By: Edward Kiesendahl
Last Friday night the Wallenpaupack football team took the road trip to the ranked number one, North Pocono Trojans for their first league game of the year. Leading into the game the Buckhorns were underdogs with North Pocono being ranked the number one team not only in the Lackawanna League but all of District Two in many polls. While Paupack may not have been ranked as highly as the Trojans, they still bring a level of physicality and grit to the game that would make this game a battle to outlast your opposer. Another key to winning the game for both sides was capitalizing on any mistakes their opponent makes.
The first half of the game was led by a strong defensive presence from each team. Paupack and North Pocono stalled out on their opening drives. On North Pocono’s second drive they managed to punch in a score on a ten-play drive capped off by a three-yard run from Cole West. But, the Buckhorns did not sit down, instead they put together an impressive fourteen-play drive inching their way to the endzone. The touchdown was scored by senior running back, Logan Caruso out of the wildcat formation. A botched point after attempt by the Buckhorns kept the score 7-6. The half ended with North Pocono drilling a thirty-seven-yard field goal to make the score 10-6.
After the half the Trojans started with the ball in plus territory following a return to the Paupack forty-eight yard line. A tough stand by the defense forced a three-and-out and punt for North Pocono which gave the Bucks the ball on their own three. From that point forward the Trojans dominated the third quarter, taking advantage of every mishap, (a fumble and two interceptions) the Buckhorns had. A fumble, interception and a blocked punt gave North Pocono the ball within the Paupack fifty, and it led to twenty-one unanswered point making the score 31-6 early in the fourth quarter. This would make the majority of teams roll over and give up, but that is not what happened. Wallenpaupack responded with a fifty-two-yard touchdown on a screen pass from quarterback, Jake Rafferty and running back, Eddie Kiesendahl.
The final score amounted to 38-13 in North Pocono’s favor, and it was a game where turnovers kept the game out of reach for Paupack. However, the Bucks’ resilience and the determination to play through the final whistle show signs of hope for their still young season. This game drops Wallenpaupack’s record to 2-2 while North Pocono stays undefeated at 4-0. This Friday Wallenpaupack will take on League rival Delaware Valley (0-4) in the battle for Pike County. It is sure to be a back-and-forth game with a long history of competition between the teams. The game starts at 7:00 on Friday night at home, and the theme for the game is NEON.
