Nick D’Amico from Riverside (9) signals that his overtime, game-winning field goal is good for the County in Wednesday’s Dream Game.
Tom Robinson | Abington Journal
PECKVILLE – Abington Heights graduates Christian Henzes, Connor Casey and Jack Burke were part of the County team that won the Dream Game for the fourth straight time, evening the series with a come-from-behind, 23-20, overtime victory over the City July 19.
It took until the 89th year of the Scranton Lions Club game for the first overtime. For much of the game’s history, ties at the end of regulation were not broken.
As the result of breaking one tie, another was created.
With the County victory, the series stands at 42-42-4 for the game, which features recent graduates of Lackawanna Football Conference teams. The 2020 game was not played because of COVID. This year’s game was presented by Northeast Rehab and played at Valley View’s John Henzes/Veterans Memorial Stadium in front of a crowd of 7,246.
Henzes, who started at safety, made a tackle and assisted on two others. Casey started at center. Burke played much of the game at defensive end.
The City used a big advantage in line play on both sides of the ball to take a 20-7 halftime lead and carry it into the fourth quarter.
Improved defensive play by the County in the second half set the stage for the fourth-quarter comeback in which Valley View’s Taheed Jewell caught two touchdown passes.
The game proceeded into the National Federation 10-Yard Line Tiebreaker rule where neither team could move the ball. The City missed a field goal on fourth down before Riverside’s Nicholas D’Amico made a 27-yarder on fourth down of the County possession to settle the outcome.
Mid Valley’s Stan Yanoski coached the County, which included players from Old Forge, Valley View, Lakeland, Riverside, Carbondale, Delaware Valley, Honesdale and Western Wayne along with those from Abington Heights and his team.
“Defensively, our ends were kind of coming inside,” Yanoski said. “They were getting outside of us. At halftime, we made an adjustment.
“ … We had the goal-line stand in overtime and the defense really stepped it up in the second half.”
After the City outgained the County, 221-47, in the first half; the County had a 166-28 advantage in the second half and overtime.
“We went in the locker room and we knew we had to step it up in the second half,” said Jewell, who caught seven passes for 123 yards. “We knew we had the talent; we just had to put it together as a team.”
Jewell led that process, catching a 7-yard touchdown pass from Old Forge’s James Sobol in the first minute of the fourth quarter and a 39-yarder from Lakeland’s Dominico Spataro with 1:13 left in the game.
Greg Dolhon coached the City team that had his North Pocono players along with those from Lackawanna Trail, Scranton Prep, Holy Cross, Dunmore, Montrose, Scranton, Wallenpaupack and West Scranton.
Lackawanna Trail’s Evan Litwin played cornerback where he broke up one pass and his coverage prevented another completion on a fourth-down throw into the end zone.
Scranton Prep’s Mick O’Malley and Aidan Cullen started at inside linebacker and strong safety and were two of the game’s top four tacklers. Each had six tackles and an assist. Cullen made two tackles for six yards in losses.
Aidan Colleran, another Cavalier, scored the last touchdown of the first half on a 33-yard pass from North Pocono’s Zach Benzie.
Lineman Keith Pritchyk was the other Scranton Prep representative in the game.
The County offense was led by North Pocono’s Michael Blaine, who carried 17 times for 146 yards and two touchdowns, including a 75-yarder on the game’s second play.
