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H.S. Football: Hazleton Area routs Williamsport

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Lakeland eliminates Lake-Lehman from district football

NANTICOKE &#8212; Heavy rain, fog and muddy conditions wouldn&#8217;t stop the Nanticoke Area Trojans from capturing the Eastern Conference 4A championship in a 14-6 victory over the Hamburg Area Hawks.&#8220;I&#8217;m proud of these guys,&#8221; said Nanticoke Area head coach Ron Bruza. &#8220;It was a long season. This game was the muddiest game I&#8217;ve ever played in or coached in. Our kids and Hamburg are going to remember this game for the rest of their lives.&#8221;After Hamburg (4-7) elected to receive on the coin toss, the Hawks had a quick three-and-out, punting the ball to Keanu Ammons. He returned the ball 53 yards to Hamburg&#8217;s 23-yard line.Nanticoke (6-5) was able to capitalize on the excellent field position in just four plays. Senior running back Joe Ammons rushed for 4-yard score. He then ran the ball in the back of the end zone to complete the two-point conversion and extend the Trojans lead 8-0.The Trojans started the second quarter with the ball on their own 2-yard line. Quarterback Colby Butczynski fumbled and Hamburg defensive tackle David Hummel recovered it for the score.But the Hawks were unable to convert on the two-point conversion leaving the score at 8-6 in favor of Nanticoke.Butczynski&#8217;s fumble started off a chain reaction. Both teams fumbled a combined 10 times at the half, with the horrible conditions played a major factor in the slippery football.At the start of the second half, the field was almost entirely covered by mud.Nanticoke and Hamburg traded defensive blows in the third quarter, but neither team was able to muster up any serious offense, leaving both teams locked in an 8-6 stalemate heading into the final 12 minutes.Hamburg threatened to take the lead at the start of the fourth quarter. The Hawks were poised to kick a 26-yard field goal, however, the rainy and muddy conditions took matters into their own hands.When the holder called for the ball, he had a hard time settling it down, thus the ball started fumbling around. Nanticoke defenders leaped on the ball and took possession.But with both offenses stalling, the Trojans caught a huge break.After Butczynski booted a punt that landed on Hamburg&#8217;s two-yard line, Joe Ammons solidified his spot as the game&#8217;s hero.He intercepted Hawks quarterback Patrick Hanlon at the nine-yard line and ran it back for the touchdown, providing the Trojans with a 14-6 lead with 2:20 left to play.&#8220;I actually thought it was one of Hamburg&#8217;s guys running the ball out,&#8221; Bruza laughed. &#8220;I really couldn&#8217;t tell Joe (Ammons) intercepted the ball. That&#8217;s how muddy it was here tonight.&#8221;Coach Bruza doubled down on his decision to opt out of playing in the District 2-4A playoffs after the game.&#8220;I think we did make the right choice,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I think our guys were really happy about it. We played a competitive football game and the fans got their money&#8217;s worth tonight.&#8221;<ins>Eastern Conf. 4A Championship </ins><ins>Nanticoke Area 14, Hamburg Area 6 </ins><ins>Hamburg`0`6`0`0 &#8212; 6 </ins><ins>Nanticoke Area`8`0`0`6 &#8212; 14 </ins><ins>First quarter </ins><ins>NAN &#8212; Joe Ammons 4 run (Ammons run) 7:31 </ins><ins>Second quarter </ins><ins>HAM &#8212; David Hummel 2 fumble recovery (run failed) 11:47 </ins><ins>Third quarter </ins><ins>No Scoring. </ins><ins>Fourth quarter </ins><ins>NAN &#8212; Joe Ammons 9 interception (run failed) </ins><ins>Team statistics`HAM`NAN </ins><ins>First downs`7`7 </ins><ins>Rushes-yards`33-102`28-47 </ins><ins>Passing yards`14`10 </ins><ins>Total yards`116`57 </ins><ins>Passing`1-3-1`2-3-0 </ins><ins>Sacked-yards lost`2-18`1-6 </ins><ins>Punts-avg.`3-32.3`5-28.4 </ins><ins>Fumbles-lost`11-5`7-3 </ins><ins>Penalties-yards`5-33`4-16 </ins><ins>INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS </ins><ins>RUSHING &#8212; HAM, Warren 20-67, Hamilton 10-21, Hanlon 2-9, Colson 1-5. NAN, J. Ammons 22-58, Butczysnki 5&#8212;8, K. Ammons 1&#8212;3. </ins><ins>PASSING &#8212; HAM, Hanlon 1-3-1-14. NAN, Butcysnki 2-3-0-10. </ins><ins>RECEIVING &#8212; HAM, Colson 1-14. NAN, Boseman 1-7, K. Ammons 1-3. </ins><ins>INTERCEPTIONS &#8212; NAN, J. Ammons 1-8. </ins><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Dan Stokesdstokes@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Dan Stokes at 570-991-6389 or on Twitter @ByDanStokes </shirttailMeta></div>

Muddy conditions can’t stop Nanticoke Area from claiming Eastern Conference title