Tag Archives: Terry Gallagher

Scranton Prep looks to be powerhouse again

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By Steve Svetovich

Scranton Prep should be a major force once again after coming off a season where the football team won a third consecutive District 2 Class 3A title and advanced to the PIAA quarterfinals.

The standards are always to strive for excellence at Scranton Prep. And that goes for both academics and athletics.

Prep won its first game this season, 33-0, over Valley View, on Friday, August 23, at home.

Scranton Prep head football coach Terry Gallagher is in his ninth season at the helm. He has now compiled an impressive 84-16 record, including the opening day win this season.

Scranton Prep has won seven District 2 Class 3A titles since 2015.

Key returning players include Louis Paris, Treyvon Dickey, Reese Tanner, Ambrose Rossi, Will McPartland, Brady Holmes, Travis Sharples, Byron Axtell, Anthony De Los Santos, and Jack Doughton.

“We have high expectations,” said coach Gallagher.  “We wanted to schedule more challenging out-of-conference games to help us properly prepare for the post-season.

“Our passing game led by quarterback Louis Paris will consist of several wide receivers playing multiple positions.

“We hope to continue to be a physical football team up front. Running the football will be extremely important to our success.

“The defense will be led by Reese Tanner, a three-year starter at linebacker. Treyvon Dickey, Travis Sharples, Will McPartland, Jack Doughton, and Ambrose Rossi will also be guys to lean on defensively. They have experience for us.”

Scranton Prep’s 2024-2025 cheerleading squad

The veteran coach said Paris can be explosive from his quarterback position.

“Louis is a dual threat at quarterback. He has gotten bigger, faster and stronger each year. We have high expectations for him this season. His competitive nature is contagious to the rest of the team. That makes us better.”

Assistant coaches under Gallagher are Brian Groom, Dan McShaffery, Bill Pasqualichio, Ryan Jones, Jason Tallo, Brett Stage, Marc DeAntona, Evan Prall, Owen Perih, A.J. Kohut, Riley Nealon, Sam Dickson, Tyler Mackrell, and Brady Rutkowski.

Sharples, who is highly touted, started at guard last season. He earned All-Region honors for a team that rushed for 3,199 yards.

Paris, who has a high-powered arm, started at quarterback as a sophomore and threw for 1,235 yards and 18 touchdowns. A dual threat, he also ran for 519 yards and 11 touchdowns. That earned him honorable mention all-star status in Lackawanna Football Conference Division I.

Dickey rushed for 377 yards and added 246 yards receiving last season.

Tanner, a tough runner and lead blocker, had 134 yards and three touchdowns on the ground last season.

McPartland rushed for 225 yards and six touchdowns last season.

Tanner enters his third season at linebacker. Rossi returns at defensive end and.McPartland at free safety.

Tanner, Rossi and McPartland were also honorable mention Lackawanna Football Conference Division I all-stars.

Axtell started on the defensive line and Dickey started in the secondary last season, so the defense has plenty of experience.

Prep recorded three shutout wins last season, so the opening day shutout could be a prelude of things to come.

Scranton Prep Football Coach Takes One Game at a Time 

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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.”