Scranton Prep Football Coach Takes One Game at a Time

Posted on August 25, 2021 by The Dunmorean

By Steve Svetovich

Scranton Prep head football coach Terry Gallagher does not believe in looking too far ahead.

“We take one game at a time here at Scranton Prep,” he said. “The coaching staff here wants to make sure we play the best we can week by week.”

And that means not looking too far past each opponent.

“We only look at the opponent we are playing that particular week,” he said. “We prepare the best we can for that team. We don’t set goals for down the road. Our only goal is to beat the next team… That is how we do things here.”

Scranton Prep was 4-1 in the COVID-19 shortened season in 2020. Despite the 4-1 record, the team did not make the post season.

Coach Gallagher, in his sixth season as head coach, is a 2002 graduate of Scranton Prep. He played football at LaSalle before eventually graduating from the University of Scranton with a bachelor of science degree in elementary education. He teaches at North Pocono.

Coach Gallagher said his players are looking good in summer practice sessions.

“The boys are looking pretty good,” he said. “The older players have been working in this program and have the experience to lead us. Our veteran players will lead by example.

“We are trying to push all the right buttons and be more physical and improve our techniques. Hopefully, we will have a full year of games.”

Sean Monahan, a junior, is expected to be the team’s quarterback this season.

Other key returning players include senior wide receiver-defensive back Rob Maguire, senior offensive and defensive lineman Kellen Doughton, senior tight end-linebacker Andrew Durkin of Dunmore, junior running back-defensive back London Montgomery, senior wide receiver-defensive back Robert Rossi, senior linebacker-fullback Mike Golay, senior lineman Adam Kenny, senior lineman Drew O’Malley, senior lineman Christian Kohut, junior lineman Anthony Nicotera, senior Jimmy Burke and seniors Rich Pasco and Ned Leonard.

Assistant coaches under coach Gallagher are Brian Croom, Dan McShaffery, Jason Tallo, Ryan James, Brett Stage, Anthony Rossi, Billy Pasqualichio, Keith Toolan, Ben Koshanski and A.J. McKenna,

Burke, a 5-10, 285-pound defensive lineman, is one of the top returning football players in District 2. Coach Gallagher called him one of the leading guys in the weight room and one of the strongest players on the team.

Burke started as a sophomore and played a key role in Scranton Prep reaching the District 2 title game. He had 55 tackles, including five for a loss. He also recorded two sacks.

Last season, Burke had 26 tackles and two and one-half sacks in only five games. He earned a spot on the Lackawanna Football Conference Division I-II Coaches’ all-star second team.

Burke takes a lot of pride in his strength and agility training.

“We have the experience to lead this team,” coach Gallagher said. “We take things week by week, one game at a time. We are looking at being prepared and winning game one right now.”

Holy Cross Senior Matt Tucker Shows Determination

Posted on August 25, 2021 by The Dunmorean

By Steve Svetovich

Holy Cross Crusaders senior left tackle-guard Matt Tucker is determined to help his teammates be successful on the gridiron this season.

Son of Craig and Margaret Tucker, Matt is a four-year member of the Holy Cross football team.

An honor student, his best academic subject is math. He is also a member of the chess club at Holy Cross.

The senior lineman said his parents taught him a lot about determination. “They taught me to stick things out and keep trying no matter what. Even when things get hard, keep trying and stay determined.”

He said the team is already learning a lot from new Holy Cross head football coach Joe Giorgio. “He tells us to keep trying to get better. He tells us to push ourselves to improve and never stop.”

The senior standout talked about what it takes to be a good lineman.

“You need a lot of determination,” he said. “You need to learn from your mistakes and keep going.”

The strong-willed senior said this Holy Cross team is looking to win games consistently. “We are going to succeed and bring this team some wins. And we want to start something here at Holy Cross and keep it going for years to come.”

Always displaying a good attitude and demeanor, Matt said he is enjoying his years at Holy Cross.

“We have some really great coaches who make this feel like home for me,” he said. “My teammates are always there for me no matter what. We are always there for each other. That is what this school is all about.”

Matt said he likes music and would like to see Elton John in concert. “He is a favorite of my mom’s too,” he said.

Matt said he would like to become an electrician and study electronics at Johnson College in the fall of 2022.

He said the COVID-19 pandemic has been tough on student athletes. “It is especially hard coming back after not having many practices and games last year due to COVID. More than half of our team never played football before. We didn’t have the opportunity to get much experience last year. There were not many opportunities to practice.”

Matt can’t wait for his senior year. He is determined now more than ever. “Our football team is going to be really good. We are going to get a lot of wins.”

As for Holy Cross, he adds, “Academically, the teachers are always there for you. They are always there to help you out if needed. I am really looking forward to this senior year.”

Doin’ Dunmore: Thanksgiving Day Football Memories

Posted on August 25, 2021 by The Dunmorean

By Steve Svetovich

A new Thanksgiving Day rivalry emerged Thursday, Nov. 22, 1945, when Dunmore defeated West Scranton, 6-2.

The Dunmore win nailed down the Lackawanna Conference title for first-year head coach Tommy Silvano and the Bucks.

Dunmore finished 9-0 in the conference, but had to settle for second place in the Northern Division of the EIFC.

Larksville represented the division in the championship game after finishing with a 6-0 record.

Former Sunday Scrantonian Tribune sports editor Guy Valvano, Dunmore, wrote a book, “Thanksgiving Memories,” in 2009.

According to Valvano’s book, there were 7,500 fans on hand Thursday afternoon, Nov. 22. 1945, at Athletic Park.

Valvano wrote Guy Ardizoni, one of the most talented running backs in the history of Lackawanna County high school football, ran 14 yards in the mud in the closing minutes. The score offset a 2-0 lead from a safety that had been held by West Scranton since the first quarter.

Valvano wrote Ardizoni was hobbling on a painful right knee that had been injured the previous game. The touchdown enabled the fleet-footed senior to finish the season with 114 points in 10 games, according to Valvano.

That eclipsed the record of 102 points he had set a season earlier, added Valvano.

Tech defeated Central, 6-0, on Thanksgiving morning that very same day at Athletic Park. Billy “Ging” Weiss, the smallest and lightest player on the mud-covered field, cut off tackle and scored on a 17 yard run for Central, wrote Valvano.

Five years later in 1950, wrote Valvano, Dunmore won the Lackawanna Conference championship by defeating West Scranton, 18-0, before 5,500 fans at home on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 23, to finish with a 7-2-2 record,

Dunmore had been hopeful of representing the Northern Division in the EIFC championship game, wrote Valvano, but the honor – much to the chagrin of Dunmore School District officials – went to Swoyersville.

The Luzerne County school, wrote Valvano, nosed out the Bucks after being allowed to use the record of an opponent that had not played a minimum of five conference games as required by the EIFC. That opponent was Ashley, which was 0-1-1 in the conference.

The final standings showed Swoyersville as the first place team with Dunmore as the runner up.

Swoyersville’s loss was to Southern Division member Coal Township, a team that was held to a 7-7 tie by Dunmore one week before the Bucks played West Scranton on Thanksgiving Day. Coal Township handed Swoyersville a 26-13 setback in the EIFC title game.

Coaches from Coal Township had looked at Dunmore as their potential opponent in the EIFC title game, wrote Valvano. The coaches of the Southern Division champion were scouting Dunmore that Thanksgiving Day, wrote Valvano.

When some Dunmore fans at the Bucks-Invaders game on Thanksgiving, wrote Valvano, asked Coal Township head coach Walter Marshall why his staff was not scouting Swoyersville that day, his response was that he expected the Purple Demons to be playing Dunmore in the title game.

In the 1950 Thanksgiving Day game played on the snow-covered field, wrote Valvano, Dunmore’s touchdowns against West Scranton were scored by Matt Soranno, on an interception return; Lou Costanzo on a one-yard run; and Pat Ferraro, on a 14-yard run.

The win gave Dunmore head football coach V. James Gatto his second Lackawanna Conference championship.

The late Chic Feldman of The Scrantonian reported Dunmore had put the finishing touches to the most grueling regular season schedule in school history. The losses were to Lock Haven and Berwick, two quality football programs, at the outset of the season. Dunmore then went through the rest of the season without a loss.