Wilkes-Barre and Hazleton Area are an even 3-3 against one another since September of 2019, but not for long. The Wilkes-Barre Wolfpack will head out to face off against the Hazleton Area Cougars at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Wilkes-Barre took a loss when they played away from home two weeks ago, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They claimed a resounding 35-2 win over West Scranton at home. The Wolfpack pushed the score to 27-0 by the end of the third, a deficit the Invaders had little chance of recovering from.
DAVON UNDERWOOD continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 157 yards and two touchdowns on only 14 carries, while also picking up 65 receiving yards and a touchdown. He really tore up the turf during one magnificent 73-yard run. LOGAN SINCAVAGE got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Wilkes-Barre was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 224 rushing yards. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved they're rushing yard total in three consecutive contests.
Wilkes-Barre's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of TREYVON GEMBITSKI and SINCAVAGE.
Meanwhile, Hazleton Area waltzed into their game on Friday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They breezed by the Spartans at home to the tune of 34-7. The matchup marked the Cougars' most dominant victory of the season.
Ashton Karlick was a one-man wrecking crew for Hazleton Area as he rushed for 157 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 8.7 yards per carry. That's the most rushing yards Karlick has posted since back in October of 2023.
The win snapped Wilkes-Barre's losing streak at three games and leaves them with a 2-3 record. As for Hazleton Area, they now have a winning record of 3-2.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's match: Wilkes-Barre has been on an offensive roll this season, having averaged 365.4 total yards per game. It's a different story for Hazleton Area, though, as they've been averaging only 214.6. Will Wilkes-Barre be able to march up the field at their leisure again, or will Hazleton Area flip the script?
Wilkes-Barre strolled past Hazleton Area when the teams last played back in September of 2023 by a score of 27-8. Will Wilkes-Barre repeat their success, or does Hazleton Area have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
