Mid Valley at Scranton Prep

Recap

SCRANTON PREP 40, MID VALLEY 21

On a windy November night in Dunmore, Scranton Prep completed its bid to return to the Class 3A title game by defeating Mid Valley 40-21 in a rematch of a contest from earlier in the season.

After two penalties were assessed against Mid Valley for violations on the opening kickoff, the Cavaliers were able to begin their first drive from the Spartan 44-yard line. It took Prep 10-plays, all runs, to find the end zone. Junior tailback Will McPartland scored the first of his 3 rushing touchdowns, tallying from just a yard out.

The Spartans parlayed a long kick return into great field position, beginning their first drive at the Prep 22. But from there, Mid Valley was unable to pick up a first down as Prep linebacker Reese Tanner held Spartan back Mason Vinansky short of the sticks on 4^th and 9.

Lightning then struck in the form of Cavalier quarterback Louis Paris. The talented senior signal caller sprinted 82 yards down the right sideline, putting Prep ahead 14-0 with 4:23 left in the opening quarter of play.

After a Mid Valley punt was returned by Treyvon Dickey to the Spartan 37, Paris dropped to throw and found junior receiver alone behind the Mid-Valley secondary on the very first play of the drive. Just like that, the Cavaliers had extended their lead to 21 points with 11:37 left in the first half.

Senior tailback Jakob Lesher put Mid-Valley on the scoreboard on the next Spartan drive. Lesher electrified the fans in the visitors’ bleachers when he broke loose in front of the Spartan bench and outraced two Cavaliers to the endzone enroute to a 58-yard scoring gallup. That made the score 21-7 with 10:06 left before intermission.

Prep was not yet finished with their first half highlights. The top seed in the 3A playoffs marched 63 yards in just 4 plays on a drive keyed by Will McPartland’s 40-yard gain on the very first play. Senior wingback Treyvon Dickey became the fourth different Cavalier to score a touchdown on the evening as he raced in from 13-yards away. The extra point, however, sailed wide and Prep took a 27-7 lead into the locker room.

Mid Valley began the second half by marching 59 yards in 7 plays, aided by two personal foul penalties against Scranton Prep. It was Lesher doing the honors once again, cutting upfield and scoring from 12 yards away. The extra point made it 27-14 with 8:28 left in the third quarter.

The Cavaliers immediately answered once again. Using another lengthy run by McPartland to begin their next drive, this time a 19-yard carry, Prep went 55 yards in 6 plays. McPartland got his second score of the evening as he rambled in from 4 yards out. Once again, the extra point was unsuccessful and the Cavaliers led 33-14 with 5:47 remaining in the third stanza.

Mid Valley’s final scoring drive of their season was a 14-play trek that saw the Spartans cover 63 yards, again aided by a Prep personal foul. Lesher found paydirt for the third time, bulling over from 3 yards away, cutting the Prep lead to 33-21.

One more time Prep answered. After fielding a short kickoff that placed the ball at the Prep 47, Paris carried on first down for 19 yards on a run that saw him break at least 4 Mid-Valley tackles. Paris once again converted for his team on a 3^rd and 11 from the Spartan 35 when he twisted through the secondary for 12 hard-earned yards. McPartland scores on the very next play, scooting down the sideline from 23 yards away. The extra point concluded the scoring at 40-21.

Paris finished his evening with 132 yards on just 7 carries, while McPartland added 130 yards on 18 carries as the Cavaliers attempted just 3 passes on the night.

Prep, now 11-1, will host Wyoming Area in the district final next Friday night at Dunmore High School. Mid-Valley finishes its season at 8-4.

SCORING SUMMARY

1st Quarter

SP – Will McPartland 1-yd run (Tyler Bianchi kick) – Scranton Prep 7-0

SP – Louis Paris 82-yd run (Bianchi kick) – Scranton Prep 14-0

2nd Quarter

SP – Mackey Lynett 37-yd pass from Paris (Bianchi kick) – Scranton Prep 21-0

MV – Jakob Lesher 58-yd run (Dylan Henderson kick) – Scranton Prep 21-7

SP – Treyvon Dickey 12-yd run (Kick failed) – Scranton Prep 27-7

3rd Quarter

MV – Lesher 12-yd run (Henderson kick) – Scranton Prep 27-14

SP – McPartland 3-yd run (Kick failed) – Scranton Prep 33-14

4th Quarter

MV – Lesher 3-yd run (Henderson kick) – Scranton Prep 33-21

SP – McPartland 23-yd run (Bianchi kick) – Scranton Prep 40-21