Times Leader – Tom Robinson
WEST PITTSTON – When Lakeland coach Jeff Wasilchak put in a trick play this week, Chiefs quarterback C.J. Dippre was not convinced he would ever get to execute it in a game.
Surprise.
Wasilchak not only opened the game with a flea flicker, he went back to it late.
The two trick plays led to Lakeland touchdowns in the first three minutes and the last seven seconds of Saturday night’s game and led the Chiefs to a 21-14 upset of previously unbeaten Wyoming Area in the District 2 Class 3A football semifinals.
Dippre handed to tailback Giovanni Spataro, who headed toward the line, then pitched back to Dippre on the plays. That gave time for speedster Thomas Pidgeon to sprint down the right sideline where he caught passes for 40 and 44 yards.
“I was surprised we ran it first of all,” said Dippre, a 6-foot-5, 245-pound sophomore quarterback who threw for 167 yards and ran for the winning touchdown. “We put it in this Monday at practice.
“I never knew we were going to run it. We have a bunch of trick plays that we never ran.”
The first connection, on Lakeland’s first play after Wyoming Area had fumbled away the first play from scrimmage, set up the opening score as the Chiefs ran out to a 14-0 lead.
The second completion combined with a series of costly Wyoming Area penalties down the stretch to turn back an impressive comeback by the Warriors.
“We came back to it again and it worked,” Dippre said. “It put us in the spot to win the game.”
Dippre, who finished 7-for-10 with a touchdown, found Pidgeon for 44 yards to the Wyoming Area 7-yard line with 20.8 seconds left.
“In that situation, you can’t let anybody behind you whether it’s a special play or just a snap and somebody running by you,” said Wyoming Area coach Randy Spencer, who credited Pidgeon for making the play on the catch.
With the teams jockeying for position and using up their timeouts, Lakeland hit one pass to the 3 and missed on a throw into the end zone.
The incompletion, however, was followed by consecutive penalties. The first was either pass interference or a personal foul, which is what the official signaled, and the second was unsportsmanlike conduct on the Warriors for their reaction.
Dippre then pushed it in from the 1 for the winning score.
The quarterback said the Chiefs were going for the touchdown, not trying to win with a field goal, the entire way.
“We didn’t want to kick it,” Dippre said. “We figured we want to go for the win; we want to go for it all.”
Lakeland followed up the first flea flicker for 40 yards with a Giovanni Spataro 5-yard touchdown run on the next play.
That was just the start of an early dominance by the Chiefs, who will travel to top-seeded Scranton Prep for next weekend’s district championship game.
Lakeland outgained Wyoming Area 173-15 in the first 20 minutes. Dippre hit Colin Walsh with a 46-yard touchdown one play after a failed fake punt by the Warriors, who needed a pair of fourth-down stops in their territory to keep the second-quarter deficit down to 14-0.
Dominic DeLuca, who accounted for 165 of Wyoming Area’s 179 yards total offense with 1,000-yard rusher Corey Mruk on crutches on the sideline, led a drive that cut the deficit in half by halftime.
DeLuca completed two passes for 37 yards, then ran twice in a row from the 17 to complete the drive with 38.7 seconds left in the second quarter.
Wyoming Area kept pushing, tying the game and generating the better chances of breaking that tie before the final minute.
“Initially they did a great job coming out and establishing the run,” Spencer said. “I think we came back and kind of evened it out a little bit.
“We played well, then got into a situation to potentially get into overtime, but then they hit the big play and finished it on the short field.”
The tying score came on a 94-yard drive that took 5:45 off the clock in the third quarter.
DeLuca was 4-for-4 for 60 yards passing and ran four times for 31 yards, including the 10-yard touchdown, in that drive.
The Warriors were pinned at the 6 because they were penalized on an unnecessary block on a punt that was not even going to be returned.
Penalties hurt again when the Warriors returned a punt to the Lakeland 33 with 1:18 left.
Instead, an illegal block that did not help the return man, cost the Warriors 10 yards and an unsportsmanlike penalty in the aftermath moved the ball back 15 more.
Wyoming Area stalled, then punted 8 yards into the wind, setting up the winning sequence for Lakeland, which regained possession at its 49 with 29.1 seconds left.
District 2 Class 3A Semifinal
Lakeland 21, Wyoming Area 14
Lakeland`7`7`0`7`—`21
Wyoming Area`0`7`7`0`—`14
First quarter
LAKE – Giovanni Spataro 5 run (Billy Good kick), 11:23
Second quarter
LAKE – Colin Walsh 46 pass from C.J. Dippre (Good kick), 5:29
WA – Dominic DeLuca 10 run (Aleah Kranson kick), 0:38.5
Third quarter
WA – DeLuca 17 run (Kranson kick), 0:41.0
Fourth quarter
LAKE – Dippre 1 run (Good kick), 0:06.9
Team statistics`LAK`WA
First downs`14`14
Rushes-yards`35-117`34-90
Passing yards`167`89
Total yards`284`179
Passing`7-10-0`8-14-0
Sacked-yards lost`2-11`2-13
Punts-avg.`4-27.3`3-17.7
Fumbles-lost`1-0`3-1
Penalties-yards`9-83`10-72
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — LAKE, Giovanni Spataro 20-81, Josh Kovaleski 5-31, Thomas Pidgeon 2-11, C.J. Dippre 8-minus 6. WA, Dominic DeLuca 21-76, Nick Elko 3-12, Leo Haros 7-12, Zajquay Williamson 1-10, Brian Williams 1-minus 8, Team 1-minus 12.
PASSING — LAKE, Dippre 7-10-0-167. WA, DeLuca 8-14-0-89.
RECEIVING — LAKE, Pidgeon 3-84, Spataro 3-37, Walsh 1-46. WA, Williams 3-68, Haros 2-11, Derek Ambrosino 1-18, Cameron Carr 1-minus 3, DeLuca 1-minus 6.
INTERCEPTIONS — None.
MISSED FIELD GOALS – None.

Citizens Voice – Steve Bennet
WEST PITTSTON — Lakeland fooled Wyoming Area once, and it helped set up a quick touchdown. Lakeland fooled the Warriors twice, and it led to the game-winner.
Lakeland went to its bag of tricks early on its first possession and called for a flea-flicker on its first offensive play of the game. The Chiefs used it again on its next to last possession of the game and it was enough for Lakeland quarterback CJ Dippre to score from 1 yard out as the Chiefs defeated Wyoming Area, 21-14, Saturday night at Wyoming Area in the Class 3A district semifinals.
The win sends the Chiefs to next week’s championship game, where they will play defending champ Scranton Prep. Wyoming Area’s only loss of the year ended its season, as the Warriors finished 11-1.
“They think we are going to run the clock out at the end,” Lakeland coach Jeff Wasilchak said. “I said that nobody thinks you would run a flea-flicker twice in one game. I figured take a shot. The kids executed it.”
Lakeland’s final possession began at its own 49-yard line following a Wyoming Area punt. Dippre hit Thomas Pidgeon on the flea-flicker for a 45-yard gain. After a screen pass picked up 3 yards, the Warriors were called for a defensive pass interference in the end zone and an unsportsmanlike penalty that moved the ball to the 1-yard line.
On the ensuing snap, Dippre called his own number and bulled his way into the end zone to put the Chiefs ahead for good with :6.9 remaining in the game.
“It’s a situation where you can’t let anybody behind you whether it is a special play or a regular snap,” Wyoming Area coach Randy Spencer said of Lakeland’s trick play. “It was something we talked about going back on the field. (Pidgeon) made a play on the ball.”
The same combination on the flea-flicker in the first quarter helped the Chiefs take a quick 7-0 lead. After Lakeland recovered a Wyoming Area fumble, Dippre and Pidgeon connected on a 40-yard pass play down to the Wyoming Area 5-yard line. On the next snap, Giovanni Spataro scored to give the Chiefs the quick lead 37 seconds into the game.
Faced with a fourth-and-four from their own 46, Wyoming Area called for a fake punt, but Dom DeLuca’s pass fell incomplete. Lakeland went to work quickly, and Dippre hit Colin Walsh on a 46-yard touchdown pass to make it 14-0.
But the Warriors responded.
DeLuca scored from the 9-yard line near the end of the first half to cut the Lakeland lead in half. He then added an 18-yard touchdown run near the end of the third quarter to even the score. But the Warriors could not find their offensive rhythm in the fourth quarter, and the Chiefs capitalized on the big play to move on to next week’s title game.
“We certainly didn’t play our best football early,” Spencer said. “The response was there and we put ourselves in position. There were some key things in those situations. A few penalties took us from a short field to where we were backed up. Lakeland did a great job tonight. We were right there, just hoping to have a different finish.”
Lakeland 7 7 0 7 — 21
Wyoming Area 0 7 7 0 — 14
First quarter
LAK - Spataro 5 run (Good kick), 11:23
Second quarter
LAK - Walsh 46 pass from Dippre (Good kick), 5:29
WA- DeLuca 9 run (Kranson kick), :38.5
Third quarter
WA - DeLuca 18 run (Kranson kick), :41.0
Fourth quarter
LAK - Dippre 1 run (Good kick), :6.9
Team statistics
LAK WA
First Downs 12 14
Rushing-Att-Yards 35-115 36-91
Comp-Att-Int 7-11-0 8-14-0
Passing Yards 167 92
Total Yards 282 183
Fumbles-Lost 1-0 4-2
Penalties-Yards 11-113 10-89
Individual statistics
Rushing: LAK – G.Spataro 20-86, 1 TD; J.Kovaleski 5-25; T.Pidgeon 2-10; C.Dippre 8-(-6), 1 TD. WA – D.DeLuca 22-76, 2 TDs; L.Haros 8-13; N.Elko 3-12; Z.Williamson 1-9; B.Williams 1-(-7); Team - 1-(-12).
Passing: LAK – C.Dippre 7-11-0, 167, 1 TD. WA – D.DeLuca 8-14-0, 92.
Receiving: LAK – T.Pidgeon 3-85; G.Spataro 3-36; C.Walsh 1-46, 1 TD. WA – B.Williams 3-68; L.Haros 2-11; D.DeLuca 1-(-1); D.Ambrosino 1-17; C.Carr 1-(-3).

Times Leader     By Tom Robinson
WEST PITTSTON — Wyoming Area keeps losing players that would seem hard to replace, then winning football games easily.
Next-man-up rules have applied to the entire season, even if that man happens to be a freshman.
Freshman Leo Haros ran for 123 yards and three touchdowns — all in the first half — as the Warriors opened the postseason with a 44-0 rout over visiting Hanover Area in a District 2 Class 3A quarterfinal Friday night.
Haros was pressed into a busier night when 1,000-yard rusher Corey Mruk was carted off the field after suffering a lower leg injury just over two minutes into the game.
While Mruk waited for X-ray results at a local hospital, the Warriors kept on rolling through the rain and the mud at Jake Sobeski Stadium, opening up a 38-0 halftime lead.
Wyoming Area held Hanover Area to minus-10 yards rushing, just three first downs and only 13 yards total offense.
The only time the Hawkeyes got closer than the Warriors’ 39 was when Wyoming Area could not get off a punt in the deteriorating conditions in the third quarter. Hanover Area took over that time at the Wyoming Area 25, but lost yardage on three of four plays and gave it back at the 35.
Wyoming Area got the maximum 24 points from its first three possessions, then converted turnovers into two more touchdowns in the last three minutes of the second quarter to make sure the entire second half was played under the Mercy Rule.
The rain and the matchup kept it from feeling much like a playoff atmosphere. Weather contributed to keeping the size of the crowd down and there was little suspense after Wyoming Area won the same matchup on the same field two weeks ago 56-7 by opening a 49-point halftime lead.
The intrigue could begin next week when the second-seeded Warriors (11-0) host third-seeded Lakeland (8-3). The Chiefs won the Lackawanna Conference Division 3 title by ending Dunmore’s seven-year, 43-game divisional winning streak last week.
Mruk picked up 33 yards on four carries before leaving in the middle of the game-opening, 56-yard scoring drive.
Haros completed the drive with a 10-yard run, then added the two-point conversion with 7:03 left in the first quarter for an 8-0 lead. He started picking up yards more regularly on the second drive, getting 44 on the first four plays to start a march that he completed with a 17-yard run on the first play of the second quarter.
Dominic DeLuca added the two-pointer for a 16-0 lead.
Haros, DeLuca and Zajquay Williamson all wound up running for at least one touchdown and one two-point conversion.
Field position contributed to the remaining three second-quarter touchdowns.
Brian Williams returned a punt 30 yards to the Hanover Area 45, setting up a 5-yard run by Haros with 8:15 left.
Dillon Williams returned an interception 17 yards to the 7 and Williamson scored from the 5. Williamson added his second straight two-point run for a 32-0 lead.
Jacob Williams forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff and Jake Busch recovered at the 34.
DeLuca scored from the 1 in the last minute of the half.
Jevani Sancho ran 66 yards for the last score in the fourth quarter.
Sammy Solomon, a Wyoming Valley West transfer and Division I prospect, returned to the Wyoming Area lineup for the first time since hurting his leg opening night. Solomon started in the defensive line and served as a blocking back on the two-point conversion runs.
Wyoming Area 44, Hanover Area 0
Hanover Area`0`0`0`0`—`0
Wyoming Area`8`30`0`6`—`44
First quarter
WA – Leo Haros 3 run (Haros run), 7:03
Second quarter
WA – Haros 17 run (Dominic DeLuca run), 11:54
WA – Haros 5 run (Zajquay Williamson run), 8:15
WA – Williamson 5 run (Williamson run), 2:43
WA – DeLuca 1 run (pass failed), 0:50.6
Third quarter
None
Fourth quarter
WA – Jevani Sancho 66 run (run failed), 4:10
Team statistics`HA`WA
First downs`3`16
Rushes-yards`20-(-10)`45-279
Passing yards`23`9
Total yards`13`288
Passing`2-7-2`1-3-0
Sacked-yards lost`1-10`0-0
Punts-avg.`5-33.8`1-35.0
Fumbles-lost`3-1`3-0
Penalties-yards`3-32`7-40
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — HA, Peter Hibard 13-8, James McCabe 1-1, Aaron Hummer 3-minus 2, Tanner Bednarski 1-minus 2, Auggie George 2-minus 15. WA, Leo Haros 20-123, Jevani Sancho 3-78, Corey Mruk 4-33, Dominic DeLuca 5-33, Zajquay Williamson 3-12, Colby Gashi 2-9, Enzo Scotto-Diluzio 3-6, F.J. Braccini 1-4, Jacob Williams 1-minus 3, Team 1-minus 4, Blaise Sokach-Minnich 2-minus 12.
PASSING — HA, AHummer 2-6-2-23, George 0-1-0-0. WA, DeLuca 1-2-0-9, JWilliams 0-1-0-0.
RECEIVING — HA, Bobby Sadecky 1-12, Connor Hummer 1-11. WA, Braccini 1-9.
INTERCEPTIONS — HA, None. WA, Dillon Williams 1-17, Braccini 1-6.
MISSED FIELD GOALS – None.

Citizens Voice By Matt Bufano
WEST PITTSTON — Freshman Leo Haros had his share of big moments in the regular season.
Haros, the backup tailback at Wyoming Area, ran the ball 25 times for 194 yards with three total touchdowns over 10 games.
“Leo has done a great job all year,” said Wyoming Area head coach Randy Spencer. “Coming up as a freshman, he’s established a position in our secondary and has played extremely well. He has taken advantage of opportunities throughout the year.”
The latest opportunity presented itself in the first quarter Friday night, when 1,000-yard rusher Corey Mruk left with an ankle injury.
Haros stepped in and played like a seasoned veteran, scoring three touchdowns with 122 yards on 19 carries in the Warriors’ 44-0 rout of Hanover Area in the District 2 Class 3A quarterfinals.
“He’s helped me a lot — off the field, in practice, on the field — with everything,” Haros, who’s listed at 5-foot-9, 145 pounds, said of Mruk. “Corey’s a big guy. I’m not that built. I’m more elusive than anything.”
That elusiveness was on display with Haros’ touchdown runs of 10, 17 and 5 yards on the Warriors’ first three possessions, giving them a 24-0 lead that was never threatened.
The undefeated two-seed Warriors (11-0) advance to host No. 3 Lakeland (8-3) next Friday in the semifinals. Hanover Area’s (3-8) season is finished.
Spencer said Mruk’s injury is still being evaluated — “Fingers crossed, we’re hoping it’s something he can come back from” — but the Warriors did have good news on the injury front.
Division I recruit Sammy Solomon, who hadn’t played since Week 1, was involved in several tackles from the defensive tackle position.
Together, Solomon and his teammates on the defensive side of the ball held Hanover Area to minus-10 rushing yards and 25 passing yards.
“It’s always up front on the defensive line,” Solomon said. “O-line, D-line, we always focus in practice about what we do on the line. We take care of business up front.”
That goes for the offensive line, which started four seniors (Cameron Carr, Michael Amato, Matt Wycoski, Patrick Nelson) and sophomore Bryce Hinkle and allowed its rushing game to average 6.4 yards per carry.
“Just had to lean on our guys up front and our running game, for sure, on a night like tonight,” Spencer said. “Ball security was No. 1. And then to have Corey go out with that injury, we’re challenged from that respect of guys having to step up. I thought Leo Haros, a freshman, and Zajquay Williamson stepped up and did a great job filling that role.”
Given the wet and muddy conditions caused by Friday’s nonstop rain, Wyoming Area threw only two passes. The Warriors also opted to not kick extra points, instead going 4 for 6 on two-point conversions.
In addition to Haros, Williamson (six carries, 33 yards), Dominic DeLuca (five carries, 33 yards) and Jevani Sancho (four carries, 79 yards) each scored touchdowns for WA.
Trailing 24-0, Hanover Area finally moved the ball onto the Wyoming Area side of the field when an interception was picked off by WA’s F.J. Braccini. Dillon Williams also had an interception.
Peter Hibard was Hanover Area’s leading rusher with 11 carries for 11 yards. Bobby Sabecky and Connor Hummer had receptions.

Times Leader  Tom Robinson
YATESVILLE — Corey Mruk followed the surge of the Wyoming Area offensive line, the control of the edge created by the tight ends and the lead blocking of his fullbacks all the way to the Carmelo Falcone Award Friday night.
Mruk received the award, which goes to the Most Valuable Player of the annual rivalry game with Pittston Area, after carrying 37 times for 242 yards and three touchdowns in a 40-0 rout at Charley Trippi Stadium.
And that was not all.
Mruk also had 36 receiving yards on a hook-and-lateral play that set up a touchdown, made one tackle for a loss and got in on six others.
“I was so proud to see our guys come out, especially in our rivalry game, and be able to take that energy and defeat a quality Pittston Area team,” Wyoming Area coach Randy Spencer said.
The Warriors got off the ball fast and Mruk ran hard, over and over again while wearing down the Patriots to complete Wyoming Area’s first unbeaten regular season since 1997.
“Our line up front, combined with Corey Mruk, who has really developed into a feature back, did a great job offensively,” Spencer said. “It was just exciting to see.”
Mruk scored all three of his touchdowns in the first half, then surpassed the 200-yard mark for the game and 1,000-yard mark for the season in the third quarter.
“This is the best blocking I ran behind all year,” the junior fullback/linebacker said. “The rivalry game brings the best out of everybody.
“We had our guys blocking the best and tackling the best they had all season, but I also give credit to Pittston. I took some of the hardest hits from some of the biggest kids I played all year. They brought it.”
In the finale of a regular season in which no team came closer to the Warriors than 22 points, the Wyoming Valley Conference Class 3A/A Division champions held their biggest rivals to negative yardage in the first half while building a 28-0 lead.
Cameron Carr, one of the offensive linemen who led Mruk, also joined Dimitri Depietro, Derek Ambrosino and Mruk in leading the defensive effort.
The Warriors will move into the District 2 Class 3A playoffs as the second seed in an eight-team field.
They appeared ready Friday night.
Mruk capped a 74-yard drive that featured 10 straight runs, all but two by him, with a 1-yard run for the only touchdown of the first quarter.
The defense then created field position, setting up Wyoming Area in Pittston Area territory twice and at midfield once in the second quarter. The Warriors scored all three times.
Mruk went 1 yard again midway through the second, then the Warriors scored twice in 54 seconds late in the half.
Dominic DeLuca threw the first of his two touchdown passes 11 yards to Brian Williams, then worked with Depietro and Mruk on the 39-yard, hook-and-lateral play following a fumbled kickoff.
Mruk’s 4-yard touchdown on the first snap after the long pass play created the 28-0 halftime lead.
DeLuca found Ambrosino with a 10-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-seven in the third quarter.
Jacob Williams threw a 1-yard TD pass to Jimmy Miller for the final score.
Wyoming Area 40, Pittston Area 0
Wyoming Area`7`21`6`6 — 40
Pittston Area`0`0`0`0 — 0
First quarter
WA – Corey Mruk 1 run (Aleah Kranson kick), 3:33
Second quarter
WA – Mruk 1 run (Kranson kick), 5:58
WA – Brian Williams 11 pass from Dominic DeLuca (Kranson kick), 1:18
WA – Mruk 4 run (Kranson kick), 0:26.3
Third quarter
WA – Derek Ambrosino 10 pass from DeLuca (kick blocked), 5:17
Fourth quarter
WA – Jimmy Miller 1 pass from Jacob Williams (kick failed), 1:45
Team statistics`WA`PA
First downs`23`5
Rushes-yards`52-307`26-41
Passing yards`73`31
Total yards`380`72
Passing`5-10-0`5-10-0
Sacked-yards lost`0-0`4-23
Punts-avg.`0-0.0`5-35.2
Fumbles-lost`2-0`5-2
Penalties-yards`5-45`5-37
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — WA, Corey Mruk 37-242, Dominic DeLuca 7-30, Nick Elko 3-17, Zajquay Williamson 2-13, Jacob Williams 1-3, F.J. Braccini 1-1, Leo Haros 1-1. PA, Devin Atkins 4-38, Jordan O’Boyle 6-11, Bryan Giambra 3-6, Mike Coe 2-4, Dylan Lukachko 6-3, Louis Galli 1-2, Mike Nocito 4-minus 23.
PASSING — WA, DeLuca 4-9-0-72, JWilliams 1-1-0-1. PA, Nocito 5-8-0-31, Giambra 0-2-0-0.
RECEIVING — WA, Braccini 1-12, BWilliams 1-11, Derek Ambrosino 1-10, Dimitri Depietro 1-3, Jimmy Miller 1-1, Mruk 0-36. PA, Mike Coe 2-15, Andrew Krawczyk 1-8, Giambra 1-4, O’Boyle 1-4

Citizens Voice – Angelo Sulla
YATESVILLE — The mission for Wyoming Area was to dominate the line of scrimmage.
That mission was accomplished as the Warriors racked up 392 yards of total offense while holding the Pittston Area Patriots to just 79 on their way to a 40-0 victory Friday evening at Pittston’s Charley Trippi Stadium, closing out a 10-0 regular season for the Warriors.
“I thought that we did an outstanding job up front all night on both sides of the ball,” Warrior coach Randy Spencer said.
Wyoming Area’s Corey Mruk was a one-man wrecking crew for the Warriors rushing for 250 yards and three touchdowns.
“I was proud of the way that my offense line opened up holes for me all night,” Mruk said.
The Warriors struck first with a 10-play, 74-yard drive. Mruk gained 46 yards on the ground during the march and punctuated the drive with his first touchdown.
Aleah Kranson’s extra point gave Wyoming Area a 7-0 lead after the first quarter.
The next time the Warriors got the ball, they needed nine plays to cover 47 yards. Mruk’s 12-yard rumble took the ball to the Pittston Area 2. Two plays later, Mruk burst into the end zone for another touchdown.
Following a Pittston Area punt Wyoming Area covered 50 yards in seven plays. Dominic DeLuca hit Brian Williams in the corner of the end zone to up the Wyoming Area lead to 21-0.
Wyoming Area’s Nasir Harris recovered a Pittston Area fumble on the ensuing kickoff. Spencer proceeded to reach into his bag of tricks.
DeLuca hit Williams with a 3-yard pass, then Williams lateraled the ball to Mruk who covered 36 yards to the Patriot 4.
Mruk next burst four yards off-tackle for this third touchdown of the game.
“Corey has become our feature back, he had a very special night” Spencer said.
Cameron Carr ended the Patriots’ first possession of the second half alertly pouncing on a loose football giving the Warriors possession.
They took advantage of the turnover when DeLuca hit Derek Ambrosino with an 11-yard scoring pass.
In the waning moments of the game, Wyoming Area’s backup quarterback Jacob Williams hit James Miller with a 1-yard jump pass to culminate the game’s scoring.
Wyoming Area enters next week’s PIAA District 2 Class 3A playoffs as the No. 2 seed while Pittston Area enters the District 2 Class 4A playoffs as the sixth seed.

Times Leader – Tom Robinson
WEST PITTSTON — Wyoming Area used its own version of 7-on-7 football to drill Hanover Area Friday night.
The Warriors scored seven touchdowns on seven first-half possessions while opening a 49-point halftime lead in their Homecoming Game.
Dominic DeLuca accounted for four touchdowns and Corey Mruk ran for the other three to lead the unbeaten Warriors to the 56-7 Wyoming Valley Conference Class 3A romp over the Hawkeyes.
Brian Williams pulled in two touchdown passes and Dimitri DePietro the other while producing the 49-0 halftime lead.
DeLuca also ran for a touchdown, covering 14 yards for the first score.
In a game that could produce a rematch in the District 2 Class 3A playoffs, Hanover Area was no match for Wyoming Area in its first shot at the WVC’s top small-school team.
Mruk carried 17 times for 127 yards. DeLuca hit six of 12 passes for 137.
Then, after leading a 35-point, second-quarter onslaught, each sat out the second half.
“Hanover Area made it difficult in the box there,” Wyoming Area coach Randy Spencer said. “They challenged our running game and I thought we responded on the edge, made a couple plays in space, hit a few pass plays and did what we needed to do initially.”
Wyoming Area’s defense limited Hanover Area to 12 yards rushing, just two in the first half.
The Warriors held an 18-3 advantage in first downs at halftime after moving the ball up and down the Jake Sobeski Stadium field.
Wyoming Area scored on a pair of nine-play drives that covered 64 and 60 yards in the first quarter.
DeLuca had a five-yard run on fourth-and-one on the way to his touchdown run, then hit Derek Ambrosino for 34 yards on third-and-10 to set up his 3-yard touchdown pass to Williams.
Leo Haros set up the next two scores with a 27-yard punt return and a 36-yard return of Thomas Wycoski’s blocked field goal.
Mruk went 4 yards to complete a 34-yard drive for a score on the second play of the second quarter.
Then, the touchdowns came rapid fire for the Warriors, who never went five minutes without scoring in the first half.
DeLuca hit Williams on a fly pattern down the left sideline for a 53-yard touchdown on the first play after the blocked field goal.
Mruk scored on runs of 23 and 18 yards less than three minutes apart.
The DeLuca-to-Depietro touchdown pass covered 7 yards on third-and-two with 9.2 seconds left in the half.
Wyoming Area went with reserves while the entire second half was being played under the Mercy Rule.
Manny Saldana scored on a 14-yard run for Hanover Area in the third quarter and 120-pound sophomore Adam Signan pulled in a 9-yard touchdown pass from Blaise Sokach-Minnick, the third quarterback Wyoming Area used, midway through the fourth.
Wyoming Area 56, Hanover Area 7
Hanover Area`0`0`7`0`—`7
Wyoming Area`14`35`0`7`—`56
First quarter
WA – Dominic DeLuca 14 run (Aleah Kranson kick), 8:47
WA – Brian Williams 3 pass from DeLuca (Kranson kick), 3:58
Second quarter
WA – Mruk 4 run (Braccini kick), 11:30
WA – BWilliams 53 pass from DeLuca (Kranson kick), 8:09
WA – Mruk 23 run (Kranson kick), 5:35
WA – Mruk 18 run (Kranson kick), 2:44
WA – Dimitri Depietro 7 pass from DeLuca (Jayden Rusyn kick), 0:09.2
Third quarter
WA – Manny Saldana 14 run (Auggie George kick), 0:41.0
Fourth quarter
WA – Adam Signan 9 pass from Blaise Sokach-Minnick (Josh Cumbo kick), 5:39
Team statistics`HA`WA
First downs`7`21
Rushes-yards`25-12`40-223
Passing yards`102`163
Total yards`114`386
Passing`5-16-2`9-15-0
Sacked-yards lost`2-16`0-0
Punts-avg.`3-27.0`1-31.0
Fumbles-lost`2-1`4-0
Penalties-yards`4-38`8-72
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — HA, Manny Saldana 5-27, Christian 7-12, Joseph Curcio 6-minus 2, Team 1-minus 2, Auggie George 1-minus 4, Aaron Hummer 5-minus 19. WA, Corey Mruk 17-127, Dominic DeLuca 5-32, Zajquay Williamson 2-14, Brian Williams 1-12, Dillon Williams 2-12, Enzo Scotto-Diluzio 6-12, Colby Gashi 1-10, Nick Elko 1-5, Jevani Sancho 2-1, Jacob Williams 1-0, Team 2-minus 2.
PASSING — HA, Hummer 5-15-1-102, Matthew Salwoski 1-0-1-0. WA, DeLuca 6-12-0-137, Blaise Sokach-Minnick 2-2-0-16, JWilliams 1-0-1-10.
RECEIVING — HA, Tanner Bednarski 3-35, Jared Kishbaugh 1-35, Bobby Sabecky 1-13. WA, BWilliams 4-96, Derek Ambrosino 1-34, Jake Busch 1-10, Adam Signan 1-9, Dimitri Depietro 1-7, Quadre Sessoms 1-7.
INTERCEPTIONS — HA, None. WA, JWilliams 1-10, Sessoms 1-minus 1.

Citizens Voice – Luke Kropp
HANOVER TWP. — It was a showing of potential district playoff opponents in two weeks.
It was also another display of just how powerful Wyoming Area is.
The Warriors’ starting offense scored on each of its seven possessions and the defense held Hanover Area to zero rushing yards in the first half as Wyoming Area rolled to a 56-7 victory Friday night.
“I’m just very happy with the fact that we’re able to maintain that kind of high level with different guys going in different spots and that execution staying the same,” Wyoming Area head coach Randy Spencer said. “I thought we did a great job executing on offense.”
That offensive execution was a balanced slate of passes and runs, compiling 372 total yards, 22 first downs and zero turnovers.
Dom DeLuca broke open the scoring for Wyoming Area (9-0) when he took a bootleg 14 yards for a touchdown on the opening drive and connected with Brian Williams for a 3-yard score on the next series.
Hanover Area (3-6) ran just six plays before the Hawkeyes found themselves down 21-0 after Corey Mruk rushed for his first touchdown of the night.
Early in the second quarter, Hanover Area looked to strike back as Aaron Hummer pump faked and hit Jared Kishbaugh for a 35-yard gain on the first play of the series. But, a few plays later, the Hawkeyes came up empty as Auggie George’s field goal attempt was blocked.
The Warriors immediately responded when DeLuca threw a fade route to Williams, who tiptoed the sideline for a 53-yard touchdown. Williams finished the game with 96 yards receiving.
Mruk scored again on runs of 23 and 17 yards before DeLuca threw his third touchdown pass of the night to Dimitri Depietro for seven yards. Mruk rushed for 124 yards and DeLuca passed for 137 as the Warriors took a 49-0 lead into halftime.
“Hanover was stout, made it difficult in the box, challenged our running game, and I thought we responded well,” Spencer said.
Hanover Area’s lone score came on a 14-yard run by Manny Saldana late in the third quarter. Despite Saldana leading the team with 16 yards, the Hawkeyes managed just seven rushing yards.
As Hanover Area continues to spread out the offense, Hummer passed for 102 yards and Tanner Bednarski caught three passes for 54 yards.
The two teams may meet again because Wyoming Area and Hanover Area were the No. 2 and No. 7 seeds in District 2 class 3A, respectively, heading into the night.

Times Leader – John Erzar

WILKES-BARRE TWP. — It could have been worse Saturday afternoon. Much, much worse.
Unbeaten Wyoming Area, though, decided to play its starters just nine minutes, which was more than enough time to overwhelm winless Holy Redeemer 43-7 in a Wyoming Valley Conference Division 3A-A football game at King’s College.
“You want to come out and execute at a high level and maintain that,” Wyoming Area coach Randy Spencer said. “You’re looking for improvement, whether it’s those first guys in there or those next guys. As we’ve gone through some injuries, we’ve been fortunate to have guys step up and fill roles. That’s certainly what you’re looking for.”
The game was expected to be so lopsided that the head coaches agreed before kickoff to reduce the third and fourth quarters from 12 minutes to eight with a running clock. The stipulation was that the score had to be out of hand.
Wyoming Area (8-0) led 30-0 after one quarter and 43-0 at halftime. Yep, it was out of hand.
Wyoming Area starting running back Corey Mruk made the most of his nine minutes on the field.
Mruk scored the Warriors’ first touchdown on a 4-yard run. The score was set up by Dominic DeLuca’s fifth interception of the season on the game’s fourth play. Wyoming Area then went up 9-0 when a Redeemer punt snap sailed out of the end zone for a safety.
After the free kick, Mruk ran 31 yards and then 14 yards for a touchdown and a 16-0 lead at 6:41 of the first quarter. Three plays later, the Wyoming Area defense scored on a 24-yard interception return by Dimitri DiPietro.
The Wyoming Area starters called it a day after their next possession. DeLuca finished things off with a 21-yard pass to Brian Williams followed by a 6-yard TD toss to Mruk for a 30-0 lead at 3:09 of the opening quarter.
The Warrior reserves ended the team’s scoring with a pair of second-quarter touchdowns. Sophomore running back Vicienzo Giambra ended both with TD runs of 3 and 5 yards. 
The first-half stats were as ugly as the 43-0 halftime score — Wyoming Area with 206 yards and Redeemer with minus-14.
With the time reduced in the second half, the third and fourth quarters consisted of 12 plays each. Redeemer (0-8) avoided its sixth shutout of the season when Ryan Williams threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Jack Daoud with 2:33 left in the game. It was the Royals’ first touchdown pass of the season and fifth TD overall.
Wyoming Area 43, Holy Redeemer 7
Wyoming Area`30`13`0`0 — 43
Holy Redeemer`0`0`0`7 — 7
First quarter
WA — Corey Mruk 4 run (Aleah Kranson kick), 8:54
WA — Safety, Redeemer punt snap out of end zone, 7:13
WA — Mruk 14 run (Kranson kick), 6:41
WA — Dimitri DiPietro 24 interception return (Kranson kick), 6:24
WA — Mruk 6 pass from Dominic DeLuca (Jayden Rusyn kick), 3:09
Second quarter
WA — Vicienzo Giambra 3 run (kicked failed), 10:40
WA — Giambra 5 run (Josh Cumbo kick), 3:04
Fourth quarter
HR — Jack Daoud 16 pass from Ryan Williams (Nate Roppelt kick), 2:33
Team statistics`WA`HR
First downs`14`3
Rushes-yards`37-229`17-(-10)
Passing yards`56`74
Total yards`285`64
Passing`5-8-0`7-12-2
Sacked-yards lost`0-0`2-11
Punts-avg.`0-0`3-24.3
Fumbles-lost`3-1`2-0
Penalties-yards`5-25`1-5
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — WA, Mruk 5-58, DeLuca 1-2, Dillon Williams 2-16, Leo Haros 1-23, Giambra 9-68, Colby Gashi 7-29, Jacob Williams 3-22, Enzo Scotto-Diluzio 2-3. Giovani Sancho 2-6, team 3-(minus-5). Redeemer, Williams 7-(minus-20), Christian Elon 9-26, team 1-(minus-16).
PASSING — WA, DeLuca 4-5-0-44, J.Williams 0-1-0-0, Blaise Sokach-Minnick 1-2-0-12.
RECEIVING — WA, Brian Williams 2-36, Mruk 2-8, Quadre Sessons 1-12. Redeemer, Alex Hajkowski 4-7, Ethan Stoltz 2-51, Daoud 1-16.
INTERCEPTIONS — WA, DeLuca 1-14, DiPietro 1-24.

Citizens Voice by Steve Bennett
WILKES-BARRE TWP. ­— Randy Spencer walked the fine line Saturday afternoon of getting done what he needed to accomplish, and at the same time, not purposely embarrass an overmatched opponent.
Spencer and Wyoming Area were able to succeed on both ends.
Wyoming Area scored on every offensive possession of the first half, and added a safety and a Dimitri DePietro interception return for a score in a 43-7 victory over Holy Redeemer at King’s College’s McCarthy Stadium.
“You just want to come out and execute at a high level and maintain that,” said Spencer, the Wyoming Area head coach whose team improved to 8-0 on the year. “Whether it is the first guys or the next guys. As we have gone on with injuries, we have had guys step up and fill roles. We were looking forward to that today.”
The Warriors had virtually no issues executing against the Royals.
With Spencer lifting his starters near the end of the first quarter, the Warriors built a 30-0 lead. Corey Mruk scored three times in the opening period, twice on rushing touchdowns, and another on a 6-yard pass from quarterback Dom DeLuca. Backup running back Vincenzo Giambra also rushed for a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter to give the Warriors a 43-0 lead.
Prior the game, Spencer and Holy Redeemer head coach Dwayne Downing both agreed that if the game was in the mercy rule at the end of the first half, the second half would be played with eight-minute quarters.
“Redeemer is struggling with numbers, and it is just the point of having both teams competing and being comfortable to have a good experience,” Spencer said. “As coaches, its a job we have to do to manage that. I think coach Downing did a great job of that. He reached out to me beforehand and we communicated. I think both sides ended up having a good experience.”
The productive first quarter allowed the Warriors to tinker with a few things on the offensive side of the ball with the starters still in the game. The Warriors used a series of downs where they worked on the hurry-up offense. The Warriors ran a total of 25 offensive plays in the first half with and took a knee to run out the final 1:17 of the first half.
“It was kind of how the team went with the flow of the game,” Spencer said of deciding when he would pull the starters. “We were looking to get a half or work with the flow of the game. With the way the game went, that is just how it worked out.”
To its credit, Redeemer kept fighting until the end of the game. Running back Christian Leon finished with 26 yards rushing. The Royals scored with 2:33 left in the fourth quarter when quarterback Ryan Williams connected with Jack Daoud on a 16-yard touchdown pass.

Tom Robinson - Times Leader

WEST PITTSTON — Corey Mruk had already run for 190 yards, but he still wanted two more after he appeared to be stopped for the second time on his final carry of the night.
Mruk got them and, with those final two yards, scored his final touchdown of the night, sending the game into the Mercy Rule in the third quarter of Wyoming Area’s 45-6 romp over Meyers in a Wyoming Valley Conference Class 3A/A Division game.
After taking a handoff off left tackle on second-and-five from the 7, Mruk first encountered a Meyers defender near the line of scrimmage. He fought through that and was held up at the 2 by two more would-be tacklers. His forward movement was temporarily halted, but Mruk kept his legs churning and got the pile moving until he could lunge forward into the end zone.
“There was a kid sitting in the hole,” Mruk said. “He stood me up, but I just kept my feet going and kind of got pin-balled around until I saw another hole and kind of dove into the end zone.”
It was Mruk’s fifth trip there on the night, including a two-point conversion run that helped the unbeaten Warriors to their 31-0 halftime lead.
“What a great night for Corey and the offensive line,” Wyoming Area coach Randy Spencer said. “ … I’m so impressed with Corey. He’s so steady and reliable.
“It was great to see him have the kind of night he had tonight behind his offensive line, tight end and fullback.”
Tackles Cameron Carr and Patrick Nelson, guards Matt Wycoski, Michael Amato and Jaryn Polit-Moran and center Bryce Hinkle did much of the work opening the holes.
The interior of the line established its presence early when Wyoming Area went 75 yards in six plays to begin the game. Mruk ran five times for 57 of the yards, going between the guards on four of them and off tackle on the other.
“Coach is always saying, ‘you’ve got to pound the ball’,” Mruk said. “Once you pound the ball, it opens up more options.”
One of them was Dominic DeLuca’s 34-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Derek Ambrosino behind the Meyers defense for a 15-0 lead after one quarter.
DeLuca threw just seven times, but five were completions, all for at least 19 yards.
Mruk sandwiched 52- and 30-yard touchdowns around a safety in the second quarter. The 30-yarder came on a fourth-and-five option pitch that he kept going with around left end until he had the first down, then weaved his way back across the field for the touchdown.
After starting relatively slowly in each of its three previous games, Wyoming Area had its 31-point lead and a 306-15 advantage in total offense with three minutes remaining in the half.
Meyers (4-3) broke the shutout on an 8-yard Kevin Dessoye run midway through the fourth quarter.
Two players who were among those celebrating Senior Night for the Warriors got involved in the last touchdown.
Matt Benton recovered a muffed punt at the 4 and Jevani Sancho scored on second down from the 2.
Wyoming Area 45, Meyers 6
Meyers`0`0`0`6`—`6
Wyoming Area`15`16`7`7`—`45
First quarter
WA – Corey Mruk 7 run (F.J. Braccini kick), 9:33
WA – Derek Ambrosino 34 pass from Dominic DeLuca (Mruk run), 1:05
Second quarter
WA – Mruk 52 run (Braccini kick), 11:22
WA – Safety (Meyers punt snap through end zone), 5:51
WA – Mruk 30 run (Aleah Kranson kick), 3:43
Third quarter
WA – Mruk 7 run (Kranson kick), 4:57
Fourth quarter
MEY – Kevin Dessoye 8 run (kick blocked), 7:04
WA – Jevani Sancho 2 run (Jayden Rusyn kick), 2:37
Team statistics`MEY`WA
First downs`10`15
Rushes-yards`27-53`32-227
Passing yards`81`153
Total yards`134`380
Passing`10-23-0`5-7-1
Sacked-yards lost`3-19`1-5
Punts-avg.`4-44.8`2-35.0
Fumbles-lost`4-1`1-0
Penalties-yards`5-42`3-23
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — MEY, Kevin Dessoye 7-34, Reese Patronick 2-23, Nazir Dunell 3-16, Darrian Tyson 5-9, Najese Hood 1-3, Tyere Dobson 2-3, Ryan Judge 1-minus 2, Team 1-minus 8, Talee Swinney 5-minus 19. WA, Corey Mruk 18-192, Leo Haros 2-16, Dominic DeLuca 4-15, Jevani Sancho 2-4, Colby Gashi 2-3, Zajquay Williamson 2-2, Vincenzo Giambra 1-0, Jacob Williams 1-minus 5.
PASSING — MEY, Swinney 10-22-0-81, Tyson 0-1-0-0. WA, DeLuca 5-7-1-153.
RECEIVING — MEY, Patronick 4-6, Tyson 3-15, Hood 2-48, Dessoye 1-12. WA, Brian Williams 2-72, Derek Ambrosino 2-53, Dimitri Depietro 1-28.
INTERCEPTIONS — Mey, Tyson 1-18. WA, None.

Matt Buffano - Citizens Voice

WEST PITTSTON — Sure, the schedule has favored Wyoming Area.
The Warriors’ first five opponents — each beaten by blowout margins — entered Friday with a combined record of 7-23.
Although Weeks 6 and 7 figured to present a challenge, Wyoming Area will still enter Week 8 as an undefeated team.
The Warriors passed their latest test Friday against Meyers, as junior running back Corey Mruk ran wild for 190 yards and four touchdowns on 18 carries in a 45-6 win in Wyoming Valley Conference football.
“It’s very gratifying,” said head coach Randy Spencer, whose Warriors are 7-0 for the first time in his 11 seasons. “But, it’s gratifying because of the way the team is approaching the season. Senior night tonight for these guys — it’s not easy to play consistently. You see it on every level, to be at an emotional high and be able to play at that high level and be focused and disciplined and poised game after game.”
Despite being the bigger, stronger, faster team in most instances, Wyoming Area did start slow recently against Nanticoke Area, GAR and Lake-Lehman.
That was corrected Friday as Wyoming Area scored touchdowns on its first three possessions and coasted to a 31-0 halftime lead against Meyers.
“I thought we did a great job tonight of focusing in, driving the ball, scoring, and then kind of putting our foot on the gas and standing on it,” Spencer said.
Mruk led Wyoming Area’s offense, running for touchdowns of 7, 52, 30 and 7 yards each. He also ran in a 2-point conversion, while three kickers — F.J. Braccini, Aleah Kranson, Jayden Rusyn — made extra points.
Quarterback Dominic DeLuca also had a few highlights, including his 34-yard touchdown throw in the first quarter to a wide-open Derek Ambrosino.
DeLuca later had a perfectly timed sprint option to the edge on 4th and 5, where he pitched to Mruk as a tackler approached. Mruk took the toss 30 yards for the score.
“The line stayed focused, did what we had to do, got our blocks done, and (Mruk) ran for a good game,” said senior tackle Cameron Carr.
Carr was also in on several defensive stops as a defensive end, as Meyers was held to only 2.1 yards per carry and 3.6 yards per pass attempt.
Spencer touted Meyers’ players as dynamic, saying the Mohawks are a team “that make you defend almost every blade of grass.”
But Meyers was unable to score against Wyoming Area until the fourth quarter, when Kevin Dessoye — who finished with 34 yards on seven carries — ran in a touchdown.
“You just gotta rely on each other, believe in your scheme, know where your help is,” Spencer said of his defense. “And I thought our skill guys on the second level really did a great job of that tonight.”
While Wyoming Area improved to 7-0, Meyers dropped to 4-3.
Wyoming Area will play at winless Holy Redeemer next Saturday. Meyers will host Mid Valley.

DISPTACH - John Erzar

LEHMAN TWP. — When the offense isn’t quite clicking, like on Friday night, Wyoming Area knows it can rely on its defense.
Just like the Warriors did once again in a Wyoming Valley Conference Division 3A-A showdown with Lake-Lehman.
Wyoming Area forced four turnovers in the third quarter and added another in the fourth as the Warriors eventually pulled away for a 29-7 victory.
Wyoming Area (6-0) opened up a two-game lead in WVC Division 3A-A over Lehman and Meyers, both of which are 4-2.
“Our defense has done an exceptional job all year,” Wyoming Area coach Randy Spencer said. “Lake-Lehman does a great job on the ground, they pushed us. But we got in a situation where we got stout when we needed to. And coming up with five turnovers throughout the course of the game really was the difference.”
Wyoming Area led 6-0 at halftime on the strength of a 35-yard touchdown pass from Dominic DeLuca to Brian Williams late in the first quarter where Williams dove to topple over the right pylon for the score. But aside from that, the Warriors did little on offense, as they had 62 total yards and two first downs going into halftime.
Meanwhile, the Black Knights moved into Wyoming Area territory four times, including to the 15-yard line, only to come up empty on every occasion.
Lehman also dominated ball control, running 32 plays to Wyoming Area’s 13 through the first two quarters. Everything changed after halftime as the Black Knights turned over the ball three times on their first six plays.
The first turnover, a diving interception by Darren Rodney, set up a six-play, 38-yard drive where DeLuca carried the ball on three consecutive plays before finding Williams in the back of the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown.
DeLuca then picked off a pass on Lehman’s fourth play from scrimmage but fumbled the ball back to the Black Knights on the interception return. Lehman, though, fumbled it right back with Wyoming Area defensive lineman Dante Bovani flopping on top of the ball.
The recovery set up a 22-yard field goal by Aleah Kranson, giving Wyoming Area a 15-0 lead at 4:30 of the third quarter. DeLuca intercepted another pass late in the quarter.
Lehman appeared to get back into the game when Tyler Billotti scored on a 66-yard pass from Ethan Adams at 8:14 of the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to 15-7. But Wyoming area answered the score.
A 27-yard pass to Dimitri DiPietro on a third-and-10 from the Wyoming Area 36-yard line kept a drive alive. DeLuca finished it off with four consecutive rushes, including a 9-yard TD run.
Lehman’s final gasp ended when Wyoming Area defensive lineman Tom Wycoski intercepted a pass at the line of scrimmage. He immediately headed for the end zone, but the 275-pounder didn’t get very far. No matter because running back Corey Mruk darted up the middle four plays later for a 36-yard touchdown.
“I’m kind of lost for words right now,” Lehman coach Jerry Gilsky said. “It’s quite upsetting because the score doesn’t really reflect what kind of game it was. It was turnover city in the second half.”
Lehman held Wyoming Area, which entered the game averaging 296 rushing per game, to a season-low 121 yards on the ground. The Warriors managed 233 yards of offense, also a season-low.
Wyoming Area 29, Lake-Lehman 7
Wyoming Area`6`0`9`14 — 29
Lake-Lehman`0`0`0`7 — 7
First quarter
WA — Brian Williams 35 pass from Dominic DeLuca (kick blocked), 3:01
Third quarter
WA — B.Williams 11 pass from DeLuca (run failed), 9:47
WA — Aleah Kranson 22 FG, 4:30
Fourth quarter
LL — Tyler Billotti 66 pass from Ethan Adams (Justin Tomonte kick), 8:14
WA — DeLuca 9 run (Kranson kick), 5:51
WA — Mruk 36 run (Kranson kick), 3:08
Team statistics`WA`LL
First downs`12`10
Rushes-yards`29-121`38-104
Passing yards`112`115
Total yards`233`219
Passing`7-18-1`7-20-4
Sacked-yards lost`1-3`0-0
Punts-avg.`5-34.2`4-28
Fumbles-lost`1-1`1-1
Penalties-yards`3-15`3-35
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — WA, DeLuca 11-55, Mruk 8-56, Darren Rodney 4-5, Zajquay Williamson 1-2, FJ Braccini 1-4, Leo Harris 2-1, team 2-(minus-2). Lehman, Ryan Eiden 7-35, Zach Kojadinovich 14-33, Matt Kurtz 9-29, Adams 5-17, Nick Zaboski 2-0, Scott Robbins 1-0.
PASSING — WA, DeLuca 7-18-1-111. Lehman, Adams 7-20-4-115.
RECEIVING — WA, Dimitri DiPietro 3-39, B.Williams 3-52, Mruk 1-11, Haros 0-10. Lehman, Eiden 5-47, Kojadinovich 1-2, Billotti 1-66.
INTERCEPTIONS — WA, Rodney 1-0, DeLuca 2-7, Matt Wycoski 1-7. Lehman, Casey Kaminski 1-0.
MISSED FGs — none.

CITIZENS VOICE - STEVE BENNETT

LEHMAN ­— Wyoming Area found itself in a spot that is becoming all too familiar in recent weeks: Another slow start on the offensive side of the ball. But, that had more to do with Lake-Lehman’s defensive scheme rather than what the Warriors were doing wrong.
So when Wyoming Area took a six-point lead at the half, it was more about figuring a way to loosen up the Lake-Lehman defense more than anything else. That is exactly what the Warriors did.
After attempting four passes in the first half, quarterback Dom DeLuca completed 5 of 14 attempts in the second as the Warriors were able to pull away and pick up a 29-7 victory, Friday night at Lake-Lehman. The win improved the Warriors to 6-0 on the year, while Lake-Lehman fell to 4-2.
“Our defense has done an exceptional job all year,” said Wyoming Area coach Randy Spencer. “Lehman does a great job on the ground. We were able to get stout when we needed to. Coming up with five turnovers during the course of the game was the difference.”
From the Wyoming Area defensive perspective, the Warriors were in the right spots at the right time. They had an answer for the Lake-Lehman ground game, allowing just 102 yards all night, and an average of 2.6 yards per carry.
“With all the fronts they show, they do what they do so well,” Spencer said. “Between the unbalanced line and countering back against it. We knew they would get their yards, but I thought our guys did a pretty good job.”
DeLuca connected with Brian Williams on a 35-yard touchdown pass with 3:01 left in the second quarter to put the Warriors ahead 6-0. That was the fewest amount of points the Warriors have scored in the first half of a game this year.
Though the Black Knights did have success moving the ball in the first half, they had a drive stall inside the red zone in the second quarter, and another on the Wyoming Area 30. The second half was a different story as the Black Knights turned the ball over five times, four of them on interceptions.
“This is the second game against a quality opponent that we turned the ball over,” said Lake-Lehman coach Jerry Gilsky. “At the half, we had our adjustments. Defensively, we really didn’t need to do anything. Coverage-wise, there were some big plays down the field and the turnovers, it really deflates you.”
DeLuca and Williams hooked up again, this time for an 11-yard touchdown pass to give the Warriors a 12-0 lead. The drive came off a short field after the Warriors took over on the Lake-Lehman 38 following an interception. Following another Lake-Lehman turnover, Aleah Kranson kicked a 22-yard field goal to put the Warriors ahead 15-0.
All the while, the Wyoming Area defense continued to play big and physical. The Warriors consistently put the Black Knights in unfavorable down and distance situations where they had no other choice but to come out of their comfort zone and throw the ball.
The Black Knights finally got on the board after Tyler Billotti hauled in a 66-yard touchdown pass from Ethan Adams. Suddenly, the Black Knights trailed by eight, and for a brief moment had some momentum on their side.
Wyoming Area responded with an eight-play 64-yard drive capped by DeLuca’s 9-yard touchdown run. Corey Mruk finished off the scoring for the night with a 36-yard touchdown run.
“Five turnovers and we throw the ball away,” Gilsky said. “We were in poor position, we were looking at a lot of long situations. We got within eight and you hope to stop them and get the ball back. They went down the field and scored. We were hoping to catch them and we didn’t. They took away what we were comfortable doing.”

Times Leader DJ Eberle

WILKES-BARRE — All it took was a 61-yard touchdown by GAR running back Justice Lomas for the Wyoming Area Warriors to wake up.
Wyoming Area had shot themselves in the foot with penalties to cut the previous two drives short, and with Lomas’ long score, the game was suddenly tied.
It wouldn’t be for long, though.
The Warriors received their wake-up call loud and clear, and Darren Rodney took over in the second quarter. The junior running back scored a pair of touchdowns as Wyoming Area went up by two scores before half.
From there the Warriors (5-0) coasted to a 41-7 over the Grenadiers (1-4), scoring their final 34 points unanswered.
“It helped us a lot. Got our motivation going. Helped us perform better,” Rodney said. “It was a good win. We just have to keep going. We have Lake-Lehman next week. See what we can do.”
Lomas’ touchdown took the Wyoming Area defense for surprise. Something Warriors head coach Randy Spencer wasn’t pleased about.
GAR quarterback Kam Taylor took the snap and looked to throw a swing pass to the senior running back. Taylor’s throw skipped off the Wilkes-Barre Memorial turf and into the hands of Lomas, who darted for the end zone.
The pass was backwards, making the play legal.
“Have to play snap to whistle,” Spencer said. “That was a question whether it was a lateral or it was a backwards. Obviously, it was called a live ball and you have to play snap to whistle — bottom line. There was no whistle on the play. We have three guys there that are able to make a play and you just have to keep playing football.
“Hats off to GAR. Justice made a good play. They certainly have the speed and athleticism. If you give them opportunities they’re going to make plays.”
Rodney, who rushed for the two scores and 76 yards on 10 carries, led a multi-faceted rushing attack that saw 13 different Warriors carry the ball for 324 yards. Junior running back Corey Mruk, who got the first touch of the game, finished with 67 yards on six carries.
With the running game working, Wyoming Area went to it early and often as the offensive line dominated the line of scrimmage.
Of the 62 plays the Warriors ran, 47 of them were rushes.
“We expected to see eight or nine in the box and that’s what they did,” Spencer said. “Little inconsistent at times, but as we got into the flow of the game I think we saw where we wanted to approach it. We played a little more consistently as we got into the game.”
But before Rodney could score his second touchdown of the game, making it 20-7, a somber hush fell over the crowd after the running back was tackled after a 3-yard gain.
Wyoming Area center Stephen Sokach-Minnick got caught underneath the pile, where he fractured his right leg.
The senior offensive lineman left the game on a stretcher with an air cast on his right leg.
“One of our leaders — senior. Outstanding center, outstanding long snapper. Does a lot of things for us,” Spencer said. “Thoughts and prayers go out to him. That’s certainly where our thoughts were at that moment and then through the rest of the game.”
“It sucks. It’s hard to lose a player,” Rodney added. “Just have to step up.”
Wyoming Area 41, GAR 7
Wyoming Area`7`13`15`6 — 41
GAR`0`7`0`0 — 7
First quarter
WA — Nick Elko 11 pass from Dominic DeLuca (Aleah Kranson kick), 8:36
Second quarter
GAR — Justice Lomas 61 run (Rafael Amigon kick), 10:08
WA — Darren Rodney 14 run (Kranson kick), 7:09
WA — Rodney 4 run (Kranson kick failed), 2:13
Third quarter
WA — Derek Ambrosino 26 pass from DeLuca (DeLuca run), 8:03
WA — Zajquay Williamson 17 run (Kranson kick), 5:23
Fourth quarter
WA — Jacob Williams 1 run (Josh Cumbo kick blocked), 10:00
Team statistics`WA`GAR
First downs`19`4
Rushes-yards`47-324`27-91
Passing yards`129`23
Total yards`453`114
Passing`8-15-0`2-11-2
Sacked-yards lost`1-1`0-0
Punts-avg.`0-0`4-21.8
Fumbles-lost`1-1`1-1
Penalties-yards`5-45`5-25
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — WA, Darren Rodney 10-76, Corey Mruk 6-67, Nick Elko 4-40, Zajquay Williamson 2-34, Dominic DeLuca 8-28, Leonardo Haros 2-24, Dillon Williams 2-13, F.J. Braccini 1-12, Jacob Williams 2-10, Colby Gashi 2-9, Giovani Sancho 3-9, Vincenzo Giambra 4-2, Enzo Scotto-Diluzio 1-0. GAR, Justice Lomas 4-56, Javier Gonzalez 17-34, Deshaun Stone 3-7, Rasheen Ayer 1-5, Tyrone Qualls 1-(minus-5), Kam Taylor 1-(minus-6).
PASSING — WA, DeLuca 6-13-0-85, Blaise Sokach-Minnick 1-1-0-34, J. Williams 1-1-0-10. GAR, Taylor 2-11-2-23.
RECEIVING — WA, Brian Williams 3-41, Adam Sigman 1-34, Derek Ambrosino 1-11, Mruk 1-11, Riley Rusyn 1-10. GAR, Malachai Williams 1-14, Lomas 1-9.

INTERCEPTIONS — WA, DeLuca 1-0, Giambra 1-0

Citizens Voice Angelo Sulla

WILKES-BARRE — The Wyoming Area Warriors did what they do well, play stout defense and rush the football on their way to a 41-7 victory over the GAR Grenadiers Friday evening at Wilkes-Barre Memorial Stadium.
The Warriors ran for 304 yards and held GAR to 90 yards of total offense.
“We were able to play a complete football game this evening,” Warrior coach Randy Spencer said. “We are fortunate to have a stable of backs that can carry the football for us. We are very consistent up front.”
Wyoming Area got started quickly, marching 59 yards in just four plays on its first offensive possession of the game. Corey Mruk jaunted 46 yards off tackle to set the Warriors up deep in GAR territory. Two plays later, Dominic DeLuca hit Nick Elko with a swing pass for a 12-yard Wyoming Area touchdown.
Defenses ruled the next portion of the game as each team punted on its next three possessions.
GAR finally broke the defensive stranglehold on the game.
On a 3rd-and-12, GAR’s Justice Lomas took a lateral and scooted 69 yards untouched down the right sideline to even the score at 7.
Undaunted, Wyoming Area responded marching 64 yards, all on the ground, in eight plays. Darren Rodney took a handoff and burst up the middle for a 14-yard score to give the Warriors a 14-7 lead.
After a GAR punt, the Warriors next went on a nine-play, 59-yard drive. Rodney capped the drive going off-tackle four yards for his second score of the game.
The Warriors started the second half the way they ended the first. They needed 10 plays to cover 65 yards. DeLuca hit a wide open Derek Ambrosino with a 26-yard pass on a crossing pattern to extend the Wyoming Area lead to 28-7.
DeLuca then made things rough on his quarterbacking counterpart, intercepting a pass to end the Grenadier next drive.
Zaquay Williamson needed two carries to rush 35 yards, the last 17 resulting in a Warrior score.
Wyoming Area then closed out the night’s scoring as quarterback Jacob Williams called his own number and rumbled to the end zone from a yard out.
“We need to be able to play more consistent football week in and week out,” said GAR head coach Paul Weidlich.

Times Leader - Tom Robinson
WEST PITTSTON — Wyoming Area had to overcome a dozen penalties, early issues with finding any consistency blocking Nanticoke’s defensive front and late problems with leg cramps for players who were pushed deep into the game for the first time this season.
When they were done, however, the Warriors remained unbeaten and still had not allowed an opponent to come closer than four touchdowns.
Wyoming Area used consecutive scoring drives to open the second half to take control, then two Dominic DeLuca touchdowns in the final 4:39 to put away a 35-7 victory over visiting Nanticoke Friday night at Anthony “Jake” Sobeski Stadium.
After not managing a first down during the second quarter, the Warriors ripped off six straight runs of at least seven yards to begin the second half.
It did not take long for them to open a 7-0 halftime lead to 21-0.
“Nanticoke came in, played hard, stayed in the game and game themselves an opportunity,” Warriors coach Randy Spencer said.
Wyoming Area built up offensive momentum as the second half progressed and overcame a 34-yard touchdown scramble by Colby Butczynski when DeLuca scored late on 26- and 4-yard runs.
“Adversity can come in many ways,” Spencer said. “Tonight, it came in some penalties. We certainly have to address that and clean those things up.
“We just didn’t block as effectively as we had up front. It was different guys, different plays, but not playing our ‘A’ game up front.”
Nanticoke held Wyoming Area to four first downs, 76 yards total offense and 10:03 of possession time in the first half.
Those numbers swelled to 12 first downs, 233 yards and 17:10 of possession when the ground game started churning in the second half.
The Warriors scored in three plays and 1:15 after taking the second-half kickoff. Corey Mruk ran 37 yards for the second and a 14-0 lead.
Wyoming Area then moved 73 yards in 10 plays. Runs of 14 yards by Mruk, then nine and 13 yards by Leo Harris led to Darren Rodney’s 13-yard run with 3:22 remaining in the third quarter.
The Warriors threw the Trojans for 18 losses totaling 60 yards, but Butczynski also got away from pressure to scramble for gains of 46 and 44 yards before taking off on his 34-yard touchdown run on a third-and-seven play with 1:14 left in the third quarter. He overcame three sacks to finish with 111 yards rushing on 12 carries.
Wyoming Area picked up the early field position advantage by throwing Nanticoke for losses of three, seven and nine yards to begin the game.
Nick Elko, a 265-yard freshman fullback, ran 26 yards, then scored from the 1 on the next play late in the first quarter for the only points of the half.
Nanticoke (2-2) could not convert from inside the 10 and stopped Wyoming Area once to keep the game low scoring to that point.
Wyoming Area, which won its first three games under the Mercy Rule, has outscored its opponents, 180-28.

Citizens Voice – Tom Fox
WEST PITTSTON — Twice in the first half, Nanticoke Area had its golden opportunity.
Both times, the Trojans were inside the Wyoming Area 10-yard line. And both times, the Warriors’ defense kept the ball from crossing the goal line.
Yes, offenses are fun and flashy. But simply put, defenses wins ballgames.
Wyoming Area shook off a shaky first half offensively to put 28 points on the scoreboard in the final 24 minutes as the Warriors pulled away from the Trojans, 35-7, Friday night.
“We just came out too slow in the first half and we weren’t executing,” said Wyoming Area quarterback Dominic DeLuca, who finished with two touchdowns and 126 yards of total offense. “Our defense kept us in this one. We were phenomenal on that
side of the ball. Our run defense is awesome. Those two stops in the first half were huge. The interior of our line came up with some big plays.”
Honestly, Ron Bruza couldn’t have asked for much more in the first half. His Nanticoke Area squad held a high-powered Wyoming Area offense to just seven points and 77 yards.
Well, he would probably like those two red zone drives back. Both times, deep inside the Wyoming Area 10-yard line and no points to show on the scoreboard.
The first one stopped on a fourth-and-goal when the interior of the Warrior line stuffed quarterback Colby Butcynski right before the goal line.
The second one halted when a 24-yard field goal appeared to be blocked at the line and fell harmlessly to the dew-covered turf.
Instead of possibly taking a lead into the break, Nanticoke Area trailed 7-0 after Wyoming Area took advantage of a short field toward the end of the first quarter – needing just three plays to cover 37 yards, capped off by Nick Elko’s short, 1-yard burst.
Wyoming Area’s defense was straight dominating. Nanticoke had just 30 yards in the first half, and out of 40 plays run, 22 were held to either zero or negative yardage.
“We just have to start believing what a good football team we are,” Bruza said. “Wyoming Area beat us tonight on fundamentals. They tackled better, they played assignment football better, and they executed when they needed to. At the end, we are a good football team. We are right there. They just don’t know how good they can be until they start believing.”
Whatever was said in the locker room lit a fire under the Warriors.
That’s because Wyoming Area looked like the team that took the field in the first three weeks of the season.
Behind a bruising running game, the boys in green and gold churned up the yardage and crossed the goal line four times — scoring on four of its six second-half possessions.
Thanks to two nice blocks by Derek Ambrosino and Patrick Nelson, Corey Mruk was able to round the line and rumble 37 yards to start the second half, giving the Warriors a quick, two-score advantage before increasing the lead to 21-0 on Darren Rodney’s 34-yard touchdown.
It was the DeLuca show in the final 12 minutes as the athletic quarterback scored on runs of 26 and 4 yards to put the game on ice.
“Our defense was stout when we needed it to be,” Wyoming Area head coach Randy Spencer said. “Credit to Nanticoke because they played hard, stood in the game and gave themselves an opportunity. We certainly needed our defense tonight. Adversity comes in many ways, and tonight, it came in some penalties. We have to address it and clean that up. It was just one of those nights where we didn’t have our ‘A’ game early. But you have to learn to play in those games, too.”

WEST PITTSTON — The first play from scrimmage of Friday night’s game between Wyoming Area and Northwest could have been disastrous for the Warriors.
Dominic DeLuca’s pass was intercepted by the Rangers’ David Piestrak.
Turns out that was the lone mistake of the night for the Warriors, who couldn’t be stopped on offense after that, and the defense was like a brick wall as they rolled to a 55-0 victory.
DeLuca, a junior, could have folded after the early miscue. But he rebounded by orchestrating four scoring drives while rushing for 102 yards and two scores and passing for 51 yards and a TD.
“That’s just something that we expect of Dominic where he’s grown and developed at this point,” Wyoming Area coach Randy Spencer said. “He knows he needs to be a player, he needs to be a leader. And the thing about being a leader is it’s easy to lead when things go right. What do you do when things go wrong?
“And I think you saw not just his response but the team’s response. And that’s really positive for us.”
The Warriors (3-0) scored touchdowns via punt return, interception return, pass and run. The first score of the night came after the Rangers’ initial possession when they were forced to punt. Freshman Leo Haros took the return to paydirt from 52 yards out for a 7-0 lead early in the game.
When Wyoming Area got its first possession, it showed domination by the offensive line as Corey Mruk and DeLuca combined to run for 59 yards capped by a 2-yard score by DeLuca for the 14-0 lead.
DeLuca rambled off a 63-yard TD run on the first play of the team’s next drive for a 21-0 lead before the first quarter ended.
Mruk, who carried the ball 12 times for 120 yards, got into the scoring action in the second quarter on a 16-yard run. Six seconds later on the very next play from scrimmage, Derek Ambrosino intercepted a pass from Piestrak and returned it 13 yards for a score and a 35-0 lead. Ambrosino tipped the screen pass to himself then caught it before rumbling in for the score.
“It felt good. With all the preparation and practice, it just felt good,” Ambrosino said. “We knew they were the two-time defending Wyoming Valley Conference champs from 3A, so we knew we had to come out and play and that’s what we did.”
Backup quarterback Jacob Williams hit Ambrosino for a 20-yard TD pass with a little more than a minute to go before halftime as the Warriors led 42-0 at the break and the rest was history,
The defense also worked wonders piling up three sacks, one interception, forced one fumble, only gave up just one first down and held the Rangers to negative yardage at minus-10 total yards, which includes negative-44 yards rushing and 34 passing — 33 of those rushing yards were on sacks.
“We knew we had the confidence to come out and dominate them and that’s what we did,” Ambrosino said. “It (the dominant defensive effort) says we have a stingy defense. We have Cameron Carr, Corey Mruk, FJ Braccini, Dom DeLuca, all these guys that step up and play defense.”
Wyoming Area 55, Northwest 0
Northwest`0`0`0`0 — 0
Wyoming Area `21`21`7`6 — 55
First Quarter
WA – Haros 52 punt return (Kranson kick) 10:05
WA – DeLuca 2 run (Kranson kick) 3:23
WA – DeLuca 63 run (Kranson kick) 1:36
Second Quarter
WA – Mruk 16 run (Kranson kick) 8:47
WA – Ambrosino 13 interception return (Kranson kick) 8:41
WA – Ambrosino 20 pass from Williams (Kranson kick) 1:16
Third Quarter
WA – DePietro 19 pass from DeLuca (Cumbo kick) 5:32
Fourth Quarter
WA – Sancho 51 run (run failed) :07
Team statistics`NW`WA
First downs`1`19
Rushes-yards`24-(-44)`33-369
Passing yards`34`89
Total yards`(-10)`458
Passing`2-11-1`4-10-1
Sacks by-yards lost`1-9`3-33
Punts-avg.`10-37.9`1-29.0
Fumbles-lost`1-0`0-0
Penalties-yards`1-5`4-25
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
PASSING – NW, Piestrak 2-11-1-34, WA, DeLuca 3-6-1-51, Williams 2-3-0-38, Gashi 0-0-0-0.
RUSHING— NW, Piestrak 5-(minus-40), Stevens 3-(minus-3), May 14-13, Saunders 1-(mnnus-1), TEAM 1-(minus-13). WA, Mruk 12-120, DeLuca 3-102, Elko 3-13, J. Williams 1-(minus-9), B. Williams 2-(minus-8), D. Williams 2-8, Giambra 5-79, Sancho 2-65, Gashi 1-2, Scotto-Diluzio 2-(minus-3).
RECEIVING— NW, Koser 2-29, Hazlet 1-5. WA, Ambrosino 1-20, B. Williams 1-21, DePietro 1-11, Sokach-Minnick 1-8.
INTERCEPTIONS – NW, Piestrak. WA, Ambrosino.
MISSED FG’S – WA, Kranson (42 short)

CITIZENS VOICE - By Tom Fox

WEST PITTSTON — The pick-six Derek Ambrosino made was quite worthy for play of the night around the Wyoming Valley Conference.
And the Wyoming Area junior liked the end zone so much, he decided to get there twice.
Ambrosino and quarterback Dominic DeLuca each scored twice in the first half, and Wyoming Area crossed the goal line six times in the first two quarters en route to a 55-0 win over Northwest Friday night.
The win boosts the Warriors to 3-0 on the season, while Northwest falls to 0-3.
“We knew that we had to come out and play hard,” Ambrosino said. “We knew that we had the confidence to come out and play like this. Our defense is pretty stingy. We have a lot of guys that always come every day and step up to the challenge.”
Really, it was almost a perfect first half for Wyoming Area in all three facets of the game.
On special teams, Leo Haros took a punt back to the house 52 yards just two minutes in.
Offensively, the Warriors were dominating — rolling up more than 250 yards in one half, scoring on all but two possessions. And it was a plethora of options, from DeLuca’s 63-yard jaunt where he went nearly untouched through the middle of the line, to the bruising running of Corey Mruk. The junior back had 121 yards on 12 carries in the opening 24 minutes.
Eleven first downs. Three series of six or more plays. Two scoring possessions of just one play. And it was all capped off as Ambrosino got behind the secondary and hauled in a pass from Jacob Williams for the sixth score of the first half and the 42-0 lead at halftime.
“When you run the ball well, it makes everything else possible,” said WA head coach Randy Spencer as his team racked up more than 450 yards of offense, 370 on the ground. “Our line blocking has been consistent and improved, and that’s counting our tight ends and fullbacks. The backs are running harder each week. We are going in the right direction.”
Defensively, the Warriors were equally as impressive — holding Northwest to negative-13 yards for the game, sacking Ranger quarterback David Piestrak four times and intercepting him once.
That interception was one of beauty where Ambrosino tipped the ball to himself on a screen attempt, caught it and went 13 yards toward the end zone.
“I was reading the screen and just happened to stick my hand up,” Ambrosino said. “I tipped it by myself and ran it back. It felt good. With all the preparation done in practice, it felt good to pick one off.”
Really, Spencer couldn’t ask anything more from Wyoming Area.
“The goal was to move forward from last week, and I think we’ve been pretty consistent with that. We are looking for consistent improvement and moving that level up. And I think we took that next step on the ladder tonight,” he said.
Northwest started the game strong, intercepting DeLuca on the first play. But the Warrior defense forced a three-and-out, and Haros took the ensuing punt 52 yards for the 7-0 lead at the 10:05 mark of the first quarter.
It opened the flood gates as two DeLuca scores gave the green and gold a 21-0 lead after one quarter before three more touchdowns increased it to 42-0 at the break.
“First play of the game, you want to take that shot. And even if that’s the result, it’s the same as a punt,” Spencer said. “Dominic knows that he needs to be a player and a leader. The thing about being a leader is that it’s easy to lead when things go right. How do you lead when things go wrong? And you saw the whole team’s response after that interception. That’s a big positive for us.”
DeLuca got his third touchdown of the night in the third quarter after finding a wide-open Dimitri DePietro for the 19-yard score and 49-0 lead with 12 minutes to play.
Senior Jevani Sancho capped off the scoring when he broke a 51-yard touchdown run down the left sideline with seven seconds left.

TIMES LEADER

By Jimmy Fisher - jfisher@timesleader.com

WEST PITTSTON — The Wyoming Area’s offense picked up exactly where it left off the week before by scoring more than 40 points for the second straight week to down Coughlin 42-14.
The Crusaders (0-2) struggled offensively in the first half and turned the ball over three times which helped lead to 21 points by the Warriors (2-0).
In the 21 points, junior quarterback Dominic DeLuca threw touchdowns to junior running back FJ Braccini and a seven yard touchdown to junior wide receiver Brian Williams.
Junior running back Corey Mruk scored the first touchdown off the Coughlin turnover on a one yard run.
Other scores by the Warriors included a 20 yard touchdown pass by DeLuca to Williams, and a 24 yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Dimitri Depietro.
Warriors head coach Randy Spencer was thrilled with how DeLuca has matured as a player.
“His experience last year was invaluable and I think he’s right where he’d like to be and we need him to be,” Spencer said. “As a player, as a leader, for him to come and execute at that level speaks volumes.”
When the Warriors took a 42-0 lead before the end of the first half, Spencer began pulling starters, including DeLuca who finished the day 4-for-6 for 53 yards and four touchdowns.
Spencer said the team’s past experience with injuries lead him to make that decision.
“We’ve dealt with injuries in the early part of the season — some minor and some a little more significant,” he said. “I think you always have to be looking at situations and where could be a situation where somebody that’s a first group guy doesn’t take a senseless injury in those situations. So, that’s all we were looking to manage there.”
Despite DeLuca’s arm leading the way in scoring, the Warriors ran the ball for over 200 yards behind nine different ball carriers.
Spencer credited the offensive line for that feat.
“I think we came off the ball with that group,” he said. “It’s not just five guys, it’s about seven or eight guys and our fullbacks and tight ends are in that mix. We came off, blocked real well, our backs carried the ball well, and it’s really a credit to the whole group and it was great to see them execute.”
After halftime it looked like the Crusaders had life as the team scored 14 unanswered points, first on a 14 yard run by junior wide receiver Rafael McCoy and then on a three yard run by senior running back Jervone Young.
Both scores came off Wyoming Area turnovers.
“Anytime you’re running a game or managing a game as a coach you want it to go to plan and when you start getting some turnovers you just have to be prepared to readjust and do what you need to do,” Spencer said. “We were hopeful at that point to not have anybody in a situation where they could be hurt.
“Coughlin kept playing football, and credit to them and they have to do, and then we just have to respond to that situation. You want your young guys to step up and be able to make plays. Later on, I think we settled in and we were able to finish the game.”
Wyoming Area 42, Coughlin 14
Coughlin`0`0`14`0 — 14
Wyoming Area`28`21`0`0 — 42
First quarter
WA — FJ Braccini 2 pass from Dominic DeLuca (Kranson kick), 8:27
WA — Dimitri Depietro 24 pass from DeLuca (Kranson Kick), 4:46
WA — Corey Mruk 1 run (Kranson kick) 2:30
WA — Brian Williams 20 from DeLuca (Kranson kick) 0:42
Second quarter
WA — Brian Williams 7 from DeLuca (Kranson kick) 9:51
WA — Leo Haros 5 run (Kranson kick) 4:10
Third quarter
COU — Rafael McCoy 14 run (Regan kick no good) 6:17
COU — Jervone Young 3 run (Garrett Wardle 2 run) 3:01
Team statistics`COU`WA
First downs`7`17
Rushes-yards`30-105`36-216
Passing yards`18`53
Total yards`121`269
Passing`2-11-1`5-8-0
Sacked-yards lost`1-11`0-0
Punts-avg.`2-36`1-34
Fumbles-lost`4-2`3-1
Penalties-yards`2-25`4-30
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — COU, Garrett Wardle 2- minus 5, Xayvion Proctor, 3-2, Rafael McCoy 6-28, Marquis Silva, 12-104, Jervone Young, 3-4, Jonathan Karpien 2- minus 13. WA, Nick Elko 1-4, Corey Mruk 10-63, Darren Rodney, 2-38, Leo Haros, 4-29, Dillon Williams 1-7, Vincenzo Giambra 7-40, Enzo Scotto-Diluzio 6-32, Jevani Sancho 1-5, Colby Gashi 1-4.
PASSING — COU, Garrett Wardle 2-11-1-18, Jonathan Karpien 0-0-0-0. WA, Dominic DeLuca 4-6-0-53, Jacob Williams 0-1-0-0, Blaise Sokach-Minnik 0-0-0-0.
RECEIVING — COU, Rafael McCoy 1-14, Marquis Silva 1-6. WA, Brian Williams 2-27, Dimitri Depietro 1-24, FJ Braccini 1-2.
INTERCEPTIONS — COU, None. WA, Dominic DeLuca, 1-0

CITIZENS VOICE

WEST PITTSTON ­— The Wyoming Area Warriors turned three Coughlin firsthalf turnovers into points on their way to a 42-14 victory over the Crusaders Friday night at Jake Sobieski Stadium.
“That was a big momentum builder for us in the first half,” said Warrior head coach Randy Spencer.
After forcing Coughlin to punt the ball away on their first possession of the game, the Warriors embarked on five-play, 35-yard drive. Corey Mruk’s 21-yard gain gave the Warriors the ball on the 2- yard line. Quarterback Dominic Deluca hit FJ Braccini with a 2-yard strike for the score.
Deluca completed four passes on the evening, all for touchdowns.
“With the experience that he gained last season he has become our leader on the field,” Spencer said.
Following a bad snap that sailed over punter Chad Regan’s head that was recovered by Wyoming Area’s Thomas Wycoski, Dimitri Depietro hauled in a 24-yard pass from Deluca to increase the Warrior lead to 14-0.
On the ensuing kickoff, Wyoming Area’s Colby Gashi recovered a Coughlin fumble. The Warriors needed just six plays to cover 24 yards. Mruk was key to the drive as he picked up 20 rushing yards, the last rush resulted in a Warrior touchdown.
Brain Williams returned a Coughlin punt 45 yards to give Wyoming Area the ball on Coughlin’s 20. On the next play from scrimmage, Deluca hit a wide-open Williams with a 20-yard scoring strike to extend the Warrior lead 28-0 late in the first quarter.
Deluca then thwarted the next Crusader possession as he made a diving interception of an errant pass attempt. Darren Rodney then scampered 38 yards to move the football to the 7-yard line. Deluca next hit Williams in the corner of the end zone with his fourth touchdown pass of the evening.
Once again, the Warrior defense came up big by forcing Coughlin to punt. Leonardo Haros carried the football six consecutive times for 34 yards, the last being a 5 -yard burst off-tackle for the Warriors’ final score of the first half.
“I thought that the big people up front including our tight ends and fullbacks did a wonderful job of sustaining their block all evening,” Spencer said.
Marquis Silva recovered a Wyoming Area fumble on the Warriors’ first drive of the second half. Silva than toted the ball three times for 28 yards. Rafael McCoy took a handoff on a reverse play and scooted 13 yards to put the Crusaders on the scoreboard.
Coughlin was then successful as they recovered the ensuing squib kick. Silva was then instrumental on the Crusader drive as he picked up 49 yards on the ground. Fullback Jervone Young then rumble into the end zone with the game’s final touchdown.
Silva lead the way for the Crusaders rushing for 108 yards for the evening.
Williams lead the Warriors with two touchdowns, Depietro and Braccini each hauled in one touchdown pass apiece. Corey Mruk with 64 yards, Vincenzo Giambra with 40 yards paced the ground attack for Wyoming Area.

By Tom Robinson

THROOP — There will be nights when Dominic DeLuca throws the ball much more effectively.
Friday night, in the season opener, DeLuca showed he can do many other things to help Wyoming Area win.
DeLuca ran for two scores and made contributions with his defense, punting and kick returning as Wyoming Area rolled to a 48-7 victory at Mid Valley.
Corey Mruk also ran for two touchdowns and F.J. Braccini returned a fumble 29 yards for a score to lead a defense that allowed just 40 yards total offense.
DeLuca had a 65-yard touchdown pass to Brian Williams wiped out by an ineligible receiver downfield penalty, leaving him just 2-for-7 passing. He found many other ways to contribute.
“Dominic’s a well-rounded player,” Wyoming Area coach Randy Spencer said. “He does a lot of jobs for us out there. He was outstanding punting tonight.
“He’s just a hard worker; a leader. Regardless stat-wise, what someone like Dominic brings to the field as a player and a leader is critical.”
DeLuca had a pair of 4-yard touchdown runs, one in each of the first two quarters, and shared the team rushing lead of 65 yards on a night when the Warriors built a 304-27 advantage on the ground.
On defense, DeLuca had two tackles, including one for a loss, and assisted on another. His 17-yard punt return put Wyoming Area at the Mid Valley 38 for its second possession, setting up the team’s second score.
DeLuca got off a high, 34-yard punt under pressure in the first half, then, with the offense struggling a bit to start the second half, his 51-yard punt pinned Mid Valley at the 7 and created the field-position shift that led to a touchdown and 35-7 lead.
“Passing-wise tonight it was rough,” DeLuca said. “ … Special teams, I just try to run the ball hard and, on offense, I just put my head down and try to get the ball in the end zone.”
Braccini made his way to the end zone after picking up a fumble, giving Wyoming Area a 21-0 lead less than 10 minutes into the game.
The Warriors defense was too much for the Spartans, who got the first of their three first downs on a penalty.
The only Mid Valley score came after an interception return to the Wyoming Area 7.
“All things considered, playing a lot of guys in our first game, I thought our defense played well,” Spencer said.
Cameron Carr had six tackles, including a sack, and a rushed passer. Mruk had five tackles, including a sack, and an assist.
Junior fullback/defensive end Sammy Solomon, a Division I prospect who transferred to Wyoming Area from Wyoming Valley West in the spring, left the game with a leg injury midway through the first quarter and did not return.
Wyoming Area 48, Mid Valley 7
Wyoming Area`21`7`7`13`—`48
Mid Valley`0`7`0`0`—`7
First quarter
WA – Corey Mruk 6 run (F.J. Braccini kick), 9:00
WA – Dominic DeLuca 4 run (Braccini kick), 2:58
WA – Braccini 29 fumble return (Aleah Kranson kick), 2:02
Second quarter
MV – Joe Chylak 1 run (Sam Borgacci kick), 6:46
WA – DeLuca 4 run (Kranson kick), 0:42.5
Third quarter
WA – Mruk 1 run (Kranson kick), 0:36.9
Fourth quarter
WA – Leonardo Haros 6 run (kick blocked), 5:06
WA – Vincenzo Giambra 65 run (Josh Cumbo kick), 0:55.3
Team statistics`WA`MV
First downs`14`3
Rushes-yards`37-304`44-27
Passing yards`21`13
Total yards`325`40
Passing`3-9-1`4-6-0
Sacked-yards lost`1-3`4-23
Punts-avg.`4-42.5`7-24.0
Fumbles-lost`1-1`1-1
Penalties-yards`6-40`3-15
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — WA, Vincenzo Giambra 1-65, Dominic DeLuca 8-65, Leonardo Haros 6-62, Corey Mruk 9-50, Darren Rodney 6-34, Dillon Williams 2-12, Zajquay Williamson 2-8, Sammy Solomon 2-5, F.J. Braccini 1-3. MV, Ethan Booth 9-30, Devin Ayala 4-14, Sebastian Brudnicki 2-7, Aaron Killino 1-minus 4, Joe Chylak 13-minus 6, Cameron Riccardo 5-minus 14.
PASSING — WA, DeLuca 2-7-1-20, Jacob Williams 1-2-0-1. MV, Riccardo 2-3-0-11, Chylak 1-2-0-1, Patrick Ferke 1-1-0-1.
RECEIVING — WA, Brian Williams 1-16, Dimitri Depietro 1-4, Riley Rusyn 1-1. MV, Zach Rebar 2-10, Ayala 2-3.
INTERCEPTIONS — WA, none. MV, Josh Angelo 1-14.

By Christian McVeigh

THROOP — Opening night did not go according to plan for Mid Valley, as it found itself losing, 48-7, to Wyoming Area in a nonconference game Friday night.
It became obvious early in the first quarter, the game would likely be won on the ground when Mid Valley’s starting quarterback Patrick Ferke left the game with a hip injury after the Warriors had already run for two touchdowns.
Warrior running back Samuel Solomon was also injured in the first quarter.
Wyoming Area could not be stopped on the ground, getting nine different players rushing attempts, four of whom scored touchdowns and three of whom went over 50 yards.
The Warriors had 35 rushing attempts for 289 yards and six touchdowns, which is exactly what head coach Randy Spencer wanted.
“We have some players that have game experience from last year, we didn’t have a feature back come back into this year and we have some guys that certainly can play that role,” Spencer said. “So night to night it’s going to be who’s running well, who’s feeling good, who gets a little momentum, and, obviously, if we can keep some guys fresh, a running back by committee is not a bad thing.”
Running backs are not the only versatile players on the Warriors roster.