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WILKES-BARRE — When Coughlin is in its comfort zone, good things happen. The Crusaders were certainly there Friday night against city rival Meyers.
The Crusaders ran the ball 42 times — with running back Jake Cole being the main guy — and passed just once as they rolled past Meyers 35-7 in a Wyoming Valley Conference interdivisional game at Wilkes-Barre Memorial Stadium.
Cole rushed 18 times for 116 yards and three touchdowns before taking the rest of the night off when the Crusaders (4-3) built a 35-0 lead at 7:33 of the third quarter. He had just 49 yards last Friday after Berwick took Coughlin out of its element in the third quarter and forced the Crusaders to pass more than usual.
“Jake Cole again ran like a bear,” Coughlin coach Ciro Cinti said. “He makes cut, I have no idea. I think he just likes to run into people. That his running style.”
Cinti was pleased with the effort elsewhere.
Justin Grayson set up Coughlin’s second score by recovering a fumbled punt at the Meyers 1-yard line. Defensive lineman Jervone Young, who played fullback last year before moving to the line, ran down elusive Meyers quarterback Janssen Wilborn for a sack that resulted in a safety. And Vincent Todd intercepted a pass, then diced through traffic on the way to a 37-yard touchdown.
“It was a good game,” Cinti said. “All the kids came and played hard. Jake and that wonderful line blocked well. Our defense, Jervone Young had a real nice game again. It was a total team effort. All facets of the game were good.”
The coach was also pleased of his team’s composure when things got chippy in the second half.
“I’m more proud that our team showed class and didn’t get into the B.S. that was going on,” Cinti said. “They didn’t lower themselves to the B.S. that was going on.”
Meyers (4-3) averted a second consecutive shutout when Wilborn scored on a 27-yard run with four minutes remaining. The Mohawks had 192 yards of offense, but 92 came in that scoring drive with many starters facing the Coughlin reserves.
“We have a lot of work to do,” Meyer coach Jeff Labatch said. “We’re what, scoreless in eight quarters. We’ll not.”
Meyers’ first possession summed up the Mohawks’ performance for most of the game. They were penalized three times and flagged again the next two times with the ball.
Cole scored his first touchdown on a 15-yard run four minutes into the game, bouncing outside to complete the run. The Crusaders needed just one play to score again — thanks to Grayson’s fumble recovery — on a 1-yard run by Todd at 11:48 of the second quarter
Coughlin then pulled away in the final five minutes until halftime. Young got his sack for a safety, Cole added an 11-yard TD run, and Todd returned his interception for a score for a 27-0 halftime lead.
Coughlin 35, Meyers 7
Coughlin`6`21`8`0`—`35
Meyers`0`0`0`7`—`7
First quarter
COU — Jake Cole 15 run (kick blocked), 8:00
Second quarter
COU — Vincent Todd 1 run (kick blocked), 11:48
COU — Safety, Jervone Young tackles Janssen Wilborn in end zone, 5:19
COU — Cole 11 run (Jeff Mondulick kick), 1:31
COU — Todd 37 interception return (kick failed), 1:10
Third quarter
COU — Cole 1 run (Todd run), 7:33
Fourth quarter
MEY — Wilborn 27 run (Ken Macko kick), 4:00
Team statistics`COU`MEY
First downs`13`8
Rushes-yards`42-231`20-111
Passing yards`12`84
Total yards`243`195
Passing`1-1-0`5-15-2
Sacked-yards lost`0-0`3-24
Punts-avg.`2-41`2-34
Fumbles-lost`1-0`2-1
Penalties-yards`5-30`12-88
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — Coughlin, Cole 18-116, Todd 14-60, Rafael McCoy 1-40, Sa’id Hollis 3-0, Jared Kline 2-10, Javron Kinlaw 1-3, Nino Cinti 1-4, team 2-(minus-2). Meyers, Wilborn 11-60, Kevin Dessoye 4-2, Rajhan Woodson 3-35, Nazir Dunell 2-14.
PASSING — Coughlin, Todd 1-1-0-12. Meyers, Wilborn 5-15-2-84.
RECEIVING — Coughlin, McCoy 1-12. Meyers, Najese Hood 1-6, Dessoye 1-31, Reese Patronick 3-47.
INTERCEPTIONS — Coughlin, Pat Strouse 1-19, Todd 1-37.
MISSED FGs — none.
