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More former players speak out in support of James Franklin in lawsuit flap

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Run-heavy Pitt eyeing balance under Whipple

Now that the Wilkes-Barre Area Wolfpack have their first game out of the way, they can concentrate on football rather than being a curiosity.WBA lost its first game in program history 28-27 in overtime at Crestwood last Friday. It was nice to see a strong turnout of fans to support the new team. Hopefully, that keeps up throughout the season.Last Friday brought a series of firsts to the program, and here are some of them.&#8226; First Tackle. Aiden Redding made it on the opening kickoff. Crestwood&#8217;s Garrett Swank had the honor of being the first player tackled by a Wolfpack player.&#8226; First Defensive Tackle. Linebacker Corey Brown on Crestwood&#8217;s first play from scrimmage, a 4-yard gain by Ryan Miller.&#8226; First Offensive Play. Brown rushed for 4 yards on a first-and-10 from the Wolfpack 24-yard line.&#8226; First Pass Completion. Quarterback Kam Taylor to receiver Casmir Van Buren for a 1-yard loss.&#8226; First Forced Fumble. Brown again. He had his fingerprints all over the record book.&#8226; First TD. Redding again. After Brown forced the fumble, Redding picked it up and scored from 18 yards out.&#8226; First Offensive/Passing TD. Quarterback Talee Swinney on a 44-yard pass to Malachi Williams, who made a finger-tip catch on the run.&#8226; First Rushing TD. Rafael McCoy on a 10-yard run on the Wolfpack&#8217;s first play in overtime.&#8226; First Special Teams TD. After Crestwood went up 14-7 early in the second quarter, McCoy returned the ensuing kickoff 80 yards for a score.&#8226; First First Down. Nothing exciting here. Crestwood jumped offside on a third-and-5 situation.&#8226; First Controversy. The final play of the game when Taylor tried to score on a two-point run in overtime. Although a couple people told me in the parking lot that Taylor was in, a couple videos of the play are inconclusive.BEST OF WEEK 1Here&#8217;s a list of some of the top performances by WVC players in the opening weekend.&#8226; Pittston Area&#8217;s Andrew Krawczyk. He had two interceptions, including one returned 62 yards for a touchdown. He also returned a blocked field goal 89 yards for a TD and caught two touchdown passes in the 30-8 win against Nanticoke Area.&#8226; Williamsport&#8217;s Dallas Griess. The Millionaires new quarterback was 12-of-15 for 165 yards and a touchdown in a 28-0 win over Central Mountain. He also ran eight times for 57 yards and a score.&#8226; Crestwood&#8217;s Ryan Miller. The Comets looked like they were going to use a running back committee vs. WBA, but Miller took control of the workload. He rushed 30 times for 136 yards, and had 17 of Crestwood&#8217;s 25 rushing attempts in the second half.&#8226; Dallas&#8217; Danny Meuser and Lenny Kelley. The running back duo scored five of the team&#8217;s seven touchdowns in a 49-13 win over Tunkhannock. Meuser rushed five times for 141 yards and two TDs. Kelley had 115 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries.&#8226; Abington Heights&#8217; Corey Perkins. The senior receiver had eight catches for 91 yards in a loss to Berwick.Normally, non-WVC players will not be included, but Perkins informed me he is a Baltimore Ravens fan so he gets special dispensation. All non-WVC players who are Ravens fans will receive the same courtesy. Pittsburgh Steelers fans will not.TAILGATE FOR OPENER There is a tailgate scheduled for Wilkes-Barre Area&#8217;s home opener Friday night at Wilkes-Barre Memorial Stadium. It begins 5 p.m. at Miner Park. There will be games, food trucks and an ice cream truck.BEEN A LONG TIME Williamsport defeated Central Mountain 28-0 for the Millionaires&#8217; first shutout since 2009, a span of 95 games.Williamsport last held an opponent off the board on Sept. 25, 2009, when it defeated Coughlin 14-0.<style>
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<div class="neCaption">Wilkes-Barre Area quarterback Talee Swinney looks to pass against Crestwood Friday night in Wright Township. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/web1_TTL082419HSFB-WBA-Crestwood_6-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Wilkes-Barre Area quarterback Talee Swinney looks to pass against Crestwood Friday night in Wright Township. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By John Erzarjerzar@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div>

H.S. Football: It was a night of firsts for Wilkes-Barre Area Wolfpack