Wyomng Area senior running back Colby Gashi shakes one Williamsport tackle gaining 5 yards for Wyoming Area Friday night.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
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Wyoming Area’s Drew Mruk (21) stops Williamsport’s Nasir Hennigan for a loss in first-quarter action Friday night.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
With key blocks from Wyoming Area’s Nasir Condry (52) and Bryce Hinkle (51), Blaise Sokach-Minnick (15) rambles for extra yardage.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
For the second week in a row, Wyoming Area hosted a home football game without spectators.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Wyoming Area’s Rocco Pizano (3) breaks up a Williamsport pass near the goal line.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
WEST PITTSTON – Red-zone production was non-existent for Williamsport Friday night.
When green grass opened in front of the Millionaires, however, they took full advantage.
The Millionaires scored touchdowns from 47, 73, 33, 28 and 52 yards in a span of 19:49 to hand defending state Class 3A football champion Wyoming Area a 35-14 loss in a non-divisonal game between Wyoming Valley Conference teams.
None of the players were touched by a Warrior on their way to the end zone.
“They have four of five guys that you know coming in have that game-breaking ability,” Wyoming Area coach Randy Spencer said. “They probably have more than that.
“They have guys with some big-time, play-making ability.”
Williamsport ran just one play from inside the Wyoming Area 20 and Drew Mruk instantly knocked the Millionaires out of the red zone by breaking into the backfield to throw Nasir Hennigan for a loss.
The Millionaires produced 10 first downs, but only two preceded touchdowns.
Instead, Williamsport struck quickly and unexpectedly.
The Millionaires scored three times in the first 3:26 of the second half, scoring on the first play, then adding two more touchdowns while on defense.
A game that was scoreless until 3:22 before halftime morphed into a 28-0 Williamsport lead with 8:34 left in the third quarter and a 35-7 advantage with 7:33 remaining.
Hennigan ran 73 yards up the middle on a draw to begin the second half.
Nassir Jones, limited to 20 yards on five catches on offense, stripped the ball away from Wyoming Area and scored on the 33-yard fumble return.
Damond Greene then returned an interception 28 yards for the 28-0 lead.
“I told our guys, ‘Champs don’t lay down, you have to lay them down,’” Williamsport coach Chuck Crews said.
With Williamsport in position to score again off a turnover at the Wyoming Area 13, the Millionaires went backward. A penalty and two tackles for losses were followed by Nico Sciandra’s interception and 55-yard return.
Sciandra’s interception set up a 9-yard Vincenzo Giambra touchdown run in the waning seconds of the third quarter.
Wyoming Area had one chance to further cut into its deficit, but Williamsport put the game away on the next possession when Keith Freeman broke free in the middle and was uncontested as he took a short Frankie Morrone pass 52 yards for a touchdown.
Rocco Pizano took a pass in the flat from Jacob Williams and went 56 yards for the game’s last touchdown.
The first two quarters were drastically different.
Wyoming Area converted four third-down situations and dominated the first quarter, but could not score. The Warriors held the ball for 10:20 of the 12 minutes and led 5-0 in first downs and 82-6 in total yardage.
Williamsport turned it around to take a small time of possession advantage during the second quarter while putting up advantages of 7-1 in first downs and 164-25 in total offense.
Neither team took a snap from closer than the opponent’s 27, but the Millionaires had the biggest play of the half.
On third-and-10 with 3:22 left in the half, Frankie Morrone hit Cameron Sims with a slant pattern and the speedster hit an opening in the secondary to race untouched 47 yards for the touchdown and a 7-0 halftime lead.
Williamsport 35, Wyoming Area 14
Williamsport`0`7`21`7 — 35
Wyoming Area`0`0`7`7 — 14
Second quarter
WIL – Cameron Sims 47 pass from Frankie Morrone (Elliott Wannop kick), 3:22
Third quarter
WIL – Nasir Hennigan 73 run (Wannop kick), 11:42
WIL – Nassir Jones 33 fumble return (Wannop kick), 10:19
WIL – Damond Green 28 interception return (Wannop kick), 8:34
WA – Vincenzo Giambra 9 run (Jayden Rusyn kick), 0:20.5
Fourth quarter
WIL – Keith Freeman 52 pass from Frankie Morrone (Wannop kick), 7:33
WA – Rocco Pizano 56 pass from Jacob Williams (Sydney Kruszka kick), 0:55.7
Team statistics`WIL`WA
First downs`10`11
Rushes-yards`24-145`38-96
Passing yards`155`142
Total yards`300`238
Passing`11-16-1`8-21-1
Sacked-yards lost`2-22`1-3
Punts-avg.`3-25.0`3-26.7
Fumbles-lost`2-0`4-1
Penalties-yards`10-85`7-48
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — WIL, Hennigan 11-96, Freeman 4-40, Damier Sams-Glover 3-19, Sims 1-15, Team 2-minus 3, Morrone 3-minus 22. WA, Giambra 12-38, Williams 5-24, Drew Mruk 8-14, Blaise Sokach-Minnick 6-13, Colby Gashi 4-9, Rocco Pizano 1-2, Aaron Crossley 1-0, Team 1-minus 4.
PASSING — WIL, Morrone 11-16-1-155. WA, Williams 6-15-0-128, Sokach-Minnick 1-4-1-4, Rusyn 1-20-10.
RECEIVING — WIL, Jones 5-20, Sims 3-69, Freeman 2-59, Sams-Glover 1-7. WA, Pizano 4-96, Sokach-Minnick 2-33, Gashi 1-9, Mruk 1-4.
INTERCEPTIONS — WIL, Green 1-28. WA, Nico Sciandra 1-55.
MISSED FIELD GOALS – None.