North Pocono pulls away again in Pennsylvania

If North Pocono (Moscow) wasn't getting attention prior to the season, the Trojans surely are right now.

One week after knocking off the state's No. 1 ranked Class A team, North Pocono pulled off another huge win, beating state-ranked Berwick 21-20 last Friday.

With the game hanging in the balance, Frankie Depietro swatted away what would have been a game-winning two-point conversation away from receiver Eric Schleich.

The Scranton Times-Tribune reported that Depietro allowed Sean Ridall to get behind him for a nearly 60-yard score to set up the game-winning conversion attempt.

"I thought that I had blown the game for our team," he told the newspaper. "I am the happiest person in the world."

It really was another statement victory for the Class AAA team, which opens the season with probably one of the toughest four-games stretches in Central and Northeastern Pennsylvania.

First, it was a two-point victory over the powerful Dunmore Bucks in Week 1. Last week, another statement.

North Pocono had a 14-0 lead at the break — thanks to touchdown runs by Marquill Eggleston and Greg Sporko.

But the Bulldogs, thanks to three second-half scores, put themselves in a position to win. And head coach Gary Campbell never flinched.

It was win or go home.

"We have a good 6-foot-5 receiver and we were going to let the dice roll," he told the newspaper. "There is no doubt that I would do it again in the heartbeat."

The go-ahead score turned out to be a Sporko score with 4:31 left.

"The rivalry with Berwick has been great," NP head coach Jason Sepkowski told the Scranton paper.

2. Lewisburg shocks Mount Carmel: In Week 1, it was Mount Carmel that shocked defending Triple-A state champ Selinsgrove. Now, it was the Lewisburg Green Dragons with the stunner, 20-0, over the Red Tornadoes. Leading the charge was the Dragons' backfield of Nathaniel Brown and Merle Moscarello, who combined for more than 300 yards and two scores. The win spoiled the home debut of MCA coach Carm DeFrancesco. "We thought they weren't going to move the ball on us like they did, but boy, they just moved the ball. I give them a lot of credit," DeFrancesco told the Sunbury Daily-Item.

3. Selinsgrove in a free-fall: The state's defending AAA champ is still trying to find its foot. After losing a talented group of seniors from last year’s title run, Selinsgrove has dropped two straight to start the 2010 season, the latest a 42-22 loss to a very good Danville team. It was a total effort by the Ironmen. Senior Russell Heath had two scores, quarterback Andrew Andreychik threw for two touchdowns and Anthony Sori had almost 300 all-purpose yards. "It is frustrating," Selinsgrove coach Dave Hess said to the Daily-Item. "I tip my hat to them, and I see basic, fundamental breakdowns on our part. I don't know how many times we were there defensively, and we didn't tackle."

4. Bellefonte moves to 2-0: New coach Duffy Besch has given Bellefonte a spark. And the Red Raiders are starting to turn a corner in Centre County. After struggling the last three seasons, Bellefonte improved to 2-0 with a victory over Central (Martinsburg), 22-20. The game-winning score came on a fourth-and-4 when Brandon Quay, playing in place of starter Tyler Lucas, hit Matt Watson on the left sideline and the receiver went down all the way to the end zone. Central Martinsburg drove into Bellefonte territory but Lucas Runk was sacked on the final play. "Something happened to Tyler on the (third-down) play and he came up holding his hand," Besch said. "That is just a tribute to our guys. They play any position we ask them to."

5. Millionaires rolling: After a lopsided victory over Central Mountain in Week 1, everyone expected Williamsport to have a tougher time with normal District 2 power Hazleton Area. Then again, the Millionaires are having a spectacular season in Lycoming County, running past the Cougars, 46-12. Senior backfield teammates Nahshon Braggs and Timothy Maeshack ran for more than 220 yards and four touchdowns. The victory does come with a price as Braggs was injured in the third quarter, and could miss a few weeks. "If something works, we're not going away from it," Williamsport head coach Tom Gravish told the Williamsport Sun-Gazette. "It was working well. We liked the way it was working, so why change?"

TOP 6 GAMES FOR WEEK 3
DISTRICT 2
1. Dallas at Berwick
2. Riverside (Ellwood City) at North Pocono
DISTRICT 4
1. Shamokin Area (Coal Township) at Southern Columbia Area (Catawissa)
2. Hughesville at Lewisburg
DISTRICT 6
1. Tyrone at Bellefonte
2. Forest Hills (Sidman) at Bishop Carroll (Ebensburg)

FOX'S TOP 10
(Through Week 2 Games)
1. Abington Heights (Clarks Summit) (2-0), District 2
2. North Pocono (2-0), District 2
3. North Schuylkill (Ashland) (2-0), District 11
4. Williamsport (2-0), District 4
5. Lewisburg (2-0), District 4
6. Dunmore (1-1), District 2
7. Tyrone (2-0), District 6
8. Berwick (1-1), District 2
9. Southern Columbia (2-0), District 4
10. Shamokin Area (2-0), District 4
Honorable Mention: Riverside, District 2; Bellwood-Antis (Bellwood), District 6; Loyalsock Township (Williamsport), District 4; Bloomsburg, District 4; Forest Hills, District 6, Huntingdon, District 6; Dallas, District 2; Delaware Valley (Milford), District 2.