Scranton Prep at Mid Valley

Recap

SCRANTON PREP 35, MID-VALLEY 0

In Throop, Scranton Prep rebounded from last weekend’s disappointing loss to Abington Heights by blanking Mid-Valley 35-0 to even their record at 4-4 on the season and took a giant step to cementing their place in the Class AAA tournament which will begin in three weeks.

Quarterback Will McPartland was once again the star of the show for Scranton Prep, rushing for three touchdowns on the evening. Though Mid-Valley was able to sustain drives against the Prep defense, the Spartans were never able to cross the goal line.

Prep took the opening kickoff and drove 78 yards in 10 plays for the game’s first score. The drive was highlighted by McPartland’s 30-yard toss to his brother, Braeden, a play that moved the ball deep into Mid-Valley territory. Will McPartland scored from 6 yards out on a designed quarterback run. Tyler Bianchi’s boot made it 7-0 with 7:39 left to play in the opening quarter.

After Mid-Valley failed on a 34-yard field goal attempt on their opening possession, the Cavaliers went to work once again. This time, Prep covered 80 yards in 11 plays. Again it was the McPartland to McPartland passing combination that provided the signature play of the drive. On 2nd and 4 from the Spartan 43, Will hit Braeden on a play that spanned 27 yards. Two plays later, wingback Noah Krzywiec took a handoff and scooted 14 yards around left end. Bianchi’s kick stretched the Prep lead to 14-0 with just 0:25 remaining on the first quarter clock.

Mid-Valley then held the ball for 14 plays on their next drive, but came up short on 4th and 5 from the Prep 35. Taking over at their own 33, Prep took just 2 minutes to score again. A 15-yard scramble by Will McPartland and a 15-yard pass from McPartland to Krzywiec put Prep in business at the Mid-Valley 32-yard line. Will McPartland did the rest, breaking tackles on his way to a 32-yard touchdown run with 1:33 left to play in the half. Bianchi’s kick sent the teams to the locker rooms with Prep holding a commanding 21-0 edge.

Mid-Valley took the second half kickoff and managed to keep the football away from the Prep offense with a 14-play drive. After Prep’s Finn Mulligan tackled Spartan halfback Mason Vinansky for an 8-yard loss on a screen pass, a 4th down pass from Brett Yanoski fell incomplete, leaving the Spartans still scoreless.

It didn’t take long for the Cavaliers to add to their margin. On the very first play from scrimmage, Braeden McPartland took a trap play up the middle, broke to the right sideline, and outraced the Mid-Valley secondary on his way to a 66-yard jaunt. Bianchi added another point to make it 28-0 with 3:34 left in the third period.

Prep’s final touchdown came on their next drive. After a Mid-Valley possession was derailed by an intentional grounding penalty, the Cavaliers moved 58 yards in just 5 plays. The key offering on the drive was a bruising 40-yard run by sophomore Brandon Farmer that set Prep up at the Spartan 5-yard line. Two plays later, Will McPartland carried over from the 1 to make the final score 35-0.

The Cavaliers will play host to Jersey Shore next weekend at Dunmore High School while Mid-Valley, still in the hunt for a district playoff berth, will play host to division rival, Western Wayne.

SCORING SUMMARY 

1ST QUARTER

SP – Will McPartland 6-yd run (Tyer Bianchi kick) – Scranton Prep 7-0

SP – Noah Krzywiec 14-yd run (Bianchi kick) – Scranton Prep 14-0

2ND QUARTER

SP – W. McPartland 32-yd run (Bianchi kick) – Scranton Prep 21-0

3RD QUARTER

SP – Braedon McPartland 66-yd run (Bianchi kick) – Scranton Prep 28-0

4TH QUARTER

SP – W. McPartland 2-yd run (Bianchi kick) – Scranton Prep 35-0