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HAZLETON — Despite the miserable, non-stop rain throughout the ball game, the Hazleton Area Cougars persevered and scored early and often to dominate the visiting Williamsport Millionaires 47-13 Friday night in a District 2/4 Class 6A semifinal game.
Hazleton Area (6-5) will play at Delaware Valley (8-3) at 7 p.m. Friday for the subregional title. The game will also be the D2-6A championship game. The winner advances to the state playoffs.
Entering tonight’s contest, both teams were on opposite trajectories heading into the postseason. Hazleton Area came into the game on a three-game winning streak after starting the season 2-5. Meanwhile, Williamsport began the season 5-2, including a high-scoring shootout victory over Hazleton Area 64-63 in Week 4, but limped in on a three-game losing streak as injuries gutted the offense.
Hazleton Area wasted no time with its scoring barrage as the Cougars scored an opening-drive touchdown just over a minute and a half into the game. Senior quarterback Sparky Wolk connected with fellow standout senior Damon Horton on a 59-yard screen pass to give the Cougars the early 7-0 advantage.
Then less than five minutes later, Horton would be heard from again in a big way, as he took it to the house on a lightning quick 75-yard touchdown run with 5:58 left in the first quarter to up the lead to 13-0. The Cougars scored one more time in the opening quarter, this time Wolk hooked up with another fellow senior Jacob Hunsinger on a 55-yard deep pass for the touchdown and a 20-0 advantage.
After the Cougars raced out to a 26-0 lead with a 19-yard overpowering touchdown run by Horton with just 4:20 left in the first half of play, Williamsport showed some life before heading into the locker room.
After numerous struggles throughout the night both offensively and defensively in the harsh, wet conditions, the Millionaires finally sustained a successful scoring drive, culminating in a 16-yard scoring strike with just 12 seconds before the close of the half, when freshman signal caller Dallas Griess found sophomore wideout Braedon Mazzante on a highlight reel diving touchdown catch to cut the deficit to 26-7 at the break.
Williamsport continued to build some comeback momentum when it went on a lengthy offensive drive to start the second half. The Millionaires cut the deficit to 26-13 after Griess found Mazzante once again in the end zone, this time for a 9-yard touchdown pass with 8:17 left in the third stanza. However, the comeback stalled out.
Hazleton Area came roaring right back with 6:27 left in the third quarter when Horton, who scored five touchdowns, four on the ground and one through the air, hit paydirt once again, this time on a 6-yard touchdown run to cap another impressive Cougars scoring drive and up the lead to 33-13.
In the fourth quarter, the Cougars scored two more touchdowns, both coming off of key turnovers that would doom any potential Williamsport late-game comeback.
The first one came after junior Matt Fisher intercepted a pass and took it to the house for a touchdown that would be called back because of a block in the back penalty. However, Horton scored his final touchdown of the night on a 7-yard rush to up the lead to 40-13 with just 5:26 left in regulation.
Hazleton Area’s final touchdown of the night would come from Kevin Meluskey, who recovered a Williamsport fumble and then finished off the Cougars’ drive by barreling into the end zone from 2-yards out with just 1:32 left in the game.
