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By JOHN ERZAR; Times Leader Sports Writer
Saturday, September 24, 1994     Page: 1B

YATESVILLE — Hazleton Area tried to kick away from trouble, but found it
anyway.
   
Jason Klush returned the second-half kickoff 76 yards for a touchdown, the
second time Pittston Area did so, as the Patriots defeated Hazleton Area 27-20
in a Wyoming Valley Conference Division I football game Friday night.
    “I’m the special teams’ coach. They don’t let me do much else,” joked
Pittston Area coach Sal Montagna, who is in his first year at Pittston Area
and had previously coached Bishop Hoban.
   
“We always had good special teams at Hoban. Seriously, we take a lot of
pride in our special teams.”
   
And Pittston Area is taking pride in its season.
   
The Patriots improved to 2-0 in Division I and 4-0 overall, their best
start since 1982. Hazleton Area fell to 0-1-1 in Division I and 0-3-1 overall.
It was the fourth time the Cougars came up short in close games.
   
Klush and fellow kick returner Travis Grobes played a big part in keeping
the Patriots unbeaten.
   
Klush picked up a squib kick at his own 24-yard line, then picked his way
76 yards to give Pittston Area a 21-14 lead.
   
“I knew they were going to squib it,” said Klush, a 6-foot, 165-pound
senior. “I was going to jump on it, but then I saw this big opening. At the
end, I had to make a couple of moves.”
   
Late in the first quarter after Hazleton Area took a 7-0 lead on Chris
Bugda’s 3-yard run, Grobes struck from 97 yards away on the ensuing kickoff.
The 5-10, 145-pound sophomore caught the ball over his shoulder at his own 3,
then raced down the right sideline before cutting back inside.
   
“I just caught the ball and ran,” said Grobes. “All the way down, as soon
as I turned the corner, there were blocks galore. All I had to do was run by
them.”
   
Pittston Area then took a 14-7 lead at 9:56 of the second quarter as
quarterback Tom Maxwell ran in from four yards out, completing a five-play,
59-yard drive.
   
The Cougars, though, came back to tie the score at 14 just before halftime.
Bugda ended a 72-yard drive with another 3-yard run. The key play of the
six-play drive was a 41-yard slant pass from quarterback Dave Horensky to end
Joe Marnell.
   
Hazleton Area’s first two drives of the second half were stopped on sacks
by Pittston Area defensive end Paul Tabone and defensive tackle Joe
Gurzkowski. On its third possession, Hazleton Area got its offense going.
   
Horensky hooked up on passes of 25 yards to Ryan Saxon and 15 yards to Jim
Demara, helping the Cougars move from their 31 to the Pittston Area 20.
   
From there, Horensky completed his fourth pass of the drive, a 20-yard
score to Marnell on a fourth-and-11 play at 7:13 of the fourth quarter.
   
The score cut Pittston Area’s lead to 21-20, and Hazleton Area elected to
try a two-point conversion. Hornesky dropped the snap, picked it up and rolled
right, but overthrew a covered receiver.
   
Pittston Area’s Mike Owens helped seal the win with a 2-yard TD run on the
Patriots’ ensuing possession. A play earlier, Owens had a 36-yard
catch-and-run to move the ball to the Hazleton Area 2.
   
“Owens said, `Coach, fullback in the flat’,” Montagna said of his junior
fullback, who led all rushers with 68 yards on 14 carries. “He took it right
down the field. Sometimes you have to listen to the kids.”
   
Hazleton Area 7 7 0 6 – 20
   
Pittston Area 7 7 7 6 – 27
   
First Quarter
   
HA – Bugda 3 run (Bognet kick)
   
PA – Grobes 97 kick return (Rowan kick)
   
Second Quarter
   
PA – Maxwell 4 run (Rowan kick)
   
HA – Bugda 3 run (Bognet kick)
   
Third Quarter
   
PA – Klush 76 kick return (Rowan kick)
   
Fourth Quarter
   
HA – Marnell 20 pass from Hornesky (pass failed)
   
PA – Owens 2 run (kick blocked)
   
HA PA
   
First Downs 13 12
   
Rushes-Yards 36-101 35-138
   
Passing yards 146 84
   
Passes 9-16-1 3-6-0
   
Sacks by 0-0 2-9
   
Punts-Avg 5-31.4 4-27
   
Fumbles-lost 2-0 2-0
   
Penalties-Yards 4-37 4-38
   
QUOTE BOX FORMAT
   
P
   
aul, you’re cuckoo for what?
   
Cal Butera
   
Former Contemptible Times Leader Copy Editor
   
A
   
ll the way down, as soon as I turned the co