Scranton Prep at North Pocono

Recap

SCRANTON PREP 21, NORTH POCONO 7

In Moscow, Prep quarterback Louis Paris rushed for 117 yards on 19 carries, scored two touchdowns, and threw for another as the Cavaliers garnered the league title in Division 1 of the Lackawanna Football Conference with a hard fought 21-7 victory over North Pocono. The Cavaliers won their 7^th consecutive game to finish the regular season at 9-1, and unbeaten in the division. The Trojans fell to 4-6.

Prep opened the game impressively, marching 72 yards on 11 plays and chewing up over half of the first quarter clock. The key play on the drive was a 13-yard run by junior tailback Will McPartland on 3^rd and 3. Paris covered the final 20 yards down the left sideline, breaking two tackles inside the 10. Tyler Bianchi’s first extra point made it 7-0 Prep with 5:34 left in the opening quarter.

After a 3 and out by North Pocono, Prep appeared to be on the march again when Treyvon Dickey coughed up the football and the Trojans recovered on their own 46. North Pocono overcame four different offensive penalties to march into Prep territory, but the drive stalled when quarterback was tackled by Paris at the Prep 25 on 4^th and 10.

The remainder of the half was merely a punting contest as the teams maneuvered for field position. The half ended with Prep still holding the 7-0 advantage.

North Pocono mounted its most impressive drive of the night to begin the second half. The Trojans marched 54 yards to the Prep 11-yard line. Sam Magnotta was wide right on his 28-yard field goal attempt and the third quarter came to a close with Prep still clinging to its one-score lead.

After taking over on their own 20-yard line, the Cavaliers trod 80 yards in 17 plays, overcoming both an illegal procedure penalty and an offensive holding call along the way. McPartland and Paris matched 12-yard runs early in the drive, and Paris’s 16-yard scamper put the football at the Trojans’ 13-yard line. Paris snuck over from a yard out a few plays later to put Prep up 14-0 with 10:33 left in the contest.

Another 3 and out by the Trojan offense gave Prep the ball at their own 44. On first down, Paris lofted a pass downfield to a streaking Brady Holmes, who somehow outwrestled North Pocono defender Cole West in the air at the Trojan 22 for a 38-yard gain. The pair hooked up again just four plays later as Paris threaded a 24-yard needle to the corner of the end zone, over the arms of the Trojan defender, into Holmes’s arms. Bianchi’s point made it 21-0 Prep with 5:36 left in the game.

North Pocono went 84 yards in 14 plays on their final drive, culminating in a 14-yard pass from quarterback Chase Zimmerman to tight end Evan Wolff with just 41 seconds left to play, making the final score 21-7 Prep.

The Cavaliers will be the top seed in the 3A tournament and will host Tunkhannock next weekend at Dunmore High School. North Pocono does not qualify for the District 2 playoffs but is awaiting an Eastern Conference playoff opportunity.

SCORING SUMMARY

1st Quarter 

Louis Paris 1-yd run (Tyler Bianchi kick) – Scranton Prep 7-0

2nd Quarter

None

3rd Quarter

None

4th Quarter

SP – Paris 1-yd run (Bianchi kick) – Scranton Prep 14-0

SP – Brady Holmes 24-yd pass from Paris (Bianchi kick) – Scranton Prep 21-0

NP – Evan Wolff 14-yd pass from Chase Zimmerman (Sam Magnotta kick) – Scranton Prep 21-7