Sports

By Dave Konopki dkonopki@timesleader.com
Assistant Sports Editor

Get your popcorn ready!

OK, Terrell Owens won’t be playing in the Wyoming Valley Conference this season. But there will be enough thrill, chills, suspense and excitement this football season to fill a Hollywood blockbuster movie.

Here’s a look at some movie sequels featuring teams, players and coaches from the WVC that could be playing soon in a theater near you. We’ve kept the name of the original movies in most cases; we’ve tweaked the name a little in others.

So grab your Goobers – and enjoy the season.

The Lord of the Rings

No coach in Pennsylvania has won more state championships – six – than Wyoming Valley West’s George Curry. Getting his seventh won’t be easy. Not as long as the Spartans continue to play in Class 4A.

Most people in our area consider WVW to be a gigantic school district. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, WVW is among the smallest Class 4A schools in the state.

There are 577 boys in grades 9-12 at WVW. The cutoff for being a Class 3A school in football is 539. Compare the numbers for the Spartans to other schools they compete against in the District 2-11 playoffs – Hazleton Area (1,470), Easton (1,302), Parkland (1,289) and Liberty (1,187) to name a few.

There are 145 Class 4A teams playing football in the state. Only 23 school districts are smaller than Wyoming Valley West – and 12 of those 23 districts have less than 25 fewer students than the Spartans.

Back to the Future

There once was a time when Coughlin was home to one of the top football programs in the WVC. After a few down years – OK, more than a few – things began to improve last season under first-year head coach Ciro Cinti.

Cinti and the Crusaders might not have a nuclear-powered DeLorean, but they look to be on the road to returning to their past glory.

Lethal Weapons

Wyoming Valley West brings a high-powered offense into the season. And the Spartans might possess enough firepower to post some very impressive offensive statistics.

Behind a big, experienced, offensive line, the weapons include senior quarterback Jack Crossin, who is also a gifted runner, and senior speedsters Ali Muhammed and Rasheed Williams at receiver.

200

Dallas head coach Ted Jackson can enter an exclusive club this season. The 24-year veteran needs just three wins to become only the fourth coach in WVC history to win 200 games. The Dallas Gridiron Club has Jackson’s total at 199, so they could be celebrating the milestone in Week One against Williamsport.

Only WVC coaches George Curry (406, Berwick and Valley West), Paul Marranca (233, Wyoming Area and Nanticoke Area) and Jim Fennell (204, Kingston, Valley West and Bishop Hoban) have won at least 200 games. Jackson would also join Marranca as the only coaches to win all 200 games while coaching solely in the WVC.

Mr. 3,000

We’re not talking baseball hits, we’re talking passing yards. Lake-Lehman quarterback Nate Volkel is easily within reach of the milestone, entering the season with 2.625 career passing yards during the past two seasons. That’s even more impressive when you consider the team’s record during the span (2-18) and the fact the Black Knights haven’t played in any playoff games.

If Volkel can just match last year’s total of 1,453 yards, he’ll eclipse the 4,000-yard mark for his career.

Miracle on Old River Road

OK, so it wouldn’t quite be a miracle. But if the three Wilkes-Barre public schools each win a championship in their respective divisions, it would certainly be the feel-good story of the season.

Meyers has already captured the WVC Class A championship (we know the Mohawks have the only Class A team in the conference, but don’t ruin our story), GAR is among the favorites in Class 2A and Coughlin could be a surprise contender in a wide-open Class 3A division.

Yes Virginia, there is a Holy Redeemer. But we said public schools.

The Graduate

Or should we say The Graduates. After losing many of their key players to graduation – including all-state performer Nate Eachus – the Hazleton Area Cougars will need some inexperienced players to step forward if they hope to match last season’s success.

Last year’s edition of the Cougars defeated Easton and Liberty in the postseason to end District 2’s winless drought against Lehigh Valley teams in the District 2/11 subregional playoffs.

Groundhog Day

Each year seems to be the same for Williamsport. The Millionaires enter each season with a host of talent on offense and hopes of converting that talent into wins. But each year, the team hits an early- to mid-season slump and finishes the season disappointed.

Can this be the year the Millionaires finally answer the alarm clock?

Men in (Silver and) Black

Last season, GAR was one of the most pleasant surprises in the WVC. The Grenadiers entered the season with a host of inexperienced players, but rolled their way to an 8-2 record during regular season.

The Grenadiers won’t be flying under the radar this season. Led by all-state defensive back/tailback Ryan Womack, GAR is expected to battle Lake-Lehman for the WVC Division 2A championship.

Any Given Friday

It’s said by coaches at least a dozen times a week: “There aren’t any easy games on the schedule. On any given night, anyone can beat anyone.”

This time, the coaches might be telling the truth. This could be a season of parity in the WVC.

Although teams such as Valley West, Berwick, Lake-Lehman and GAR seem to be among the favorites in their respective divisions, almost every team in the WVC should field a competitive team. You could see a logjam in the standings at the end of the season.

A League of Their Own

The Northwest football team is the only local team to compete in the All-American Conference.

With depth – the Rangers have more than 40 players – and size – the offensive line averages more than 240 pounds per player – the Rangers should have little trouble repeating as league champions.