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Roethlisberger, Steelers speed past Panthers

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H.S. Football: Berwick, Dallas to meet in D2-4A semifinals

<p>Seven games into the football season and Hazleton Area had lost five times.</p><p>But the Cougars didn&#8217;t lose hope. Instead, they beared down and now get a chance to play for the District 2 Class 6A championship.</p><p>Hazleton Area (6-5) will be taking a long ride to Delaware Valley (8-3) Saturday with kickoff set for 1 p.m. The game was postponed from Friday due to a forecast for heavy rain.</p><p>The Cougars&#8217; 2-5 start was a bit misleading. They lost one-point games to Wyoming Valley West and a then-healthy Williamsport team. They had D2-4A semifinalist Berwick 14-0 only to fall 28-21.</p><p>&#8220;Some things were in our control, some things were out of our control,&#8221; Hazleton Area coach Mike Brennan said. &#8220;But for some reason, the ball didn&#8217;t seem to bounce our way at times earlier in the season. We had to withstand some injuries we weren&#8217;t expecting to a lot of our key guys. We were 2-5, but we knew we weren&#8217;t dead in the water. We had to get to work and continue to improve.&#8221;</p><p>One area that certainly needs improving is the outcome against DelVal. Hazleton Area fell to DelVal 42-31 in Week 6, marking its 10th consecutive loss to the Warriors.</p><p>&#8220;We almost treated it like basketball,&#8221; Brennan said. &#8220;We knew we were going to see some of the same teams again and were getting ready for those challenges. We got by one last week in Williamsport and, obviously, our Achilles&#8217; heel a little bit has been Delaware Valley. So we have another opportunity this week.&#8221;</p><p>The key tonight is stopping DelVal&#8217;s running game, according to Brennan. Hazleton Area hasn&#8217;t been too stout against the run, allowing over 300 yards in three games. Last Friday&#8217;s numbers in a 47-13 win vs. Williamsport look impressive &#8212; 81 yards on 25 carries &#8212; but Williamsport was missing its top three offensive skill players. The Millionaires had 331 rushing yards against Hazleton Area in Week 4 when at full strength.</p><p>DelVal sophomore running back Josh Balcarcel has been on a roll with four 100-yard rushing performances in the last six games. He had 98 yards in each of those other two games. He doesn&#8217;t present much of a target at 5-foot-6 and 142 pounds.</p><p>DelVal junior quarterback Zach Scillia has improved as the season has worn on. He had thrown for 1,077 yards and 13 touchdowns. And while 10 interceptions look like a red flag, he has has thrown just two in the last six games as the offense leaned more on the ground attack.</p><p>Hazleton Area running back Damon Horton led the entire Wyoming Valley Conference with 21 rushing touchdowns despite missing the equivalent of two games with an injury. He ripped through Williamsport last Friday for 148 yards and four touchdowns. Wideout Jacob Hunsinger continued to be a big-play threat with a 55-yard touchdown grab, his 11th of the season. He has also returned two kickoffs for touchdowns.</p><p>And then there&#8217;s quarterback Sparky Wolk, who has steered the ship all season. The senior knows how to handle adversity on the football field as well as the basketball court &#8212; where he is the school&#8217;s starting point guard for a returning state semifinalist.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Hazleton Area running back Damon Horton led the entire Wyoming Valley Conference with 21 rushing touchdowns despite missing time with an injury. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/web1_TTL090818Dallas-HazAreaFB_2.jpg</photo0><caption0>Hazleton Area running back Damon Horton led the entire Wyoming Valley Conference with 21 rushing touchdowns despite missing time with an injury. </caption0><photoCredit0>Bill Tarutis file photo | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By John Erzar</p><p>jerzar@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>DISTRICT 2 CLASS 6A CHAMPIONSHIP</strong></p><p><strong>Hazleton Area (6-5) at Delaware Valley (8-3)</strong></p><p><strong>1 p.m. Saturday</strong></p><p><strong>Admission:</strong> $7 adults; $4 students</p><p><strong>What&#8217;s At Stake:</strong> The winner plays the winner of the D6/8/10 subergional championship game between State College (10-1) and Erie McDowell (7-4) next weekend in the PIAA Class 6A state playoffs at a site and time to be announced.</p><p><strong>The Coaches:</strong> Hazleton Area&#8217;s Mike Brennan (135-94, 17th year); Delaware Valley&#8217;s Keith Olsommer (141-84, 20th year)</p><p><strong>Last Meeting:</strong> DelVal 42-31 in Week 6</p><p><strong>All-Time Series</strong>: DelVal leads 10-5</p><p><strong>Quick Fact:</strong> DelVal has won the last 10 meetings. Hazleton Area&#8217;s last win against DelVal was 19-0 in Week 4 of 2009.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach John Erzar at 570-991-6394 or on Twitter @TLJohnErzar</p></shirttailMeta></div>

H.S. Football: Hazleton Area ready for another crack at DelVal