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22 To Be Inducted Into Northeast Region Hall Of Fame

Monday, September 09, 1996 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 





WA's win was something special &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Wyoming Area's 21-6 victory over GAR Friday night was special in more ways
than one for the WarriorsNot only did the win make the Warriors the team to
beat in the Wyoming Valley Conference Division II championship chase, it was
their special teams' unit that was the difference in the game. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "No doubt about it," said GAR coach Charlie Fick. "We had a punt blocked
and fumbled on a punt return and gave them the ball right where they wanted." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The first big play came early in the first quarter when Wyoming Area's
Kevin Fox blocked a Grenadier punt to give the Warriors the ball at the GAR
8-yard line. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Warrior quarterback B.J. Stelacone, making his first varsity start in place
of injured regular Russ Herron, made GAR pay with a 5-yard touchdown pass to
Nick Gaimbra. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 With the Warriors clinging to a 7-6 lead midway through the fourth quarter,
another big special teams play gave Wyoming Area some breathing room. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Wyoming Area's David Sullivan recovered a Grenadier fumble on a punt at the
GAR 21. Gaimbra later scored on a 10-yard run to give the Warriors a 14-6 lead
with 7:26 to play. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Momentum was the whole thing," said Wyoming Area coach Paul Marranca. "The
momentum shifted when we got key turnovers." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Wyoming Area added a late touchdown to seal the Grenadiers fate and improve
to 2-0 on the season. GAR fell to 1-1. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Coughlin was staring its second consecutive loss in the face Friday night
against host Williamsport. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Trailing 12-0 with 10 minutes left in the game, the Crusaders gave the ball
up on downs at the Williamsport 20. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But the Coughlin defense held and a bad snap from center on a Williamsport
punt was recovered in the end zone by the Millionaires for a Coughlin safety. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 That play energized the offense as the Crusaders took the ensuing kickoff
and scored their first, and only, touchdown of the game on quarterback Dave
Wychock's 8-yard run. With the conversion kick, Coughlin was within 12-9 with
3:39 to play. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Coughlin defense once again came up big as it forced a Williamsport
fumble and recovered it at the Millionaire 19. Seven plays later, Matt Klem
nailed a 20-yard field goal on the last play of the regulation to tie the
score at 12 and force overtime. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Klem gave the Crusaders the lead in overtime with another 20-yard field
goal, and when Williamsport's Jeff Arp's field goal went wide left, the
Crusaders came away with the miraculous victory. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "This is a big win for us," said Coughlin coach John Joseph. "Anytime you
come away from here with a victory, you feel fortunate." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 First-year Bishop Hoban head coach Dave Lapinski knew he faced a huge
challenge when he took over the Argents' program. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But on Saturday, Lapinski and the Argents took a step in the right
direction. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 An inspired Argent squad dominated rival Bishop O'Reilly and scored its
first win in two seasons, a 28-0 shutout of the Queensmen at Wilkes-Barre
Memorial Stadium. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Keying the Argent victory was an aggressive defense that allowed O'Reilly
just 29 yards of total offense, including minus-13 yards on the ground. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We played very tough up front," Lapinski said. "Our defensive front is
very young, but they play hard every down." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Argents showed signs of life a week earlier against a veteran Bishop
Hafey team. The Argents hung tough, but the experience and talent of the
Vikings proved to be too much in a 21-7 Hafey victory. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Hanover Area coach Al Kopacz felt his team needed to learn how to win again
if the Hawks were to challenge for the WVC Division II title. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It appears during the first two weeks of the season, the Hawks have done
just that. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Despite losing quarterback Matt Kawczenski to an ankle injury early in the
second quarter, the Hawks were able to rally for a 28-20 win over Crestwood
Saturday to improve to 2-0 on the young season. Hanover defeated Montrose,
18-0, in a season opener. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In Kawczenski's absence, reserve quarterback Eric Richardson, who had
played little football in the previous three weeks because of a shoulder
injury, stepped in to spark the Hawks to victory. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Eric gave us a great effort. I was glad to see we were able to function
without our leader (Kawczenski) on both sides of the ball out there," Kopacz
said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Richardson engineered a 14-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that gave Hanover
the lead for good. Richardson's 20-yard pass to Bryan Hatten put the Hawks in
front 14-7 at the half. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We knew this was going to be a real test for us," Kopacz said. "Right now,
we just want to enjoy this one for a while. They've won twice as many games
already as they did last year." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Hanover finished 1-9 last season with its lone win coming against winless
Bishop Hoban. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Scott Fertal &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Wa's Win Was Something Special Wyoming Area's 21-6 Victory Over Gar Friday Night Was Special In More Ways Than One For The Warriors.