PD Sports

WARRIORS FOOTBALL

Steve Filipiak Special to The Dispatch

Wyoming Area found itself down by three touchdowns to start the fourth quarter against Coughlin. But you would never know it from looking around Wilkes-Barre Memorial Stadium.

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Wyoming Area’s Peter Adonizio gets tackled by Coughlin’s Brandon Geasey. in the Warriors loss. Adonizio threw for 173 yards and a touchdown.

photo by Jonathan J. Juka

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The cheering section full of green-and-gold painted fans danced around to the sound of the beating drums supplied by the marching band. And that wasn’t the only thing that continued to beat. The heart of the Warriors squad came alive in the final quarter of play as the team mounted a valiant effort, scoring two touchdowns before falling to the Crusaders 20-14.

The Warrior wake-up call began on Wyoming Area’s final drive of the third quarter. Matthew Kintz gave the Crusaders a hard dose of smash-mouth football, pounding the ball 10 times on the 15-play, 80-yard scoring drive. Kintz capped off the drive with a 5-yard burst up the middle to cut the Crusader lead to 20-7 with 11:22 left in the game. Kintz also had a crucial fourth-down conversion on the Crusader 7-yard-line to keep the drive alive.

The Warriors then turned to the air, relying on the arm of Peter Adonizio on the ensuing drive. Adonizio threw a 15-yard strike to Nathan Bowden for a first down on the Crusader 39-yard line after facing a third-and-long. Five plays later, Adonizio heaved a 37-yard bomb on fourth-and-eight to an outstretched Samuel Eramo for a score that cut the Crusader lead 20-14 with 5:48 to play.

With two minutes remaining, the Warriors managed to get the ball back to attempt a game-winning drive.

But they did not move past the Crusader 48-yard line as the Crusader defensive stiffened up, forcing a fourth-and-13. Adonizio fired a pass downfield but was snagged out of the air by Coughlin defender Matt Shimshock to seal the game.

“We were down 20 in the fourth and had the heart to come back,” said Wyoming Area coach Randy Spencer. “It was a great effort and the way we played at the end shows the team is ready for the next step.”

The Warrior defense kept the Crusaders in check for the second quarter but had a big mistake to start the third. Wyoming Area (3-4) turned the ball over and fumbled away its opening drive of the second half. Coughlin capitalized five plays later when McClosky scored his second touchdown of the night on a 19- yard keeper and a 14-0 lead.

On Coughlin’s next possession, Justin Koslosky punched it in from 6 yards out and a 20-0 lead.

Adonizio led the Warriors offense with 173 yards passing on a 14-for-21 night passing. Sam Eramo caught five of those passes for 85 yards. Bowden added to the WA attack with 69 yards on 18 carries.