HT Sports

High School Football

By John Erzar jerzar@timesleader.com
Sports Reporter
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HAZLETON — Even unbeaten teams need a little time to get moving once in awhile.

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A.J. Petrone (20) of Hazleton Area throws a stiff arm on Williamsport’s Blake Adams (14) during the first half of the Cougars’ 32-0 romp. Petrone (115 yards) was one of two Hazleton backs to break the century mark.

Don Carey photos/The Times Leader

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Williamsport defender Mark Walker (11) breaks up a pass intended for Hazleton’s Chad Nicholas (13). The Cougars offense got untracked after managing 12 points in the first half.

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But once Hazleton Area running backs Jon Nahay and A.J. Petrone kicked into gear, the Cougars were able to race past Williamsport in a Wyoming Valley Conference Division 4A football game Friday night.

Nahay rushed for a career-high 260 yards and Petrone added 115 more as Hazleton Area pulled away for a 32-0 victory.

“Both backs with that many yards says not only a lot for them, but the blocking up front,” Hazleton Area coach Rocco Petrone said. “I was very proud of both of them.”

Hazleton Area (5-0) scored 20 third-quarter points to support first-half touchdown runs of 46 and 79 yards by Nahay. Matt Drumheller’s 52-yard TD pass to Chad Nicholas sparked the third-quarter outburst. Nahay followed with a 42-yard touchdown run and Petrone added a 9-yard TD run late in the quarter.

“When you have holes like that, you can run forever,” said Nahay, whose previous high was 140 yards vs. Stroudsburg three weeks earlier. “I just turned up the speed.”

The Cougars turned up just about everything in the second half. Williamsport (1-4) had just one first down in the second half, coming well after the starters were done for the night.

“It really didn’t seem like we were in sync,” Rocco Petrone said of the first half. “We had a few starters out unfortunately, so it took us to the second half to really start coming around and playing better.

“In the first half, I thought our defense played well, especially the defense line which after that first drive played much better.”

Williamsport moved from its 24-yard line to the Hazleton Area 23 on its first possession of the game. Tailback Nahshon Braggs carried the load, rushing five times for 35 yards. But that was really the final time the Millionaires, and Braggs in particular, threatened. Braggs finished the game with 14 carries for 25 yards.

Hazleton Area then scored on its first possession, with Nahay ending it with his 46-yard touchdown run.

Nahay scored again at 8:26 of the second quarter, bursting through for a 79-yard touchdown run on the Cougars’ first play after a Williamsport punt.

Hazleton Area struck quickly in the third, with Nahay rushing for 29 yards before Nicholas hauled in his 52-yard TD pass on the same play.