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Hittin’ The Road With Travelin’ Matt – Week 9 (Wildcats, Indians & Pioneers)

Tagged under: District 2, District 3, District 4, News, pfn

| October 28, 2024

Each week Travelin’ Matt traverses Pennsylvania attending the hottest high school football games and best matchups in the Commonwealth.  Follow his exploits each week as he documents his journey from Week Zero to the Pennsylvania State Football Finals!

 

Thursday, October 24

3A Western Wayne (8-1) vs. 2A Dunmore (4-5)

 

Friday, October 25

4A #8 Shamokin (9-0) vs. 3A HM Mount Carmel (7-2)

 

Saturday, October 26

4A #5 Lampeter-Strasburg (9-0) vs. 4A #4 Wyomissing (8-1)

 

ROUNDTRIP – 316 MILES

 

Thursday, October 24

My week started in District 2 as I traveled north on I-81 to catch the Western Wayne at Dunmore game.  It had been a few weeks since I attended a smaller school game (1A or 2A) and sometimes when I’m visiting schools in so many areas of the state it’s easy to forget all the little details that go into making high school football so great.

What caught my attention at the Dunmore stadium was the strong community feel as I made my way around the stands and field.  Immediately in view was the statue of Dunmore legendary coach Jack Henzes who led the Bucks on the sidelines for 40 years and more than 400 wins including the 1989 State 1A Championship.  What made the hair stand up on my neck the most was seeing dozens of elementary and middle school-aged kids playing touch football around the Henzes statue.  While you can watch this take place at high school stadiums all over the state on any given weekend this scene just hit harder for me seeing it take place around the statue of an icon of Pennsylvania High School Football.

On the field, Western Wayne entered the game fresh off a shocking loss to Mid Valley the previous week that upset their bid for a perfect season.  Dunmore, on the other hand, aimed to even their record at .500 and send their Seniors out on a winning note.  On this night it would be all Western Wayne led by their dynamic running back Joshua Vinton.  Vinton celebrated his birthday by scoring five times on the night and helping his squad to a 9-1 record in a 42-7 drubbing of the home Bucks.

Check out some highlights from Western Wayne vs. Dunmore…

 

 

Watch the post-game interview with Joshua Vinton…

 

Read the game story from Western Wayne vs. Dunmore below…

 

Friday, October 25

There’s high school football…and then there’s PA high school football in Coal Country.  And, in Coal Country there’s no bigger game than The Coal Bucket game that takes place each year between Shamokin and Mount Carmel.

Since 1893, these two rival towns separated by just 10 miles, have battled on the gridiron and since 1951 they’ve played for the Coal Bucket.  I would say “played for the Coal Bucket Trophy” but what they slug it out for each season is literally a regular and very plain coal bucket with a simple metal plate attached highlighting past game scores.  The beauty of the Coal Bucket Game is just that…for the actual “trophy” means little compared to bragging rights between the two towns.

For the past 27 meetings Mount Carmel owned the bragging rights ripping off more than two dozen consecutive victories against rival Shamokin.  This year, however, Shamokin entered the contests with a perfect 9-0 record and Indian fan hopes were sky high they would finally break the streak and bring home the Coal Bucket for the first time in nearly 30 years.

The scene in Mount Carmel at their Silver Bowl Stadium was electric with fans lining up in droves before the gates opened.  To truly appreciate this rivalry you should attend a Coal Bucket game on your own but I’ll attempt to take you there in the following pre-game sights and sounds…

 

 

 

 

In a jam-packed stadium before an estimated raucous eight to nine thousand fans the Indians finally broke their 27 game losing streak to Mount Carmel and brought home the Coal Bucket to Shamokin.  Check out some highlights from the first Shamokin win vs. Mount Carmel since 1995…

 

 

 

 

 

The Coal Bucket and a perfect 10-0 regular season record were the reward for Shamokin and tears could be seen streaming down the faces of numerous players, coaches and fans.  Enjoy the post-game celebration of Shamokin’s victory in the iconic Coal Bucket Game…

 

 

Read the game story of Shamokin vs. Mount Carmel below…

 

Saturday, October 26

After attending the Coal Bucket Game at the historic Silver Bowl the previous night I was treated to a visit to another historic field at Wyomissing the following day as the home Spartans hosted Lampeter-Strasburg on a windy and sun-drenched Saturday afternoon.  A visit to Bob Wolfrum Field at Wyomissing Stadium is always a tremendous high school football experience and one of my favorites in the entire state.

Wyomissing and Lampeter-Strasburg had a lot on the line in this contest as the winner would be crowned Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 4 champ while also being rewarded with the #1 seed in the 4A District 3 playoffs.

The visiting Pioneers would control the game throughout as they powered their way to a convincing 20-7 victory and a perfect 10-0 regular season record.  While Lampeter-Strasbug hoisted the regular season crown the stage is certainly set for a repeat matchup between these two programs in the District 3 playoffs.

Check out some highlights from L-S vs. Wyomissing…

 

 

 

Read the game story from L-S vs. Wyomissing…

 

 

A full weekend of PA high school football games complete I wrapped up my tenth week and headed home to plan for next week’s schedule of contests.  This week I watched my 31st, 32nd and 33rd games of the season and I’m looking forward to the playoffs beginning next week.

Follow along next week as Travelin’ Matt takes you on another PA High School Football journey.

 

2024 SEASON RECAP – 4625 TOTAL MILES (33 GAMES)

 

Week 0

Garnet Valley – 34  Coatesville – 19

Imani Christian Academy – 45  West Catholic – 6

Bishop Guilfoyle – 21  Bald Eagle Area – 0

 

Week 1

Manheim Township – 28  Central York – 10

Twin Valley – 40  Selinsgrove – 10

Harrisburg – 35  Bishop McDevitt – 33 (1 OT)

Troy – 8  Dover (DE) – 3

 

Week 2

East Stroudsburg South – 38  Whitehall – 7

Lampeter-Strasburg – 35  Cocalico – 14

Harrisburg – 7  State College – 6

Bethlehem-Liberty – 31 Stroudsburg – 14

 

Week 3

Bethlehem-Freedom – 38  Nazareth – 10

Scranton Prep – 28  Delaware Valley – 25

 

Week 4

Schuylkill Haven – 72  Minersville – 52

Central Bucks South – 22  Central Bucks West – 17

Pope John Paul II – 24  Phoenixville – 13

Bethlehem Catholic – 27  Allentown Central Catholic – 0

 

Week 5

Towanda – 40  Canton – 14

Danville – 34  Southern Columbia – 8

 

Week 6

Bethlehem-Freedom – 24  Bethlehem Catholic – 3

Central Bucks South – 14  North Penn – 6

Neshaminy – 38  Pennridge – 3

LaSalle – 35  St. Joe’s Prep – 34 (4 OT)

 

Week 7

North Schuylkill – 38  Blue Mountain – 14

Wyomissing – 34  Twin Valley – 24

Cumberland Valley – 24  Harrisburg – 21

Nazareth – 36  Bethlehem Catholic – 7

 

Week 8

North Allegheny – 28  Pine-Richland 21

Owen J. Roberts – 27  Spring-Ford – 25

St. Joe’s Prep – 48  Roman Catholic – 20

 

Week 9

Western Wayne – 42  Dunmore – 7

Shamokin – 21  Mount Carmel – 0

Lampeter-Strasburg – 20  Wyomissing – 7

Follow PA Football News on Twitter @PaFootballNews

 
 
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