Cougars hoping to ground Easton attack

Hazleton Area shut down the Wyoming Valley Conference’s top runner last Friday.

Now the Cougars have to contend with a backfield duo if they want to continue their season.

Hazleton Area (8-3) begins the task at 7 p.m. today when it plays at Easton (10-1) in a District 2/4-11 Class 4A semifinal game.

“There is no doubt Easton wants to run the football,” Hazleton Area coach Rocco Petrone said. “(Easton coach Steve Shiffert) has always been that way. They’ve had success with it over the years. Watching them on film, they are very good at it with Hughes and Gaddy.”

Quran Hughes and Jashaad Gaddy are coming off big performances in last Friday’s 28-0 victory over Nazareth. The 5-foot-8, 168-pound Hughes ran 17 times for 124 yards. He is closing in on 1,000 for the season. The 6-3, 185-pound Gaddy had 11 rushes for 115 yards and two TDs. He leads all Easton players with nine rushing touchdowns. Hughes has eight.

Hazleton Area defeated Williamsport, 19-14, last Friday, holding 1,200-yard rusher Drae Lewis to 71 yards on 32 carries. The Cougars’ defense has held five opponents to 61 or less yards on the ground.

“I thought we played very good defense,” Petrone said. “(Williamsport) has some very good athletes and for the most part we shut them down. (We had) two fumbles on the 1-yard line. You look at that and it could have been a different outcome. I thought we played really well, especially against the run.”

Williamsport’s potent running attack, though, was hampered by the absence of 1,000-yard tailback Nahshon Braggs, who missed the game for an unspecified reason.

Without Braggs, the Millionaires couldn’t use Lewis as a quasi running back at the quarterback position with a dual threat backfield.

Not only doesn’t Easton have Hughes and Gaddy, but quarterback Justin Pacchioli can run as well.

“Pacchioli is good at running the ball,” Petrone said. “I don’t mean a designed run. If he drops back and doesn’t see anybody open he’ll take off.”

Pacchioli has struggled at times throwing the ball, but has been sharp passing lately. He has seven touchdown throws in the last three games.

The Red Rovers have also shown a knack of rallying in the fourth quarter. They defeated Bethlehem Liberty, 14-10, with a touchdown with 1:24 left. They scored 12 fourth-quarter points to top Nazareth 33-23 in the first meeting. And they trailed East Stroudsburg South 14-7 entering the fourth, but won 24-22.

So Hazleton Area can afford to waste scoring opportunities like last Friday when it lost fumbles twice at the Williamsport 1-yard line.

“Offensively, we moved the ball and we scored points,” Petrone said. “But we should have scored more than what we had, let’s face it.”

District 2/4-11 4A Semifinals

ADMISSION: $6 adults and $3 students and adults 62 or older in advance; $6 at the gate.

QUICK FACT: According to the team’s Web site, Easton’s nickname – the Rovers – was adopted permanently in the early 1930s and has to do with the how Easton “was roving over all the land conquering all the teams.”

UP NEXT: The winner plays the winner of Parkland (9-2) at East Stroudsburg South (10-1) next weekend for the championship.

TO GET THERE: Take the Northeast extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike south to the Lehigh Valley exit. Take Route 22 East to the 13th Street exit. Go straight off of the exit to stop light. Go straight for two blocks and turn right onto 11th Street.