Face In The Crowd – Week 1

A FACE IN THE CROWD – WEEK 1

Why? My musings about the opening weekend of high school football in NEPA begin with that monosyllabic question. Though our American culture is barely recognizable from what it was 20 years ago and though our attention is disturbed by the insidious siren call of social media and its purveyors, here we are again on the brink of September, gathered in grocery stores or on main streets throughout the valley, pondering the potential prospects of 11 young men who represent our town, our alma mater, our jointure, or our family. We argue and we worry. We dream and we despair. Why?

In football stadiums across the commonwealth, the sounds, the smells, and the sights are the same as they were a half century ago. The rapid cadence of drumlines, the narcotic aroma of French fries, the colorful spectacle of student sections: they echo in our memories and bring us back to innocence. They inject unfettered joy into the jaded and they remind us of what is best about life. High school football is about community and pride, not narcissism and hubris. It is about belonging to institutions, not rejecting them. Our hearts beat faster for all the right reasons. A school year begins. A season begins. A quest by our team to achieve generational glory begins. There are no negatives. There are no qualifiers.

So, as Tennyson once suggested, “ours is not to reason why”. Enjoy the fall, its heartaches and pure bliss. The emotions of high school football are as gusty as October. And we yearn for them.

My goal each week is to choose five games that have drawn my particular interest. I shall refer to them as the “Five Fistfights”. These are contests that I believe will be close, games decided by a break, a turnover, or a magic moment. I do not wish to analyze or summarize. All that I intend is to provide a flavor for the game and suggest what may happen. Of course, we are talking about high school students, so predicting their behavior is folly at best and dangerous at worst. At the conclusion of each set of five games, I will unveil my Power 5, the quintet of teams that I opine, regardless of classification, are the best in NEPA.

North Pocono at Nanticoke

High school sports are always emotional. It comes with teenagers and their families, school spirit and youth. But tonight in Nanticoke, there will be the emotion that comes with grief and heartbreak as the entire NEPA football community mourns the loss of Scott Dennis, Head Football Coach at Nanticoke. Certainly, it will be nearly impossible for student-athletes to sort through the myriad emotions they will feel tonight. As adults, we can only hope that tonight, for 48 minutes, they can feel the joy of competition that allows them to forget, if only momentarily, the loss of a mentor. All the best to both groups of Trojans this evening.

Fistfight Number 1 – Pittston Area at Mid Valley

A new coach in Tomato City brings new vigor for the Patriots. This is a fun, interleague contest between squads that are very evenly matched. PA is the bigger school, but the Spartans (alas, I won’t go into more Greek history) have created a culture of competitiveness and success. I like Mid Valley here, even though I think Pittston Area will be much improved over the course of the season.

Fistfight Number 2 – Wyoming Area at Crestwood

Arguably two of the top three teams in all of Luzerne County square off in the season’s inaugural weekend. The winner marches forward, having lived up to the preseason hype, at least for one week. In my opinion, there is far more at stake here for Crestwood as the larger school on their home field. Still, I like the Warriors by a field goal in a relatively high scoring affair.

Fistfight Number 3 – Valley View at Scranton Prep

This is a bona fide rivalry game in Week 1. These two teams do not care for each other. Though it may be early to talk about a game as a “statement”, this one certainly is. The winner stamps themselves as one of the very best teams in District 2 in any classification. Both teams are legitimate bullies, and this will be a physical challenge for each. Depth will be the key. I’ll take the Cavs by a touchdown because of the slight edge at the skill positions.

Fistfight Number 4 – Old Forge at West Scranton

Just the sound of that makes me smile. I feel as though I have been transported back to the 1970’s with Elio Ghigiarelli and Joe DeAntona stalking their respective sidelines. Add to that the internecine rivalry of West’s HC Jake Manetti matching wits with his mentor, Mike Schuback of the Devils. This is like Tom Hagen breaking away from the Corleone family. And if you haven’t figured it out yet, I love relatively obscure historical, musical, literary, and cinematic references. Back to the matter at hand – I’m going to take the Blue and Gold, the mentor over the mentee, in an emotional gut-twister with more subplots than old episodes of “Murder, She Wrote”.

THE POWER FIVE