Abington Heights blitzes West Scranton, 62-14

It was touted as a battle of state-ranked teams.

Both Abington Heights (Clarks Summit) and West Scranton (Scranton) were mentioned in polls by both the Harrisburg Patriot and Pennsylvania Football News. Both are District 2 Triple-A squads, so another postseason battle appeared likely.

This time, the Comets showed why they are poised to challenge for a state championship.

Abington rolled up almost 500 yards of offense, 376 of those on the ground, as the Clarks Summit school cruised to a 62-14 victory, according to the Scranton Times-Tribune.

Abington led 27-14 at halftime, but scored 21 in the third quarter and two touchdowns in the final 12 minutes. For sure, it was an impressive performance.

“We are Abington Heights and we are going to get every team’s best shot,” Abington’s James Fruehan said to the newspaper. “We came out and the atmosphere was great. We came out and rose to the occasion. Our offense line and defense played great.”

Fruehan finished with 180 yards and three scores as the Comets scored on four straight possessions in the second half, the newspaper reported.

“We established the run and we got them going downhill and it opened up some passing lanes,” Comet Paul Gallagher told the paper. “We got the ball in the end zone.”

West Scranton standout quarterback Tyler Hughes threw for 191 yards and had the Invaders' two lone scores.

2. Bellwood hands Juniata Valley first loss: Bellwood-Antis kept feeding the ball to Travis Taylor, and the tailback, in turn, brought another title to the school. Taylor ran the ball 35 times and scored two touchdowns in a 36-22 victory over Juniata Valley, according to the Altoona Mirror. The win also clinched the Inter-County Conference’s North Division title for the Blue Devils.

“Travis has tremendous heart,” Bellwood mentor John Hayes told the newspaper. “He’d take 45 handoffs a game if you called his number because he’ll go until he drops. He just plays so hard on both sides of the football.”

Taylor finished with 149 yards and two second-half scores, while teammate Tyler Campbell's two first-quarter TDs gave Bellwood an early, 12-0 lead.

3. Selinsgrove wins fifth straight: The defending Triple-A state champs are rolling into the District 4 Class AAA playoffs. Selinsgrove scored on its first four plays and jumped out to a 28-0 lead en route to a 49-14 victory over Jersey Shore. Kyle Reinard had an 18-yard run, Grant Fleetwood scored from 22 yards out and Justin Keiser threw for two touchdowns as the Seals led 28-0 with 4:13 left in the first quarter.

“We knew we had to make a run and put some wins together to get where we need to be in the district standings,” Seals head coach Dave Hess said. “Are we comfortable where we are at? We’re happy we’ve won the last five but we’re not where we need to be, so we have to continue to work hard and get better.”

4. Dragons back in playoff picture: Lucas Runk, quarterback. Lucas Runk, running back. Now, it’s Lucas Runk, star receiver. The standout senior Central (Martinsburg) athlete used his hands to keep the Dragons in the District 6 Class AA playoff race in a 21-7 victory at Huntingdon last week. According to the Altoona Mirror, Runk made an acrobatic catch for a 59-yard touchdown that propelled the Dragons to a big lead on the road.

“My hands were working good today,” Runk told the newspaper, “so we just kept with it. It turned out to be good for us. We do it all in practice. Everyone plays a lot of places. We try to make teams wonder what we’re going to do next, and I think we’re doing a good job with that.”

Runk caught four passes for 115 yards, while rushing for 55 yards on 11 carries.

5. Susquehanna rolling in District 2: Don’t look now, but Susquehanna continues to quietly put together a very successful 2010. Susquehanna jumped out to a 20-point halftime lead and held on for a 32-19 victory over Lackawanna Trail, according to the Scranton Times-Tribune. The victory improved Susquehanna to 7-1.

“We knew we were going to be in for a dogfight,” Susquehanna head coach Dick Bagnell told the newspaper. “We grabbed the lead, and then I think maybe our guys got tired in the second half.”

Despite only breaking 200 yards of offense, Susquehanna scored on a blocked punt and recovered a fumble in the end zone before Trail added three scores in the second half.

TOP GAMES FOR WEEK 9
District 2
1. North Pocono (Moscow) at Abington Heights
2. Riverside (Taylor) at Lakeland (Jermyn)
District 4
1. Danville at Bloomsburg
2. Mount Carmel at Southern Columbia Area (Catawissa)
District 6
1. Bellefonte at Clearfield
2. Central Dauphin (Harrisburg) at State College

FOX’S TOP 10
(Rankings based on Central and Northeastern Pa. Last week’s ranking and result after school name)
1. Abington Heights, 1, beat West Scranton, 62-14
2. North Schuylkill (Ashland), 2, beat Mahoney Area, 35-0
3. Lewisburg, 3, beat Central Columbia, 41-0
4. Danville, 4, beat Shamokin Area, 55-7
5. Tyrone, 5, beat Philipsburg-Osceola, 42-7
6. Riverside (Taylor), 6, beat Carbondale, 49-6
7. Forest Hills (Sidman), 7, beat Westmont-Hilltop, 56-6
8. Dallas, 8, beat Pocono Mountain East, 31-28
9. Southern Columbia, 10, beat Loyalsock, 56-42
10. Johnstown Area, HM, beat Penn Cambria, 42-24
Dropped out: West Scranton
Honorable Mention: West Scranton, North Pocono, Williamsport, Dunmore, Bellwood-Antis, Bloomsburg, WB GAR, Towanda, Mount Carmel Area, Lakeland, Lake-Lehman, Bellefonte Area.

Tom Fox is sports editor at The Lock Haven (Pa.) Express and covers Central and Northeastern Pa. for MaxPreps. He can be reached at tfox@lockhaven.com.