WYOMING AREA FOOTBALL: Warriors overcome first-game mistakes

WRIGHT TWP. — The standard, expected, first-game mistakes were present for the Wyoming Area football team Friday night, but there was still no stopping the Warriors.

Red Zone trips on the first two drives did not produce any points and a Pick Six changed the game’s momentum.

But in the end, the Warriors held on for a 28-21 victory over Crestwood in a Wyoming Valley Conference interdivisional game.

Quarterback Anthony DeLucca connected with sophomore Luke Kopetchny nine times for 248 yards and two touchdowns, but the Warriors were still locked in a tie game late.

Trustin Johnson scored on a 1-yard run with 1:05 to play for the go-ahead score. The Warriors then broke up a pass near the end zone on the final play of the game.

“Week One game we talk about it all the time,” Wyoming Area coach Randy Spencer said. “It’s not the plays you make, it’s the mistakes you make. We certainly made our share of mistakes tonight, whether it was in protection, errant throws or missed assignments, whatever it might have been.”

The defending Division 2 champion Warriors also forced the Comets, a potential Division 1 contender, into mistakes.

Senior defensive back Damian Lefkoski picked off two passes.

Kopetchny made his final reception — a 36-yarder — on Wyoming Area’s eight-play, 63-yard, game-winning scoring drive. The catch moved the ball to the Crestwood 15. Four rushes by Johnson covered the rest of the distance.

Crestwood’s final possession was aided by a 15-yard late hit penalty by Wyoming Area that moved the ball to the Warriors’ 42 with 50 seconds left. A 14-yard pass to tight end Lincoln Bibla eventually placed the ball at the 22.

The Comets killed the clock with a spike and three passes were incomplete to end the game.

After a scoreless opening quarter, Crestwood struck first as quarterback Jaden Shedlock scored on a 3-yard run two plays after Bibla picked off a pass.

Wyoming Area tied the score four plays later when Kopetchny speared a 47-yard TD pass.

Johnson’s 9-yard run at 3:09 of the third quarter gave Wyoming Area a 14-7 lead going into the fourth where Crestwood struck with big plays.

Crestwood’s Giovanni Barna returned an interception 47 yards to tie the score 14-14.

Wyoming Area answered with an 18-yard touchdown pass from DeLucca to Kopetchny for a 21-14 lead.

Four plays later the score way tied again as Shedlock ran down the right sideline for a 69-yard touchdown.

It was the second straight year that the teams were tied three times, including 21-21 in the fourth quarter, before Wyoming Area produced the game-winner.

BY THE NUMBERS

Wyoming Area quarterback Anthony DeLucca was 10-for-23 passing for 277 yards and two touchdowns. … Crestwood limited Wyoming Area to 73 yards on 31 carries. Trustin Johnson (52 yards) and Lidge Kellum (44 yards) carried 14 times each. … Aside from Jaden Shedlock’s 69-yard touchdown, Wyoming Area held Crestwood to 3.5 yards per carry. Shedlock finished with 163 yards on 22 carries. … Kevin Weidl led the Warriors defensively with eight tackles and two assists. Johnson and Andrew Steinberger were each in on seven tackles.

UP NEXT

Wyoming Area hosts Dallas Friday night in a meeting of defending WVC division champions. Dallas won the District 2 title and carried an unbeaten record all the way to the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class 4A state title game last season before losing. The Mountaineers carried a lead into the fourth quarter Friday night, but lost at home 28-21 to Jersey Shore, the No. 2 Class 4A team in the state, according to PennLive.com’s preseason rankings. Brady Zapoticky threw for 226 yards and three touchdowns, including two to Gavin Lewis, but Dallas struggled on the ground behind a rebuilt offensive line.