There was a mystery surrounding North Pocono entering the sixth week of the high school football season.
Everyone knew Jason Sepkowski and his boys were having a good season on the gridiron in Moscow. But how good was the question after the Trojans were handled by Delaware Valley the week prior.
Last week, they answered a lot of questions.
Thanks to the play of quarterback Matt Smith, the Trojans stunned state-ranked Abington Heights, 29-21. Smith had more than 171 yards of offense, and had his hand in three touchdowns.
"This was the best win we had all year," Smith told the Scranton Times-Tribune. "To beat a team ranked that high in the state is big for our team."
Smith scored the game-winning touchdown on a 25-yard run on a fourth-and-long. The Trojans defense was even better, holding a potent Comets rushing attack to less than 190 yards and less than 200 yards of total offense. Abington’s Paul Gallagher had 140 yards and three touchdowns.
"North Pocono is a good football team," AH head coach Joe Repshis told the Times-Tribune. "They were able to run the ball and keep possession of the ball for most of the second half, limiting our opportunities."
There were two historic nights in District 6 last week.
Bellwood-Antis picked up the school’s 500th victory, knocking off previously undefeated Moshannon Valley, 38-0.
"We've been talking about this game all week," Bellwood-Antis fullback Tyler Beech told the Altoona Mirror. "We've been pumped for this for a while, because we heard a lot of talk, and we didn't really talk. We just came out here tonight and did what we had to do."
Beech rushed for 91 yards and two touchdowns, while teammate Zach McCaulley had more than 120 yards on the ground and one score. The Blue Devils defense held Mo Valley to just a little more than 100 yards.
"I won't make any excuses," Moshannon Valley coach Murray Fetzer told the newspaper. "We just got taken to the woodshed tonight, and we've got to learn from that and come out and see how our kids respond."
Also, Huntingdon’s Jim Zauzig notched his 100th career win at the school in a 27-20 Bearcats victory over Indian Valley.
"All that proves is that I've been around for a while,'' Zauzig told the Mirror. "I really appreciate this year's group of coaches and players. We've faced a lot of obstacles this year with injuries. We haven't had the same 11 players on the field in the first six weeks of the season.''
Looking back at Week 6
One team was knocked from the ranks of perfection in District 4, as Danville trimmed Hughesville 7-0. The Spartans, who sustained a rare home defeat, couldn’t muster any type of offense. The game’s lone score was a Mikeal Owens-Wright touchdown.
Hughesville is depleted right now. Leading rusher Andy Laychur sustained a season-ending injury in Week 5. Last week, Cody Butler and D.J. Foresman went down and never returned to the game.
"They made the plays. They got the touchdown when they had to," Hughesville head coach Rick Reichner said to the Williamsport Sun-Gazette. "We had some chances and didn't make it but that's part of the game, but nobody's going to feel sorry for us and we have to rally and have to come back and find a way to get people in the right places."
Montoursville and Williamsport also kept rolling along. The Warriors handed Shikellamy its second straight loss, 28-20, and the Millionaires are 5-1 with a victory over Crestwood.
In District 2, Wallenpaupack’s Joe DeFebo had another strong night. He rushed for 242 yards and two touchdowns in a 14-0 win over Scranton. West Scranton quarterback Tyler Hughes also had a big night, tossing for 274 yards and three scores, but the Invaders lost to Berwick by seven.
Delaware Valley’s backfield racked up some yardage as the team used more than 10 backs, gained 425 yards and scored eight times in a 55-16 win over Honesdale.
In District 6, Tyrone continues to show 2009 isn’t a rebuilding year, as the Golden Eagles got past a strong St. Marys squad, 27-14. United also picked up a big district win, 22-6 over Homer Center. And two of the district’s Quad-A teams fell on hard times as Altoona couldn’t keep up with state-ranked Bishop McDevitt and Central Mountain – playing without leading rusher Scott Zuback in the second half – was trimmed by Hollidaysburg, 20-17.
Looking into Week 7
The biggest slate of big-impact games is in District 2. Abington tries to rebound from its first loss against a red-hot Del Valley squad. North Pocono attempts to keep its momentum flowing, jumping up one class to meet up with Scranton High at Memorial Stadium.
In addition to matchups between Dallas at Crestwood and ‘Paupack at Western Wayne, two Saturday games loom large. Undefeated and top-ranked Double-A squad Dunmore faces off with Scranton Prep (5-1). And in a battle of Quad-A teams, Hazleton faces off with Wyoming Valley West.
In District 4, a pair of 4-2 teams lock horns as Danville travels to Shikellamy. Traditional powers square off as undefeated Selinsgrove goes to Catawissa for a clash with Southern Columbia. And upstart Williamsport faces its toughest test of the season, traveling to Central Dauphin for a nonleague matchup.
It looks to be a quiet week in District 6 as well. The highlight matchup features 6-0 Forest Hills traveling to 5-1 Penn Cambria. Bishop McCort looks to keep its perfect season alive, jumping up two classes to meet Greater Johnstown.
Tom Fox is sports editor at The Lock Haven (Pa.) Express and covers Central and Northeastern Pennsylvania for MaxPreps. He can be reached at tfox@lockhaven.com.
