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Nanticoke prevails in ground war with Tunkhannock

Opportunistic Berwick turns away Hazleton Area’s upset hopes

SCRANTON &#8212; It was a rally that probably won&#8217;t be seen again for a while. Unfortunately for Wyoming Valley West, the hole was just too deep.The Spartans scored 33 points in the fourth quarter and fought back from a nearly 30-point deficit in the final 12 minutes, but Scranton had just enough gas left in the tank to hold on, 58-48, Friday at Scranton Memorial Stadium. It was a game that lasted more than three hours and featured 900 yards of total offense.Really, it was a tale of quarters.Valley West won two. Scranton won two.The problem for the Spartans was that the Knights scored a combined 45 points in the second and third quarters to build a huge lead. And it didn&#8217;t help the Spartans&#8217; cause that senior Rheyse Green was going off. The back ran for 242 yards, four scores and added a fifth touchdown on a 37-yard scoop-and-score for a 33-7 lead with six minutes left in the third quarter. The mercy rule appeared imminent.Back came the Spartans.Six fourth-quarter possessions. Five touchdowns &#8211; three by tailback Sean Mikovitch on runs of 57, 2 and 1, a 5-yard keeper by Rob Dwyer off the left side and a 33-yard pass from Jake Shusta to Darrian Tyson. The pass cut the lead to 58-48 with 1:59 left in the fourth quarter, but the Knights recovered the ensuing kick and took three knees to end the game.Really, it was just too much Knights&#8217; athleticism and speed.Reggie Dickey, who only played one half after sustaining an injury close to halftime, finished with 124 yards on four catches.And it was quite the football debut for standout basketball player and track sensation Ky&#8217;Ron Harbin. The senior ran the gamut of jobs &#8211; catching four passes, returning a kick 80 yards for a score, and lining up as a punter, taking off 69 yards untouched for another TD.As for the Spartans, there were signs of life. Mikovitch ran for 130 yards and three scores in the second half. Valley West&#8217;s two-person quarterback system started to catch fire late. Dwyer, the starter, ran for two scores, while the junior, Shusta, completed his final eight passes for 130 yards and the late touchdown.Valley West opened the scoring on Dwyer&#8217;s 10-yard run, which was set up by a long punt return by Tyson. But the Knights ripped off the next 39 points &#8211; six unanswered touchdowns &#8211; to take the 39-7 lead with 4:42 left in the third quarter.Scranton 58, Wyoming Valley West 48Valley West `7`0`8`33 &#8211; 48Scranton`0`21`24`13 &#8211; 58First QuarterW: Dwyer 10 run (Gurtis kick), 5:00Second QuarterS: Green 22 run (Darjee kick), 9:21S: McAndrew 67 pass to Dickey (Darjee kick), 6:34S: McAndrew 7 pass to Harbin (Darjee kick), 0:24Third QuarterS: Green 25 run (kick blocked), 10:24S: Green 37-yard fumble recovery (kick blocked), 6:37S: Green 76 run (kicked blocked), 4:42W: Davies 7 run (Dwyer run), 2:57S: Harbin 80-yard kickoff return (run failed), 2:23Fourth QuarterW: Dwyer 5 run (Davies run), 11:53S: Harbin 69 run (Darjee kick), 8:18W: Mikovitch 57 run (Gurtis kick), 8:02S: Green 70 run (kick failed), 7:11W: Mikovitch 1 run (run failed), 4:13W: Mikovitch 2 run (kick missed), 2:53W: Shusta 33 pass to Tyson (run failed), 1:59Team Statistics `WVW`SFirst Downs `17`15Rushes-Yards `45-255 `35-337Passing Yards `140`179Total Yards `395`516Passing `10-15-0`6-16-1Sacked-Yards Lost `5-29`0-0Punts-Average `6-38`3-33Fumbles-Lost `4-2`3-3Penalties-Yards `4-30`4-20Individual StatisticsRUSHING: WVW, Mikovitch 13-144, Davies 11-81, Dwyer 11-52, Braddy 1-4, Canavan 1-2, Tyson 3-(-4), Shusta 5-(-29). S, Green 20-242, McAndrew 8-32, Harbin 1-69, Dickey 1-1, Vieira 1-0, Stepanovich 1-(-1), Team 3-(-6).PASSING: WVW, Shusta 9-14-0, 128 yards; Dwyer 1-1-0, 12 yards. S, McAndrew 6-16-1, 179 yards.RECEIVING: WVW, Tyson 3-61, Blaski 3-38, Doreskewicz 2-18, Mikovitch 1-12, Canavan 1-11. S, Dickey 4-124, Harbin 3-55.INTERCEPTIONS: WVW, DoreskewiczMISSED FG: NoneRecords: WVW 0-1, S 1-0<style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Tom FoxFor Times Leader</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Times Leader sports at 570-829-7143 or on Twitter @TLSports</shirttailMeta></div>

Wyoming Valley West’s huge rally falls short in loss at Scranton