The Ruby Review: 2015 Week 2

Tagged under: District 11, District 2, District 4

Joe Ruby | September 16, 2015

Due to the weather and a bit of a cold caused by playing softball in the rain, I only managed to get to one game this weekend. Don’t worry, Wyoming Seminary, you’ll get your time in the spotlight!

Wyoming Valley West 30, Delaware Valley 6

Last year’s incarnation of this game, a Week 2 contest at Delaware Valley (out in Milford, PA, a stone’s throw from New Jersey), was the greatest football game I’d ever seen in person. To briefly recap, Valley West rallied from 21 points down to tie the game at 35-35, only to have Del Val snatch away the victory with a late score. The Warriors’ RB Lex Rosario – now at West Chester University – finished with 373 rushing yards and ended the game with an interception.

Fast forward to this year, and you find two squads that are rather different from last year’s teams. The visiting Warriors graduated a number of high-impact players, and thus had only two Seniors starting on offense, while the home Spartans kept the core of their offense intact for another year to help Junior QB Aaron Austin run the offense.

And run the offense he did. Austin accounted for all three of the Spartans’ touchdowns in this one, including two rushing scores, and the more experienced Wyoming Valley West squad ran away with this one, solidifying their claim to the District 2 AAAA crown. Even though Valley West’s offense was a little sloppy early – a problem exacerbated by some early pressure from Del Val’s front seven – the Spartans’ defensive line kept the Warriors’ offense nearly stationary, providing enough of a cushion for the skill players to find their rhythm on the other side of the ball.

The Spartans’ D-Line was, in fact, so dominant that I’d rank them as the top unit of any team I’ve seen all year. Seniors Chris Reese and L.J. Wesneski often occupied a pair of blockers each, allowing the remainder of the line, and any linebackers who were so inclined, to completely stifle to Warriors’ run game to the tune of just 46 yards on 23 carries. Reese also accounted for half of the biggest play of the game: with 41 seconds remaining in the first half, Delaware Valley started on their own 20, down 13-0. On the first play, Reese got his hands up to tip the pass into the air, and Senior Linebacker Bill Davison snagged it out of the air, setting the Spartans up at the 14 yard line with half a minute to go. Austin would pull the ball down and scramble around a masterfully sealed left edge on the next play to make the halftime margin 20-0.

For most of the game, Delaware Valley struggled to move the ball, with the Warriors finally breaking through in the 3rd quarter on a 65-yard TD pass from Junior QB Matt Cavallaro to Sophomore Wideout Dylan Kelly.

Much like last year, Wyoming Valley West has a ridiculous number of weapons on offense. Austin’s 8 pass completions were distributed among six different players, the most electric of whom was Junior RB/WR/Everything Sean Judge. Judge, who is incredibly elusive in the open field, caught three passes for 29 yards and rushed 15 times for over 110 yards, and provided a constant wild card that prevented the defense from keying in on any one type of play. Although Austin occasionally held the ball too long – forgivable for a Junior in his second start – he too demonstrated great quickness, scampering 19 times for 75 yards. I could go on and on about each of the playmakers on Valley West, but I’ll leave it at this: in the middle of the first half, when the Spartans’ offense was stagnating and we looked like we might be headed for a 10-7 type defensive battle, it was Davison who carried the team at fullback, setting up their first touchdown on a 31-yard run to the Delaware Valley 3 yard line and amassing 75 yards on just six carries.

Unsung Heroes

For the Delaware Valley Warriors, who had trouble moving the ball, special teams played a key role. Delaware Valley’s decent field position through much of the game was due in large part to Sophomore Punter Joe Actisdano, who got significant hangtime on his high-arching kicks and prevented Judge and Senior Wideout Devon Weidman from showing off their elusiveness on kick returns.

Staying on the special teams side, you may have noticed that the Spartans scored 30 points, even though I said they only scored three TDs. What gives? Three field goals by Sophomore Kicker Jake Gurtis is what gives. Including the three extra points he put through, Gurtis was a perfect 6 for 6 on his kicks, putting him well on his way towards continuing the legacy of strong Valley West kickers like the now-graduated Ian Ultsh.

Game Notes: It was mercifully cool, at least compared to the first weekend of the season. Cramps weren’t really a problem, and the evening was pleasant in the high 60s… Wyoming Valley West’s new scoreboard lasted 4 minutes and 30 seconds before it encountered its first glitch; it was really very nice once all the bugs were worked out!… The “Chicken Bucket” I purchased at the Band Concession Stand was, well, a bucket full of fries and chicken. The chicken tenders were very good, a little bigger and tastier than normal for high school football games… After watching Holy Cross and Holy Redeemer suit up a combined 55 or so last week, it was amazing to see that both Valley West and Del Val listed 70 on their respective rosters… In Week 3, Delaware Valley hosts Hazleton Area in the Warriors’ first home contest of the year… next up for the Spartans are the Patriots of Pittston Area.

District 2 Notes:

State-Ranked Berwick kept right on rolling, overcoming another slow start to down Pottsville 27-0… The Bulldogs’ Week 1 opponent Crestwood lost the battle of the Comets to Abington Heights, dropping them to 0-2… An exciting and excited Wallenpaupack team edged Dallas 20-14, and at 2-0 has to be considered a favorite to snag one of the District’s four AAA playoff berths… Coming off an upset over Coughlin, Hazleton’s win streak was snapped at 1, as the Scranton Knights evened their own record… In their second close game in a row, Old Forge snuck past Lakeland 27-24… G.A.R.’s Anthony Maurent brought his two-game TD total to 7, as the Grenadiers ran all over Holy Cross 58-7.

District 4 Notes:

In District 4, Southern Columbia continued their unsurprisingly strong opening with a 56-19 win over Bloomsburg… Troy edged Cowanesque Valley 35-34… Selinsgrove scored two late TDs and crawled back to a 14-7 win over Mount Carmel, who may have something of a rebuilding year ahead of them… South Williamsport always puts up points, and they did so again with a 40-37 nail-biter against Towanda… The Green Dragons of Lewisburg surprised highly-regarded Montoursville by a 31-21 final.

District 11 Notes:

Bethlehem Catholic bounced back from their loss to Liberty by taking out Pleasant Valley 54-21… Speaking of Liberty, they smacked Allen around to the tune of 56-6… Allentown Central Catholic improved to 2-0 by downing a Whitehall squad that returned only 4 starters from last season… Ruby Review favorites Saucon Valley won another competitive match, doubling up Northern Lehigh 28-14… Easton reached the 40s again, this time pounding Emmaus 49-7… Marian Catholic continued their nice start, defeating Panther Valley 27-6.

WEEK 3:

This Friday night, I’ll be back home in Selinsgrove to watch the 2-0 Seals host bitter rival Shikellamy, who have scored 42 points – but allowed 81 – against talented Lewisburg and Jersey Shore squads en route to an 0-2 start. I haven’t decided what I’m doing on Saturday, but there are a few possibilities depending on how far I want to drive!  And, take note: I will get to a D11 game sooner rather than later, I promise!

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