WEST PITTSTON – Wyoming Area played host to the 74th annual UNICO All-Star Game on a chilly and wet Wednesday night in the heart of District 2. Many seniors who played in the Wyoming Valley Conference put their uniforms on for the final time in their football careers. When all was said and done, several players from the home school played a key role in the Pioneers 21-7 victory over the Miners. Wyoming Area running back Lidge Kellum took home MVP honors, as he rushed for 211 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries.
“It’s always great in terms of experience and the kids that you get a chance to have some time with,” Wyoming Area and Pioneers coach Randy Spencer said. “We talk about what a challenging window this is for high school seniors. They’re pulled in a lot of different directions and have a lot of different, significant events going on, but that is what it is. The kids were able to give us the time that they did, but I think the most important time was the time actually at the game, obviously. It was competed at a high level by both teams. They competed through some adversity. When it got a little bit testy, they were able to reel that back in, and maintain the high character of the game. We’re very proud of that, and I think (Wyoming Valley West and Miners) Coach (Bob) Stelma would be as well.”
Early on, it was special teams that set up the Pioneers for their first score. Wyoming Area’s Nate Obrzut blocked a punt following a dropped snap, and his Warriors’ teammate Anthony DeLucca scored on a 2-yard quarterback sneak just one play later. It wouldn’t take long for the Pioneers to extend that lead to 14-0. Kellum got his huge night started by breaking off a 34-yard run the first time he touched the ball. Two plays later, Kellum crossed the goal line from 15 yards out off the left side with 4:47 left in the opening quarter.
“Obviously special teams gave us a short field,” Spencer said. “You push that first one in there, it’s always nice to be kind of running downhill a little bit in a game like this. But to their credit, they were able to come back and had an opportunity to make it a one-score game. They made a turnover, and then we came back and got a turnover, so guys made big plays throughout the game.”
Kellum continued to show just how explosive he was for Wyoming Area throughout his career. This time, Kellum took a handoff, and was off to the races for a 68-yard touchdown with 10:10 left before halftime. Later in the first half, Kellum hauled in a 30-yard pass from DeLucca, and narrowly missed throwing a touchdown pass on a halfback option play that opened the second half. Kellum was a no-brainer pick for MVP, as he tallied 160 of his rushing yards before halftime.
“It’s special for our guys to play one more here, and Lidge took full advantage of that,” Spencer said. “Again, you just see the special talent he is. He had a great experience with the East-West game, had a quality game there, and then he kind of came out and put it on display tonight, but his teammates certainly did a great job of putting him in that position.”
Just when it looked like the Pioneers would run away and hide, their offensive sputtered in the second half. Turnovers on the opening two possessions after halftime provided an opportunity for the Miners to make things interesting. The first fumble, which was recovered by Nate Malarkey of Dallas, eventually got cashed in for points. Dallas quarterback was on the receiving end on a 11-yard touchdown pass from Dylan Geskey on a successful halfback option with 8:56 left in the third quarter.
“We’ve been practicing all week drawing up plays with this new team,” Zapoticky said. “In the huddle, we were actually just like, ‘Hey Dylan, do you want to throw the football?’ So, I tossed it to Dylan, I ran a wheel, and the rest is history. I caught a pass in the end zone.”
Trailing by two scores, the Miners had a couple of chances to provide some late-game drama, but the Pioneers’ defense would have none of it. Zapoticky was stopped on a 4th-and-1 run at the Pioneers 33 yard-line, and another drive ended with an interception by Wyoming Area’s Brady Jones. The Pioneers defense intercepted three passes on the night.
“I thought the defense was great throughout the game,” Spencer said. “For a game like this and kids that only have a short period of time together, I really thought cohesively, they played pretty well as a unit defensively.”
Zapoticky, who will continue his football career at Shippensburg University in the fall, led the Miners with 42 passing yards and 23 rushing yards respectively. He was one of the big playmakers on a Dallas team that made it to the PIAA Class 4A state championship game in 2023. Like Spencer, Zapoticky viewed his experience in the game as nothing but positive.
“I met a lot of new people and a lot of great coaches,” Zapoticky said. “It’s been such a fun experience learning new stuff from different environments other than Dallas. It’s been a great time.’
