Wyoming Area knocked the crown askew on the final day of August. Now the Warriors will try to slap it completely off the head of Scranton Prep.
The task likely won’t be as easy as the last time as Wyoming Area (10-1) hosts four-time defending champion Scranton Prep (9-2) at 7 p.m. today in the District 2 Class 3A football championship game.
Wyoming Area will be going for its first district title since winning the D2-2A championship in 2012 and its fifth overall. All four of Prep’s district titles have come in a row.
Back on Aug. 31, Wyoming Area pounded Prep 34-0. The Warriors unleashed a vicious defense which dominated a Prep team still trying to find its way after numerous losses to graduation. The Cavaliers finished with minus-1 yard rushing on 23 carries. New starting quarterback Paddy Grady was 16-of-28 for 146 yards, but nine completions were for 7 yards or less. He was intercepted by Wyoming Area safety Dominic DeLuca and linebacker FJ Braccini, sacked three times and under pressure on several other occasions.
Prep didn’t help itself by turning over the ball on four of its first six possessions, with the Warriors converting the miscues into 27 points. The Cavaliers followed with a bland 17-10 victory over Abington Heights and a 42-19 loss to Valley View. Since then the Cavaliers have won seven straight, including last Friday’s 30-14 semifinal win over Western Wayne.
“I think we’ve evolved,” said Prep coach Terry Gallagher, whose four-year record at the school is 47-7. “The kids have worked really hard to get better at some of the areas that we didn’t perform well at, I guess you can say, at the beginning of the season. We had a couple kids banged up at the beginning of the season too and we had some new and younger kids at positions that didn’t have a great deal of experience.”
Grady has become a solid signal caller. Freshman running back London Montgomery has grown more comfortable as the feature back, while while receiver Carter Odell has developed into a big-play receiver.
Of course, Wyoming Area has evolved since that Week 2 matchup as well. Last Friday’s 48-12 semifinal blowout of Lake-Lehman is a prime example.
Wyoming Area struggled against Lehman in Week 6, falling behind by 10 points at halftime before dominating the second half on the way to a 35-30 victory.
Wyoming Area sacked Lehman quarterback Ethan Adams six times last Friday. Moreover, the Warriors didn’t allow many long passes, something that haunted them in the first meeting.
The Wyoming Area offense steered the game behind the running of running back Darren Rodney and quarterback DeLuca, but the key was no turnovers. They had three vs. Lehman the first time that staggered their momentum.
“First of all, we didn’t turn the ball over initially, which was a problem (in the first meeting),” Wyoming Area coach Randy Spencer said. “Second of all, we played a little more off-coverage. The first game they hit a couple verticals on us on the outside when we pressed up in man coverage. So we tried as much as we could play off coverage on the outside.”
The switch in the coverage scheme forced Lehman to a short passing game. Quarterback Ethan Adams connected on 18-of-27 passes, but the Warriors defense closed quickly. Three completions gained no yards, another lost 4 yards and have others gained 6 yards or less.
Wyoming Area’s offense has leaned heavily toward the running game the past two games. The Warriors have rushed the ball 85 times and passed it just 16 times. Those 85 rushes have produced 701 yards, but running room might not be as available tonight. Prep’s leading defenders are inside linebackers Tucker Johnson, who has 108 tackles, and Vito Gianello, who has 94 stops.
Running back Darren Rodney and the Wyoming Area Warriors go for their first district title since 2012 when they host four-time defending champion Scranton Prep tonight for the D2-3A championship. https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/web1_wyo_pit1_faa.jpgRunning back Darren Rodney and the Wyoming Area Warriors go for their first district title since 2012 when they host four-time defending champion Scranton Prep tonight for the D2-3A championship. Fred Adams file photo | For Times Leader Wyoming Area battles four-time champ Prep for D2-3A title
By John Erzar
jerzar@timesleader.com
District 2 Class 3A Championship
Scranton Prep (9-2) at Wyoming Area (10-1)
7 p.m. today
Admission: $7 adults; $4 students
TV: none
Internet: Wyoming Area Football Alumni page on Facebook
Up Next: The winner plays the District 4 champion, either Mountoursville (11-1) or Loyalsock (9-3), in the PIAA 3A state quarterfinals next weekend.
