CLINTON TWP. — Lackawanna Trail’s 6-foot-2, 290-pound offensive lineman Shawn Jones is usually the one creating holes for backs to run through.
After three years of petitioning for a carry, Jones made the most of his opportunity by bursting through a gap for a 5-yard touchdown during the Lions’ 48-0 win over Montrose in a Lackawanna Football Conference Division 3 game on Senior Night.
“That’s what three years of nagging coach (Steve) Jervis will do,” Jones said. “Sophomore year, I’m like coach maybe a little time at fullback…and finally he gave up.
“I have to give it all to the line. We love hearing it, so you’ve got to love giving (the credit). It was such as awesome experience.”
Lackawanna Trail senior fullback Thomas Kohinsky started the scoring with a 2-yard touchdown run, to cap a 5-play, 60-yard drive, with 7:09 left in the first quarter.
Jeffrey Resto and Owen Hivner broke off runs of 18 and 36 yards, respectively, to set up the score.
Senior running back Quinn Jagoe scored the first of his two touchdowns, on a 1-yard run, with 5:34 remaining in the first quarter after Montrose (1-9) fumbled the kickoff.
“This was a special night for our seniors,” Lackawanna Trail head coach Steve Jervis said. “It was good to see Thomas Kohinsky get in the end zone, Quinn Jagoe, and even Shawn Jones got in the mix. I’m just real proud of this group of kids. I feel like we finished the season the way we wanted to and now we’re getting ready for the second season.”
A blocked punt by Zac Cost set up an 8-yard touchdown pass from Nate Rolka to Noah Coleman.
The duo connected four times for 59 yards in the game.
“We’re known as a running team, so it’s great to have the run and pass game going for us,” Coleman said.
Rolka tacked on the extra point to give Trail a 21-0 lead with 2:31 left in the first quarter.
Trail converted a turnover into points when Jagoe scored on a 2-yard run after Jordan Edwards intercepted a pass.
A fumble recovery by Cost set the stage of Jones’ first career touchdown with 8:11 remaining in the second quarter.
Rolka, who completed 6 of 6 passes for 90 yards, found Coleman for a 13-yard touchdown to give the Lions a 41-0 lead with 43 seconds left in the first half after Ray Melnikoff’s extra point.
“We’ve been working on it more in practice and we feel like we’re starting to get our rhythm back,” Rolka said of team’s passing attack.
Lackawanna Trail’s Luke Baldwin scored the final touchdown of the game, on an 8-yard run, with 11:02 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Lackawanna Trail (8-2) will travel to Old Forge (9-1) at 7 p.m. Nov. 3 for the District 2 Class A championship.
Old Forge defeated Lackawanna Trail, 32-20, during a regular season meeting Oct. 6.
“We just have to play our game and finish,” Jones said. “We were with them the whole game; we just have to learn how to finish.”
