Zelda Wildoner

3-way Calling Sounds Fishy To Bell Customer 
A Larksville Woman 
Questions How The Phone 
Service Instituted In October 
Rings Up Charges

Wednesday, November 11, 1998 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1B 





Wyoming Area coach displeased because of playoff confusion &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Just moments before last Saturday's Nanticoke at Hanover Area football
game, &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Wyoming Area coach Paul Marranca was enjoying a bowl of haluskiIt would be
the last thing the Warrior mentor would enjoy for the next few days. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Marranca was scouting Hanover Area, a potential Warrior opponent in the
first round of the upcoming District 2 Class AA playoffs. Scranton Prep,
Dunmore, Lake-Lehman and Bristol also were possible Wyoming Area foes. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Marranca didn't know who to prepare his team for. Based on what transpired
during the next two days, neither did anyone else. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Because of the complex nature of the PIAA playoff structure and the tight
races that resulted, Wyoming Area was like many district playoff qualifiers.
The Warriors knew they were in, but didn't know who they were going to play. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 After Saturday's action- which included Hanover Area's predictable victory
over Nanticoke and Susquehanna's upset of Montrose- Marranca received word
from a newspaper reporter at 10:30 p.m. that Wyoming Area was the top seed in
the AA postseason and would be hosting Scranton Prep. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Based on the new PIAA points system- its fifth since the inception of the
state tournament in 1988- Scranton Prep nudged Dunmore by one point for the
fourth and final berth. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Early Sunday, Marranca made arrangements to exchange game films with
Scranton Prep and then met with his assistant coaches to discuss strategy. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 At 6:30 p.m., the veteran head coach received a call from a District 2
committee member that Wyoming Area was playing Dunmore instead of Scranton
Prep, based on a technical interpretation of a 3-year-old PIAA rule. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Marranca then told his staff and team of the change, gave back the Scranton
Prep tapes, and made similar arrangements with Dunmore head coach Jack Henzes. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 At noon on Monday, Marranca walked into the Victoria Inns for the annual
District 2 playoff luncheon when he was greeted by district chairman Charlie
Mecca. Mecca told Marranca, as well as Wyoming Area principal P.J. Melvin and
athletic director Nick Anzelmi, that things could change again. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Sitting in the back of the room with three Dunmore tapes in front of him,
Marranca was angry and confused. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Three hours later, while already practicing for Friday night's semifinal
game, Marranca and Co. found out that Wyoming Area would play Scranton Prep.
Brad Cashman, PIAA executive director, intervened for a second year in a row
and reversed a district-level decision. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Marranca, one of the area's most successful and mild-mannered coaches, was
unsuccessful in his attempt to hide his displeasure with the PIAA. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 He certainly was not alone. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Scranton Prep and Dunmore, though assured of a playoff berth somewhere,
were jerked back and forth. First, Scranton Prep was in the district
tournament, then the Eastern Conference, then back to districts again. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And Mecca, the superintendent at Dunmore, was really caught in the middle. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "When I took over (as district chairman), Jimmy Davis said the job was a
piece of cake," Mecca said at Monday's meeting before the final ruling. "As
soon as I took over, the PIAA came under investigation. Yeah, it's been easy." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Davis, the former district chairman, faced similar problems last year in
AAA, again involving Wyoming Area. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 So how can this be prevented from happening again? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A rule instituted three years ago- which states the fewest number of games
will count toward playoff points when all teams involved don't play the same
number of games by the regular-season deadline- must be changed at December's
PIAA Board of Control meeting. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 All teams from every district that do not play 10 games by the deadline
should take a zero when it only has eight or nine contests scheduled. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Though it is often difficult to book games for many reasons, there is no
excuse for a team like Bristol to have an open date in the middle of its
season when four other District 1 schools have the same open date, including
neighbor Morrisville, a team Bristol is playing on Thanksgiving Day. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Scranton Prep is the deserving team. It is better than Dunmore and has more
points than the Bucks. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 When the PIAA playoffs do get started, most of the teams in the district
tournaments are where they belong. Once the state postseason gets rolling, it
is a gr

Wyoming Area Coach Displeased Because Of Playoff Confusion 
Just Moments Before Last Saturday's Nanticoke At Hanover Area Football Game, 
Wyoming Area Coach Paul Marranca Was Enjoying A Bowl Of Haluski.

Wyoming Area Coach Displeased Because Of Playoff Confusion Just Moments Before Last Saturday's Nanticoke At Hanover Area Football Game, Wyoming Area Coach Paul Marranca Was Enjoying A Bowl Of Haluski.