Abington Heights participants in the Dream Game were, from left: J.J. Gorrick, Anthony Curra, Kevin Schmidt and Jackson Drake. Mason Fedor was also selected, but missed the game while recovering from surgery to repair an earlier injury.
Photo courtesy of Scott Mackinder
Lackawanna Trail’s Dream Game players pose with Lions coach Steve Jervis after the game. From left: Alex Castellano, Lukas Gumble, Hunter Patterson, coach Jervis, Kolbee Soltis, Stephen Jervis and Cole Rosengrant.
Tom Robinson | For Abington Journal
PECKVILLE – Four Abington Heights players were part of the County team, which overcame a strong collective performance by the Lackawanna Trail and Scranton Prep contingents on the City squad to post a 35-28 victory July 18 in the 90th annual Scranton Lions Club Dream Game.
Drake Jackson started at right defensive tackle, Kevin Schmidt started at one of the wide receiver positions, Anthony Curra made contributions in the backfield on both sides of the ball and J.J. Gorrick played in the line as representatives of the Comets. Mason Fedor was also selected for the game, but was unavailable while recovering from surgery that he delayed long enough to earn all-state honors in basketball and play in the PSFCA Big School East-West Game.
Lackawanna Trail and Scranton Prep each had a half-dozen players, including some of the top performers on the County team.
The game for recent graduates of Lackawanna Football Conference teams was presented by Northeast Rehab. It drew an announced crowd of 7,164 to Valley View’s John Henzes/Veterans Memorial Stadium in Peckville after being pushed back one day because of weather.
Curra carried once for three yards and made three tackles along with assisting on another.
Jackson and Schmidt, who also saw some time on defense, each assisted on a tackle.
Lackawanna Trail’s Lukas Gumble, the team’s top rusher, and Scranton Prep’s Liam Barrett, the top receiver, each scored touchdowns for the County.
Gumble started both at running back and in the secondary. He carried 16 times for 114 yards and scored the game’s first touchdown on a 6-yard run. He also caught a pass.
Hunter Patterson, Alex Castellano, Kolbee Soltis, Stephen Jervis and Cole Rosengrant also represented the Lions.
“It was very special,” said Gumble, who is headed to Slippery Rock University, but was playing in his last football game. “We had a whole Trail package. Especially in an all-star game, with a big crowd, we got to show off what we were working with all year and be a big part of the game.”
Patterson carried four times for 28 yards. He made three tackles and assisted on two others.
Castellano started in the offensive line, which helped the ground game produce 277 yards on 44 carries.
Soltis made one tackle.
Jervis took over at quarterback for the start of the final City drive. With the team trailing by a score, he led an attack that ran nine straight times to move from its 18 to the County 30.
During the drive, Jervis carried for four yards, then again for a yard to convert a fourth down.
A starter at wide receiver who also played in the defensive backfield, Barrett made what may have been the game’s most outstanding play.
Barrett reached back to make a one-handed catch as he reached the end zone on a 26-yard touchdown pass from Scranton quarterback Billy Maloney.
The score on the opening possession of the second half pulled the City to within 28-21.
Barrett had another catch for six yards and also made two tackles.
Nyeem Gonzalez, Cameron Palermo, Andrew Summa, Max Schnipes and Quinten Palermo also represented Scranton Prep.
Gonzalez, on offense, and Cameron Palermo, on defense, started in the line. Gonzalez made two tackles while playing on defense. Cameron Palermo assisted on two tackles.
Summa played much of the game on defense and was the team’s second-leading tackler. He made four tackles, including one for a loss to help get the ball back for the City with 6:57 left, and assisted on three others.
Schnipes played both fullback and linebacker. He had a tackle, an assist and a pass rush.
Quinten Palermo made a tackle and broke up a pass.
Gumble carried four times for 35 yards on the opening drive. He went 18 yards to convert a fourth-and-three and scored on a third-and-two situation for a 7-0 lead with 7:30 left in the first quarter.
Jordan Chmielewski from Mid Valley went 55 yards on fourth-and-two to bring the County within 7-6 midway through the first.
Chmielewski, who accounted for 201 yards of total offense, ran 8 yards for the go-ahead touchdown with 2:31 left in the second, then passed 47 yards to Delaware Valley’s Jayden Ramirez on the final play of the half for a 28-14 lead.
Ramirez had scored on a 38-yard pass from Western Wayne’s Frankie Leyshon for a 14-7 lead with 9:07 left in the second quarter.
Dunmore’s Danny Pigga ran six yards for a touchdown and 14-14 tie.
After Barrett’s touchdown brought the City within a score, Riverside’s Reese Gaughan scored for the County from the 1 on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Maloney reduced the lead to a touchdown again with a 14-yard run.
After the City drove to the 30, Chmielewski intercepted a pass at the 9 with 1:56 left and Gaughan ran for two clinching first downs.
“I wasn’t able to finish my senior year because I broke my wrist,” Chmielewski said. “I knew I had one more game for my high school career, so I just wanted to show out.”
The winning team was made up of players from Abington Heights, Carbondale, Delaware Valley, Honesdale, Lakeland, Mid Valley, Old Forge, Riverside, Valley View and Western Wayne. The team was coached by Riverside’s Harry Armstrong.
The City had players from Dunmore, Holy Cross, Lackawanna Trail, North Pocono, Scranton, Scranton Prep, Susquehanna, Wallenpaupack and West Scranton. It was coached by Dunmore’s Kevin McHale.
Former Denver Broncos head coach and current Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who played in the game in 1976 and coached in it in 1981, was honored at halftime as the Lions Club Man of the Year.
