Abington Heights Shane Brower avoids the sideline in an Oct. 10 game against Wallenpaupack.
Buck Norton-Jennings | For Abington Journal
Comets Nick Bradley (7) and Shane Brower (5) celebrate after a touchdown against Wallenpaupack on Oct. 10.
Buck Norton-Jennings | For Abington Journal
Gavin Anders of Abington Heights goes up for a catch against Wallenpaupack on Oct. 10.
Buck Norton-Jennings | For Abington Journal
CLARKS SUMMIT — Nick Bradley accounted for the first five touchdowns Thursday night, Oct. 10, as Abington Heights celebrated Homecoming with a 41-0 rout of visiting Wallenpaupack in a Lackawanna Football Conference Division 1 game.
Bradley ran for three scores in the second quarter, then passed for two touchdowns in the second half.
The win allowed Abington Heights to improve to 2-3 in the division and 4-4 overall.
The first Abington Heights possession ended in a Logan Downey interception, but the Comets scored on their remaining six drives, picking up 22 first downs along the way.
Abington Heights outgained Wallenpaupack, 192-67 on the ground, 226-76 through the air and 418-143 total.
Bradley led the way by hitting 17 of his 24 passes for 226 yards. He also picked up 29 yards on five carries, scoring on three straight attempts during the second quarter.
Shane Brower caught eight passes for 124 yards while also contributing five tackles and an assist on defense.
Shawn Theodore and Gavin Anders combined for the other nine catches and each had a touchdown.
Dom Vergnetti was the leading rusher with 17 carries for 74 yards.
Gavin Padula led the defense with six tackles and three assists.
Anders, Cayd Sespico, Vergnetti and Jocsan Muentes joined Padula and Brower by being involved in at least a half-dozen defensive stops each.
The only time Wallenpaupack got inside the 30, which did not occur until the Comets had a 34-point lead late in the third quarter, Rocco Sarafinko intercepted to end the threat.
Abington Heights called passes on the first eight plays of a 12-play, 68-yard drive that spanned parts of the first and second quarters.
Bradley was 3-for-7 for 50 yards on the drive, instead scrambled for four yards on one of the planned pass plays, then scored on a 1-yard sneak.
Wallenpaupack’s Logan Caruso blocked the kick.
The Comets increased the lead to 20-0 at halftime on the other two Bradley touchdown runs.
Abington Heights went 68 yards in six plays, the last of which was a 17-yard bootleg by Bradley. During the drive, Vergnetti carried three times for 21 yards and Bradley found Brower for completions of 12 and 16 yards.
Sespico stopped a third-and-two play for a loss to get the ball back for the Comets with 1:45 left in the half.
Bradley connected with Brower for 50 yards and again for 12 yards to the 4. From there, he looked to pass to the right, then scrambled to the left side and into the end zone to score with 13.6 seconds remaining.
Abington Heights took the second-half kickoff and moved 60 yards in 11 plays.
Bradley completed three third-down passes in the drive, including a 3-yard touchdown to Anders with 6:11 left in the third.
Abington Heights was 11-for-13 on third-down conversions and also picked up a fourth down on its only attempt.
The fourth-down conversion came in the next scoring drive.
Sarafinko returned his interception 34 yards, then the Comets moved 57 yards for the score.
Bradley found Theodore on the fourth down, then two third downs, one of which was a 13-yard touchdown.
The only quick strike by the Comets came when Tyler Sacks broke a 57-yard run up the middle on the second play of the last possession.
Xaiden Schock and Caruso led Wallenpaupack defensively. Schock had nine tackles, including one for a loss, and two assists. Caruso had six tackles and five assists.
The Buckhorns dropped their fourth straight to fall to 1-4 and 3-5.
