LoPresto, 2-26; Spindler, 1-3.
INTERCEPTIONS—North Pocono (2), West, Tate Bowen.
RECORDS: North Pocono (2-0); Pittston (1-1).