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Scranton Prep runs over Valley View

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

| October 28, 2023

Valley View came into this one at 8-1 and undefeated in the division, featuring a strong running attack with multiple playmakers. Scranton Prep also came into the game at 8-1 and undefeated in the division, featuring a more balanced attack and also multiple playmakers. In high-stakes games like this, the playmakers usually take center stage and determine the outcome of the game.

Today, one playmaker stood the tallest: Junior QB Louis Paris of Scranton Prep. Paris had 4 rushing TD’s on the day and was able to gain significant yardage through the air as the Cavaliers defeated the Cougars 26-6.

Scranton Prep started out at their own 39, and went right to the run game. RB Quinten Palermo gained a quick 5 yards, and on 2nd down it was Paris grinding out solid yards but a holding penalty pushed Prep back to their own 34. Paris then went to the air, hitting TE Andrew Summa who made a nice diving catch for a 20-yard gain. Paris also hit WR Liam Barrett for a nice 20-yard gain down to the Cougar 27, then hit him again 2 plays later for 12 yards to the 18. 3 plays later, Paris took the snap on a designed run stretch play and scored from 10 yards out. The PAT missed but the Cavaliers had struck first and took a 6-0 lead.

Valley View started from their own 31 on their first drive, and after an early offside penalty against the Cavaliers it was RB Camryn Higgins who ripped off a nice 13-yard run. Unfortunately, Valley View gained only 3 more yards on the drive and punted it away. Scranton Prep started at their own 30 and it was WR Jalonte Weeks on the ground for 6 yards. 2 plays later, Paris took the snap and on a delay broke a 64-yard scamper for his 2nd TD of the game. With 2:28 left in the 1st quarter, the Cavaliers extended their lead to 13-0.

Unfortunately for both teams, the rain started and came down heavily for the remainder of the 1st quarter. Valley View started their next drive at their 33 and used their ground game to try and gain some momentum. As the first quarter gave way to the second quarter, a combination of runs by Higgins and RB Nick Kuharski gained some yardage in the downpour, but the Cougars drive stalled at the Prep 45 and they had to punt it away.

The rain continued as the Cavaliers started out at their own 21. Palermo had a nice 9-yard run and then Paris had a nice gain on the ground but an illegal block penalty pushed Prep back to the 20. A significant change in strategy then occurred as the Cavaliers started to use a designed pitch play from Paris to WR Treyvon Dickey to stretch the Cougar defense and gain yards. The first time this play was used, Dickey gained a quick 20-yards, and Prep followed it up with gains from Palermo for 4 yards and Dickey again for 7 yards. Unfortunately Prep only reached the 46 of Valley View, partially due to several penalties that stalled the momentum, and the Cavaliers punted it back to the Cougars.

As the rain finally subsided, Valley View started their next drive at their own 22. Higgins and Kucharski alternated runs, and gained yardage out to the 38. Kucharski then hit it big and broke away down the sideline on a nice 55-yard run down to the Prep 7. 3 short runs got the Cougars down to the 2 yard line, and on 4th and goal from the 2 it was WR Dominic Memo who took the snap and hit TE Kyle Rupp in the end zone for the score. The PAT was blocked, but the Cougars cut the lead to 7 at 13-6 with only 2:04 to go in the half.

The Cavaliers got a great return by Barrett to their own 44, and on 2nd and 8 from the 46 it was Paris who connected with Summa for a nice 23-yard gain. On the very next play, Paris threw it to WR A.J. Croom for 21 yards to make it 1st and goal from the 5. Unfortunately the wheels came off for Prep as Paris was sacked for a loss of 5 and on the next play a bad snap caused a 14 yard loss back to the 24. The Cavaliers then lined up to try the field goal, but the kick was well short and the half ended with Prep up 13-6.

Valley View took the second half kickoff at their own 30 and were determined to get their ground attack going. Higgins gained 4 yards to start things off, but an illegal procedure penalty on the next play pushed the Cougars back to the 29. Several short passes gained yardage out to the 43, but the drive then stalled at the 47 and Valley View punted it away again.

Prep then took over on their own 15 and settled into their running game. Paris gained 16 yards on the first 2 plays, and Palermo also gained 12 yards on the next 3 carries. On 1st and 10 from their own 43, the Cavaliers used the pitch play again as Paris shoveled it off to Dickey in the flat for a nice 14-yard gain. 2 plays later, it was Paris who threw it to Dickey this time for 6 yards to the 36. Paris then ran it up the middle for 14 yards, and then 2 more pitch plays from Paris to Dickey gained 12 more yards down to the 10. Paris then called his own number, and ran it around the right end for another 10-yard TD. With 1:52 left in the 3rd quarter, Prep increased their lead to 20-6.

Valley View got a great kick return to their own 45, but on 2nd and 9 from the 46 a well defended incomplete pass incurred an unsportsmanlike penalty after the play to make it 3rd and 24 from the 31. Kucharski gained 6 yards on the next play but was well short of the line to gain, and the Cougars punted it away again.

A nice punt return by Barrett ended the 3rd quarter, and as the final quarter began it was Prep who started at their own 30. A nice run by Barrett was negated by a holding penalty that pushed Prep back to the 27. A mix of runs by Paris and Dickey gained a total of 32 yards down to the Valley View 40. The drive stalled 2 plays later however, and Prep punted it back to the Cougars.

As Valley View started at their own 15, disaster struck on the first play as Weeks made a great leaping interception for the Cavaliers and returned it to the Cougar 45. On 3rd and 5 from the 39, Paris hit Barrett for a 12-yard gain and a first down at the 26. Paris then hit paydirt again, running it around the left side for a 26-yard TD. The PAT was blocked, but Prep had a commanding 26-6 lead with only 5:21 to go.

Valley View started out on their own 25 and used a mix of short passes and runs to gain yardage down to the Prep 11 yard line. The clock was the enemy however, as too much time had drained away on the drive and the game ended with Prep winning it 26-6.

After the game, Prep Head Coach Terry Gallagher said to his team “We’re not perfect, but we’re great!” I also had the opportunity to speak with Cavalier QB Louis Paris about the days ahead: “I think we still have a lot to prove. This team can be pretty good and we still have a lot of work to do to get better.”

Scranton Prep ended their regular season at 9-1 as the #1 seed in the District 2 Class 3A playoffs and will face Hanover Area next weekend. Valley View dropped to 8-2 but will be the #2 seed in the District 2 Class 4A playoffs and will head home to face the Berwick Bulldogs.

Be sure to check out the photo gallery from today’s game, courtesy of Sherryl Samuel:  https://pafootballnews.com/pfn/valley-view-at-scranton-prep-photo-gallery/

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