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Scranton Prep downs Wyoming Area for the District 2 Class 3A crown

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

| November 16, 2024

When you have two teams at 11-1 playing for a district title, the hype is going to be huge. That was the case this week with the District 2 Class 3A Championship. Wyoming Area had reeled off 9 straight wins after a tough loss up at Western Wayne in week 3. The Warriors were a team that played with a chip on their shoulder this season as they felt they had gotten no respect. Scranton Prep had also won 9 straight during a season where they took on a bigger challenge with opponents outside of the Lackawanna Conference. With their only loss being to NY state power Canisius, and big wins over Loyola-Blakefield (MD) and Jersey Shore, the Cavaliers came into the game feeling battle-tested and ready for the challenge.

I predicted a close game, and we had one….at least for the first half.

After a turnover filled 1st half, the Cavaliers dominated the line of scrimmage in the 2nd half and made the big plays down the stretch to pull away from the Warriors to win it 28-6 and claim the District 2 Class 3A title. QB Louis Paris had a big night again with 2 rushing TD’s and a passing TD, while WR Treyvon Dickey added a rushing TD as well.  The Scranton Prep defense was prepared to deal with Warrior RB Lidge Kellum, keeping the Wyoming Area offense off the scoreboard until late in the 4th quarter.

Scranton Prep won the toss and elected to receive, which was a little surprising at the time. It became evident right away that they knew what they were doing, as the Scranton Prep offense was very deliberate in the huddle and as they lined up for each play in order to control the pace of play. Starting the initial drive at their own 26, QB Louis Paris ran for 6 yards on the keeper, and then a nice sweep run by WR Treyvon Dickey hit for 16 yards and a 1st down at the 48. After an incomplete pass, RB Will McPartland ran it for 5 yards and then it was back to Paris who had a big 28-yard run down to the Warrior 19. A false start pushed the Cavaliers back to the 24, and then Paris ran it for 9 yards to the 15. McPartland then had 2 straight runs for 5 yards. On 4th-and-1 from the 10, Paris called his own number and ran it in on the keeper to make it 7-0 Scranton Prep with 8:11 left in the 1st quarter.

Disaster struck Wyoming Area immediately however. Starting their initial drive on their own 25, WR Luke Kopetchny caught a screen pass and was hit and fumbled, and the ball was recovered by Prep at the 37. With the Cavaliers taking over there with good field position, disaster then hit the Cavaliers. On 3rd-and-7 at the 34 it was McPartland who took the handoff and was hit hard and fumbled, and Warrior DB Kevin Wiedl recovered the ball at the 32. With some new life, the Warriors took over there and began an inspired drive with a 3-yard run by RB Lidge Kellum. RB Michael Crane then followed it up with a tough 2-yard run to the 37. QB Anthony DeLucca then threw it downfield toward WR Luke Kopetchny which drew a pass interference penalty on the Cavaliers, making it 1st-and-10 at the Warrior 47. Kellum then ran it 2 straight times for 13 yards, then Crane gained 1 yard up the middle. After an incomplete pass, Kellum ran it for 7 yards. Then on 4th-and-2 at the Prep 32, Kellum had a hard run and after a measurement he fell about 6 inches short causing a turnover on downs.

Unfortunately, the next drive for Prep was a 3-and-out. The punt attempt from the 29 was a poor one and the ball went out of bounds at the Prep 43. The Warriors went right back to Kellum for a 3-yard run as the 1st quarter ended. Starting the 2nd quarter, Delucca hit Wiedl for 9 yards and a 1st down. Kellum then had 4 straight runs for 15 total yards. On 2nd-and-7 from the 16, DeLucca ran it on the keeper but was hit hard by DL Ambrose Rossi for 2-yard loss. 2 straight passes from DeLucca fell incomplete, and it was a turnover on downs.

Prep started their next drive on their own 19, and Paris hit for 2 yards on the keeper. After a false start pushed the Cavaliers back to the 16, Paris hit Dickey for a big 41-yard gain to the Wyoming Area 43. Paris then ran it for 11 yards, then McPartland and Paris alternated runs down to the 20. On 1st-and-10 there, Dickey took the handoff on the sweep but was hit hard and fumbled and Wiedl was there again to recover the ball for the Warriors at the 22. With only 1 timeout remaining and time running out in the half, Wyoming Area got 6 runs from Kellum for 33 yards but fell short as time expired in the half with Scranton Prep up 7-0.

Receiving the 2nd half kickoff, the Warriors started out at their own 33. Kellum had 3 straight runs for 12 yards. After an incomplete pass and a false start made it 3rd-and-15 at the 40, DeLucca was forced to scramble and did gain 7 yards but fell short of the line to gain and punted it away. The punt was a great one though, and was downed at the Prep 5. Starting there, Paris ran it twice for 10 yards and a 1st down. McPartland then got in on the action as he ran it for 5 yards and then gained another 5 yards on a reception from Paris. On 1st-and-10 from the 25, Paris rolled right and broke free down the right sideline for a huge 75-yard TD run. With 6:59 left in the 3rd quarter, Prep took a 14-0 lead.

The Warriors started their next drive at their own 36 and Kellum ran it for 11 yards. On the very next play, Kellum broke a tackle and rumbled 53 yards for an apparent TD but a holding call brought it back and made it 1st-and-20 at the Warrior 37. Kellum ran it for 7 yards, then RB Trustin Johnson ran it for 1 yard to the 45. On the next play, DeLucca pitched it to Wiedl for 9 yards to make it 4th-and-3 from the 46 but an incomplete pass on the next play forced another turnover on downs. On the very next play for the Cavaliers, Paris hit McPartland for a 54-yard catch-and-run TD that made it 21-0 with 3:20 left in the 3rd quarter.

The Warriors started their next drive at their 40, and Johnson was hit in the backfield for a 3-yard loss. Kellum then ran it 3 straight times for 13 yards. On 1st-and-10 from the 50, DeLucca’s pass was broken up on a great individual play by Dickey. The Warriors gained only 1 more yard and 2 straight incomplete passes meant another turnover on downs. Just like the last drive for the Cavaliers, it only took 1 play. This time, Paris pitched it to Dickey who escaped the pressure and ran it for a 51-yard score that made it 28-0 Prep with 1 second left in the 3rd quarter.

The Warriors received the ensuing kickoff as the 3rd quarter ended. Starting the final quarter, the Warriors had a 1st-and-10 at their own 35. DeLucca hit WR Jack Gravine for a big 26-yard gain to the Prep 39. Kellum and Delucca alternated runs down to the 25, and on a 4th-and-6 at the 25 DeLucca hit Wiedl for a nice 10-yard gain to the 15. Kellum then had 7 straight runs, the last of which was a 1-yard score that made it 28-6 with 5:13 left in the 4th quarter.

Looking to salt away the game, Prep started their final drive at their own 45. McPartland had 2 runs for 4 yards, then Paris had a hard run for 7 yards and a 1st down at the Warrior 44. RB Anthony Prince then entered the game and ran it 3 straight times for 39 yards down to the Warrior 5. Having exhausted enough of the clock, the Cavaliers then kneeled it out for the win.

I caught up with QB Louis Paris and spoke with him after the game, and you can find that interview below.

Scranton Prep will now face Northwestern Lehigh in the PIAA State Class 3A Quarterfinals.

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