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Last Friday’s Southern Columbia at Wyoming Area game was like the good old days.

The stadium was packed and the fans energetic to see nationally-known Southern Columbia and its four Big Ten recruits take on state-ranked Wyoming Area.

Wyoming Area didn’t get the outcome it desired — Southern Columbia won 42-0 — but in the long run it was better than the other option.

The Warriors could have stuck to playing their original opponent, Holy Redeemer, but wouldn’t have learned much. It would have been a name-the-score game much like last year when Wyoming Area was up 30-0 after nine minutes and settled for a 43-7 victory.

Southern Columbia offered the Warriors a chance to see weaknesses that wouldn’t have been exposed otherwise. They had to guard receiver Julian Fleming, the Ohio State recruit who moved to the top of the Class of 2020 in ESPN’s prospect rankings. They saw two backs — Michigan-bound Gaige Garcia and his younger brother Gavin — run with elite speed and power.

The Wyoming Area offense had to contend with a pair of linebackers headed to Big Ten programs. Seeing all that talent on tape is one thing; experiencing it live is another.

“You’re stressing all levels of the defense,” Wyoming Area coach Randy Spencer said after the loss. “You’re stressing the edges, you’re stressing the back end, you’re stressing the middle. They got all the weapons and extreme talent.

“I’m proud of what we did. We were competing to win, but given the circumstances I’m proud of the way we competed.”

Wyoming Area remains the favorite for the District 2 Class 3A title, but by no means is a championship is rubber-stamped. Lake-Lehman had a 10-point halftime lead vs. the Warriors before falling 35-30. Western Wayne’s only loss is to Valley View, and defending champion Scranton Prep has improved after a shaky start.

But playing Southern Columbia will only help Wyoming Area in its quest for the district crown.

BEST OF WEEK 8

• WBA’s Corey Brown. Brown set two program records in a 45-24 victory over Wallenpaupack. He ran for 151 yards and three touchdowns, both records for the first-year Wolfpack.

• Tunkhannock’s Jack Chilson and Jake Frisco. The pitch-catch duo had a big night in a 33-25 loss to North Pocono. Chilson threw for a career-high 463 yards while Frisco caught 15 passes for 237 yards, both also career highs.

• Berwick’s Teagan Wilk. The East Carolina recruit scored via pass, run and interception return in a 42-7 victory over Crestwood.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

The Eastern Conference playoffs were once the big prize until the PIAA mandated in 1994 that district playoffs were the only way to qualify for the state tournament.

Since then, the Eastern Conference has become the bridesmaid of the postseason. Its importance dwindled even more when the PIAA expanded to six classifications in 2016 and districts expanded their playoff fields. Now, the Eastern Conference no longer has semifinals and just four championship games in Class 5A/6A, Class 4A, Class 3A and Class A/2A. It also dumped the requirement that a team must have at least a .500 record to qualify. That’s how a two-win Holy Redeemer team played for the EC Class 3A championship in 2017.

As of now, no WVC teams are in position to make the Eastern Conference playoffs.

SOUNDS FAMILIAR

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported this week that the WPIAL is considering realigning divisions based on regions rather than strictly by classification for the 2020 and 2021 seasons. The story cited reasons such as declining attendance, lost rivalries, extensive travel and non-competitive games.

This sounds a lot like when the WVC and Lackawanna Conference merged in 2000 to form the Northeast Pennsylvania Football Conference. The NEPFC was created to have teams in the same classifications in both conference play each other to level the field when it came to determining District 2 playoff qualifiers.

By the second year, cracks jeopardized the stability of the NEPFC and it was dissolved after the 2001 season.

Crestwood’s schedule was an example why the NEPFC was headed for extinction. The Comets played just three WVC schools — Coughlin, Pittston Area and Tunkhannock — and seven games against Lackawanna schools, including long road trips to Delaware Valley and Honesdale.

PIPELINE CONTINUES

Southern Columbia running back Gaige Garcia will be heading to Michigan for football and wrestling, making younger brother Gavin the feature back next season. But there are two more Garcia brothers moving through the programs — one is in junior high and the other in elementary school.

Quarterback Dominic DeLuca and Wyoming Area may have suffered a lopsided loss against Southern Columbia, but it could prove to be a valuable lesson for the Warriors to take into the postseason.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/web1_TTL101219WA-SouthernColumbiaFB_1-1.jpg.optimal.jpgQuarterback Dominic DeLuca and Wyoming Area may have suffered a lopsided loss against Southern Columbia, but it could prove to be a valuable lesson for the Warriors to take into the postseason. Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader

By John Erzar

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