Times LeaderAfter being shut out in its last two games against perennial Lackawanna Conference powers, Wyoming Area had no trouble finding the end zone Friday night.
The Warriors scored on their first six possessions — plus on defense as well — as they routed Hanover Area 47-6 in a Wyoming Valley Conference non-divisional game.
Wyoming Area lost 42-0 to state-ranked Dunmore in its opener. Its 2025 season ended with a 42-0 playoff loss to Scranton Prep.
The team on the field the past two weeks looked very different than the one which lost to Prep. The scoring was evidence of that.
Sophomores Lavell Brock and Hudson Sharpe, junior Semaj Morris and freshmen Michael McKernan all scored their first varsity touchdowns. Sophomore Dominic Bartell scored only his second. “What you saw between Week 1 and Week 2 is talent,” Wyoming Area coach Randy Spencer said. “We’re very confident in the talent we have, but the reality is you have guys getting their first taste of varsity experience. “Until you get into a varsity game and played 48 minutes against high-level competition, there is really no way to prepare for that.”
Even Wyoming Area’s most experienced skill player — senior Luke Kopetchny — is getting on-the-job training. Kopetchny has been one of the best receivers in the state throughout his career. He moved to quarterback when last year’s starter, Jack Gravine, suffered a season-ending injury in the spring.
Bartell was the first in the end zone, capping a 11-play, 55-yard drive to start the game with a 3-yard run. Then it was Brock’s turn as he ran a smooth stop-and-go down the right side and hauled in a 34-yard TD throw from Kopetchny.
Kopetchny plowed in from a yard out five plays after a Hanover Area fumble for a 21-0 lead entering the second quarter. The Warriors ran 22 offensive plays to five by Hanover Area in the first quarter.
Kopetchny then scored on defense in the second. Hanover Area quarterback Logan Richardson had his arm hit as he threw and Kopetchny undercut the pass and returned it 53 yards for a score. “He’s a Division I recruit to Brown University,” Spencer said of Kopetchny. “It was great to see him put all those tools on display tonight. He did a great job leading. As tough as it was competitively and athletically last week, but to come back with the competitive confidence and leadership to lead this group and all those young guys.”
The Warriors struck two more times to take a 41-0 lead into halftime.
Hudson caught a pass at the Hanover Area 30-yard line and zipped down the right side to make it 35-0 with 7:38 left in the second quarter. On Wyoming Area’s next possession, Morris had the longest play of the night, a 63-yard run to the Hanover Area 1. He took the ball over the goal line on the next play.
Hanover Area crossed midfield once in the first half as a 28-yard reception by Luke Willis placed the ball on the Wyoming Area 22. A penalty followed by a sack ended the threat.
Citizens VoiceLuke Kopetchny found just about every way possible to help his team win, and he did it all in just half a game.
The senior quarterback/defensive back accounted for four touchdowns in the first half to lead Wyoming Area’s to a 47-6 defeat of Hanover Area in a Wyoming Valley Conference football game on Friday night in Exeter.
Kopetchny, a Brown University commit, was nearly perfect as a passer, completing 4 of his 5 pass attempts for 117 yards and two long touchdowns. He also scored on a quarterback sneak and a 50-yard interception return. “You saw tonight why he’s so well-respected by college coaches,” Wyoming Area head coach Randy Spencer said. “I’m impressed with his leadership. Our guys respond to him, and it’s a testament to his character.”
Kopetchney was one of seven Warriors to score. Running back Semaj Morris rushed four times for 98 yards and a touchdown, and wide receiver Lavell Brock hauled in two passes for 45 yards and a score. Michael McKernan, Dominic Bartell and Hudson Sharpe all chipped in with touchdowns, and Ava Musinski connected on all five of her extra point attempts. “I was proud of the way we responded on both sides of the ball after last week,” Spencer said of the Warriors’ 42-0 Week 1 loss to Dunmore. “Dunmore did a good job against us, and we just couldn’t make the big play. This week, we were much better. We got good contributions from a lot of kids. Some were playing varsity football for the first time, and they did their part.”
Hanover Area couldn’t get much going against a Warrior defense led by Brock, Kopetchny and defensive lineman Domenic Bell, who forced a fumble, recorded a quarterback sack and was around the ball all night.
But the Hawkeyes caught a spark on the offensive side in the third quarter when quarterback Logan Richardson hit Luke Willis for two big gainers. Workhorse running back Dewayne Downey had 56 of his 76 yards in the fourth quarter, breaking many tackles along the way.
The Hawkeyes got on the board in the fourth when Richardson hit his brother Conor down the left sideline for the lone Hanover Area points. “The Richardson boys are talented, and Downey is a tough guy to bring down. I’m proud of the effort our guys gave all night against Hanover,” Spencer said.
Tymofi Fanha had a pair of blocked extra points for the Hawkeyes.
Wyoming Area 47, Hanover Area 6
Hanover Area`0`0`0`6 — 6
Wyoming Area`21`20`6`0 — 47
First quarter
WA — Dominic Bartell 3 run (Ava Musinski kick), 6:42
WA — Lavell Brock 34 pass from Luke Kopetchny (Musinski kick), 2:50
WA — Kopetchny 1 run (Musinski kick), 0:33
Second quarter
WA — Kopetchny 53 interception return (Musinski kick), 9:49
WA — Hudson Sharpe 43 pass from Kopetchny (Musinski kick), 7:38
WA — Semaj Morris 1 run (kick failed), 1:13
Third quarter
WA — Michael McKernan 30 run (kick blocked), 6:45
Fourth quarter
HAN — Conor Richardson 30 pass from Logan Richardson (kick blocked), 7:27
Times Leader Dunmore showed why it opened the season ranked as the No. 4 Class 2A football team in the state, according to PennLive.com.
The Bucks forced five turnovers and never let visiting Wyoming Area get closer than the 24 on the way to a 42-0 romp in a non-league opener between traditional District 2 Small School powers.
Weston Yannone scored three touchdowns, catching two passes from Brady McCormick, who replaced him at quarterback with the Division I prospect’s move to tailback.
“I’m going to do whatever my team needs me to do,” Yannone said. “ … If coach (Kevin) McHale wants me there, I’m going to play it the best I can.
“I love quarterback. I love playing anywhere.”
Yannone carried 10 times for 55 yards and one score and caught Dunmore’s only two completions in five attempts for the scores from 50 and 68 yards.
All-state wide receiver and Brown University commit Luke Kopetchny moved in the opposite direction for Wyoming Area, spending the first half at quarterback and completing six of 11 passes, but all for short gains. Down 35-0 before their first snap of the third quarter, the Warriors tested sophomore David Favata and freshman Tyler Karcutskie at quarterback in the second half.
The Warriors managed just 15 total yards on their first five possessions and did not pick up a first down until their seventh possession at which time they were already down three touchdowns.
“Across the board, they set the level of physicality and we didn’t match it throughout the course of the game,” Wyoming Area coach Randy Spencer said.
The Bucks controlled play up front and their inside linebackers, Brandon Mecca and Xavier Burke were outstanding. Mecca had four of his team’s first six tackles, forcing a fumble on one of them. Burke had six first-half tackles, two for losses, one for no gain and the other two within two yards of the line of scrimmage.
“They set a high standard for our defense,” McHale said. “When they get to the ball, usually good things are happening.”
Despite the sluggish offense, Wyoming Area was within 7-0 with seven minutes left in the half.
After the Warriors lost a fumble at their 25, the Bucks scored with 16 seconds left in the first quarter on a Jacob Costanzo 7-yard run.
Dunmore took control with three touchdowns in a span of 4:34 in the second quarter.
Josef Wolff ran 29 yards and Yannone ran 19 yards for scores, then Yannone was wide open down the left sideline to haul in the 50-yard touchdown pass.
Dunmore was at the 20 late in the half, but Wyoming Area held and a field goal attempt was no good.
The Bucks arrived at the Mercy Rule when Costanzo returned the second-half kickoff 90 yards for a score.
The second McCormick-to-Yannone connection made it 42-0 with 7:02 left in the third quarter.
Citizens Voice This was the reason Weston Yannone set that alarm for 5:30 a.m. in the offseason.
That sweat dripping off his forehead while pumping iron, the miles ran throughout the Dunmore community, mentally preparing for his senior season before the sun came over the horizon.
Yannone showed everyone he’s going to be a menace in his final year at Dunmore. Wyoming Area saw it firsthand from the opposite sideline.
Rotating between tailback and wide receiver, Yannone’s blazing speed was a huge difference-maker in the opening week of the high school football season as he broke the end zone on two long strikes from Brady McCormick as the Bucks rolled past Wyoming Area, 42-0, on Friday night.
“You just have to tuck your chin, keep your head down and keep putting in the work,” said Yannone, who had 118 yards receiving, 62 yards on the ground and scored three times. “We were up at 5:30 a.m. most days this summer, and in the spring, too. I would do a lift, get in a run, go to school and then went to track practice. It’s about that grind and putting in the work. But it shows when you come out in Week 1 and put together a performance like that.”
It was almost a perfect game for the Bucks in terms of openers.
The offense scored five times with perfect balance — three on the ground and two through the air — and Jacob Costanzo scored on a 90-yard kickoff return to open the second half ina enact the mercy rule. Oh, and the Buck defense forced five Wyoming Area turnovers.
“A game where you have five turnovers, it’s tough to be successful in that type of game,” Wyoming Area coach Randy Spencer said. “Give Dunmore credit because I thought they were aggressive in every spot. They are senior heavy and experienced, and they set the level of physicality. Credit to them in that respect. Some lessons are hard ones to learn, but it’s an opportunity for our young team to learn that lesson tonight. We’ll come back and attack next week, and learn from this game.”
Coming into Friday, it was billed as one of the marquee matchups, not only in District 2, but around the state. Dunmore, a state-title contender in Class 2A against a Wyoming Area squad that’s expected to push toward that district championship in Class 3A.
It was a heavyweight fight in the first quarter with both sides feeling each other out.
Dunmore landed the knockout punch in the second, scoring three times in a seven-minute span. Josef Wolff broke through on a 29-yard inside handoff, and following a Warrior fumble, Yannone capped off a five-play series on the short field with a 19-yard burst off the right side.
Two minutes later, Yannone got back in the end zone as he beat the secondary, and McCormick laid a perfect pass in stride over the defense for the 50-yard strike for the 28-0 lead at the break.
“I got to shout out Brady because he’s been putting in the work day in and day out,” Yannone said. “All winter, he’s been throwing amazing balls. He stays in the pocket, took a good hit today, and still threw an amazing ball. I can’t do anything without him throwing those great passes.”
Enter Costanzo.
Taking the opening second-half kickoff at the 10-yard line, the 6-foot-3 senior hit a ginormous hole in the middle of the field and went untouched 90 yards. Thirteen seconds into the second half, Costanzo called ballgame.
“I can’t thank my team enough. I just caught the ball, and no one even touched me. It was such a great hole to run through,” Costanzo said. “All credit to everyone who blocked for me. We knew, in the first half, that we couldn’t take our foot off the gas. Starting that second half off with a spark, it really carried our momentum through the rest of the game.”
The Bucks’ defense did the rest, recovering three fumbles as Yannone and Jackson Harding both picked off passes.
Wyoming Area didn’t record a first down until three minutes left in the second quarter, and was held to just 63 yards in the first half, and 158 for the game.
“The community was big for us. Such a great crowd tonight, and it really was a big-game atmosphere,” Costanzo said. “There are high expectations for us, and we know it. I think we proved ourselves tonight.”
Dunmore 42, Wyoming Area 0
Wyoming Area`0`0`0`0 — 0
Dunmore`7`21`14`0 — 42
First quarter
DUN – Jacob Costanzo 7 run (Russell Toole kick), 0:16
Second quarter
DUN – Josef Wolff 29 run (Toole kick), 6:59
DUN – Weston Yannone 19 run (Toole kick), 4:26
DUN – Yannone 50 pass from Brady McCormick, 2:25
Third quarter
DUN – Costanzo 90 kickoff return (Toole kick), 11:45
DUN – Yannone 68 pass from McCormick, 7:02 Team Statistics`WA`DUN
First downs`5`12
Rushes-yards`30-101`37-243
Passing yards`53`118
Total yards`154`361
Passing`7-13-2`2-5-1
Sacked-yards lost`0-0`0-0
Punts-avg.`5-32.8`1-28.0
Fumbles-lost`4-3`1-1
Penalties-yards`6-45`6-41
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — WA, Dominic Bartell 8-44, Gavin Feeney 2-14, Luke Kopetchny 3-13, Samaj Morris 3-10, Jordan Rosario 3-7, Nicholas Kondrosky 8-7, David Favata 1-6, Michael McKernan 1-1, Connor Grochal 1-minus 1. DUN, Wolff 4-69, Yannone 10-55, Nick Rought 3-48, Xavier Burke 7-47, Costanzo 2-9, Dylan Speed 2-6, Beau Golden 1-5, Noah Rought 1-4, Colin Coulthard 3-3, Carter Coyle 3-1, Will Bonin 1-minus 4.
PASSING — WA, Kopetchny 6-11-1-24, Tyler Karcutskie 1-1-0-29, Favata 0-1-1-0. DUN, Brady McCormick 2-5-1-118.
RECEIVING – WA, Drew Keating 2-9, Favata 1-29, Lavell Brock 1-8, Bartell 1-6, Kondrosky 1-3, Rosario 1-minus 2. DUN, Yannone 2-118.
INTERCEPTIONS — WA, Kopetchny 1-0. DUN, Jackson Harding 1-8, Yannone 1-0.
MISSED FIELD GOALS – DUN, Toole 43 (short).
