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High School Football Notebook: Meyers keeps early success in perspective

<p>If it were possible to be in two places at once, then Friday would the night to do so.</p><p>Two games featuring four unbeatens, all of whom are legitimate contenders for District 2 football championships.</p><p>Wyoming Valley West (3-0) at Berwick (3-0) features two Wyoming Valley Conference rivals with arguably the best defenses in the district. No doubt the spotlight will be on that matchup.</p><p>At the other end of the local football world, Lake-Lehman (3-0) will be at Old Forge (3-0) where it will attempt to defeat the Blue Devils for the first time in six tries. The hype won&#8217;t be as fevered as the WVW-Berwick game, but the importance is on the same level.</p><p>Both games &#8212; unfortunately &#8212; start at 7 p.m. as does the whole schedule.</p><p>Part of the mystique of Valley West at Berwick is one of the coaches &#8212; George Curry. Curry graduated from Larksville High, one of the schools that formed Valley West in the mid-1960s. While Curry was winning six Class 3A state titles at Berwick, some Valley West faithful longed for the day he would return to his old area. That came in 2006 as Curry resigned from Berwick and jumped to Valley West.</p><p>After three years at Valley West, he resigned due to health reasons only to emerge at Berwick in 2012 on an interim basis.</p><p>Another allure is Berwick&#8217;s dominance &#8212; the Dawgs defeated Valley West 10 consecutive times from 1988-1996 &#8212; has waned. Valley West has won five of the last six meetings, including 31-21 last year.</p><p>&#8220;They are really excited,&#8221; Valley West coach Pat Keating said. &#8220;It&#8217;s not every day you get two undefeated teams in a rivalry game. It should definitely make for an interesting night down there Friday night.&#8221;</p><p>Lehman would just like to get one win over Old Forge, the prohibitive favorite to win a third consecutive D2-A title. Lehman won the D2-2A championship in 2013, but lost 13-7 to the Blue Devils that year and was embarrassed 33-0 last year on its black turf.</p><p>&#8220;Defensively, they bring the wood,&#8221; Lehman coach Jerry Gilsky said. &#8220;They&#8217;re very physical all around. That&#8217;s what we try to emulate with our offense and defense. Overall, we&#8217;re two very similar teams.&#8221;</p><p>Beating Old Forge, though, will be difficult. Not only are the Blue Devils a quality opponent, they own a 13-game winning streak against WVC teams. Plus, their home field is unique.</p><p>About six feet separate fans from the sidelines at Old Forge. Fans can stand right behind the teams, litterally. And Old Forge has some of the most passionate fans in District 2.</p><p>&#8220;The sidelines are close there. Let&#8217;s just say, the fans are a little more zealous there,&#8221; Gilsky said with a laugh. &#8220;It&#8217;s a different atmosphere.&#8221;</p><p>Valley West will also be in a different atmosphere. Fans at Berwick&#8217;s historical Crispin Field are keep apart from the teams by a wire cable surrounding the field. While not as close as at Old Forge, it could be distracting for visiting players.</p><p>Valley West and Lehman go into their games with another similar concern. Neither has needed its starters on the field for four quarters. Meanwhile, Berwick and Old Forge starters have played deep into the fourth quarter. Keating and Gilsky believe they&#8217;ve prepared their teams well enough in the offseason and practices to endure 48 minutes if necessary.</p><p>If things play out like they have thus far, the Valley West at Berwick game will be defensive battle.</p><p>Berwick&#8217;s defense has allowed one touchdown and has shut out its last two opponents &#8212; Pottsville 27-0 and Dallas 7-0. Valley West&#8217;s first-team defense has allowed two TDs. One came in a 42-17 victory over Wyoming Area after a long kickoff return. The other was in a 30-6 victory over Delaware Valley.</p><p>&#8220;Crazier things have happened,&#8221; Keating said. &#8220;But the common sense approach says points will be at a minimum Friday night.&#8221;</p><p>Valley West&#8217;s edge could be on offense where veterans such as receiver Devon Weidman, tight end L.J. Wesneski and running back Sean Judge are proven commodities. Berwick has a new cast for the most part at the offensive skill spots, none of whom has really stood out yet.</p><p>Lehman will likely be without starting quarterback Vince Ferrari once again. He has missed the past two games with a shoulder injury. Sophomore Nate O&#8217;Donell will probably start, but in Lehman&#8217;s offense he just needs to be a game manager.</p><p>The Black Knights have run the ball 94 percent of the time, on par with last year&#8217;s numbers. Backs Joey Vigil and Nick Eury have combined for 779 yards, but neither has carried the ball more than 13 times in a game. So fatigue for them, as well as all the Black Knights, could be a factor.</p><p>Old Forge features senior running back Cooper Califano, a 1,000-yard rusher in 2014. The Blue Devils, though, have been relying heavily on senior Mando Sallavanti in the second halves of games. His running helped distance Old Forge from GAR in its opener and Hanover Area last Friday.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Keating </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_WVW-KEATING-1-.jpg</photo0><caption0>Keating </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_TTL-090315-HFS-Lehman-preview-1-spts-.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Gilsky </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_TTL-090315-HFS-Lehman-preview-1-spts-.jpg</photo1><caption1>Gilsky </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_wvw_dv1faa1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">While Berwick and Wyoming Valley West have two of the best defenses in District 2, Valley West veteran skill players such as running back Sean Judge give the Spartans the edge offensively. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_wvw_dv1faa1.jpg</photo2><caption2>While Berwick and Wyoming Valley West have two of the best defenses in District 2, Valley West veteran skill players such as running back Sean Judge give the Spartans the edge offensively. </caption2><photoCredit2>Fred Adams | Times Leader file photo </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_dallasberwick081.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Berwick&#8217;s Alex Koch, right, knocks away the ball from Dallas receiver Tanner Gattuso in the first quarter on Sept. 18. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_dallasberwick081.jpg</photo3><caption3>Berwick&#8217;s Alex Koch, right, knocks away the ball from Dallas receiver Tanner Gattuso in the first quarter on Sept. 18. </caption3><photoCredit3>Pete G. Wilcox|Times Leader </photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Spartans travel to rival Berwick, Black Knights head to Old Forge</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By John Erzar</p><p>jerzar@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>WEEK 4 SCHEDULE</strong></p><p><strong>Friday</strong></p><p>(7 p.m.)</p><p>Dallas at Coughlin</p><p>GAR at Northwest</p><p>Hanover Area at Riverside</p><p>Lake-Lehman at Old Forge</p><p>Meyers at Lackawanna Trail</p><p>Nanticoke at Lakeland</p><p>Williamsport at Hazleton Area</p><p>Wyoming Area at Tunkhannock</p><p>Wyo. Valley West at Berwick</p><p><strong>Saturday&#8217;s Games</strong></p><p>Peddie School at Wyo. Seminary, 2 p.m.</p><p>Col-Mont. Vo-Tech at Holy Redeemer, 7 p.m.</p><p>Pittston Area at Crestwood, 7 p.m.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach John Erzar at 570-991-6394 or on Twitter @TLJohnErzar</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Wyoming Valley West travels to rival Berwick, Lake-Lehman heads to Old Forge