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Wyoming Area uses second half surge, big performance from Deluca to get by Montoursville @WaScoreboard @Hold_The_Rope

Tagged under: District 2, District 4, Gameday Hub, News

| November 23, 2019

Brian Williams secures the rock before heading 72 yards to help tie the score at 21 in the third quarter.

Trailing 21-13 at halftime, Wyoming Area head coach Randy Spencer had a message for his team. “We just needed to get back to what Wyoming Area does, and that’s play smash mouth football” said Wyoming area quarterback/safety Dom Deluca. Wyoming Area trailed 21-13 at the break, but came out hungry and dominated the second half and ran by Montoursville getting a 43-27 win. Deluca scored three of his five tds, throwing for 180 yards and a td. He also added 2 on the ground including the game clinching score with 2:11 to play. Altogether, the senior quarterback threw for over 300 yards, 3 tds, rushed for 2 more scores and played lights out defense in the second half.

Forcing a three and out on Montoursvilles first series of the third quarter, Wyoming Area took over at their 27. It took one play, a swing pass to Brian Williams who raced down the left sideline for the score, to switch the momentum the other way.  WA nailed the two point play knotting the score at 21  with 10:04 to play in the third quarter. “Brians a phenomenal receiver and athlete and I just have a lot of trust in him” said Deluca of the play. ” I saw the play, but he did the work”.

Montoursville did a pretty good job in the first half but it was Wyoming Area that started the scoring.  With terrible field position at their own six yard line on their first drive of the game, Deluca went to work immediately and found Williams for a 56 yard gain to the 38 of Montoursville. Three plays later Leonardo Haros from 22 yards out to take the early lead.

“I think we got off to a good start and then Montoursville showed why they’re number one coming in here” saind Wyoming Area Head Coach Randy Spencer.  “They made it tough on the ground for us all day long, but we went back to what we were comfortable with, the kids decided they didn’t want this to be the last 24 minutes of football they play” said Spencer. Montoursville seemed poised to take control during the first half, but on their first scoring drive they’d have to cover 98 yards.  Following the Wyoming Area punt, Montoursville quarterback Hunter Shearer led his team on a 10 play drive that was aided by a 15 yard penalty, keeping the early stage of the drive alive. Rocco Pulizzi raced the last 27 yards to knot the game at 7 with 11:52 left in the first half.

 

Right away Montoursville took advantage of the momentum when Jaxon Dalena stepped in front of a Deluca pass at the Wyoming Area 33.  It took a few plays and the aid of another penalty but eventually Calogero Signor busted in from the one to put the “home” Warriors up 14-7.  Then with time dwindling things got interesting. A Montoursville punt was shanked giving the “visiting” Warriors great field position at the 25. Deluca found Williams for his second td of the day from 8 yards out but the pat was blocked keeping the score 14-13 in favor of Montoursville.

Possibly feeling confident with his defense, Spencer has his team “squib” the kick putting the ball at midfield with just under a minute to play. This was plenty of time for Montoursville. Shearer hit Dalena for 9, then Signor ripped off a 12 yard run to the 40, tick tick tick, then Shearer found Grayson Rinker to the 19 with 8 seconds left, got the aid of not one but two Wyo penalties, then he found Dalena in the endzone to push Montoursville to a 21-13 lead at the break.


“I thought that was pretty important there for momentum for us” said Montoursville Head Coach JC Keefer. But we just didn’t keep that momentum going.  Following the score that tied the game at 21, Wyo got another big drive for a score going 80 yards.  Haros scored from the 5 and then something crucial happened. The point after snapped was bobbled Riley Rusyn found his way around the end to the goal line giving Wyoming Area the 29-21 lead with 4:42 left in the third. On Montoursvilles next drive, Pulizzi struck paydirt but the PAT attempt for 2 never made it in keeping the score at 29-27 with 10:46 to play.

As Wyoming Area tried to run out the remaining time on the clock, they faced a crucial fourth and 5 with 6:50 left to play.  Following a time out, Spencer sent in a play that Keefer “had seen them use on film” but it worked anyway. Wyo lined up in formation, then shifted drawing the Montoursville defense offside.  That was all they needed.

Deluca found Caleb Graham for a 26 yard gain but a penalty on the play moved it back to the 30. That only delayed the inevitable as Deluca then tagged Williams on a 30 yard td to pull away for Wyoming Area.

The last chance for Montoursville ended with a strip sack that led to the final Deluca TD.

Montoursvilles season ends with a strong 12-2 record while Wyoming Area will face Tamaqua at a time and place to be determined.

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