AJ Sports

By Tom Robinson
Go Lackawanna sports correspondent

Mid Valley and Lakeland clinched District 2 Class AA playoff berths Friday night with convincing wins to finish the regular season at 7-3.

Mid Valley handled Lackawanna Trail, 50-24, in an LFC Division 3 game.

Lakeland ripped Montrose, 54-12, in Division 2.

The two teams joined the Class AA field with Dunmore and GAR, which will have the top two seeds and the home fields in next week's semifinals.

OLD FORGE -- Malkolm Blackshear turned three different pass plays into touchdowns Friday night to lead Old Forge to a 36-22 victory over Susquehanna in a win that clinched sole possession of the Lackawanna Football Conference Division 3 title for the Blue Devils for the second straight season.

Blackshear was 8-for-12 passing for 103 yards and two touchdowns. He also returned an interception 71 yards for a touchdown, carried nine times for 66 yards and caught a pass for seven.

"What an athlete Blackshear is; he's good," Susquehanna coach Dick Bagnall said. "And, (Brian) Morris runs hard."

Morris carried 18 times for 123 yards and two touchdowns.

After Blackshear helped Old Forge to a 24-0 lead midway through the second period, Susquehanna closed to 24-14 exactly 12 minutes later.

Morris then ran for two short touchdowns to regain control.

"We kind of played everything basic," Old Forge coach Mike Schuback said. "We didn't want to get too carried away.

"We moved the chains and moved the clock. We played it safe."

Susquehanna moved the ball throughout the game. The problem for the Sabers was holding on to it, particularly in the first half.

The Sabers lost five turnovers, including four in the first half.

The first Susquehanna drive that did not result in a turnover produced the touchdown that cut the lead to 24-8 at the half. The Sabers had 153 yards total offense in the half and 284 in the game while picking up 14 first downs.

Quarterback Dan Kempa carried 22 times for 101 yards and two touchdowns for Susquehanna while completing six of 12 passes for 76 yards.

Kempa's 15-yard run and two-point pass to Nick Felter started the scoring for the Sabers (6-4). Kempa also ran 4 yards for a touchdown with 5:35 left in the third quarter to reduce the lead to 24-14.

Felter ran 4 yards for Susquehanna's last touchdown and Kempa ran for the two-pointer.

Michael Mancuso ran 1 yard for Old Forge's first score. Connor Fultz caught a 10-yard touchdown pass and Kenny Paulish caught a 30-yarder.

Unbeaten Old Forge finished with 19 first downs, 244 yards rushing and 139 yards passing.

UPDATED: 11:02 p.m.

Valley View defeated Scranton, 21-8, in a non-league football game between teams completing their seasons Friday night.

Both teams finished the season with 4-6 overall records.

UPDATED: 10:50 p.m.

OLD FORGE -- Old Forge had just finished its first unbeaten regular season since Mike Schuback's playing days and the Blue Devils coach was already looking at the next challenge.

"We prepared and worked real hard for this season," Schuback said after the Blue Devils scored the first four touchdowns on the way to a 36-22 victory over Susquehanna to finish 10-0 in the regular season for the first time since 1987. "Now, the second season starts."

The Blue Devils, who went 5-0 in Division 3 of the Lackawanna Football Conference to repeat as division champion, are the top seed for the District 2 Class A playoffs. Old Forge will host arch rival Riverside, the defending champion, in next week's semifinals.

UPDATED: 10:32 p.m.

Wallenpaupack knocked Delaware Valley out of a share of the Lackawanna Football Conference Division 1 lead Friday night with a 35-11 victory.

North Pocono has finished 5-1, Abington Heights is 4-1 and Delaware Valley ends the season 4-2 in league play. If Abington Heights beats winless Honesdale Saturday, the Comets will share the division championship with North Pocono.

Wallenpaupack also did all it could to keep its District 2-4-11 Class AAAA Subregional playoff hopes alive. The results of other games will impact playoff point totals and make the final determination if the Buckhorns (7-3) qualify.

In another game, Lakeland routed Montrose, 54-12, in an LFC Division 2 game.

The Chiefs finished the regular season on a five-game winning streak after going 2-3 in the first half.

Montrose finished 1-9.

UPDATED: 10:22 p.m.

Dunmore defeated Riverside, 48-14, in an LFC Division 2 game to finish the regular season unbeaten.

This is the third straight season the Bucks came into the last game of the regular season with a 9-0 record and had to face Riverside. The Bucks made it to the finish this time while preparing to be the top seed in the District 2 Class AA playoffs that begin next weekend.

Dunmore is expected to host Mid Valley, the team it beat, 21-0, in a non-league game on opening night.

UPDATED: 9:26 p.m.

North Pocono is the first team to 5-1 in Division 1 of the Lackawanna Football Conference, clinching at least a tie for the division title.

The Trojans shut out West Scranton, 35-0, to improve to 9-1 overall.

Delaware Valley, which is playing Wallenpaupack tonight, and Abington Heights, which hosts winless Honesdale Saturday, can share the title with North Pocono.

In another game, Old Forge ran the final 4:46 off the clock to complete its first perfect regular season since 1987 with a 36-22 win over Susquehanna.

UPDATED: 9:19 p.m.

OLD FORGE -- While Dunmore adds to its lead, Old Forge has lost a little of its cushion.

Nick Felter's 4-yard touchdown run with 4:46 left allowed Susquehanna to close within, 36-22, with the help of Dan Kempa's two-point conversion.

Dunmore's first perfect season since 1999 is all but assured after the Bucks built their lead to 48-6 early in the fourth quarter.

UPDATED: 9:10 p.m.

North Pocono is one quarter away from at least a share of the LFC Division 1 title.

The Trojans have opened a 28-0 lead on West Scranton as they try to finish 5-1 in the division and 9-1 overall. The team has turned things around after back-to-back 2-8 seasons.

Dunmore is now in the Mercy Rule as it tries to finish its unbeaten season in Division 2. The Bucks lead Riverside, 41-6, late in the third quarter.

UPDATED: 9:01 p.m.

OLD FORGE -- Brian Morris ran 1 yard for a touchdown with 2:06 left in the third quarter and 2 yards for a touchdown with 10:16 left in the game to help Old Forge pull away again for a 36-14 lead over visiting Susquehanna.

The Sabers had cut a 24-0 deficit to 24-14.

UPDATED: 8:53 p.m.

OLD FORGE -- John Herbert's fumble recovery on the third play of the second half set up Dan Kempa's 4-yard touchdown run with 5:35 left in the third quarter, allowing Susquehanna to close within, 24-14, against unbeaten Old Forge.

Kempa hit Cole Mallery with a 19-yard pass and ran five times for 21 yards during the nine-play, 51-yard drive.

Louis Febbo sacked Dan Kempa on the two-point conversion to keep Old Forge in front by two scores.

In another game, Valley View leads Scranton, 14-0, in the third quarter in non-league play.

UPDATED: 8:32 p.m.

North Pocono and Dunmore added to their leads before halftime.

North Pocono stretched its lead on West Scranton to 21-0 at the half.

Dunmore made it 34-6 over Riverside at halftime.

UPDATED: 8:08 p.m.

OLD FORGE -- Susquehanna's Cole Mallery broke up a pass in the end zone on the final play of the half to keep the Sabers within, 24-8, of host Old Forge in an LFC Division 3 game.

Like Old Forge, Dunmore is working on completing its unbeaten regular season.

After allowing Riverside's first score, the Bucks came back with Michael Perry's fourth touchdown.

Perry has 171 yards and four touchdowns rushing to help Dunmore to a 27-6 lead during the second quarter.

UPDATED: 7:56 p.m.

The teams with the most at stake are taking care of business early in Friday night's Lackawanna Football Conference games.

North Pocono, trying to clinch at least a tie for the Division 1 title, is ahead of West Scranton, 7-0, after one quarter.

Dunmore, on Michael Perry's third touchdown run, has increased its lead over Riverside to 21-0 in the second quarter.

Old Forge scored the game's first four touchdowns before Susquehanna's Dan Kempa ran 15 yards for a touchdown and hit Nick Felter with the two-point pass to cut the lead to 24-8.

UPDATED: 7:41 p.m.

OLD FORGE -- Old Forge and Dunmore are in control while trying to complete their unbeaten regular seasons.

Old Forge took an 18-0 lead on Susquehanna after one quarter by turning three turnovers into touchdowns.

Malcolm Blackshear passed 10 yards to Connor Fultz for the third score with 1:06 left in the quarter.

Dunmore's Michael Perry had touchdown runs of 20 and 5 yards in the first quarter to take a 14-0 lead on Riverside.

UPDATED: 7:26 p.m.

OLD FORGE -- After using a turnover to set up its first score, Old Forge scored directly off the next Susquehanna turnover it forced.

Malkolm Blackshear returned an interception 71 yards for a score and a 12-0 lead with 3:19 remaining in the first quarter.

Old Forge then forced the third turnover of the first quarter when Michael Tagliaferri stripped the ball from Nick Marko at the end of a 12-yard run to the Blue Devils 45.

UPDATED: 7:14 p.m.

OLD FORGE -- Old Forge kicked off to start the game and still only needed 4:19 to jump in front of Susquehanna, 6-0.

Susquehanna fumbled three times in its first five offensive plays and lost one on its third play.

Old Forge moved 43 yards in seven plays to score on a 1-yard sneak by Michael Mancuso. The kick failed.

Susquehanna has the ball in Old Forge territory with five minutes left in the first quarter.

Dunmore, which joins Old Forge as the LFC's unbeaten teams, went ahead of Riverside, 7-0, less than three minutes into the game on a 20-yard touchdown run by Michael Perry.

UPDATED: 6:57 p.m.

Wallenpaupack and North Pocono will be trying to clinch at least a share of the Lackawanna Football Conference Division 1 title in separate games tonight.

Wallenpaupack is at Delaware Valley while North Pocono is home against West Scranton.

The rest of the schedule is:

Montrose at Lakeland in Division 2.

Riverside at Dunmore in Division 2

Mid Valley at Lackawanna Trail in Division 3

Susquehanna at Old Forge in Division 3

Valley View at Scranton in a non-league game.

UPDATED: 6:31 p.m.

OLD FORGE -- The captains are meeting at midfield a bit early in Old Forge where the host Blue Devils will try to finish an unbeaten regular season tonight against Susquehanna.

A win would also give the Blue Devils (4-0 in the division and 9-0 overall) sole possession of the Lackawanna Football Conference Division 3 title for the second straight year.

Susquehanna, which is enjoying its first winning season since 2000, is 2-2 in the division and 6-3 overall and clinging to slim hopes of making the District 2 Class AA playoffs.

Old Forge is assured of the top seed in Class A and expected to begin the postseason the way it began the regular season with a home game against rival Riverside, the defending district champion.

Old Forge will conduct Parents Night for its seniors at halftime.

The Susquehanna-Old Forge game will be featured along with updates from around the Lackawanna Football Conference. Return to www.scrantonedition.com/sports throughout the night for updates.