Click here to subscribe today or Login.
WILKES-BARRE — Hazleton Area is finally clicking on all cylinders.
The Cougars knocked off Coughlin 49-20 at Wilkes-Barre Memorial Stadium on Friday night.
A 435-yard offensive attack led by Sparky Wolk, Damon Horton and Jake Hunsinger helped the Cougars jump out to a commanding 42-6 lead at the half.
“The well-balanced night we had started with our offensive line,” said Hazleton Area head coach Mike Brennan. “They are tremendous workers. They worked hard all off-season and throughout this entire season. They are tremendous pass protectors.”
Horton got Hazleton on the board with a 4-yard touchdown run just minutes into the first quarter. He added his second score, a 20-yard dash, just 40 seconds into the second quarter.
The Cougars had 12 first downs in the first quarter.
And Horton produced two scores on 14 carries for 106 yards on the evening.
“He’s getting really close to getting back where he was,” Brennan said about his star running back. “Him getting that work in tonight will really help him down the stretch. It’s good to see him back and working as hard as he does.”
With a minute left in the first, Coughlin’s starting quarterback Sa’id Hollis departed with an apparent injury after he was tackled. Garrett Wardle took over behind center for the remainder of the game.
Xayvion Proctor got the Crusaders on the board with a 27-yard touchdown run at the 6-minute mark of the second quarter.
Proctor would finish the game with two touchdowns and 109 rushing yards.
Jake Hunsinger channeled his inner Randy Moss during one-on-one coverage with a Coughlin defender and came up with a difficult 19-yard grab from Wolk to give the Cougars a 42-6 lead with just 1 second remaining before the break. That allowed for a running clock throughout the second half because of a PIAA mercy rule.
“He’s been outstanding this year,” said Brennan of Hunsinger. “His work ethic has made him one of the best receivers in the state of Pennsylvania.”
Hunsinger led all receivers with two scores on seven receptions for 117 yards.
The Crusaders offense came to life in the second half, scoring 14 points. And Coughlin’s defense limited Hazleton Area to just 7 points over the final 24 minutes.
Rafael McCoy led Coughlin with two receptions for 55 yards.
Hazleton Area 49, Coughlin 20
Hazleton Area`14`28`7`0 — 49
Coughlin`0`6`0`14 — 20
First quarter
HAZ — Damon Horton 4 run (Will Garcia kick) 9:48
HAZ — Dallas Solomon 3 run (Garcia kick) 2:04
Second quarter
HAZ — Horton 20 run (Garcia kick) 11:22
HAZ — Jake Hunsinger 12 pass from Sparky Wolk (Garcia kick) 9:03
COU — Xayvion Proctor 27 run (kick failed) 6:08
HAZ — Lance Johnson 3 run (Garcia kick) 3:05
HAZ — Hunsinger 19 pass from Wolk (Garcia kick) 0:01
Third quarter
HAZ — Johnson 12 run (Luke Russo kick) 5:35
Fourth quarter
COU — Ben Yozwiak 11 pass from Garrett Wardle (Gregorio DeLeon kick) 11:54
COU — Proctor 79 run (DeLeon kick) 7:04
Team statistics`HA`COU
First downs`30`11
Rushes-yards`30-256`29-219
Passing yards`179`66
Total yards`435`285
Passing`14-22-179`3-8-66
Sacked-yards lost`0-0`0-0
Punts-avg.`1-21`2-32.5
Fumbles-lost`1-1`3-2
Penalties-yards`2-30`5-25
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — HAZ, Horton 14-106, Johnson 6-70, Meluskey 3-39, Wolk 3-38, Solomon 1-3, Drasher 1-1, Matarella 1-1, Ator 1—2. COU, Proctor 7-109, Gray-Dates 7-29, Wardle 4-44, Young 5-13, McCoy 3-22, Hollis 3-2.
PASSING — HAZ, Wolk 12-20-0-173, Fisher 2-2-0-4. COU, Hollis 2-5-1-55, Wardle 1-2-0-11.
RECEIVING — HAZ, Hunsinger 7-117, Fisher 4-45, Matyas 2-13, Torstrup 1-4. COU, McCoy 2-55, Yozwiak 1-11.
INTERCEPTIONS — COU, Hollis 1-9.
