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Dunmore drops Western Wayne

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

| October 14, 2023

The Lackawanna Football Conference Division 2 was up for grabs coming into this game, as both Dunmore and Western Wayne were 2-0 in the division and 5-2 overall. Both teams featured a strong running attack and tough defense to get them to this point of the season, and there was an expectation that this one might be a great matchup. Usually, these types of games come down to one player who was a step above the rest.

That player was QB Thomas Bowen of the Dunmore Bucks. Bowen had 2 short-yardage scores and several key 4th-down conversions that helped lead the Dunmore Bucks over the Western Wayne Wildcats 20-12 at Dunmore Veterans Memorial Stadium.

The Wildcats took the opening kickoff at their own 36, but could not generate anything as RB Josh Vinton was stopped for no gain by a herd of Bucks defenders. An incomplete pass and a short gain on 3rd down by QB Frankie Leyshon didn’t move the sticks and Western Wayne was forced to punt. The Bucks took over deep in their own end at the 14 yard line, and the running Bucks started to grind it out. After short runs by QB Thomas Bowen and RB Danny Pigga, it was birthday-boy RB Jacob Hickey on a 3rd and 4 from the Dunmore 20 who struck for 27 yards and a big first down. Pigga and Bowen continued to move the ball on the ground with alternating runs, and later it was Pigga who gained 11 yards and then 10 yards on successive plays to make it 1st and goal at the Wildcat 4. Hickey ran for 2 yards and then it was Bowen who capped the drive with a nice 2-yard keeper for the score. The PAT was missed, and it was 6-0 Dunmore with 3:31 left in the 1st quarter.

The Wildcats began a determined drive next at their own 40. After Vinton gained 3 tough yards to make it 3rd and 6 from the 46, Leyshon hit WR Sean Owens for a 15-yard reception and a big 1st down in Dunmore territory. The Dunmore Defense was a bit too aggressive, as 2 offsides penalties would help the Wildcats into better field position. Vinton had a big 13-yard run down to the Dunmore 8, and on the very next play it was Vinton again who broke several tackles and bowled into the end zone for the score. The Wildcats also missed their PAT and the score was knotted at 6 as the 1st quarter ended.

Beginning the 2nd quarter, Dunmore took over on their own 49 after a great kick return by Pigga. But on the very next play, Dunmore fumbled the ball and the Wildcats recovered at their own 48. On their first play, a play action pass from Leyshon to Owens hit paydirt as Owens caught the ball over 2 Dunmore defenders and ran it in for the 52-yard score. The PAT was blocked and with 11:42 still left before the half, Western Wayne took the lead 12-6.

Dunmore was determined to respond on the next drive as they took over at their own 38. On 1st down, WR/RB Gabe Franek had a nice 14-yard run into Wildcat territory at the 48. Hickey then had 2 runs for a total of 13 yards and Franek had a 15-yard run to drive the Bucks to the Wildcat 20. Bowen and Hickey then ran for a combined 19 yards on the next 5 plays, and on a 4th and goal from the 1 it was Bowen again who scored on the keeper. The PAT was good, and Dunmore regained the lead 13-12 with 5:00 to go in the half.

Western Wayne began their next drive at their own 31. Vinton had a nice 6-yard gain on 1st down, and on 3rd down Leyshon hit Owens for a 1st down at the 42. Dunmore then committed their 3rd offsides penalty of the half, but rose to the occasion to stop Vinton on the next 2 runs for a net loss of 1 yard. On a 3rd down and 6 from the 46, Leyshon scrambled and then hit WR Ethan Grodack for a nice 10-yard gain and a 1st down at the Dunmore 44. The Bucks defense stiffened however as they held the Wildcats to only 1 more yard gained as the half expired.

As the Bucks received the 2nd half kickoff, Pigga again had a nice kick return to the 43. After Hickey ran for a tough 3-yard gain, it was Pigga on the counter run right through the middle of the Wildcat defense for a 54-yard TD. The PAT was good, and with 11:11 still to play in the 3rd quarter, Dunmore took a 20-12 lead.

The Wildcats started their next drive at their own 30. Dunmore’s defense again stood tall and put the Wildcats into a 4th and 2 at their own 38. Leyshon then faked a handoff to Vinton and ran a sweep to the right and gained 3 yards and a big 1st down to keep the drive going. Vinton then started to gain some momentum as he gained 9 yards on the next play, followed by yet another Dunmore offsides penalty that gave the Wildcats a 1st down. Another Leyshon to Owens connection hit for 16 yards and a fresh set of downs at the Dunmore 29. Vinton then gained 9 yards on the next 2 plays but another herd of Bucks defenders stopped him for no gain on 3rd down. On a 4th and 1 at the 20, the Bucks stopped Vinton short of the line to gain and took over on downs at their own 19.

The next Dunmore drive was mostly a ground attack that used up a lot of time on the clock. Pigga had 2 runs for 14 yards and caught a pass from Bowen for 6 yards to the 45 as the 3rd quarter expired. As the 4th quarter started, Bowen had a 4 yard run and then on a 4th and 1 from the 49 he pushed forward and gained 2 yards into Wildcat territory. After an incomplete pass, a fumbled snap made it 3rd and 13 from the Dunmore 48. Hickey then ran for 6 yards but couldn’t get the first down and the Bucks punted it away.

The Wildcats were pinned back at their own 17, and Vinton started things off with a 1-yard gain. A false start by the Wildcats pushed them back to their own 13, and a screen pass from Leyshon to Owen was read perfectly by Pigga who made a huge tackle for no gain. Leyshon then dropped back to pass, but the Bucks got huge pressure up the middle from DL Nathan Reuther who sacked Leyshon for a loss of 7. Punting from their own end zone, the Wildcats got a huge break when a roughing the punter penalty on the Bucks gave the Wildcats new life and possession at their own 22. Vinton then gained 14 yards on the next 3 plays, but an illegal procedure penalty and 2 straight incomplete passes forced the Wildcats to punt it away yet again.

Knowing that they only needed to drain what was left on the clock, Dunmore had a holding penalty on their first play that made it 1st and 20 from their own 13. RB Domenick DeSando answered with a big 10-yard gain and a 6-yard gain, followed by a 4-yard keeper by Bowen for a first down. Desando then ran for 3 yards, and Hickey sealed the win as he gained 8 yards and a first down that allowed Dunmore to kneel it out.

I spoke to QB Thomas Bowen after the game about how it is to run behind his offensive line: “We’ve got big guys up front, they’re great. They work hard every day, and running behind them is kinda easy when they’re that big and they know how to move people.”

Dunmore improved to 6-2 on the year and will head up to Honesdale next Friday night to face the Hornets. Western Wayne dropped to 5-3 and will try to right the ship at home next Friday against the Lakeland Chiefs.

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