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Wyoming Area holds off Western Wayne in a 2-OT playoff thriller

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

| November 9, 2024

The intensity going into this game was off the charts. Back in week 3, Western Wayne got the better of Wyoming Area with a hard-fought 34-23 victory. That game seemed like a distant memory as both squads entered this game at 10-1, having played great defense and executing stout running attacks. With both Warrior RB Lidge Kellum and Wildcat RB Josh Vinton going head to head in this one, you could literally cut the tension in the air with a knife. About an hour before kickoff the winds kicked up and it got cold, and the atmosphere got even more intense.

It was a shame this one had to end for someone.

Western Wayne overcame a 12 point first half deficit and roared back only to see Wyoming Area tie the game with under a minute to go to force overtime, then a 2-point conversion fell just short for the Wildcats as the Warriors escaped with a 36-35 win in a wild game to advance to the District 2 Class 3A championship.

Wyoming Area won the toss and elected to receive. Starting at their own 33, RB Lidge Kellum started getting his work in right away. Kellum ran 5 straight times for 21 total yards, but unfortunately the drive stalled at the 50 and the Warriors punted it away. The wind was a factor all night, and the punt was thus aided and rolled down to the Wildcat 12. Western Wayne started their first drive there and it was RB Josh Vinton getting his work in immediately as well. Vinton ran it twice for 8 total yards, and on 3rd-and-2 from the 20 he fumbled but recovered it for only a 1-yard gain and the Wildcats punted it away. The wind caught this kick as well, standing it almost straight up in the air for only 23 net yards to the Wildcat 44. The Warriors then moved quickly, as Kellum ran it for 11 yards, then RB Michael Crane ran for 4 yards. QB Anthony Delucca then hit WR Kevin Wiedl for a big 26-yard strike to the Wildcat 3, and on the very next play it was Kellum running it in for the score that made it 7-0 Wyoming Area with 5:18 left in the 1st quarter.

Western Wayne then got a nice return from OL/DL Vinny Baldini out to the 35. Vinton started the drive with 2 runs for a net of 2 yards. On 3rd-and-8 from the 38 the Wildcats made a significant switch in strategy as they started using the toss to Vinton on the sweep to stretch the defense, and it worked as Vinton gained 7 yards and a 1st down. Vinton then had a 3 yard run, but on the very next play the toss sweep hit it big as Vinton broke free on a big 45-yard run down to the Warrior 7. On the next play, Vinton had a weaving TD run through the Warrior defense but a holding penalty negated it and pushed the Wildcats back to the 17. Unfortunately, Western Wayne gained only 2 yards and had to settle for a 32-yard field goal from K Jacob Wells that made it a 7-3 game.

Wyoming Area started their next possession at their own 38. Delucca threw it to WR Luke Kopetchny for 9 yards, and on the next play Kellum was stopped for no gain as the 1st quarter ended. On the first play of the 2nd quarter, Kellum had a big 18-yard run, then followed it up with a 10-yard run. Crane then had a strong 12-yard run to the Wildcat 13, and then Kellum hit paydirt again on a 13-yard run that made it 14-3 with 10:00 left in the half.

On the ensuing kickoff, the kick was short to Baldini again, who fumbled it and the Warriors recovered at the Wildcat 42. After Kellum ran for no gain and Crane ran it for a 1-yard loss, Delucca hit Kopetchny on a beautiful comeback route for 12 yards and a 1st down. Kellum then had a big 25-yard run to the 6, and then he ran it 3 straight times and capped the drive with a 1-yard TD to make it 21-3 with 6:33 left in the half.

Western Wayne did not seem fazed at all, and started their next drive at their own 42. Vinton ran it twice for 12 yards, then after an incomplete pass he ran it 2 more times for 10 yards to the Warrior 31. On the very next play, QB John Pyatt hit WR Sean Owens for a 31-yard score. The PAT hit the right upright and was no good, and with 3:42 to go in the half it was now 21-9 in favor of Wyoming Area.

Using the wind to their advantage, the Wildcats kicked the ball out of the endzone for a touchback. Wyoming Area started their drive at their own 20, and Kellum ran it 2 straight times for 23 yards. An incomplete pass and a false start meant it became 2nd-and-15 at the 38. Kellum ran it for 8 yards to make it 3rd-and-7, but on the next play Delucca was sacked for a loss of 11 yards and the Warriors punted it away.

Western Wayne started their next drive at their own 38. Vinton took the toss sweep and gained 10 yards. Pyatt then threw it to Baldini for 2 yards, and followed it up with a screen to Vinton but an illegal shift penalty negated the play. Pyatt then hit Owens up the middle for 7 yards, and followed that up with a strike to WR Lance Maiocco for 12 yards down to the Wyoming Area 36. With time fading quickly, Pyatt threw it deep down the left sideline for Owens but the pass fell incomplete. With only 8 seconds left, Pyatt threw a pass to RB Michael Barna but he couldn’t get out of bounds and time expired in the half.

Prior to the second half kickoff, the wind kicked up even stronger. Western Wayne took the second half kickoff and had a nice return that was aided by a personal foul on the Warriors. Starting at the Wildcat 49, Vinton took over for Western Wayne. He had 7 straight runs that gained 51 yards, the last of which was a 1-yard TD run that made it 21-16 with 7:44 left in the 3rd quarter.

With the wind again aiding things, the Wildcats ensuing kickoff went through the back of the end zone for a touchback. Wyoming Area thus started at their own 20 and it was Kellum with a 9-yard run, then Crane with a 5-yard run and a 1st down. Kellum had runs of 2 yards and 5 yards, but on 3rd-and-3 from the 41 he was hit in the backfield by a pack of Wildcats for a 2-yard loss and the Warriors punted it away. Western Wayne took over at their own 38 and it was alternating runs by Owens and Vinton that gained yards out to the Warrior 21. From there, Vinton struck paydirt on a terrific 21-yard TD run. Western Wayne went for the 2-point conversion and it failed, but the Wildcats had finally taken the lead 22-21 with 1:02 left in the 3rd quarter.

Wyoming Area started their next drive at their own 40. After an incomplete pass, Kellum had a nice run negated by a holding penalty to make it 2nd-and-16 from the 24. Delucca then hit Kopetchny for an 8-yard gain as the 3rd quarter ended. Starting the final quarter, it was 3rd-and-8 at the 32 and Delucca scrambled under pressure and threw out of bounds to force a punt. Western Wayne took over at their own 28 and it was all Josh Vinton as he ran it 12 times for a total of 72 yards, the last of which was a 5-yard pile push TD run that made it 29-21 Wildcats with 3:45 left in the game.

Wyoming Area started their next possession at their own 35. Delucca ran for 4 yards, then Kellum ran it 3 straight times for 13 yards. Delucca then hit Kopetchny for 7 and a 1st down at the 41. Kellum ran it for 3 and the Warriors called a timeout with 1:17 left. As play resumed, Delucca scrambled and hit Wiedl for a big 34-yard gain down to the 4. On the very next play Kellum ran it in for the score. The Warriors then got the 2-point conversion on a Delucca 2-yard run to tie the game at 29 with 51 seconds left in the game.

Western Wayne had one last chance in regulation. Starting at their own 17, Vinton had 2 straight runs that netted only 2 yards and as time expired we headed to overtime.

Western Wayne got the first try in OT. Starting at the 10, Vinton took the handoff and was hit at the 5 and fumbled the ball which was recovered by the Warriors. As Wyoming Area went for their first attempt, the wind really kicked up. From the 10, Delucca took the snap and scrambled under pressure and was sacked for a loss back to the 14. On 2nd down Kellum ran it for 7 yards, but on 3rd-and-7 from the 7 Kellum was hit hard and gained only 1 yard. The Warriors lined up for a game-winning 23-yard field goal attempt but as the kick was up the wind caught it and it went wide right.

In the second OT, Wyoming Area started first. Kellum ran for 5 yards, then hit paydirt on the next play from 5-yards out. The PAT was good and for the moment the Warriors had a 36-29 lead. Western Wayne lined up for their second try, and Vinton struck immediately on a 10-yard stretch play run for the score. The Wildcats decided to try the 2-point conversion for the win, and Vinton took the handoff at the 2 and was stopped about 1 foot short of the goal line. The Wyoming Area sideline and visitors stands erupted as the Warriors had escaped with a 36-35 victory to advance to the District 2 Class 3A title game against Scranton Prep next Friday.

After the game I spoke to Warrior RB Lidge Kellum as the wind howled wildly all around us. You can watch that interview below.

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

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