Tag Archives: high school football

Dunmore Bucks and Holy Cross Crusaders kick off football seasons

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The 2016-2017 Dunmore High School Varsity Football Team (Photo credit: Rich Banick)

By Steve Svetovich

The Dunmore Bucks started the 2016 football season on a high note with a  21-17 win over West Scranton Friday, August 26, at Scranton’s Memorial Stadium.

In the meantime, the cross town Holy Cross Crusaders lost to Holy Redeemer, 34-6, in its opener Saturday, August 27, at Monsignor Crotti Field, Dunmore.

In the Bucks opening game win, Dunmore senior Colin Holmes put the Bucks ahead on a 10-yard touchdown run with 5:30 left in the fourth quarter.

Down by three points with less than seven minutes left in the contest, Dunmore defensive end Kyle Lasher forced an errant pitch out when he hit West quarterback Nick Gioia. Dunmore’s Luke Yanisko recovered on the West 10.

Three plays later, Holmes scrambled into the end zone from the 10 and the Bucks had a 21-17 lead. The extra point kick failed.

The Bucks started the contest with a 13-play drive, but Holmes fumbled and West Scranton senior Jude Wheeler recovered.

The tight Dunmore defense held West, but Holmes mishandled a punt. West’s Noah Worsnick pounced on the pigskin. That set up a Gioia 25-yard touchdown pass to Matt Williams.

Holmes, always resilient, brought the Bucks back with a 71-yard kickoff return before scoring a touchdown on a one-yard burst to tie the game with 16 seconds left in the first quarter.

Dunmore drove 65 yards on its next possession. Holmes and Lasher handled the bulk of the running with  quarterback Gavin Darcy scoring on a quarterback sneak with 6:19 left in the second quarter to make it 14-7.

West settled on a Shayne Merrifield 21-yard field goal on the Invaders next possession after Holmes batted a ball away from Williams in the end zone.

Gioia scored on a 47-yard jaunt with 2:26 left in the third quarter to lift West to a 17-14 lead after Merrifield’s extra point kick.

Holmes, late in the contest, saved the game for the Bucks when he knocked a long pass attempt loose from Gioia to Dashawn Minnick.

Holmes led the Dunmore running game with 102 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries. Lasher ran for 76 yards on 16 carries.

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The 2016-2017 Holy Cross Crusaders Varsity Football Team

In the Holy Cross contest, J.D. Turosky of Holy Redeemer scored on two touchdown passes and had two interceptions, including one he returned for a touchdown.

The Crusaders did get off to a good start in the contest when senior stalwart Cory Miller returned the opening kickoff 60 yards for a touchdown.

However, Holy Redeemer on its third play from scrimmage scored on a 63-yard touchdown pass from signal caller Tom Engle to Turosky who out jumped a Crusader defender.

The Crusaders kept the game close until late in the second quarter when Engle hit Turosky on a 22-yard touchdown after a bad snap on a Holy Cross punt attempt gave Holy Redeemer excellent field position.

Turosky intercepted a pass and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown on the Crusaders next possession.

Holy Redeemer put together a 61-yard drive to open the second half. Jonathan Winters scored on a two-yard plunge to give Holy Redeemer a 27-6 lead.

The Crusaders drove inside the Holy Redeemer five on the next possession, but lost a fumble at the two.

The final tally for Holy Redeemer came when Winters ran 44 yards into the end zone after the snap on a punt attempt sailed over his head. The ball just bounced the right way and he grabbed it and raced in for the score.

But that’s the way things went for the Crusaders who are looking to regroup and bounce back from the loss.

UPDATE: In week two, the Dunmore Bucks defeated Lackawanna Trail 27-7, while the Holy Cross Crusaders fell to Lakeland 49-14.

Dunmore falls short in state quarterfinal football game

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By Steve Svetovich

Following a 51-29 route over Notre Dame- Green Pond, the Dunmore Bucks lost the PIAA Class AA quarterfinal contest, 28-10, to West Catholic High School, Saturday, December 5, at Northern Lehigh High School.

Dunmore senior back Garrett Murray rushed for 177 yards and scored five touchdowns in Dunmore’s 51-29 win over Notre Dame-Green Pond in the PIAA Class AA first round contest, Friday, November 27, at Northern Lehigh High School.

Colin Holmes added 92 rushing yards on 22 carries in the first round game. Dunmore fullback Pat Reese rushed for 52 yards, including a 24-yard touchdown burst, on eight carries. Dunmore quarterback Dominic Mesko rushed for 59 yards, including a one-yard touchdown plunge, on four carries.

The Bucks totaled 389 rushing yards on 63 carries against Notre Dame-Green Pond.

West Catholic High School also ended Dunmore’s post season state title hopes in 2008 and 2009.

Murray rushed for 76 yards on 20 carries in the loss to West Catholic. He rambled into the end zone for a four-yard touchdown run with 2:03 left in the contest. That capped a 92-yard drive for the proud District 2 champions.

The Dunmore running game was not shut down by West Catholic. The team rushed for 260 yards, four more than West Catholic, on 54 carries. Junior Kyle Lasher rushed for 75 yards on 11 carries. Holmes rushed for 51 yards on 10 carries. Reese added 31 yards on eight carries.

The Bucks had chances to score early on, but had three costly turnovers in the game.

Pat Orr kicked a 31-yard field goal for Dunmore, with 8:47 left in the first half. At that point West Catholic only had a 6-3 lead, but quarterback Joshua Evans scored on a 15-yard run with 6:32 left in the half. West Catholic led, 12-3, at the half.

A 27-yard touchdown pass from Evans to Amir Postley and two-point conversion run by Calil Wortham gave West Catholic a commanding 20-3 lead with 7:45 left in the third quarter.

The Murray four yard touchdown run followed by Orr’s extra point kick brought the margin down to 20-10 with 2:03 left in the game.

However, a 48-yard Wortham scamper for a touchdown and two-point conversion run sealed the game, 28-10, for West Catholic with 1:42 left in the contest. Wortham also scored on a two-yard burst in the first quarter.

Dunmore veteran head coach Jack Henzes and his Bucks never gave in. Pat Reese and Chris Coviello each had key fumble recoveries for the defense. Both fumble recoveries halted West Catholic drives inside the Dunmore 10.

Coach Henzes praised his team for never giving up and working hard all season. He credited the West Catholic team’s athleticism for their victory. Henzes, who is one of only two high school football coaches with over 400 wins in the state, said he is very proud of his team.

Dunmore finished the season 12-2.

Henzes earns 400th win as Bucks continue to roll

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Jack Henzes, head coach of the Dunmore Bucks, celebrates his 400th win a 46-0 victory over Carbondale Area. (Photo Credit: Rich Banick)

Jack Henzes, head coach of the Dunmore Bucks, celebrates his 400th win a 46-0 victory over Carbondale Area. (Photo Credit: Rich Banick)

By Steve Svetovich

Dunmore Bucks head football coach Jack Henzes captured his 400th career win with his team’s 46-0 route over Carbondale Area on Friday, Oct. 2, at Dunmore Veterans Memorial Stadium. The Bucks have since then continued to improve their season record to 8-1.

Dunmore defeated Western Wayne, 41-15, on Friday, Oct. 23, at Canaan Township. In their most recent contest, the Bucks earned a big win against Montrose with a score of 54-7. Dunmore is 4-0 in the Lackawanna Football Conference Division III at press time.

In their win over Carbondale Area, the Bucks totaled 338 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. The tight Dunmore defense held Carbondale Area to minus 23 total yards. It was a typical win for Dunmore to get Henzes win No. 400.

Henzes, 79, now has a career record of 403-157-8. He started his coaching career 49 years ago at Wyoming Area, but the bulk of his career has been with the Dunmore Bucks.

The coaching legend is second in the state in high school football wins. He trails only George Curry. Henzes and Curry are the only two coaches with at least 400 career wins. Henzes is only the 16th high school football coach in the country to accomplish the feat.

In the win over Carbondale Area, the Bucks drove from the Chargers 47 to the 11 before Colin Holmes trudged his way 11 yards into the end zone for a touchdown with 7:29 left in the first quarter. The extra point kick attempt failed, but Dunmore had a 6-0 lead.

The Bucks scored again on a Garrett Murray 41-yard run with 7:15 left in the second quarter. The extra point kick attempt failed, but the Bucks had a 12-0 lead.

Murray scored once more on a 15-yard run with 2:42 left in the half. The extra point kick gave Dunmore a 19-0 lead which the team held to the end of the first half.

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Photo Credit: Rich Banick

On the second play of the second half, with the pigskin at the Dunmore 46, Carbondale attempted a backwards pass. The play backfired and Murray recovered the ball on the Carbondale one.

Holmes led plunged into the end zone for a touchdown. The extra point kick gave Dunmore a 26-0 lead with 10:45 left in the third quarter.

Kyle Lasher scored on runs of 22 and 20 yards in the third quarter. Joe Galenas added a 66-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.

Following the conclusion of the game, Henzes was congratulated by his players and assistant coaches and Carbondale Area head coach Larry Gabriel III. Following the traditional team handshakes, the Carbondale Area players individually went up to Henzes to congratulate him.

A short ceremony then took place on the football field, and Henzes was presented with a sign to commemorate the milestone. Henzes received a celebratory plaque in the locker room from the Dunmore coaching staff.

Henzes was quick to thank his players, the coaching staff and the Dunmore High School administration, teachers, student body and all other personnel.

Murray rushed for 84 yards and two touchdowns on five carries in the win. Lasher rushed for 76 yards and two touchdowns on six carries. Holmes rushed for 55 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries.

The third-ranked Bucks, coming off a dominant win over Lakeland the previous week, forced two turnovers, blocked a punt and scored four rushing touchdowns in the first half to defeat Western Wayne, 41-15, at Sharkey Rosetti Sports Complex.

Dunmore’s Cory Frick sacked Western Wayne quarterback Scott Walck on a third down play on the Wildcats first possession, forcing a punt. Dunmore’s Michael Dougherty returned the punt 33 yards to the Wildcat 31. Two plays later, Murray galloped 20 yards and then Holmes rambled into the end zone from three yards out. The extra point kick gave Dunmore a 7-0 lead.

Early in the second quarter, the Bucks gained control of the ball on the Wildcat 13 after a bad snap on a punt attempt. On fourth-and-12, Dunmore quarterback Dominic Mesko hit a wide open Murray for a 15-yard touchdown toss. The extra point kick made it 14-0 in favor of the Bucks who never looked back.

Murray added a two-yard touchdown burst with 5:38 left in the half. Then Lasher scored on a nine-yard run with 2:05 left in the half.

Dunmore back Pat Reese scored on a 48-yard run with 11:06 left in the third quarter putting the game out of reach.

Murray led the ground game with 52 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. Reese rushed for 43 yards on three carries.

The Bucks defense held Western Wayne to 67 rushing yards. The Dunmore defense and specialty teams gave the Bucks good field position throughout the contest.

Next up for Dunmore is a home game against Riverside on Nov. 6.