Times Leader

A handful of plays in the third quarter Friday night changed everything for Wyoming Area.
They also ended the Warriors’ season.
Scranton Prep used three big plays to score three times in the third quarter, taking control of a close game for a 28-6 victory over Wyoming Area in the District 2 Class 3A championship game.
“A few big plays. Credit to them,” Wyoming Area coach Randy Spencer said. “We had to play aggressively, do some things defensively (like) crowd the ball a little bit and play some man coverage.”
Prep (12-1) will play District 11 champion Northwestern Lehigh (13-0) next weekend in the state quarterfinals. Wyoming Area finished its season at 11-2.
One of the biggest plays of the third quarter didn’t result in a Prep touchdown. Instead, it resulted in Wyoming Area not scoring.
Trailing 14-0, Wyoming Area 2,000-yard rusher Lidge Kellum raced around the left side on the way to a 53-yard score. An illegal formation penalty, though, wiped out the TD.
“It’s a game of momentum,” Spencer said, “and that would have been a boost right there. But you have to overcome that over the course of the game.”
Five plays later, after Prep stopped Wyoming Area on a fourth-and-3, running back Will McPartland took a screen pass, sifted his way from the left to the middle of the field and scored on a 54-yard catch-and-run.
Just prior to Kellum’s negated touchdown, Prep had increased its lead to 14-0. Quarterback Louis Paris broke a tackle in the backfield and ran down the right side for a 75-yard touchdown. The score came after Wyoming Area pinned the Cavaliers at their own 5-yard line with a punt.
“Big play down here when we backed them up with the punt and Paris broke the long run,” Spencer said. “Again, we’re there and we have to make the tackle. “
Down 21-0 after McPartland’s touchdown, the Warriors were once again stopped on a fourth-down play at the Prep 49-yard line. The Cavaliers scored on the next play as Treyvon Dickey ran 51 yards to make it 28-0.
Wyoming Area scored on its next possession, although it ate up nearly half of the fourth quarter in the process. The Warriors needed 16 plays and three fourth-down conversions to cover 65 yards. Kellum finished off the drive with a 1-yard run with 5:13 remaining.
Kellum finished with 139 yards on 33 carries as the Prep defense never allowed him any breakaway runs. His longest gain was 14 yards. The Warriors finished with 219 yards of total offense, their lowest total of the season.
“(Kellum) is a good football player and obviously they’re physical up front,” Prep coach Terry Gallagher said. “He’s a pretty patient kid and oftentimes you’re thinking the speed, but he cut it back a lot more than I anticipated.”
Prep scored on its initial drive of the game with Paris ending the eight-play possession with a 10-yard run at 8:11 of the first quarter.
After fumbling away the ball on its first possession, Wyoming Area moved into Prep territory the next two times only to turn over the ball on downs.

Citizens Voice

As the momentum continued to shift during the first half Friday night, Wyoming Area was unable to take advantage of its opportunities.After scoring on the opening drive, Scranton Prep relied on its defense to keep the lead heading into halftime. But once the third quarter rolled around, the Cavaliers took control and extended their season.
The Cavaliers scored three third-quarter touchdowns to pull away from Wyoming Area, 28-6, and win the District 2 Class 3A championship at Dunmore High School.
Scranton Prep (12-1) won its fourth consecutive Class 3A district championship and its eighth since 2015. The Cavaliers advance to next week’s state quarterfinals to face District 11 champion Northwestern Lehigh (13-0), a 49-7 winner over Conwell-Egan (8-4) on Friday.
“We’re lucky to have a good group of kids,” Scranton Prep coach Terry Gallagher said. “Hopefully, we will continue to get better. Luckily we get to play again next week. We know it is going to be a tough game.”
Scranton Prep announced its presence with authority on the game’s opening drive of the game, going 74 yards in nine plays capped by a Louis Paris quarterback keeper 10-yard run.
The Cavaliers took nearly four minutes off the clock, but more importantly kept Wyoming Area’s offense, specifically running back Lidge Kellum, off the field.
That’s when Scranton Prep’s defense began to control the tempo. Wyoming Area (11-2) turned the ball over on downs twice in the first half and could not capitalize on a pair of Scranton Prep fumbles.
“We has some opportunities in the first half where we just didn’t convert,” Wyoming Area coach Randy Spencer said. “We battled as we did all year. We took our shots. I’m proud of the kids. Credit to Scranton Prep.”
Kevin Wiedl recovered a Scranton Prep fumble on the Wyoming Area 22 with 3:15 left in the half. Knowing the offense was going to get the ball to start the third quarter, the Warriors were deliberate with how they approached the remaining time left on the clock. Particularly with the Cavaliers going with a three-man front and dropping eight into coverage. So rather than risk turning the ball over or giving the Cavaliers an opportunity to score a defensive touchdown, the Warriors were content to take it to the locker room.
“Knowing we were getting the ball coming out, we didn’t want to get carried away,” Spencer said. “We didn’t want to create a defensive score.”
Forced to punt on their first possession of the third quarter, the Warriors pinned Scranton Prep at its own 5.
Five plays into the ensuing drive, Paris took off on a 75-yard touchdown run where he eluded the first tackler just beyond the line of scrimmage and cruised down the right sideline into the end zone.
Down two touchdowns and needing some type of momentum, the Warriors thought they had it when Kellum broke free on a 53-yard touchdown run. But it was called back because of an illegal formation penalty. Four plays later, the Warriors turned the ball over on downs at the Scranton Prep 46.
“It’s a game of momentum and that would have been a boost,” Spencer said. “It certainly would have helped in terms of energy and momentum.”
Gallagher, though, wasn’t so sure about the momentum swing in the moment because he was still consumed by the fact the Cavaliers turned the ball over twice and were called for 25 yards in penalties in the first half.
“It could have been,” Gallagher said about the momentum shift. “I had no idea at that point because I was fuming we had two turnovers and a countless number of ridiculous penalties.”
As it turned out, it was a momentum changer and a game breaker.
On the first play from scrimmage after getting the ball back, Paris hit Will McPartland on a screen pass for a 54-yard touchdown to make it 21-0.
When Wyoming Area again came up short on fourth down, the Cavaliers answered on the first play when Treyvon Dickey went 51 yards for a touchdown.
“When we backed them up with the punt and Paris broke the long run, we thought we were there,” Spencer said. “They ran a screen play and we thought we had the right call. They made a couple of plays that stressed us.”
Kellum, who had 137 yards rushing, scored with 5:13 left in the game. Wyoming Area tried to convert an onside kick, but Scranton Prep recovered and ran out the clock.

District 2 Class 3A Championship
Scranton Prep 28, Wyoming Area 6
Wyoming Area`0`0`0`6 — 6
Scranton Prep`7`0`21`0 — 28
First Quarter
SP — Louis Paris 10 run (Tyler Bianchi kick), 8:11
Third quarter
SP — Paris 75 run (Bianchi kick), 6:59
SP — Will McPartland 54 pass from Paris (Bianchi kick), 3:20
SP — Treyvon Dickey 51 run (Bianchi kick), 0:01
Fourth quarter
WA — Lidge Kellum 1 run (kick blocked), 5:13

Team statistics`WA`SP 
First downs`14`13 
Rushes-yards`43-153`33-307 
Passing yards`66`99 
Total yards`219`406 
Passing`5-15-0`4-7-0 
Sacked-yards lost`0-0`0-0 
Punts-avg.`1-48`1-13 
Fumbles-lost`1-1`2-2 
Penalties-yards`2-10`4-25 
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — Wyoming Area, Kellum 33-139, Trustin Johnson 4-4, Michael Crane 2-5, Anthony DeLucca 4-5. Scranton Prep, Will McPartland 12-47, Louis Paris 11-161, Treyvon Dickey 4-65, Anthony Prince 3-39, team 3-(minus-5).
PASSING — Wyoming Area, DeLucca 5-15-0-66, Scranton Prep, Paris 4-7-0-99.
RECEIVING — Wyoming Area, Luke Kopetchny 2-38, Kevin Wiedl 3-28. Scranton Prep, Treyvon Dickey 2-40, McPartland 2-59. 
INTERCEPTIONS — none

Nepafootball.com

It was a game and then, suddenly, it wasn’t. Scranton Prep utilized a lethal big-play offensive surge in the third quarter to put away Wyoming Area 28-6, securing the Cavaliers’ third consecutive PIAA District 2 Class 3A championship. The Cavaliers will face Northwestern Lehigh, the program that ended their season last year, in the state quarterfinals next weekend.
As has often been the case for Prep, the Cavaliers took the opening kickoff and scored on their very first drive of the football game. Prep marched 74 yards in just 9 plays, garnering all of and 5 to put the football inside the Warrior 20-yard line. Four plays later, Paris bulled his way into the end zone from 10 yards out for the first of his two touchdowns. Tyler Bianchi’s extra point made the score 7-0 with 8:11 remaining in the opening quarter.
The teams traded fumbles on their ensuing possessions. Late in the first half, the Cavaliers were driving, reaching the Wyoming Area 20-yard line. On the next play, Paris threw a screen pass that Treyvon Dickey caught and then fumbles, giving the Warriors the football deep in their own territory. Wyoming Area essentially ran out the first half clock with the knowledge that they would be receiving the second half kickoff.
Prep forced the Warriors to punt on their first possession of the second half, a boot that was finally downed at the Prep 5-yard line. After four plays moved the football out to the 25, Paris electrified the crowd with a 75-yard sprint in front of the Wyoming Area bench, outrunning several Warriors on his way to paydirt. Bianchi added another point to make the score 14-0 with 6:59 left in the third quarter.
Wyoming Area could not manage to string together first downs, turning the ball over on an incomplete pass at the Prep 46. On the next play from scrimmage, Paris connected with Will McPartland on a screen pass that the junior back turned upfield, racing 54 yards untouched to the end zone. Bianchi’s kick made it 21-0 with 3:33 left in the third frame.
The script remained unchanged. Wyoming Area, after a string of incomplete passes, turned the ball over on downs at the Prep 49-yard line. Lightning struck on the next play as senior wingback Treyvon Dickey scooted 51-yards down the sideline, giving Prep their third touchdown in as many offensive snaps. With 12 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Prep led 28-0.
The Warriors did manage to score on what would turn out to be their final drive of the season. Wyoming Area traveled 65 yards in 16 plays with record-setting tailback Lidge Kellum doing the honors from a yard out with just 5:13 left in the game. The extra point was blocked, making the final score 28-6 in favor of the district champion Cavaliers.
Prep outgained Wyoming Area 405 to 206. Paris, whose numbers continue to astonish as the season progresses, rushed for 158 yards and 2 touchdowns on just 10 carries. He connected on 4 of 7 passes for 98 yards and the touchdown to McPartland.
Prep improved their record to 12-1 on their way to their third consecutive trip to the state playoffs. Wyoming Area’s season ended at 11-2.

Times Leader

Wyoming Area and Western Wayne matched five touchdowns each Friday night.
That meant the District 2 Class 3A semifinal came down to “extra” points, specifically the times that the two teams decided to go for two-point conversions.
Wyoming Area’s Anthony DeLucca scrambled for the two points that tied the game in the final minute of regulation, paving the way for the visiting Warriors to avenge their only loss of the season when Nate Obrzut and Andrew Steinberger stopped a Western Wayne conversion attempt on the final play of the double-overtime battle to secure a 36-35 victory.
The Warriors move into Friday night’s District 2 championship game at Scranton Prep. The 11-1 teams meet at Dunmore’s Veterans Memorial Stadium.
The last twist in a game full of major momentum turns came when Western Wayne coach Shane Grodack called timeout and decided to go for two points, choosing to win or lose at the end of the second overtime rather than try to kick for the likely tie and a third overtime.
Josh Vinton ran for 296 yards and four touchdowns on 42 carries, including 189 yards, all four touchdowns and 26 carries after halftime.
Vinton got the call one more time on the deciding play. He had gained at least three yards – the distance necessary for the conversion – on 21 of his previous 23 carries.
Obrzut closed down from his left tackle position and stopped Vinton’s momentum. Steinberger moved in from right defensive end to help finish it as Vinton was pulled to the ground less than a yard shot of the goal line.
“I played my leverage,” Obrzut said. “When he came my way, I took the opportunity and wrapped him and he came up short.
“I’m not sure who else was there, but it was a pack of Warriors.” 
Just as was the case in their first meeting nine weeks earlier, when the Wildcats won 34-23, the teams leaned on their durable tailbacks, who churned out yards while both sides delivered the hits in another physical battle.
Kellum carried 34 times for 192 yards and all five Wyoming Area touchdowns.
The Warriors were sharp early, opening a 21-3 lead in the second quarter.
Western Wayne ran off 28 straight points, taking the lead late in the third quarter and adding to it in the fourth quarter as it appeared to have taken control of the game.
Wyoming Area got the ball back trailing 29-21 with 3:45 left. The previous three drives had combined to produce just 48 yards and two first downs.
The Warriors rediscovered their offense and remained patient, moving 65 yards in eight plays.
DeLucca, who went 6-for-8 for 111 yards passing, hit both attempts in the drive. He found Kevin Wiedl for 35 yards to the 3 and Kellum scored from there with 51.3 seconds left.
The Warriors called a pass for the tying two-pointer, but instead, inspired by watching Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson Thursday night, DeLucca took off and ran to the pylon at the left corner to force overtime.
“I was just looking at getting that pylon,” DeLucca said.
Neither team scored in the first overtime.
Vinton could not handle the pitch on first down and Wyoming Area recovered the fumble.
The Warriors lost yardage on first down and wound up with a fourth-and-six field goal attempt that was off the mark.
Getting the ball first in the second overtime, Wyoming Area settled the outcome with two straight five-yard Kellum runs, a Nick Ciampi extra-point kick and the two-point stop.
“I’m just so proud of these kids,” Warriors coach Randy Spencer said. “The will to play and win and to give ourselves our more chance to play in a championship game.”
The final will match the Wyoming Valley Conference Division 2 champion Warriors against the Lackawanna Football Conference Division 1 champion Cavaliers.

Citizens Voice

Western Wayne coach Shane Grodack didn’t hesitate. And why not when you have a back like Josh Vinton.
The senior standout gashed Wyoming Area’s defense throughout the second half, helping the Wildcats rally from an early 18-point deficit. So when Vinton scored in the second overtime to pull Western Wayne within one, Grodack immediately signaled to go for the two-point conversion and the win.
However, Nate Obrzut foiled the strategy. He stopped Vinton just shy of the goal line, preserving a 36-35 victory for the Warriors in the District 2 Class 3A semifinals Friday night at a windy Sharkey Rossetti Sports Complex.
“When you’ve got 28 (Vinton) and 10 (Sean Owens) on the team and the way we were playing in the second half, at that point, let’s go win the game. That’s what I was thinking,” Grodack said. “We came about four inches short. They say football is a game of inches. Sometimes they come all at once and sometimes you don’t get them.”
Vinton finished with 289 yards and four touchdowns on 42 carries. But his effort fell short thanks to Obrzut’s tackle, senior quarterback Anthony DeLucca engineering a game-tying 65-yard drive in the final minutes of regulation and senior Lidge Kellum running for 187 yards and five touchdowns on 33 carries.
Wyoming Area (11-1) avenged its lone loss and advances to next week’s district final against Scranton Prep, which beat Mid Valley in the other semifinal, 40-21.
“We asked our kids to play 48 minutes and they played right to the end,” Wyoming Area coach Randy Spencer said. “They gutted it out and showed they want to play one more together. When things got tough, they got tighter. I couldn’t be more proud of this team.”
This game was an absolute thriller with more ups and downs and twists and turns than a Six Flags roller coaster.
Western Wayne used a 12-play, 72-yard scoring drive that was all Vinton, including the 5-yard touchdown run, to take a 29-21 lead following Jacob Wells’ extra point with 3:45 left in the fourth quarter.
Taking over at his 35, DeLucca and the Wyoming Area offense calmly moved down the field toward the tying score.
“That last drive was the scariest I’ve been in my life,” Kellum said. “But I knew somehow we’d get the job done. I knew somebody was going to make a play.”
After DeLucca ran four yards on first down, Kellum had runs of 5, 3 and 6 yards to move into Western Wayne territory at the 48. DeLucca hit Jack Gravine for seven yards and Kellum carried for three yards. On second-and-7 from the 38, DeLucca hit Kevin Wiedl for 34 yards to set up first-and-goal at the Wildcats 4. Kellum scored on the next play to make it 29-27.
“We’ve been in situations like that before,” DeLucca said. “We just had to trust in our guys, trust in our play calls. Our coaches did a great job on the drive of mixing up the pass and the run, keeping them off-balance. I don’t think they were ready for our tempo on that last drive. We got the coverage we wanted on that deep post to Kev and then have Lidge finish it off.”
DeLucca then ran for the two-point conversion to tie it at 29 with 51.3 seconds left.

“I knew I had to make one more play to keep the game alive,” DeLucca said. “I’m sure my teammates are going to bust me because I’m not much of a runner. I watched a little bit of Lamar Jackson (Thursday) night. Maybe that helped me.”
Winning the overtime coin toss, Wyoming Area chose defense and it appeared to work as Vinton fumbled on Western Wayne’s first play and Jacob Morgan recovered for the Warriors. However, on fourth down from the 7 on their overtime possession, Nick Ciampi missed a 23-yard field goal to keep it tied and send the game to a second overtime.
Kellum had a pair of 5-yard runs, the second of which resulted in a touchdown. Ciampi’s kick put Wyoming Area on top, 36-29.
On the first play of Western Wayne’s possession in the second OT, Vinton scored on a 10-yard run, but got stopped by Obrzut on the two-point try, touching off a wild celebration by the Warriors.
“It was power and I saw a cutback. I went to hit the hole,” Vinton said. “There was a guy on the ground and he hit me in the hip. You know what they say. If you hit someone in the legs, they’re going down.”
At the outset, overtime seemed unlikely. Wyoming Area scored on three straight possessions — capped by Kellum touchdown runs of 3, 13 and 1 yard — to build a 21-3 lead with 6:33 left in the second quarter.
But Western Wayne did not fold. John Pyatt connected with Sean Owens for a 31-yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit to 21-9 with 3:42 left before halftime.
“I told the boys at halftime how we adjust to the situation in the game is going to be a true test of our character,” Grodack said. “You can lie down and lose the game or fight back to the end and we did. I give the boys a lot of credit coming out in the second half and playing the way they did.”
Then, Vinton took charge in the second half. Twenty-seven of his carries, 182 of his yards and all four of his scores came after halftime.
He accounted for all seven plays of a 51-yard scoring drive to open the third quarter, scoring from 1 yard out to help bring the Wildcats within 21-16 with 7:44 left.
After Western Wayne’s defense forced a punt. Vinton scored on a 21-yard run — carrying three defenders the final five yards into the end zone — to put the Wildcats in front, 22-21, with 1:02 left. Following another Wyoming Area punt, Vinton and the Wildcats put together a near-eight-minute scoring drive to extend the lead to eight, only to have Wyoming Area mount its own comeback.

District 2 Class 3A semifinals
Wyoming Area 36, Western Wayne 35
Wyoming Area`7`14`0`8`0`7 — 36
Western Wayne`3`6`13`7`0`6 — 35
First quarter
WA — Lidge Kellum 3 run (Nick Ciampi kick), 5:18
WW — Jacob Wells 32 FG, 0:42.6
Second quarter
WA — Kellum 18 run (Ciampi kick), 10:00
WA — Kellum 2 run (Ciampi kick), 6:33
WW — Sean Owens 31 pass from John Pyatt (kick failed), 3:42
Third quarter
WW — Vinton 1 run (Wells kick), 7:43
WW — Vinton 21 run (run failed), 3:42
Fourth quarter
WW — Vinton 5 run (Wells kick), 3:45
WA — Kellum 3 run (Anthony DeLucca run), 0:51.3
Second overtime
WA — Kellum 5 run (Ciampi kick)
WW — Vinton 10 run (run failed)

Team Statistics`WA`WW
First downs`14`16
Rushes-yards`41-201`45-312
Passing yards`111`54
Total yards`312`366
Passing`6-8-0`5-8-0
Sacked-yards lost`2-13`1-1
Punts-avg.`4-31.8`1-23.0
Fumbles-lost`0-0`3-2
Penalties-yards`5-35`1-5
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — WA, Kellum 34-192, Michael Crane 4-18, DeLucca 3-minus 9. WW, Vinton 42-296, Owens 2-17, Pyatt 1-minus 1.
PASSING — WA, DeLucca 6-8-0-111. WW, Pyatt 5-7-0-54, Team 0-1-0-0.
RECEIVING – WA, Luke Kopetchny 4-48, Kevin Weidl 2-63. WW, Owens 3-50, Archer Long 1-2, Vincent Baldini 1-2.
INTERCEPTIONS — None.
MISSED FIELD GOALS – WA, Ciampi 23.

Nepafootball.com

By Tom Robinson
SOUTH CANAAN – Lidge Kellum ran for five touchdowns Friday night, but Wyoming Area still needed more to get past Western Wayne and into the District 2 Class 3A championship game.
Anthony DeLucca and a clutch defensive effort on the final play of the second overtime provided the plays that allowed the Warriors to avenge their only loss with a 36-35, road victory.
DeLucca engineered a late drive that forced overtime, with the help of his tying two-point conversion run in the final minute of regulation, then Nate Obrzut, Matt Rutkoski and Andrew Steinberger prevented the Wildcats from winning the game with their own daring, two-point attempt.
Kellum and Western Wayne’s Josh Vinton soared past the 2,000-yard season mark early in the game and the league rushing leaders were the focal point of each team’s surge for apparent control at one point in the game.
Vinton carried 27 times for 185 yards and four touchdowns after halftime to finish with 42 carries for 292 yards.
Kellum carried 34 times for 192 yards.
Each back broke tackles along the way and both received and delivered punishment in frequent doses.
Their efforts set up a dramatic finish.
Kellum ran for three touchdowns in a span of 10:45 from midway through the first quarter to the middle of the second quarter to open a 21-3 lead as Wyoming Valley Conference Division 2 champion Wyoming Area came in looking to avenge its only loss from when it visited the Lackawanna Football Conference Division 2 co-champions in Week Three.
Enter Vinton.
With his efforts leading the way, Western Wayne dominated the next 26:48.
The numbers from that stretch of the game show just how clearly the Wildcats had appeared to be in command going into the final drive by the Warriors.
Western Wayne had advantages of 15-2 in first downs, 222-41 in rushing yards, 54-8 in passing yards, 276-49 in total offense, 19:43-6:55 in time of possession and, most importantly, 28-0 on the scoreboard during that time.
But the work Wyoming Area did early kept the Warriors close enough for the gallant effort they were about to put forth to make a difference.
“We kind of had all the steam in the first half,” Wyoming Area coach Randy Spencer said. “We gave up a couple of plays and they were, to their credit, able to get back in the game.
“Then with that second half, we still had time on the clock. I’m just so proud of these kids; their will to play and win and to give ourselves our more opportunity to play in a championship game next week.”
The comeback started innocently enough with a four-yard scramble by DeLucca.
Kellum carried the next three plays, picking up 12 yards, including converting a third-and-one with a tough run up the middle.
Western Wayne seemed to be making things difficult on the Warriors, keeping Luke Kopetchny and Kellum in bounds after a six-yard catch and a three-yard run around end. That forced Wyoming Area to use a timeout to stop the clock with 1:17 left.
The last of DeLucca’s passes on a night when he went 6-for-8 for 111 yards found Kevin Wiedl for 35 yards to the 3. Wiedl had caught a 28-yard pass to the 3 to set up the game’s first score and also was a big part of the Wyoming Area defensive effort with nine tackles, two of them for losses, and five assists.
Kellum carried it in from there on the next play with 51.3 seconds left, but the Warriors still needed two points just to get to overtime.
The teams matched timeouts and Wyoming Area came out with play action out of a tight, power set. Both receivers were smothered as DeLucca looked to his right in the end zone before taking off in a successful sprint to the left pylon.
“Our (receiver) got a little tripped up,” DeLucca said. “I stayed up a little late last night watching a little Lamar Jackson on Thursday night football. I saw him run in and stretch the ball across the left pylon so I tried to do my best Lamar Jackson impression.
“Lidge is a big Lamar Jackson fan so I tell him all the time, ‘we’ll have to throw a little Lamar Jackson in there’.”
The rollercoaster ride was far from over as each team went through ups and downs in its two series of the National Federation 10-Yard Line Tiebreaker Procedure.
Western Wayne got the ball first, but, with running room appearing to open in front of him, Vinton could not hold on to the pitch and Wyoming Area’s Jacob Morgan jumped on the bouncing ball. Morgan also had seven tackles and eight assists in the game.
Any Wyoming Area score would have ended the game.
The Warriors tried to surprise with a first-down pass, but DeLucca was sacked. Two Kellum runs led to a 23-yard field goal try for the win, but after timeouts again by each team, the kick was no good.
Under overtime rules, roles were reversed and Wyoming Area went first for the second overtime, which started up as a rain shower joined the strong wind that had been a factor throughout the night.
Kellum picked up five yards twice in a row to put Wyoming Area ahead.
“My blockers made a hole for me,” Kellum said. “When I saw the hole I knew I had to do something. I put my shoulder down and I went through two people.”
Nick Ciampi’s fourth extra point made it a seven-point lead.
The Wildcats did not have to wait long. Vinton raced into the end zone from the 10 on their first play.
Western Wayne coach Shane Grodack decided to go for the win, needing just three yards for the winning two points.
Vinton had picked up at least three yards on 11 of his previous 12 carries and 18 of his previous 20.
Left tackle Obrzut and inside linebacker Rutkoski got to Vinton soon after he crossed the line of scrimmage on a run up the middle. Steinberger came in from his right end spot to help wrestle the runner to the ground inside the 1-yard line, but clearly short of the goal line.
“I came in for the assist,” Steinberger said. “I was ready for them to come outside, but I didn’t really know what to expect.”
Kellum had scored on runs of 3 yards in the first quarter, then 18 and 2 in the second quarter before adding his late touchdowns.
Jacob Wells kicked a 32-yard field goal for Western Wayne in the first quarter, but the Wildcats got just two extra points from their five touchdowns, going 2-for-3 on kicks and 0-for-2 on runs.
The Wildcats started their rally with a 31-yard pass from John Pyatt to Sean Owens with 3:42 left in the half.
Wyoming Area’s own comeback puts the Warriors in Friday night’s championship game against Scranton Prep, also 11-1, at Dunmore.

Citizens Voice

WEST PITTSTON — Lidge Kellum and Andrew Steinberger created a terrifying case of deja vu for the Carbondale Area defense Friday night.
Kellum, a senior running back, took a toss and followed the pulling guard Steinberger through the hole for a chunk gain.
Then they did it again, and again.
Steinberger, a senior captain, and the rest of the Wyoming Area offensive line found what worked early and overpowered the Chargers defense, contributing to a massive night for Kellum as it raced to a 49-0 victory in the District 2 Class 3A football quarterfinal at Anthony Jake Sobeski Memorial Stadium.
“I think we were really motivated, locked in and focused coming into this game, had a great week of preparation,” Wyoming Area coach Randy Spencer said. “We challenged ourselves and did some great things that were uncomfortable this week, out of our comfort zone. I really think they took full advantage of that and locked in.”
The third-seeded Warriors (10-1) will travel to No. 2 Western Wayne (10-1) for their semifinal match next week. The Wildcats reached the District 2 Class 3A championship game the last two seasons.
They also handed Wyoming Area its only loss, 34-23, in Week 3.
Kellum, the Wyoming Valley Conference’s leading rusher, amassed 191 yards and three touchdowns on just 12 carries. His first three attempts were toss plays to the right, on which he followed his mobile lead blocker Steinberger for big gains.
The senior right guard saw red coming off the ball.
“Anytime I’m pulling, I look at my target before the play and I just think, ‘I’ve got to go smash this guy,’” Steinberger said. “It’s awesome when I light somebody up and then I see Lidge all the way down the field.”
Kellum scored on a 34-yard toss less than two minutes into the game. He then turned a counter handoff into a 56-yard score, stumbling at the 15-yard line but staying on his feet to make it 14-0 with 4:34 left in the first.
On the first play of the second quarter, Kellum spun out of a tackle and raced in for a 15-yard touchdown to push Wyoming Area’s lead to 21-0.
Kellum’s final rush, a 16-yard toss to the right, set up fullback Michael Crane’s 5-yard touchdown midway through the second quarter.
After Trustin Johnson intercepted freshman Charger quarterback Cole Bucchetti, Johnson tallied four explosive runs on a 41-yard drive, capped by a 5-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 35-0 with 4:18 left in the half.
“The fact that we played clean and at a very high level with very few self-inflicted issues really was the story,” Spencer said. “Some outstanding play by some guys tonight, but that was really the key.”
Johnson finished with 59 of the team’s 292 yards rushing, and Crane compiled 25.
Carbondale Area (6-5) punted four times in the first half and only had one first down. Senior running back Ethen Brewen rushed for 48 yards on 20 carries and caught both of Becchetti’s completions for 17 yards, accounting for 65 of the team’s 66 yards.
The young Chargers end the season with a winning record for the first time since 2017 and the first time in Jeff Arthur’s four-year tenure.
“The future is bright if we do the right things,” Arthur said. “I’m excited. These kids are buying into the process every day, and hopefully they learn their lesson here tonight and we get better.”
This season, the Chargers relied mostly on the legs of Brewen, who broke the 800-yard mark. He is part of a senior class that was the freshman class when Arthur took the Carbondale Area job. That class will hold a special place in Arthur’s heart.
“We came down here four years ago and lost to this same team, but that senior class laid a foundation for these kids and I’m proud of every one of them,” Arthur said. “I appreciate them letting me be their football coach.”
Wyoming Area added two passing touchdowns in the second half. The first was a 55-yard catch and run from Anthony DeLucca to Kevin Weidl early in the third, and Brady Jones hit Drew Keating for a 26-yard score early in the fourth to make it 49-0.

District 2 Class 3A quarterfinals
Wyoming Area 49, Carbondale 0
Carbondale`0`0`0`0`—`0
Wyoming Area`14`21`7`7`—`49
First quarter
WA – Lidge Kellum 34 run (Nick Ciampi kick), 10:09
WA – Kellum 56 run (Ciampi kick), 4:34
Second quarter
WA – Kellum 15 run (Ciampi kick), 11:52
WA – Michael Crane 5 run (Ciampi kick), 6:44
WA – Trustin Johnson 5 run (Ciampi kick), 4:18
Third quarter
WA – Kevin Wiedl 55 pass from Anthony DeLucca (Ciampi kick), 8:43
Fourth quarterWA – Drew Keating 26 pass from Brady Jones (Ciampi kick), 9:51

WYOMING AREA INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — Kellum 13-193, Johnson 5-47, Crane 5-25, DeLucca 2-5, Oliver Bolin 4-5, Bill Mecca 1-4, Jones 1-3, Jamari Yates 1-2, John Turner 1-0.
PASSING — DeLucca 2-8-1-68, Jones 1-1-0-26.
RECEIVING – Wiedl 1-55, Keating 1-26, Jack Gravine 1-13.
INTERCEPTION — Johnson 1-3.
MISSED FIELD GOAL – None.

Nepafootball.com

Wyoming Area has piled up huge offensive numbers all season, but now as District 2’s highest-scoring team prepares to try to avenge its only loss in next week’s Class 3A district semifinals, the Warriors have put together three straight shutouts.
Lidge Kellum again took care of the offensive numbers Friday night – he had 193 yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries, all in the first half – while Jacob Morgan led the defense in a 49-0, quarterfinal romp over visiting Carbondale at Anthony “Jake” Sobeski Stadium.
Kellum ran 34 yards for a score in the first two minutes, added a 56-yard touchdown run midway through the first quarter and made it 21-0 on a 15-yard run on fourth-and-two on the first play of the second quarter.
Morgan was in on a team-high five tackles, including two tackles and an assist on plays that went for losses. He also recovered a fumble.
Trustin Johnson intercepted a pass and John Turner added a sack and forced fumble.
Michael Crane and Trustin Johnson scored on 5-yard runs 2:26 apart later in the second quarter for a 35-0 halftime lead.
The Warriors added touchdown passes in the third and fourth quarters.
Anthony DeLucca found Kevin Wiedl for a 55-yard touchdown in the third and Brady Jones found Drew Keating for a 26-yard score in the fourth.
Wyoming Area (10-1) heads to Western Wayne (10-1) Friday. The Warriors have won eight straight since losing there, 34-23.

Times Leader

After a first quarter that mixed success with struggles, Lidge Kellum spent the second quarter, watching, waiting … and thinking.
Kellum recovered from three first-quarter fumbles to rush for 268 yards and three touchdowns Friday night as Wyoming Area shut out host Pittston Area 28-0 in the regular-season finale for both teams at Charley Trippi Stadium.
The senior tailback became the 47th recipient of the Carmelo Falcone Award as the Most Valuable Player in the annual rivalry game.
In the 60th meeting between the teams, Wyoming Area posted its sixth win and fourth shutout of the past seven seasons. A series that was once tied 20-20 now stands 34-26 in favor of the Warriors.
Even though Kellum fumbled three times and Pittston Area recovered two of them, Wyoming Area led 7-0 after one quarter on his 71-yard touchdown run and Kellum already had 135 yards rushing.
Pittston Area held the ball for 7:23 to start the second quarter and Trustin Johnson, who rotates in to spell Kellum on occasion, took the seven tailback carries for the Warriors in the quarter.
“I took it as a moment to rebuild and think about what I had to been doing wrong and to trust myself to do better,” Kellum said.
Kellum ran for 133 more yards after halftime and held onto the ball, with the exception of an interception on a halfback option pass with the Warriors in front 20-0. He scored from 20 yards out in the third quarter and 24 in the fourth.
The Warriors, who are headed to a District 2 Class 3A quarterfinal home game next week, improved to 9-1. They won their seventh in a row and posted their second straight shutout.
Wyoming Area held Pittston Area to 36 yards on 20 pass attempts while picking off the Patriots three times.
The only Pittston Area trip into the red zone ended on a Damian Lefkoski end-zone interception to protect a 7-0 lead with 4:37 left in the half.
Kevin Wiedl and Gage Speece also had interceptions.
Kellum’s lost fumbles came at the end of 20- and 32-yard runs. Those were two of the seven times in the game when the Wyoming Valley Conference’s top rusher picked up at least 20 yards.
Wiedl intercepted a pass on the third play of the second half and Kellum picked up 42 yards in a 43-yard scoring drive.
Wyoming Area’s defense forced a three-and-out on two straight tackles, including one for a loss, by Josh Mruk.
Anthony DeLucca then went 5-for-5 on an 80-yard scoring drive, hitting Michael Crane with the 8-yard touchdown pass for the 20-point lead.
Pittston Area will hit the road for the District 2 Class 5A semifinals.

Citizens Voice

Randy Spencer challenge the Wyoming Area secondary to play man-to-man coverage Friday night against Pittston Area. By doing so, Spencer could ensure some help on Patriots leading receiver Lucas Lopresto.
The defensive backs lived up to the challenge.
They came up with three interceptions and contested nearly every ball put in the air by three Pittston Area quarterbacks.
Wyoming Area pitched its second consecutive shutout, winning convincingly despite a less-than-clean night from its offense. With the 28-0 victory, the Warriors (9-1) won their seventh straight game and locked up the No. 3 seed in the District 2 Class 3A playoffs. They will host No. 6 Carbondale Area (6-4) in the quarterfinals next week.
Pittston Area, which lost its sixth straight game, is the No. 3 seed in the District 2 Class 5A playoffs and will travel to No. 2 seed Delaware Valley (5-5) in next week’s semifinals.
“Our secondary just handled our assignments,” said Wyoming Area senior Damian Lefkoski, who had a tide-turning interception in the end zone near the end of the first half. “And then in the second half the coaches adjusted everything so out linebackers and line were able to get in the backfield.”
Wyoming Area defenders nearly caught more passes from Pittston Area quarterbacks than Pittston Area receivers did. Lopresto, who entered the game averaging nearly 15 yards per reception, was held without a catch.
Kevin Wiedl’s third-quarter interception set up the second of three Lidge Kellum touchdown runs. But it was Lefkoski’s pick near the end of the first half that changed the game.
The Warriors (9-1) struggled to get anything going offensively in the first half thanks to a pair of lost fumbles. Only Kellum’s 71-yard touchdown run — which was sprung by a brilliant seal block from Trustin Johnson — kept Wyoming Area from being shut out in the first half. And when Pittston Area (2-8) capitalized on one of the fumbles to put together a nearly 8-minute drive in the second quarter, Lefkoski shut the drive down when he jumped a route in the end zone for his fourth interception of the season, which leads the Warriors.
The pick allowed Wyoming Area to carry a 7-0 lead into the half and reset a little bit.
“It was a big momentum change,” Lefkoski said. “All our heads were down. I think that just opened things up for us and got us hyped again.”
“That’s such a big stop at that point in the game,” Spencer said. “We were fortunate to stem the tide there, get into the half, gain possession in the second half, and extend the lead.”
Wiedl continued Wyoming Area’s momentous ways when he intercepted a second pass with less than 2 minutes gone in the third quarter. That’s when Kellum seemed to get his confidence back after the two first-half fumbles.
He went 22 yards on the first play of the ensuing drive and, three plays later, ran through two defenders trying to strip the football from him for a 20-yard touchdown run which extended the Warriors lead to 14-0. Kellum added a 24-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter to ice the game.
The junior finished with 264 yards on 22 carries despite getting just one carry in the second quarter after the two fumbles. Kellum went over 1,700 rushing yards for the season.
“As outstanding as he is, a lot of outstanding players have adversity during games,” Spencer said. “But you saw his response to it. That’s part of growing up. He responded exceptionally well in the second half.”
Kellum provided a breathing room for a Wyoming Area defense, which gave little to Pittston Area’s offense. The Patriots gained just 112 total yards, averaged just 2.5 yards per carry, and completed just 4 of 21 passes.
“Adversity is part of football and it’s part of life,” Spencer said. “The kids were able to work through it and come out with a victory. So that is a positive. We have a lot of things to clean up going forward, but the result tonight is positive.”

nepafootball.com

By Tom Robinson
YATESVILLE – Lidge Kellum overcame early fumble issues to finish with 21 carries for 268 yards and three touchdowns Friday night while capturing the 47th annual Carmelo Falcone Award and leading visiting Wyoming Area to a 28-0 shutout of Pittston Area at Charley Trippi Stadium.
Kevin Wiedl, Damian Lefkoski and Gage Speece intercepted passes to lead the shutout, which also featured three sacks. Lefkoski protected a 7-0 lead with an interception in the end zone with less than five minutes left in the half.
Kellum broke a 71-yard touchdown run down the right sideline and finished the first quarter with 135 yards. At that point, however, he also had three fumbles, two of which were lost by the Warriors.
The Falcone Award goes to the Most Valuable Player of the annual rivalry game. Kellum secured the honor after halftime.
Kellum did not carry the ball in the second quarter, but ran for 133 yards in the second half. He added touchdown runs of 20 yards in the third quarter and 24 yard in the fourth.
“I took it as a moment to rebuild and think about what I had to been doing wrong and to trust myself to do better,” Kellum said of his time on the sideline in the third quarter.
Anthony DeLucca went 5-for-5 passing in a third-quarter touchdown drive that he capped with an 8-yard pass to Michael Crane. He also threw a two-point conversion pass to Wiedl.
Wyoming Area (9-1) will be the third seed in the eight-team District 2 Class 3A field where it is likely to host Carbondale (6-4) in the first round.
Pittston Area (2-8) will go to Delaware Valley (5-5) or Abington Heights (6-4) for a District 2 Class 5A semifinal.

Times Leader

Wyoming Area celebrated Senior Night and another perfect Wyoming Valley Conference Division 2 season Friday night at Anthony “Jake” Sobeski Stadium.
Seniors had a hand in all seven touchdowns and a pair of two-point conversions as the Warriors rolled over visiting Nanticoke Area 50-0.
It was the fourth time in their six-game winning streak that the Warriors have scored at least 50 points. With their second straight unbeaten season in the division, the Warriors are now 16-1 in Division 2 play since the WVC returned to its two-division format for the 2022 season.
Lidge Kellum ran for three touchdowns on just six carries while Anthony DeLucca threw for scores on two of his five attempts. Both exceeded 100 yards in their limited opportunities playing only the first half of a game that Wyoming Area led at the break.
“It was important for us tonight on Senior Night with our core guys here, we wanted to come out and execute, but we also wanted to be mindful of having our seniors make significant contributions,” Warriors coach Randy Spencer said. “We gave them some opportunities that maybe they didn’t have over the course of the year, so I think we did a great job of that.
“We did what we had to do and it was important to stay healthy on a night like tonight and we were able to do that as well.”
Wyoming Area finished 5-0 in the division and improved to 8-1 overall with only a game at rival Pittston Area next week left in the regular season before heading into the District 2 Class 3A playoffs where Scranton Prep and Western Wayne are also 8-1.
Kevin Wiedl caught one of DeLucca’s two touchdown passes while Michael Crane and Jacob Morgan each ran for touchdowns. John Turner was on the receiving end of one two-point pass and holder Damian Lefkoski threw another after scooping up an errant snap to complete the scoring from the seniors.
After losing yardage on the game’s first series, Wyoming Area continued its tendency to score quickly.
The Warriors needed just 15 plays to score on their next six possessions. They scored three touchdowns in a span of 6:05 in the first quarter and three more in 5:50 during the second quarter.
Wyoming Area had 10 first downs and a 42-0 lead before Nanticoke picked up its initial first down on the last drive of the first half.
Kellum, who carried six times for 115 yards, ran 40 and 17 yards for the first two touchdowns. He was not touched on either play, breaking through big holes at the line of scrimmage, then making a few minor changes in direction as needed to reach the end zone.
Wiedl, the team’s leading tackler on the season, got in the act offensively when he was wide open over the middle for an 18-yard touchdown. Turner’s two-point catch from DeLucca made it 21-0 at the quarter.
After Kellum ran 35 yards for a score, sophomore Luke Kopetchny scored from 65 yards on another DeLucca pass. Kopetchny had three catches for 110 yards while DeLucca went 4-for-5 for 128 yards.
Crane scored from 33 yards in the second quarter and Morgan from the 1 in the third.
The teams observed a moment of silence for late Nanticoke coach Scott Dennis during pregame, then both team’s starting 11s knelt on the field while the entire 40-second clock counted down prior to setting up for the game’s first play. Dennis, the uncle of former Wyoming Area standouts Dante and Dominic DeLuca, died this summer, days before the start of his first season as Trojans coach.

Citizens Voice

Health is the top priority for Wyoming Area at this stage of the season.
And while Nanticoke Area came out swinging Friday night, the Warriors were able to put them away fast enough to load manage for most of the contest.
Wyoming Area rested its starters the entire second half of a 50-0 Senior Night rout of Nanticoke Area at Anthony Jake Sobeski Memorial Stadium.
The dominant performance combined with an injury-free game was exactly what head coach Randy Spencer hoped for with the District 2 playoffs on the horizon.
“We wanted to come out and execute, but obviously be mindful and have our seniors make significant contributions,” Spencer said. “We did what we had to do and it’s important to stay healthy on a night like tonight.”
Wyoming Area (8-1) and boosted its chances at a top seed in the Class 3A eight-team playoff field, receiving help with a loss by Western Wayne (8-1) to Mid Valley. Currently, Scranton Prep (8-1, .729) leads the Class 3A power ratings, followed by Western Wayne (8-1, .722), Wyoming Area (8-1, .693) and Mid Valley (6-3, .580), respectively. Lake-Lehman (6-3, .542), Carbondale Area (5-4, .445), Berwick (3-6, .426) and Tunkhannock (3-6, .347) round out the top eight teams.
One senior who made a major impact for the Warriors on Friday has been doing it all season.
Senior running back Lidge Kellum rushed for 115 yards and scored three touchdowns on six carries. He danced through each level of the defense for a 40-yard touchdown to open the scoring 4:44 into the game.
The Wyoming Valley Conference’s leading rusher followed that with a 17-yard run, giving the Warriors a 13-0 lead with 3:42 left in the first quarter.
Then, senior Kevin Wiedl’s long punt return set up Wyoming Area in the red zone, and senior quarterback Anthony DeLucca connected with Wiedl on an 18-yard, play-action touchdown pass. After a two-point conversion, the Warriors led, 21-0, at the end of the first quarter.
DeLucca finished 4-of-5 passing for 128 yards.
Wyoming Area didn’t get off to a running start, however.
Serafino Raggi sacked DeLucca on the first play from scrimmage as Nanticoke Area forced the Warriors to punt on their first series.
“(Nanticoke) came with some pressure. I think they brought seven on the first pass play,” Spencer said. “We responded to that, tightened up, and played pretty efficiently from that point.”
Wyoming Area couldn’t be more efficient, scoring on its next six drives and taking a 42-0 lead into halftime.
Kellum opened the second quarter with his third touchdown run, a 35-yarder in which he broke two tackles in the backfield.
On the first play of their next possession, DeLucca hit Luke Kopetchny, who caught three passes for 110 yards, on a deep corner route for a 65-yard score.
Then with 4:44 before halftime, Michael Crane bursted through the middle of the Nanticoke Area defense for a 33-yard touchdown.
Wyoming Area’s offense gashed Nanticoke Area for 12.2 yards per rush and 25.6 yards per pass in the first half.
Meanwhile, the defense was relentless and aggressive, not allowing a first down to the Trojans until about three minutes left in the half.
Treston Allen led Nanticoke Area with 102 rushing yards on 27 attempts, working to find the edge, but mostly being stifled by Wyoming Area’s linebackers and defensive ends.
It’s been a tough season for the undersized and undermanned Trojans, whose head coach Scott Dennis died unexpectedly just before Week 1.
Wyoming Area paid tribute to Dennis between the opening kickoff and its first play, taking a knee on the field during a moment of silence and letting the play clock expire.
“Our hearts have been with Nanticoke’s program all year,” Spencer said. “It was certainly special for us to pay tribute to him tonight with their team.”
Senior Jacob Morgan notched the final score with a 1-yard rush, and the botched extra point turned into a two-point conversion to make it an even 50-0 late in the third.

Wyoming Area 50, Nanticoke Area 0
Nanticoke Area`0`0`0`0 — 0
Wyoming Area`21`21`8`0 — 50
First quarter
WA – Lidge Kellum 40 run (Nick Ciampi kick), 7:16
WA – Kellum 17 run (kick failed), 3:42
WA – Kevin Wiedl 18 pass from Anthony DeLucca (John Turner pass from DeLucca), 1:14
Second quarter
WA – Kellum 35 run (Ciampi kick), 10:34
WA – Kopetchny 65 pass from DeLucca (Ciampi kick), 8:11
WA – Michael Crane 33 run (Ciampi kick), 4:44
Third quarter
WA – Jacob Morgan 1 run (Jamari Yates pass from Damian Lefkoski), 2:01

Team Statistics`NAN`WA
First downs`8`13
Rushes-yards`42-136`22-190
Passing yards`17`135
Total yards`153`325
Passing`3-9-0`5-7-0
Sacked-yards lost`1-3`1-5
Punts-avg.`5-35.0`2-36.0
Fumbles-lost`2-1`1-0
Penalties-yards`6-30`1-5
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — NAN, Treston Allen 26-100, Sarafino Raggi 4-14, Michael Stachowiak 5-14, Christopher Julian 3-6, James Bush 3-5, Team 1-minus 3. WA, Kellum 6-115, Crane 6-49, BJones 2-19, Ryan Jones 1-7, Oliver Bolin 2-7, Morgan 1-1, Gage Speece 1-minus 1, Team 2-minus 2.
PASSING — NAN, Stachowiak 3-9-0-17. WA, DeLucca 4-5-0-128; BJones 1-2-0-7.
RECEIVING – NAN, Nemecio Sosa 1-13, Julian 1-3, Allen 1-1. WA, Kopetchny 3-110, Wiedl 1-18, Morgan 1-7.
INTERCEPTIONS — None.
MISSED FIELD GOAL – None.

Nepafootball.com

WEST PITTSTON – Runner Lidge Kellum, passer Anthony DeLucca and receiver Luke Kopetchny all surpassed 100 yards in the first half Friday night as Wyoming Area wrapped up a repeat of its unbeaten Wyoming Valley Conference Division 2 championship with a 50-0 shutout of visiting Nanticoke at Anthony “Jake” Sobeski Stadium.
Kellum ran for three scores and DeLucca passed for two, one of them to Kopetchny, during a span of 14:32 during the first and second quarters to put the Warriors in front, 42-0.
After going 6-0 in the division last season, the Warriors finished this year’s Division 2 schedule at 5-0.
Kellum carried six times for 115 yards. He ran 40 and 17 yards for the game’s first two touchdowns, then 35 yards for another score 1:26 into the second quarter.
DeLucca was 4-for-5 for 128 yards. He hit Kevin Wiedl with an 18-yard touchdown pass for a 21-0 lead after one quarter. His other three completions for 110 yards, all went to Kopetchny, a sophomore and the only underclassman with a touchdown on Senior Night.
Wyoming Area led 42-0 when it allowed the initial Nanticoke first down with three minutes left in the first half.
Nanticoke never got closer than the Wyoming Area 37 in the first three quarters and had its last drive end on downs at the 17 in the fourth quarter.
Wyoming Area (8-1 overall, 5-0) will play rival Pittston Area Friday night in a non-league game to complete the regular-season schedule.
Nanticoke (1-8, 1-3) will play its rivalry game within Division 2, hosting Hanover Area.

Times Leader

Wyoming Area and Western Wayne spent much of Friday night’s non-league meeting of highly regarded District 2 Class 3A football teams pounding on each other.
The Wildcats changed things up when it mattered most.
Deception produced touchdowns on consecutive offensive plays 46 seconds apart late in the first half to send the Wildcats on their way to a 34-23 victory.
Both teams came into the game with 2-0 records, coming off impressive wins over 2023 state playoff teams. They frequently slammed the ball into the line with interior runs featuring durable tailbacks, resulting in collisions with physical defensive fronts.
Wyoming Area was ahead for the second time when Western Wayne used six straight Josh Vinton runs, five of them between the tackles, to move 39 yards.
On second-and-7, the Wildcats faked one more handoff to Vinton and quarterback John Pyatt’s play-action helped spring Sean Owens into the clear to pull in a 10-yard touchdown pass. Owens was alone in the left side of the end zone with no defender within 20 yards of him.
The touchdown put the Wildcats ahead 13-10 with 1:42 left in the half.
Freshman Archer Long intercepted a pass two plays later.
The Wildcats then started a reverse with Owens going right to left from his wide receiver position. When Owens then got the ball to Vincent Silon going the other way, the double reverse sprung Silon down the sideline for a 48-yard touchdown and 20-10 lead 56.4 seconds before halftime.
Western Wayne led the rest of the way.
Josh Vinton carried 29 times for 184 yards and two touchdowns and also returned an interception 13 yards for a fourth-quarter touchdown.
“Owens is definitely athletic, but I think Vinton was the difference tonight in all phases of the game,” Wyoming Area coach Randy Spencer said. “His physicality, his athleticism, his willful running of the football was the difference.”
Owens was on the receiving end of all three Western Wayne completions, got off a 70-yard punt, returned a kickoff 40 yards and made back-to-back, touchdown-saving carries.
Wyoming Area had two players who did their best to match that production.
Lidge Kellum carried 29 times for 164 yards, two touchdowns and a two-point conversion.
Sophomore Luke Kopetchny continued his outstanding start at receiver with 10 catches or 140 yards and a touchdown.
Defenses made a bigger impact early and the first quarter ended with Wyoming Area ahead 2-0 on a safety from a punt snap that went through the end zone.
At one point in the second quarter, the Warriors had an 8-2 lead in first downs and a 10-7 advantage on the scoreboard on Kellum’s 21-yard touchdown.
Wyoming Area opened the second half with an 11-play, 80-yard scoring drive to Kellum’s 10-yard run.
That brought the Warriors within 20-17, but the Wildcats held on with the help of the long Owens punt and Vinton’s interception.
“I just read it and I jumped it,” Owens said.

Times Tribune/Citizens Voice

Trailing by 10 points, Wyoming Area forced Western Wayne to punt midway through the fourth quarter.
A long scoring drive would put the Warriors in position for a comeback Friday night.
Josh Vinton made sure they got nowhere.
Two plays after a 69-yard Sean Owens punt put the ball on the Wyoming Area 4, Vinton picked off Anthony Delucca's pass and sprinted to the end zone to secure Western Wayne's 34-23 victory in a nonleague football game at Sharkey Rosetti Stadium.
It proved a fitting end to the Western Wayne senior's spectacular night, as Vinton compiled 179 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries to give the Wildcats the edge in a battle of unbeatens.
"I thought we played pretty well, especially from our offensive and defensive line," Vinton said. "They were making big plays for us."
After a punt snap went through the back of the end zone gave Wyoming Area a 2-0 lead in the first quarter, Vinton and the Wildcats broke through in the second.
After gaining just 21 yards on his first seven carries, Vinton busted through the line, shed a tackler and sprinted 55 yards to the end zone to give Western Wayne a 7-2 lead with 9:22 in the half.
"I feel like that really set the momentum that we could compete with those guys, and that our line is as tough as their line is," Vinton said.
Wyoming Area answered behind its star running back Lidge Kellum. The senior went off tackle and sprinted to the corner of the end zone for a 21-yard touchdown and added a 2-point conversion run to give the Warriors a 10-7 advantage with 5:06 in the half.
After Owens' 41-yard kickoff return, Western Wayne went right back to Vinton, who carried six straight times for 39 yards. That set up a play-action pass to a wide-open Owens in the corner of the end zone for a 13-10 Wildcats lead.
With less than two minutes left in the half, Wyoming Area looked to add points. Instead, Archer Long gave Western Wayne a chance to extend its lead when he stepped in front of a pass and secured an interception to give the Wildcats the ball at the Warriors 41.
"That’s been our strongpoint this year, our defense," Long said. "Multiple stops helped us in the game."
One play later, the Wildcats (3-0) capitalized, as Vincent Silon took an end around 37 yards to the end zone to give Western Wayne a 20-10 lead before the end of the half.
Wyoming Area battled back in the third, going back to Kellum. He capped an 11-play drive with a 10-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to 20-17.
That's when Vinton and the Western Wayne offensive line went back to work. After Wildcats quarterback John Pyatt hit Owens for 23 yards on third-and-8, Vinton had five straight carries, capping the drive with an 8-yard touchdown run for a 27-17 Western Wayne lead with 2:27 in the third.
"We knew they had big guys," Vinton said. "Their guys were physical, and we knew we just had to be more physical up front."
Midway through the fourth, he sealed the game with a pick-6.
"Hats off first of all to Western Wayne," Wyoming Area coach Randy Spencer said. "Their physicality that their whole team played with in every aspect of the game was really the difference tonight. I thought Vinton just gave an outstanding effort tonight, both sides of the ball. One of the most willful runs I think that we’ll face, so outstanding in that respect, and Owens is an outstanding athlete. But I think the story of this game was their physicality from start to finish."
Delucca hit Luke Kopetchny for a 5-yard score with 3:58 in the fourth, but the Warriors (2-1) couldn't get the onside kick.
Compared to last week, Western Wayne held Kellum in check. After rushing for 340 yards and three touchdowns on 39 carries last week in a 49-41 win over Dallas, the Wyoming Area running back had 152 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 29 carries.
"Our idea coming into this game was when they try to run on early downs was to get them off schedule," Western Wayne coach Shane Grodack said. "Try to get the second and longs, the third and longs. And to their credit, they were able to throw the ball."
Kopetchny had 10 catches for 135 yards and one touchdown, and Delucca went 14 of 25 passing for 169 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions.
"I just think we’ve got some outstanding athletes, obviously led right now by Luke Kopetchny and Lidge Kellum. Anthony Delucca getting the ball there," Wyoming Area coach Randy Spencer said. "But again, turnovers were a factor tonight. We had a pick-6 and an interception, the only two turnovers of the game. So, between mistakes and (Western Wayne's) physicality, even with outstanding performances by players of that caliber, that’s going to be the difference in the ballgame. Positives from those guys in those respects, but at the end of the day it’s 48 minutes of physicality that was the difference tonight."

Times Leader

WEST PITTSTON — The big question coming into Wyoming Area’s season was who would fill the void left by the graduation of all-state running back Aaron Crossley.
Lidge Kellum answered that Friday night.
Kellum ran for a career-high 337 yards and three touchdowns plus returned a kickoff for another score as Wyoming Area outlasted Dallas 49-41 in a Wyoming Valley Conference interdivisional game.
“With Aaron gone, somebody has to step up,” said Kellum, who rushed for 369 yards during the 2023 regular season. “I had to be the one who stepped up and I did just that.”
Kellum carried 39 times, with his running to start the third quarter allowing Wyoming Area to take its first lead of the game. He carried the load on two scoring drives that were capped by touchdown runs of 3 and 9 yards by Trustin Johnson.
“They told me I was going to be running a lot,” Kellum said. “I didn’t expect to have the game I did, I’ll tell you that.”
Wyoming Area extended its lead to 42-28 at 8:47 of the fourth quarter on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Anthony DeLucca to Luke Kopetchny.
Dallas came right back 39 seconds later to cut it to a one-possession game. Quarterback Brady Zapoticky, who finished with 396 passing yards, threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to tight end Cole Rigol to move the Mountaineers within 42-35.
Kellum then struck for the final time, running for a 61-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 49-35. Kellum also answered Dallas’ first touchdown by returning the ensuing kickoff 85 yards for a score. He had touchdown runs of 5 and 63 yards in the second quarter as the teams combined to scored 35 points in those 12 minutes.
“I’ve talked about it all preseason,” Wyoming Area coach Randy Spencer said. “(Kellum) has been evaluated very highly at the camps he’s gone to as far as going to that next level. He has the potential to be the most dynamic player in District 2 and if not on a state level.
“When he plays with confidence, when he plays like he’s the best player on the field he is the best player on the field. We’re thrilled to see him have that kind of night tonight with his teammates.”
As like in last Friday’s loss to Jersey Shore, Dallas once again had trouble generating a running game. The Mountaineers managed just 53 yards on 26 carries.
Dallas relied heavily on the pass as Zapoticky threw four touchdowns among his 46 attempts. Logan Geskey finished with eight receptions for 177 yards and Sam Kelley caught five passes for 128 yards.

Citizens Voice

EXETER — After scoring his third touchdown of the night, Lidge Kellum was understandably confident.
The Wyoming Area senior ran off the field, took off his helmet and shouted "I'm not done yet" to anyone within earshot.
Considering Kellum tacked on 207 more rushing yards and another touchdown after that, it's safe to say he was right.
Powered by Kellum's 437 all-purpose yards — including 340 yards on the ground on 39 attempts — and four touchdowns, Wyoming Area outlasted Dallas, 49-41, in a high-scoring thriller Friday night at Sobeski Stadium.
"I think I just had God on my side," Kellum said. "I prayed before the game, prayed during the game, prayed after the game.
"I had a job to do and I got it done."
Seconds after Dallas scored the first touchdown of the game — on an 82-yard touchdown pass from Brady Zapoticky to Logan Geskey — Kellum responded with his first score of the night, taking a kickoff return 88 yards to the house.
When Zapoticky found Nate Malarkey for a 19-yard touchdown pass to retake a Mountaineers lead, Wyoming Area turned to Kellum once again. The running back punched in a 5-yard touchdown to tie the game.
Dylan Geskey scores, for another second-quarter Dallas lead?
Kellum takes the first play of the following drive for a 63-yard touchdown run.
That touchdown was the one to prompt his defiant sideline prediction.
"Everybody was hyped," Kellum said. "The student section was hyped. The crowd was hyped. So, I couldn't finish my job without them. I had to do it."
Although Dallas remained a threat throughout the entire game, Kellum's first-play, 61-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter was a watershed moment. It established a two-score Wyoming Area lead with barely five minutes remaining in the contest, forcing the Mountaineers to run a tempo offense.
Kellum wasn't the only Wyoming Area back to enter a consequential showing.
Trustin Johnson overcame an early fumble to offer his team two critical touchdown runs in the third quarter.
His 3-yard scamper six minutes into the third quarter knotted the score, and his 9-yard avalanche four minutes later gave the Warriors their first lead of the game.
"When you have players like (Kellum) and Trustin Johnson, they're a threat to go on any play," Wyoming Area coach Randy Spencer said. "It was great to see 'em realize that ability tonight throughout the game."
Dallas' offense flexed its muscle early and often. After taking the lead in the first quarter, the Mountaineers played with the momentum.
Zapoticky, who finished with 387 yards and four touchdowns on 25-of-48 passing, extended plays and hit receivers in stride. Dylan Geskey took punishing handoffs, flipped field positioning on returns and made an impact on defense. Logan Geskey carved out a role as Zapoticky's security blanket, catching eight passes for 187 yards and a touchdown.
Even after a scoreless third quarter, Dallas could not be counted out.
With eight minutes remaining in the game, Zapoticky threw a 28-yard bomb to Cole Rigol, who dove into the end zone, cutting their team's deficit to seven points. One play later and they had possession again, following a gritty onside kick recovery.
Though Wyoming Area's defense forced four consecutive incompletions to quash the drive, Dallas appeared to be on the verge of an improbable comeback.
"The effort was incredible all the way across the board. I don't know if I've ever been prouder of a group," Dallas head coach Rich Mannello said. "Hats off to (Wyoming Area).
"That's one heck of a football team... They're going to have a great year."
A year after winning the district title and finishing as the state runner-up, Dallas finds itself winless through its first two games. But just like their performance on Friday night, the Mountaineers are refusing to surrender.
"We moved the football (tonight). We didn't move the football a week ago," Mannello said. "We got to clean it up and that's my responsibility. We'll get that fixed."

Team statistics`DAL`WA
First downs`15`21
Rushes-yards`26-53`50-366
Passing yards`396`75
Total yards`449`441
Passing`22-46-1`7-17-1
Sacked-yards lost`3-14`0-0
Punts-avg.`5-38`4-28.3
Fumbles-lost`0-0`2-1
Penalties-yards`5-46`4-20
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — Dallas, D.Geskey 14-36, Zapoticky 10-7, Malarkey 2-10. Wyoming Area, Kellum 39-337, Johnson 7-23, DeLucca 3-7, team 1-(minus-1).
PASSING — Dallas, Zapoticky 22-46-1-396. DeLucca 7-17-1-75.
RECEIVING — Dallas, L.Geskey 8-177, Malarkey 1-19, Rigol 2-31, Kelley 5-128, D.Geskey 3-29, Ben Wickenheiser3-12. Wyoming Area, Kopetchny 2-31, John Turner 1-3, Kellum 1-9, Johnson 2-18, Kevin Wiedl 1-14.
INTERCEPTIONS — Dallas, Wickenheiser 1-0. Wyoming Area, Wiedl 1-0.
MISSED FGs — none.