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WILKES-BARRE — Rafael McCoy just needed to room to run.
For the three-time reigning district track champion, that’s a dangerous combination on the slick Wilkes-Barre Area Memorial Stadium turf.
McCoy scored four touchdowns to lead Wilkes-Barre Area to a 42-0 shutout of Nanticoke Area on Friday. The Coughlin senior’s first three scores came in three different fashions — kick return, rushing, receiving.
From the opening kickoff, McCoy set the tone for the game. He raced 90 yards unscathed on the kick return to give the Wolfpack an early advantage.
“Obviously, yes, I’m surprised (opponents are kicking to me),” McCoy said. “I’m not going to lie. As soon as I took it back, coach said, ‘If they’re going to do stupid things, you’re going to capitalize on them.’ I just tried to do my job, going with the mindset that if gets back to me or Malachi Williams, we’re going to take it back for a touchdown.”
Nanticoke’s defense held up for the next 14 minutes, holding the Wolfpack offense scoreless until McCoy ran 6 yards for a touchdown. It started a spree of three McCoy touchdowns in seven minutes.
“The line has been working hard to get better,” McCoy said. “We’re a little small but we’ve got heart. We’re going to do our job and put us in the right position. That’s what they did.”
Wilkes-Barre Area’s two-pronged quarterback system worked out brilliantly and showcased an array of options for Ciro Cinti’s offense. It was exemplified by a 55-yard strike from Kam Taylor to McCoy at the 6:41 mark in the second quarter. With just over two minutes remaining, Talee Swinney found McCoy, who fooled the Trojans’ defense on a misdirection from the far side, for a 29-yard touchdown pass.
“It’s been perfect,” Cinti said. “At first you have doubts. But I tell you, these two kids — Swinney and Taylor — are getting better every week. They both know they’re going to play and both give 100 percent. You can’t ask more for that.”
The Wilkes-Barre Area defense held Nanticoke to 88 yards of total offense and produced the first shutout in the team’s early history. The Wolfpack caused five Nanticoke turnovers, including interceptions by Nino Cinti and Jermaine Curtis.
Nanticoke was led by Devon Lohman’s 81 all-purpose yards.
Wilkes-Barre Area 42, Nanticoke Area 0
Nanticoke Area`0`0`0`0`—`0
Wilkes-Barre Area`7`21`0`14`—`42
First quarter
W — Rafael McCoy 90 return (Michael Deutsch-Jones kick), 11:46
Second quarter
W — McCoy 6 run (Deutsch-Jones kick), 9:10
W — McCoy 45 pass from Kam Taylor (Deutsch-Jones kick), 6:41
W — McCoy 29 pass from Talee Swinney (Kristian Vasquez pass from Swinney), 2:09
Fourth quarter
W —Noah Taylor 8 run (Deutsch-Jones kick), 10:03
W — Jalil Timmons 5 run (Deutsch-Jones kick), 5:44
Team statistics`N`W
First downs`7`16
Rushes-yards`28-52`33-242
Passing yards`36`113
Total yards`88`355
Passing`5-11-2`6-12-1
Sacked-yards lost`1-5`1-11
Punts-avg.`3-30.3`28`1-38
Fumbles-lost`7-3`1-0
Penalties-yards`3-20`7-53
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — NAN Devon Lohman 15-61, Mike Marcella 2-(minus-3), Pierson Park 3-4, Collin Kudrako-Kashtaus 3-7, Keanu Ammons 1-(minus-5), Darren Boseman 1-(minus-3), Ayden Everett 1-0, TEAM 2-(minus-9). WB Corey Brown 5-27, KTaylor 4-33, McCoy 3-15, TSwinney 7-80, NTaylor 7-44, Timmons 3-30, Jonathan Karpien 1-1, Aiden Redding 1-2, Timothy Tyndall 1-5, TEAM 1-(minus-5).
PASSING — NAN Marcella 5-9-1-36, Ammons 0-1-0-0, Everett 0-1-1-0. WB KTaylor 3-5-0-76, TSwinney 3-6-1-37
RECEIVING — NAN Lohman 1-20, Boseman 2-0, Ammons 2-16. WB McCoy 3-98, Casmir VanBuren 1-7, Malachi Williams 2-8.
INTERCEPTIONS — NAN Kudrako-Kashatus 1-0. WB Nino Cinti 1-10, Jermaine Curtis 1-25.
