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Kerry O’Neil Miscavage named Advertising Director for Times Leader group

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Joe Paterno’s legacy still a controversial topic in Penn State

CLARKS SUMMIT &#8212; Hazleton Area head coach Mike Brennan felt Abington Heights&#8217; first possession of the game set the tone.The Comets 14-play, 65-yard drive, with 55 coming from the running game, was capped by a 23-yard field goal from Colin McCreary with 4:52 left in the first quarter.Abington Heights used a strong push from its line and capitalized on four Hazleton turnovers to defeat the Cougars, 37-14, in a non-league football game on Saturday afternoon at Comets Stadium.&#8220;They had one of those long opening drives like they&#8217;ve had the last few weeks,&#8221; Brennan said. &#8220;We couldn&#8217;t stop their running game much. They physically manhandled us up front, from the start, on both sides of the ball.&#8221;Hazleton Area had some success on its first drive when quarterback Sparky Wolk connected with Hunter Vanblargan for 18 yards, but the drive stalled and a 9-yard punt set Abington Heights up with great field position at the Cougars 48-yard line.The Comets took advantage when Nick Emmett, who saw time at both quarterback and wide receiver, connected with Tom Rothenberger for a 36-yard touchdown with 11:11 remaining in the second quarter.&#8220;I took snaps at both positions all week and we were prepared, either way, whether it was me or Colin McCreary (at quarterback),&#8221; Emmett said. &#8220;Our offensive line deserves all the credit, they gave me the time and I completed the passes.&#8221;Abington Heights started its next drive with even better field position when Matthan Sherman intercepted a Wolk pass at the Cougars 24-yard line.Four plays later, McCreary hit Brandon Hardy for a 14-yard touchdown to give the Comets a 17-0 lead with 7:37 left in the second quarter.Matthan Sherman added to the Comets lead when he picked off a pass and ran 19 yards for a touchdown with less than a minute remaining in the first half.Hazleton Area&#8217;s turnover struggles continued into the second half.Abington Heights linebacker Owen Hivner intercepted a pass at the Comets 25-yard line and returned the ball to midfield to end the Cougars first drive of the third quarter.Emmett connected with McCreary for a 29-yard touchdown, five plays later, to give the Comets a commanding 30-0 advantage.&#8220;We got some guys banged up throughout the game, but that&#8217;s no excuse,&#8221; Brennan said. &#8220;We were soundly beaten today by a good, solid football team. We just have to get better, it&#8217;s back to the drawing board on Monday.&#8221;Matthan Sherman appeared to have his second interception return for a touchdown with 1:04 remaining in the third quarter, but an inadvertent whistle blew the play dead after he picked off the pass at the Cougars 28-yard line.Abington Heights cashed in on the turnover when Kaleb Sherman scored on a 4-yard run.Hazleton Area scored its first points of the game on a 22-yard touchdown run from Kaleb Yahner, who gained 44 yards on six carries, with 5:04 left in the fourth quarter.Just under three minutes later, Hazleton&#8217;s Carlix Hill intercepted a pass from George Tinsley and returned the ball 22 yards for a touchdown.Abington Heights 37, Hazleton Area 14Hazleton Area`0`0`0`14`&#8212;`14Abington Heights`3`21`6`7`&#8212;`37First quarterAH &#8212; Colin McCreary 23 FG, 4:52Second quarterAH &#8212; Tom Rothenberger 36 pass from Nick Emmett (McCreary kick), 11:11AH &#8212; Brandon Hardy 14 pass from McCreary (McCreary kick), 7:37AH &#8212; Matthan Sherman 19 interception return (McCreary kick), 57.6Third quarterAH &#8212; McCreary 29 pass from Emmett (kick failed), 7:14Fourth quarterAH &#8212; Kaleb Sherman 4 run (Jimmy Sweeney kick), 10:03HA &#8212; Kaleb Yahner 22 run (Will Barrientos kick), 5:04HA &#8212; Carlix Hill 22 interception return (Barrientos kick), 2:44Team statistics`HA`AHFirst downs`8`13Rushes-yards`29-148`40-132Passing yards`34`105Total yards`182`237Passing`3-11-4`5-7-1Sacked-yards lost`1-3`3-12Punts-avg.`3-13`2-33.5Fumbles-lost`0-0`0-0Penalties-yards`3-13`5-35INDIVIDUAL STATISTICSRUSHING &#8212; HA, Adrian Otero 12-71, Yahner 6-44, Carson Kinney 4-24, Damon Horton 2-4, Austin Andruzzi 1-3, Sparky Wolk 3-1, Nolan Schneider 1-1. AH, Anthony Duboski 13-57, McCreary 8-32, Emmett 5-24, K. Sherman 8-20, Austin Kohut 5-2, Sweeney 1 (-3).PASSING &#8212; HA, Wolk 3-11-4-34. AH, McCreary 3-4-0-40, Emmett 2-2-0-65, George Tinsley 0-1-1-0.RECEIVING &#8212; HA, Hunter Vanblargan 1-18, Otero 1-14, David Smith 1-2. AH, Rothenberger 1-36, McCreary 1-29, Hardy 2-24, M. Sherman 1-16.INTERCEPTIONS &#8212; HA, Hill 1-22. AH, M. Sherman 3-19, Owen Hivner 1-25.MISSED FGs &#8212; None<style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Robert Tomkavagertomkavage@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Robert Tomkavage at 570-704-3941 or on Twitter @rtomkavage.</shirttailMeta></div>

Abington Heights scores early, often in win over Hazleton Area