"Stunning" is the first word that comes to mind to describe the Warriors 15-14 loss to Lake Lehman. Even having been outplayed for most of the game, the Warriors had a 14-7 lead and the ball near mid field with under 2 minutes to play. An untimely fumble gave Lake Lehman the ball at the Warrriors 40 yard line with 1:40 left and no timeouts. Having to pass every down, Lehman converted a 4th and 15, then eventually scored a TD with 25 seconds left. Lehman decided to go for "2"--made all that much easier when the Warriors were penalized for having too many men on the field. It was the second bitter loss for the Warriors in three years against Lehman. In 2010, the Warriors squandered a 26-0 first quarter lead enroute to a tough loss. In this game, the Warriors were up 14-0 in the second half, but could not hold on.
To Lake Lehman's credit--they outplayed the Warriors, moving the ball much more effectively on the ground through the entire game. The Black Knights ran for 231 yards behind the strong performance of 240 lb fullback Dustin Jones. Although the Black Knights moved the ball well up and down the field for three quarters, they seemed to stall when in the red zone. On the other hand, a second quarter 36 yard TD strike from Nick O'Brien to Cody Schmitz gave the Warriors a 7-0 lead at halftime. In the third quarter, the Warriors mounted a nice drive with Jordan Zezza at QB and O'Brien at tailback. O'Brien's 20 yard run with 4:32 remaining in the third gave the Warriors a seemingly comfortable 14-0 lead.
However, the Black Knights' running game finally took a toll on the undermanned and wounded Warriors. Dustin Jones' 3 yard run cut the score to 14-7. With less than three minutes to play, it looked like the Warriors had the game in hand. With a first down on their own 40, QB Zezza took a knee. Apparently, an official informed the WA staff that Lake Lehman had no time outs left. In reality, they had one, and immediately stopped the clock. An O'Brien run on second down lost a yard, setting up a 3rd and 11 at the 40. Zezza took the snap under center--a Lehman linebacker shot through the gap, disrupted the play, and caused a fumble after Zezza tried to hand the ball off to O'Brien. With no timeouts remaining, Lehman worked their way down the field, converting a 4th and 15. Hillman's 10 yard TD pass to Tommy Donvan made the score 14-13 with 24 seconds left. Lake Lehman converted the two points and the game was over.
Again, Lake Lehman deserved to win the game as they outgained the Warriors 288 to 213 yards. While it is no excuse, the Warriors entered the game with four starters out from inuries suffered during the Mid Valley game (Erzar, Dimick, Pegg, and Lumley), and an additional two or three that were dinged up. In a physical game like this, the Warriors lack of depth caught up with them. While some people think that the Warriors should have taken a knee for three snaps and kicked the ball away--you can also argue that punting the ball might have been a dangerous alternative. Of couse hindsight is 20/20 when it comes to football games.
Warrior fans are getting used to heartbreaking losses. In 2010, it was Lake Lehman, in 2011-Western Wayne, and now Lake Lehman again. LIke the 2010 and 2011 teams learned--there is nothing you can do about the past. The team must now take care of what is ahead of them. The 2010 and 2011 teams faced their early season adversity and found themselves in post season championship games. How will the 2012 team react? -- Nick Perugini
Lake-Lehman scores TD with 24 seconds left and converts two-pointer for win.
DEREK LEVARSE
LEHMAN TWP. — The sideline huddle broke and Jerry Gilsky gave his bruising fullback a quick pat on top of his helmet.
Dustin Jones was going to get the ball. With the game on the line, there was no doubt about it.
“Oh, absolutely,” Gilsky said.
The Lake-Lehman coach had just watched his team force a fumble and march down the field for a touchdown in less than a minute. With all of the momentum, Gilsky didn’t hesitate to go for the 2-point conversion and an improbable 15-14 win over Wyoming Area on Friday – the early favorite for best finish in the Wyoming Valley Conference season.
Rolling to his left, quarterback Bill Hillman found Tommy Donovan in the back of the end zone with 24 seconds left. A Wyoming Area penalty moved the Black Knights (2-1) a yard closer for the 2-point try, and Jones crashed through the line for the winning conversion.
Jones and the Knights’ relentless ground game wore down a stout Warriors defense, as Jones picked up 78 of his 135 yards in the second half.
“Teams know we want to run. They put a lot of guys of guys in the box,” Gilsky said. “We said, ‘Screw it. We’re still running the ball.’”
Wyoming Area had given up just 24 points over the first two games, and was pitching a shutout on the road through three quarters on Friday. Nick O’Brien threw a 36-yard touchdown to Cody Schmitz in the second quarter and ran one in himself from 20 yards out in the third.
But Jones capped off a 12-play drive with a 3-yard score with 10:40 to play to pull the Knights within 14-7.
When the Warriors (1-2) snuffed out a Lehman drive by forcing an incompletion on fourth down with 1:49 to go, it felt all but over.
Lake-Lehman stayed alert.
The Knights used their final timeout after a kneeldown, forcing the Warriors to call two tosses to O’Brien. But on the second one, he was quickly met in the backfield by Pete Borum and Brady Butler, jarring the ball loose.
Lehman recovered on the Wyoming Area 40 and had 1:09 left to make something happen.
“We had to run a couple extra plays,” Wyoming Area coach Randy Spencer said. “We did everything we could. It wasn’t for a lack of effort.
“We came in with a few guys (injured), so we had a few young guys in there playing some significant roles. But regardless of that, Lehman ran hard. Dustin ran hard. They did what they had to do. They shortened the game and limited what our big players could do. So hats off to them.”
Hillman, who came into the game with three completions on the season, doubled that on the decisive drive. He found Butler right at the sticks on fourth-and-15 to keep his team alive. Then he connected with John Van Scoy for 20 yards down to the 10.
After a spike to stop the clock, he threw the scoring strike to Donovan to set up the win.
“Bill, since the offseason, he’s been working at it, working at it – building confidence,” Gilsky said. “Every week he’s getting that confidence. And he did an outstanding job today. He kept in control, he looked for open guys, kept his shoulders square.
“I’m proud of him. I’m proud of everyone. … I’m proud of our kids. I’m proud of Lake-Lehman. A lot of fans came to the game, and this is the atmosphere we want here.”
Lake-Lehman 15, Wyoming Area 14
Wyoming Area
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Lake-Lehman
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CITIZENS VOICE ARTICLE
Gamble pays off for Black Knights
By Matt Raymond (Correspondent)
Published: September 15, 2012
LEHMAN TWP. - With 24 seconds remaining and an extra point standing between Jerry Gilsky's Lake-Lehman Black Knights and eventual overtime, the coach never thought twice - even before a 12-man penalty inched the ball closer to the goal line. He was riding the horse that got him there.
The final two yards of Dustin Jones' 110-yard night didn't count toward his rushing total, but when the bruising tailback dove into the end zone for a 2-point conversion, he sealed the fate of the heavily favored Wyoming Area Warriors by a final score of 15-14.
"Dustin made that mistake when he jumped offsides," Gilsky said of Jones' false start penalty on a crucial fourth-and-3 with less than two minutes left in the game. "My philosophy is when a kid makes a mistake, you make up for it afterward and he scored."
Jones' penalty earlier in the fourth could have spelled doom for the Black Knights. Trailing 14-7 with less than two minutes remaining, Lake-Lehman (2-1) was lining up for one more Jones blast up the middle to keep the potential game-tying drive alive. After the penalty, an incomplete pass gave Wyoming Area the ball back with 1:49 to play.
Trying to run out the clock, however, Warrior quarterback Nick O'Brien, who rushed for 77 yards and a touchdown, was met in the backfield and the ball was jarred loose. Alex Major arose from the pile with the ball and the Knights had new life with 1:09 left on the clock.
Quarterback Brian Hillman took over, completing clutch pass after clutch pass. First he found Brady Butler on a fourth-and-15 for 21 yards over the middle. Then, again over the middle, Hillman hit a streaking John Van Scoy for 20 yards, setting up first-and-goal from the 10.
After a spike, Hillman rolled to his left, watched the defense collapse and found Tom Donovan all alone in the back of the end zone. In all, Hillman was 5 of 12 for 57 yards and the game-winning score.
"Bill faced a lot during the offseason, working at it and working at and building confidence each week," Gilsky said. "He did an outstanding job today. He stayed under control, found three open guys.
"I'm proud of him. I'm proud of everybody."
Wyoming Area got the ball back with but a completion and failed Hail Mary brought the clock to triple zeroes and put the finishing touches on the upset.
Wyoming Area (1-2) struggled all night to stop the Lehman rushing attack. Led by Jones, the Black Knights tallied 203 yards on 48 carries. The effect the bruising attack had on the Warriors was evident in the decisive fourth quarter when Lehman scored all 15 of its points.
"Lehman is very strong with some good size up front," Wyoming Area coach Randy Spencer said. "Dustin Jones is a good, hard, downhill runner and we came in a few guys short and we had some young guys playing key roles, but regardless of that, Lehman ran hard, Dustin ran hard, and they got on the edge a bit with their jet sweep."
"We play the role player card. If every kid is a role player, no matter what it is, we'll get the job done," Gilsky said. "There's still a lot more to improve on. We're not there yet, but our kids are willing to work to get on that level."
GAME PREVIEW
Ask any Wyoming Area football fan and most will tell you that the “tough part of the schedule is over.” After splitting their first two games with 2011 playoff teams, Scranton Prep and Mid Valley, the Warriors take on 1 and 1 Lake Lehman at Edward H. Edwards stadium this Friday night. It would be a huge mistake for the Warriors to overlook this Black Knights team.
Last week, Lake Lehman had their way with Montrose 49-0. In that game, the Black Knights ran for 364 yards and amassed 25 first downs. They also added 79 yards through the air. Montrose obviously is not a powerhouse this year, but Lake Lehman's big offensive line and their ball control running attack will be a challenge the Warriors will have to contend with. Although they were blown out by a great Old Forge team in Week 1, 50-14, the Black Knights hung with them in the first half, trailing 10-7 at halftime.
The Black Knights leading rusher is junior fullback Dustin Jones(#35), 39 rushes, 227 yds, 3 TDs, followed by Sophomore running back John Van Scoy(#22) who has tallied 19 rushes for 148 yards, 3TDs. Senior Quarterback Bill Hillman is 3 for 15 passing on the year for 74 yards and 2 INTs. Lake Lehman likes to run—and run straight at you, with a lot of 2 tight end sets—basic smash mouth football behind a big offensive line—three yards and a cloud of dust.
Who are these 2012 Warriors? After averaging 40 points a game in 2011, the Warriors offense has managed a total of only 34 points in the first two games. At the same time, the Warriors defense in 2011 gave up 22 points a game. This year’s Warriors defense has given up 12 points per game—against two 2011 playoff teams. After Scranton Prep spanked Western Wayne last weekend, we can surmise that Scranton Prep is a very good 3A football team, and one that the Warriors were able to stand toe to toe with (and outgain in total yardage.) The Warriors fumbled 7 times (losing 3) against Mid Valley. Add in a few inopportune penalties, and you had a relatively close game.
The game versus Lake Lehman should tell us a little more about this Warrior team. Will they be able to stand toe to toe with a team that will want to control the ball by running it straight at them? Will this be the week that the Warriors break out with an offensive explosion? They are due.
While the offensive line hasn’t been able to open the same kind of gaping holes we saw last year, the defensive line (mostly the same guys from offense) has done a stellar job in stopping the opponents' running game. Last game, Zak LaNunziata was moved to linebacker and joined Jeff Skursky. Both had outstanding games. Marty Michaels at nose guard also played extremely well as did Trent Grove. Cody Schmitz and Jordan Zezza have really stepped up their toughness factor on defense. And when all else breaks down—O’Brien still hits ball carriers like a ton of bricks.
At the end of the third quarter against Mid Valley, O’Brien took off his helmet, and in an emotional outburst, implored his teammates to finish the game off strong—and they responded by dominating play in the fourth quarter. I’d like to see more of this kind of leadership and emotion from O’Brien and the other seniors on the team throughout the game—especially when things are not going that well.
Looks like we will be broadcasting the game on Friday, as we have a spot in the press box. See you there.-- Nick Perugini
