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Scranton Prep pummels Western Wayne, wins the District 2 3A title

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

| November 11, 2023

The District 2 3A title was on the line in this one, with the Western Wayne Wildcats paying a visit to the Scranton Prep Cavaliers. The Wildcats featured a good running game and solid defense, while the Cavaliers came in with a balanced offense and a polished defense.

Something had to give, and it did. The Wildcats struggled to overcome a suffocating Prep defense and several key Western Wayne penalties allowed Scranton Prep to add 2 scores right before the half, and the Cavaliers never looked back in a dominant 45-14 win for the District 2 3A title.

Scranton Prep won the coin toss and elected to receive. Starting at their own 31, the Cavaliers immediately went to the run game as WR Liam Barrett ran it for 4 yards followed by RB Quinten Palermo for 3 yards. QB Louis Paris then got in on the action with a nice 8-yard keeper for a 1st down at the 46. As the Cavaliers then switched to the passing game, the effectiveness dissipated. Paris threw a screen pass to WR Jalonte Weeks but the Wildcat defense was ready and stopped him for 3 yard loss. After an incomplete pass on 2nd down, Paris threw it deep towards TE Andrew Summa but the pass was intercepted by Wildcat DB Sean Owens who found daylight and returned it all the way to the Prep 30.

The Wildcats immediately went to the air as well as QB Frankie Leyshon tried to hit Owens on a sideline route deep to his right but the pass was defended well and fell incomplete. RB Alex Lucke ran it for 5 yards and then Leyshon threw it right back to Owens for 6 yards and a 1st down. Unfortunately, the Wildcats only gained 1 yard on the next 3 plays and on 4th down Leyshon threw it to Owens again but was well short of the line to gain and Western Wayne turned it over on downs.

Prep started their next drive deep in their own territory at the 12, and it only took 1 play as WR Treyvon Dickey took the handoff and went to his right and went untouched 88 yards for a touchdown. With 6:24 left in the 1st quarter, Scranton Prep took the lead 7-0.

Western Wayne started their 2nd drive at their own 32, and again it was Lucke on the ground with 2 runs totaling 13 yards. RB Carter Mistishin then ran it for 4 yards, followed by Owens for 5 yards. On 3rd and 1 at the Prep 45, RB James Jimenez was hit hard by Prep LB Reese Tanner for a loss of a yard. Facing 4th and 2, Lucke was then hit hard by DB Will McPartland for a loss of 2 yards and the Wildcats again turned it over on downs.

Prep started their next drive with good field position at their own 48. Nice runs by Palermo and Dickey drove the Cavaliers down to the Wildcat 41, and Paris then hit Dickey for a short gain to the 37. The interior of the Wildcat defense then rose to the occasion, sacking Paris for a loss of 3 yards and pressuring him as 2 straight incomplete passes meant a turnover on downs at the Wildcat 40.

As the 1st quarter gave way to the 2nd quarter, Leyshon hit Owens for 10 yards and Lucke ran for 2 yards to get into Cavalier territory at the 48. This time, it was Prep’s turn on the defensive stand as an incomplete pass on 2nd down and a Leyshon pass to Lucke was defended perfectly by DL Nyeem Gonzalez for a loss of 3 yards to force a punt.

Prep took it at their own 20, and Paris ran it for 3 followed by a pass to Barrett for 10 yards and a 1st down. 3 straight runs by Dickey gained a total of 10 yards and another 1st down. On a 2nd and 10 from the 43, Palermo took the handoff and scampered 57 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown. With 7:17 left in the half, Prep extended their lead to 14-0.

As the Wildcats started their next drive, the Prep defense continued their strong play. Tanner stopped Leyshon for no gain and a pass intended for Owens was broken up by Summa. After an illegal shift penalty made it 3rd and 15 from the 18, Leyshon hit WR John Pyatt for 12 yards but short of the line to gain and the Wildcats punted it away again. Unfortunately for Prep, the Wildcat defense continued their strong play and forced a quick 3-and-out from the Cavaliers.

Back in business quickly at their own 42, the Wildcats offense imploded. 2 straight penalties made it 2nd and 20 from the 32. A screen pass went backwards and was ruled a fumble out of bounds for a loss of 9 more yards, making it 3rd and 29 from the 23. Leyshon then went for it deep to Owens but was intercepted by Weeks at the Prep 42.

Frustration then took over for the Wildcats. After 2 straight incomplete passes, Paris scrambled to his left and threw it to Dickey who was hit late out of bounds for a penalty and an automatic 1st down. As the Wildcats walked back to their huddle, they were then hit with an unsportsmanlike penalty that made it 1st and 10 at the Wildcat 25. Weeks then ran it on a reverse for a big 19-yard gain to the 6, and 2 plays later it was Paris to Barrett for a 6-yard TD catch. With 1:47 left in the half, it was now 21-0 in favor of the Cavaliers.

Starting their next drive at their own 37, Western Wayne scrambled to get points on the board before the half. Unfortunately, disaster struck as McPartland picked off a pass from Leyshon and returned it to the Wildcat 32. Prep then got things going quickly as Paris hit Barrett for a gain of 6 and then threw it to him again for a gain of 11 down to the 15. Paris then threw it to WR James Pappas for a nice 12-yard gain to the 3 yard line, and then the QB called his own number on the keeper for a 3-yard TD run. With only 33 seconds to go in the half, Prep took a commanding 28-0 lead.

The Wildcats had 2 runs by Lucke as the half expired. But as the 3rd quarter started it was Lucke again on the first play from scrimmage for a 65-yard TD run that got Western Wayne on the board. With 11:43 left in the 3rd quarter, Prep still had the lead at 28-7.

On the ensuing kickoff, Weeks had a nice return that was aided by a Wildcat penalty to give Prep the ball at their own 44. Paris gained 12 yards on the keeper, then hit Dickey for 7 yards. A mix of runs by Paris and Palermo, plus a nice 9-yard reception by Barrett, drove the Cavaliers to the Wildcat 16. Weeks then had a nice 15-yard run that was stopped just short of the goal line, but on the next play Weeks took it again and hit paydirt on the 1-yard run. The PAT was missed but Prep increased the lead to 34-7.

The Wildcats took over at their own 30 but on 2nd down Mistishin fumbled and Summa recovered for Prep at the Western Wayne 26. As Prep took over, Paris had an incomplete pass but then threw an interception to Owens at the Wildcat 1 yard line. The Wildcats were then stymied by the Cavalier defense as 3 straight runs gained only 5 yards and forced a punt. Taking over at the Wildcat 37, Dickey ran it for a yard and then Paris threw it to Barrett who ran it through traffic and scored from 36 yards out. Barrett also ran it in for the 2-point conversion and the mercy rule was invoked as Prep had increased their lead to 42-7 with 3:02 left in the 3rd quarter.

As the Wildcats took possession again, Prep’s defense again came up big and forced a 3-and-out. On the punt, a roughing the kicker penalty gave the Wildcats a fresh set of downs at their own 43. As the 3rd quarter gave way to the 4th quarter, a fumble was recovered by LB Brady Rutkoski for Prep. The Cavaliers then used their running game to drain time off the clock, but were stopped at the Wildcat 14. A 31-yard field goal attempt was perfect, and with 7:16 left in the game it was a 45-7 lead for the Cavaliers.

The Wildcats took over at their own 40 and kept it on the ground. A 9- play 60 yard drive was capped when WR Jak Hubinger ran it in from 1 yard out and the score was 45-14 for Prep with only 1:03 left in the game. The Cavaliers then took the ensuing kickoff and then kneeled it out to seal the win.

I spoke with QB Louis Paris after the game, and I asked him about the great play of the Cavalier defense: “The defense has been playing great all year, our defense and offense play off of each other and I think that’s what’s great about this team.”

Scranton Prep will now play against Neumann-Goretti in a rematch of last year’s playoffs, with the date and site yet to be determined. Be sure to check out our playoff brackets here for the latest information:  https://pafootballnews.com/brackets/

Also, be sure to check out photos from the game here:  https://pafootballnews.com/pfn/western-wayne-at-scranton-prep-photo-gallery/

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