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Lackawanna Trail’s strong 2nd half too much for Mid Valley

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

| September 21, 2024


We knew a big one was brewing as the days grew closer to this game: a Mid Valley Spartans visit to Lions Pride Stadium to play Lackawanna Trail. The Spartans had gotten out to a great 4-0 start, while the Lions only blemish on their 3-1 season was to a tough Western Wayne squad on the road. Both teams had seen similar playing styles along the way this season, so many figured this would be a close one likely won in the trenches and by the coaching staff.

That’s exactly how this one played out.

Tied 7-7 at halftime, Lackawanna Trail made some adjustments and the offensive line for the Lions wore down the Spartans front 7 in the 2nd half to earn a hard-fought 26-14 victory. RB Demitrius Douglas and RB Isaac Ryon each had 2 TD’s for the Lions while Mid Valley RB Jakob Lesher had 154 yards on the ground for the Spartans.

Lackawanna Trail won the toss and deferred to the 2nd half, so Mid Valley took the opening kickoff out to their own 33. RB Jakob Lesher ran for 2 yards, then QB Brett Yanoski threw a nice swing pass to TE Rhys Williams for 12 and a 1srt down. Mid Valley used the play action a lot early as the Lions were prepared to try to stop the Spartan running game. On a 1st-and-20 from their own 47 Yanoski hit WR Connor Hughes for a nice 12 yard gain to the Lion 41. Unfortunately, the drive stalled and it a was a turnover on downs that gave the ball back to Lackawanna Trail at their own 44.

The Lions used their wishbone-style offense to try to deceive Mid Valley, but 5 straight runs gained only 14 yards. QB Tyler Jervis pass attempt on 2nd-and-8 from the Spartan 41 was tipped and almost picked off before it was eventually hauled in by RB Isaac Ryon for a 4-yard loss. An incomplete pass on the next play meant 4th down, and Lackawanna Trail punted it away. Mid Valley took over on their own 21 and on the very first play it was Lesher who broke several tackles and then flew down the Lackawanna Trail sideline for a 79-yard scoring run. With 3:52 left in the 1st quarter, Mid Valley had a 7-0 lead.

The next drive for the Lions started at their own 31. RB Sean Dwyer was topped for no gain, then RB Holden Edwards ran it for 4 yards before Jervis got 7 on the keeper for a 1st down at the 42. Unfortunately, a holding penalty nullified a good run by Dwyer and pushed the Lions back to their own 34 where the drive stalled and Trail punted the ball away.

Mid Valley started their next drive at their own 31 as the 1st quarter gave way to the 2nd. On a 2nd-and-10 from the 42, Yanoski hit WR Connor Bartlett for a nice gain but a penalty nullified the yardage and pushed Mid Valley back to the 37. Yanoski then threw it to TE Jake Bondy who was hit hard immediately by LB Demitrius Douglas for only a 2-yard gain. Yanoski’s next pass fell incomplete, forcing a punt.

Trail was pinned back at their own 19 to start their next drive. Ryon ran it for 2, then Jervis gained 4 on the keeper. On 3rd-and-4 from the 25, Douglas had a nice run that was aided by a facemask penalty on the Spartans that made it 1st-and-10 at the 46. Ryon then took the handoff and ran it up the middle, breaking numerous tackles on the way to a big 25-yard gain out to the Spartan 29. Douglas and Ryon then alternated runs, with Douglas capping the drive when he hit paydirt on a 5-yard TD run to tie the game at 7 with 4:20 left in the half.

Mid Valley began their next drive at their own 30. Lesher gained 19 yards on the first 2 plays of the drive, then had a nice run on the third play that was called back because of a holding penalty making it 2nd-and-15 at the 38. Lesher then gained 6 to make it 3rd-and-11 from the 44, but a Yanoski to Hughes pass gained only 6-yards to force a punt and essentially end the first half of play with the score tied at 7.

Lackawanna Trail received the 2nd half kickoff, and it was a squib kick that was fielded by FB Logan Edwards who had a nice return out to the Mid Valley 49. The Lackawanna Trail Offensive Line then took over on the drive, opening big holes for the backfield. Ryon and Douglas alternated on 4 straight runs which gained 35 yards out to the Spartan 13. On 4th-and-1 from the 13, Jervis broke free on the keeper for 6 yards and then gained 4 more yards on the next play. On 3rd-and-goal from the 3, Douglas took the handoff and broke several tackles as he drove in for the 3-yard score. With 7:15 left in the 3rd quarter, Lackawanna Trail had taken a 14-7 lead.

Mid Valley then began a very determined drive at their own 31. They used what had become effective for them in the 1st half, mixing the run with the short passing game. On the drive, Lesher ran 8 times for 37 total yards and Yanoski completed 2 passes for 11 yards as the 3rd quarter ended. As the final quarter began Yanoski hit Bartlett for a 4-yard gain to the Trail 17. On the very next play, RB Mason Vinansky ran around the left end and scampered into the endzone for a 17-yard score to tie the game at 14 with 11:11 to go.

Determined to answer with a long drive of their own, Trail started out at their own 33. Douglas had a nice 7-yard run, then Ryon hit for 6 more yards and a 1st down. Jervis had a nice keeper for a modest gain that was called back due to a holding penalty, so on 1st-and-20 for their own 36 Jervis threw a nice pass to WR Max Kimmel for 7 yards and just barely missed Kimmel again on the next play. On 3rd-and-13 from the 43, Douglas hit it big on a nice 36-yard run to the Spartan 21. 6 plays later, Ryon took the handoff and ran left on the stretch play for a terrific 15-yard TD run. The PAT was blocked but with 5:07 to play it was Lackawanna Trail with a 20-14 lead.

Mid Valley had time to work with on their next drive, but they were their own worst enemy late in the game. Lesher had a big run called back due to a holding penalty and the drive lasted only 5 plays and resulted in a turnover on downs at their own 32. An unsportsmanlike penalty put the Lions at the Spartan 19, and 5 plays later Ryon sealed the win on a hard-fought TD run from the 2 yard line. The PAT was blocked again but the lead was now 26-14 for Trail with 16 seconds to play, essentially sealing the win.

After the game, Trail Head Coach Steve Jervis said “You’re a good team if you can find ways to win, and we did tonight.” I had the opportunity to speak with RB Isaac Ryon after the game and asked him about the play of the Offensive Line: “I was so proud of the whole team, we knew we were coming in here and it was gonna be a dogfight and we fought to the end.: I also spoke to RB Demitrius Douglas about how the game played out: “Just hitting hard and running fast and playing as well as we could. Our lineman, they did an amazing job tonight….they took their blocks on great and an all-around good performance.”

Lackawanna Trail improved to 4-1 and goes on the road to play Old Forge. Mid Valley fell to 4-1 and will head home to face West Scranton.

Be sure to check out the photo gallery from the game, courtesy of Sherryl Samuel:  PHOTO GALLERY

Follow PA Football News on Twitter @PaFootballNews

 
 
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