A dramatic turnaround

Back in August, chances of Dallas playing football two weeks after the regular season ended looked slim.

The Mountaineers were coming off a 2-8 season. They had numerous roadblocks – Abington Heights and Berwick to name a few – obstructing their path.

Yes, there were plenty of returning starters coming back. But as coach Ted Jackson said then, being a returning starter meant little. Those players needed to prove their mettle on the field.

Dallas (10-1) has done just that countless times this year. Now, the Mountaineers go for their first District 2 championship since 1999 when they play Abington Heights (10-1) at 1 p.m. Saturday at Scranton Memorial Stadium.

The tail end of 2008 brought a spark of hopes as Dallas played well down the stretch and won twice. The Mountaineers’ 20-14 overtime victory in the season opener against Williamsport was perhaps a watershed moment.

“To beat Williamsport on the first night away from home when nobody knew how good our team would be,” Jackson said. “We’re coming off two wins and Williamsport has a lot of talent. To go down there and pull out a win, I think that made believers out of our kids.”

Still, it took a few more impressive victories to put the rest of the D2-3A contenders on notice, including wins over 2008 D2-3A playoff qualifiers Coughlin and Pittston Area.

“It’s just a tribute to our kids and our assistant coaches who brought us to this point,” Jackson said. “We have a great group of kids. We’ve played 11 games and probably been underdogs in nine of them.”

Jackson was spot on with his assessment of his players. The Mountaineers were arguably the most cohesive bunch in the Wyoming Valley Conference. An incredible display of teamwork led to the WVC Division 3A title and a berth in Saturday’s game.

As for being underdogs in nine of 11 games, well that wouldn’t have been too far off in a preseason projection. But looking back, it might be a bit of an exaggeration.

Last Saturday, though, Dallas was an underdog against North Pocono. Yet, the Mountaineers’ run defense was stout once again in a 21-14 victory.

The underdog role is certainly fitting Saturday. Abington was the preseason favorite to win the D2-3A championship. The Comets pasted defending champion Berwick 53-19 in the semifinals.

“Abington looked fantastic,” said Jackson, whose team’s only loss was 14-13 to Berwick on Oct. 30. “They looked good in all phases of the game.”

Abington running back Paul Gallagher had 188 yards and three TDs versus Berwick, pushing his season totals to 1570 and 23. Running back James Fruehan added 83 more and two touchdowns, giving him 742 and 12.

Obviously, curtailing the two is Dallas’ main concern. However, Jackson said his defense need to be leery of quarterback Mike Beamish, who can hit a big pass when a defense overcompensates to stop the run.

District 2 Class 3A Championship

QUICK FACT: Abington is playing in a District 2 championship game for a fourth consecutive season. The Comets won the 2005 Class 3A title and the 2006 Class 4A title and lost 3-0 to Berwick in last year’s Class 3A title game.

Dallas last won a District 2 championship in 1999 when it defeated Valley View 7-0 for the Class 3A crown. The Mountaineers lost 27-3 to District 1’s Strath Haven the following week. Strath Haven went on to win the state championship.

UP NEXT: The winner plays District 11 champion – the winner of tonight’s Wilson Area (11-0) at Allentown Central Catholic (10-1) game – next weekend in the first round of the PIAA Class 3A state playoffs.

TO GET THERE: Take Interstate 81 North to the Central Scranton Expressway. Continue straight through traffic light onto Spruce Street until the end of road. Turn right on Mifflin Avenue and go two lights to Mulberry Street. Turn left on Mulberry Street over bridge to the Providence Road exit. Make a right off the exit and then a left into the parking lot for the stadium.

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High School Sports

Dallas heads to first District 2 championship game since 1999.

District 2 Class 3A Championship

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