AJ Sports

November 20, 2009

Dunmore wins district after coach taken to hospital

By Tom Robinson
Go Lackawanna sports correspondent

PECKVILLE -- While Dunmore head football coach Jack Henzes was rushed to Mercy Hospital in Scranton, his assistant coaches and players continued with business as usual the best they could.

Greg Dohlon, Henzes' son-in-law, continued calling the offensive plays while the rest of the coaching staff handled its usual assignments. Dohlon said that if a major decision had to be made, he would have done his best to coordinate feedback from the four varsity assistants, but with the Bucks in control, no such actions were necessary.

Dunmore added to the 21-point lead it had when Henzes was taken away and went on to beat Lakeland, 35-8, in the District 2 Class AA championship game.

"Coach gives us an awful lot of responsibility," Dohlon said. "He knows if something like that happened, we're prepared."

Kevin McHale ran the defense, which had a shutout until Dunmore pulled its starters with a 35-point lead in the fourth quarter.

Jeff Mills guided the offensive line, which led the way for the Bucks to average seven yards per carry.

Mike DeSando ran the special teams that pinned Lakeland inside the 20 on three kickoffs and one punt and put the Chiefs at the 20 with a kickoff into the end zone.

As he was being wheeled out on a stretcher, Henzes told his assistants to let the players know he was "fine."

"He just wanted us to keep going," Dohlon said. "We kept the status quo."

Family members said Henzes was sitting up and talking at the hospital late Friday night.

UPDATED: 10:58 p.m.

PECKVILLE -- Dunmore used three first-half interceptions Friday night to take control of the District 2 Class AA football championship game on the way to a 35-8 victory over Lakeland.

Morgan Holmes picked off two passes in the first half and Michael Ehnot one that he returned for a touchdown.

The district title was the third straight for the unbeaten Bucks, the top-ranked Class AA team in the state, according to the Harrisburg Patriot-News.

Lakeland compiled statistical advantages throughout the game, but Dunmore had all the big plays, particularly on defense.

The Bucks did not run an offensive play for the first 8:40, but they took a 7-0 lead in that time on Ehnot's 34-yard interception return.

Once the offense did have the ball, it needed just seven plays to cover 80 yards. Frank Santarsiero had runs of 15 and 39 yards to set up his own 1-yard touchdown for a 14-0 lead with 12 seconds left in the half.

While Lakeland picked up yards and first downs, Dunmore scored the points.

The Bucks scored on all four first-half possessions.

Michael Perry had touchdown runs of 2 and 5 yards in the second quarter, one each before and after the game was stopped when Dunmore coach Jack Henzes collapsed on the sideline. Henzes was taken away in an ambulance, but assistant coach Greg Dohlon, the head coach's son-in-law, said later that Henzes was sitting up and talking at Mercy Hospital in Scranton.

Perry's first touchdown came after Holmes returned an interception 46 yards to the 1.

"We tried to do what he would want," Perry said of his coach. "We accomplished the goals he had for us."

Holmes also intercepted a pass on the last play of the half and returned it 38 yards to the Lakeland 15.

Dunmore put the game into the Mercy Rule when David Olivetti ran 10 yards on the first play of the fourth quarter and Shawn Dente added his fifth straight extra point.

Lakeland's Brett Kuwik ran 4 yards for a touchdown and added the two-point conversion with 6:28 left.

Kuwik finished with 21 carries for 114 yards. His six-yard run on the first play of the second quarter pushed Kuwik over the 1,000-yard mark. He finished the night with 1,084 yards.

Lakeland led 15-9 in first downs, 233-196 in rushing yards, 50-32 in passing yards, 283-228 in total offense, 64-30 in offensive plays and 31:51-16:09 in time of possession.

Dunmore advances to face the winner of Saturday's District 12 championship game between Bok Tech and West Catholic of Philadelphia.

UPDATED: 10:09 p.m.

Northwest captured its first District 2 Class A football championship Friday night with a 40-30 victory over Riverside in a game played at Wyoming Valley West's Spartan Stadium.

UPDATED: 9:34 p.m.

Northwest took a 33-8 lead into the fourth quarter of the District 2 Class A championship game before Riverside rallied for two touchdowns in the first four minutes of the quarter to cut the deficit to 33-22.

UPDATED: 9:32 p.m.

PECKVILLE -- The Dunmore Bucks celebrated with some good news about coach Jack Henzes while receiving medals for their third straight District 2 Class AA football championship Friday night.

Henzes, who relayed through his assistant coaches to tell the players he was fine as he was wheeled off the field on a stretcher during the second quarter of the game, was sitting up and talking while being evaluated at Mercy Hospital in Scranton.

Assistant coach Greg Dohlon, who is also Henzes' son-in-law, said positive reports were coming back by phone from his wife, Melissa Dohlon, who accompanied her father on the trip to the hospital.

Henzes, 73, is second all-time among District 2 coaches in victories behind only George Curry, who set state records for wins while coaching at Berwick, Lake-Lehman and Wyoming Valley West. Henzes led Dunmore to a state Class A championship in 1989 and a berth in the state Class AA championship game in 2007.

Henzes has a history of heart problems.

UPDATED: 9:00 p.m.

PECKVILLE -- Dunmore won its third straight District 2 Class AA championship, maintaining control for a 35-8 victory over Lakeland after Bucks head coach Jack Henzes was taken to a hospital in an ambulance.

Henzes collapsed on the sideline during the second quarter of the game.

UPDATED: 8:52 p.m.

PECKVILLE -- Friday night's District 2 Class AA championship game is looking too familiar for the Lakeland Chiefs.

Just as was the case in the regular-season meeting between the two teams, Dunmore sent the game into the Mercy Rule by opening a 35-0 lead before Lakeland came back with eight points.

Brett Kuwik ran 4 yards for a touchdown and added a two-point conversion with 6:28 left to cut the lead to 35-8, the same score as Dunmore's win in the previous game.

UPDATED: 8:42 p.m.

PECKVILLE -- After a scoreless third quarter, David Olivetti ran 10 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter, allowing Dunmore to push the District 2 Class AA championship game into the Mercy Rule with a 35-0 lead on Lakeland.

Dunmore carried a 28-0 lead into the fourth quarter.

The two-time defending champion Bucks are playing the second half without veteran coach Jack Henzes, who was taken to Mercy Hospital in an ambulance after collapsing on the sideline during the second quarter.

Michael Perry ran 5 yards for his second touchdown of the second quarter, extending Dunmore's lead to 28-0 at halftime.

UPDATED: 8:23 p.m.

Northwest broke the game open in the second quarter, extending its lead on Riverside to 26-8 at halftime in the District 2 Class A championship game.

UPDATED: 7:59 p.m.

PECKVILLE -- Veteran Dunmore High School football coach Jack Henzes collapsed on the sideline during the second quarter of Friday night's District 2 Class AA football championship game between the Bucks and Lakeland.

Dunmore's players cleared their sideline and officials stopped the game as others in the area waved repeatedly to try to get the attention of medical personnel.

Coaches, family members and trainers attended to Henzes while waiting for emergency medical personnel.

Henzes was moved across the field on a stretcher and taken away in an ambulance.

Nine minutes after the stoppage, the game resumed as the ambulance was pulling out of the Peckville field that is named after his late father John "Papa Bear" Henzes.

Henzes, 73, has a history of heart problems.

The game was stopped at 7:35 p.m. with Dunmore leading, 21-0, and 5:08 remaining in the second quarter.

After play resumed, Dunmore made its lead, 28-0, at halftime.

Henzes leads all active District 2 coaches in career victories. He ranks second in the district all-time behind former Berwick, Lake-Lehman and Wyoming Valley West coach George Curry.

UPDATED: 7:43 p.m.

PECKVILLE -- Lakeland continues to move the ball offensively, but Dunmore has come up with the big defensive plays on interceptions and sacks.

Morgan Holmes returned an interception 46 yards to set up a two-yard touchdown by Michael Perry with 6:58 left in the second quarter.

UPDATED: 7:34 p.m.

Northwest leads Riverside, 7-0, after one quarter of the District 2 Class A championship game at Wyoming Valley West.

The Rangers, who have lost in the championship game three times, are looking for their first district title.

UPDATED: 7:28 p.m.

PECKVILLE -- Frank Santarsiero's fast start and a fourth-down sack by Jim Pichiarello helped Dunmore to a 14-0 lead after one quarter.

Lakeland picked up three first downs on its second possession to get as far as the Dunmore 10.

Matt Hilson and Tim Brier then made a tackle for a two-yard loss and a third-down screen. On fourth-and-11, Pichiarello blitzed off the corner and, with help from Brier, threw Ryan Kiehart for an 8-yard loss.

The Bucks then ripped off 80 yards in seven plays.

Santarsiero had runs of 15 and 39 yards before scoring on a 1-yard dive with 12 seconds left in the quarter.

UPDATED: 7:09 p.m.

PECKVILLE -- Michael Ehnot intercepted an overthrown pass and returned it 34 yards for a touchdown to give Dunmore a 7-0 lead over Lakeland early in the District 2 Class AA championship game.

The touchdown, along with Shawn Dente's extra-point kick, came with 9:34 left in the first quarter.

Lakeland was pinned at its 12 to start the game and picked up one first down before the interception.

The Chiefs have crossed into Dunmore territory on their second possession. A Dunmore penalty and a 13-yard run by Al Tuzze put the ball at the Dunmore 23 with seven minutes left in the quarter.

UPDATED: 7:03 p.m.

PECKVILLE -- Dunmore and Lakeland each bring running games that average more than 200 rushing yards per game into Friday night's District 2 Class AA championship game.

Unbeaten Dunmore averages 273 yards rushing.

Michael Perry leads the way for the unbeaten Bucks with 248 carries for 1,674 yards. Perry has rushed for at least 100 yards eight times, including back-to-back games of 261 yards against Carbondale and 240 against West Scranton early in the season.

Brett Kuwik leads Lakeland with 970 yards on 136 carries.

UPDATED: 6:51 p.m.

PECKVILLE -- Dunmore is in search of its third straight District 2 Class AA football championship in a game against Lakeland that will kick off shortly at John Henzes/Veterans Memorial Stadium.

The Bucks are 11-0 and ranked first in the state among Class AA teams, according to the Harrisburg Patriot-News poll.

Lakeland is 8-3 and on a six-game winning streak.

Dunmore won the first meeting between the teams, 35-8.

In another District 2 final, Riverside is trying to defend its title against Northwest in a Class A game at Wyoming Valley West's Spartan Stadium.

For updates throughout the district championship weekend, featuring the Dunmore-Lakeland game, return to www.scrantonedition.com/sports.

 

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