Abington Heights receivers Shane Brower, left, and Shawn Theodore were a big part of the County victory over the City in the Dream Game.
Tom Robinson | Abington Journal
PECKVILLE — Shane Brower’s first touchdown catch got the County scoring started.
The second TD reception by the Abington Heights standout finished off a 41-17 rout of the City in the 91st annual Scranton Lions Club Dream Game.
The game, for recent graduates of Lackawanna Football Conference teams, was presented by Northeast Rehab. It drew an announced crowd of 7,247 to Valley View’s John Henzes/Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Brower and close friend and Abington Heights teammate Shawn Theodore helped transition toward their time as teammates again at Lackawanna College by leading the way in a game that was decided by passing attacks. They occupied two of the team’s three starting wide receiver positions.
“I thought our linemen were big, our running backs were big, our fullbacks; I thought we were going to pound the ball down their throats,” Brower said of a County team that wound up mixing 18 passes with 22 runs. “When we started throwing like that, it got me real excited.
“It was a great offense for throwing the ball.”
The County only outgained the City 68-52 on the ground, but had a 243-155 advantage in passing yards while coming up with five interceptions that counted and two more that were wiped out by penalty.
“Man coverage is what you look for as a receiver,” Brower said. “But our (defensive) guys have been guarding my friend Shawn and me all week.
“They’ve seen what we can do and they’ve been getting some picks on us, so I knew they were going to come out here and make some plays. It was awesome.”
All-star game rules dictated man-to-man pass coverage only, putting the emphasis on quality play by receivers and the defensive backs that were challenged with containing them.
Brower led the County in receptions and receiving yards while Theodore was second on the team in yards. Brower finished with six catches for 130 yards while Theodore turned his two catches into 61 yards.
Scranton Prep’s Brady Holmes was the City’s leading receiver, matching Brower’s two touchdowns while catching three passes for 107 yards.
Brower sparked a 20-0 start by the County in the first 17 minutes and played a big role in a 21-point fourth quarter.
Riverside’s Chase Taddonio went 11-for-13 for 156 yards passing and both touchdowns to Brower.
The County defense stopped a fourth-and-two conversion attempt by the City to open the game.
The County then covered 37 yards in seven plays with Brower pulling in the 18-yard touchdown pass for a 7-0 lead with 7:49 left in the quarter.
The first three County possessions resulted in touchdowns.
Valley View’s Zach Cwalinski scored on a 1-yard sneak on the second play of the second quarter.
Theodore ran a post pattern on the next County offensive play and pulled in a 44-yardk pass from Honesdale’s Aiden Collins to the 2. Following a loss, Delaware Valley’s Pasquale Venitucci scored on a 4-yard run for the 20-0 lead with 8:24 left in the half.
Holmes got the City on the scoreboard when he went up high over Valley View’s Nick Kucharski in the end zone for a 30-yard touchdown pass from West Scranton’s Caiden Berardi.
“We had it all figured out,” said Kucharski, who joined Riverside’s J.J. Rogers with two interceptions each for the County. “Brady Holmes on the other side, we had a really good battle, and I just had fun with all my friends.”
Holmes caught a pass to convert third-and-five on the first series of the second half and the City drove for 12 plays before settling for a 32-yard field goal from North Pocono’s Sam Magnotta to make it 20-10.
Josh Vinton from Western Wayne ran three yards for a touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Rogers returned an interception 33 yards to increase the advantage to 34-10 a minute later.
Holmes went deep down the middle for a 71-yard touchdown from Wallenpaupack’s Drew Kiesendahl on third-and-13.
Brower opened the final drive with a 10-yard catch. He capped it with a sliding catch in the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown with 53.3 seconds left.
Mike Schuback from Old Forge coached the County team that included players from Abington Heights, Carbondale, Delaware Valley, Honesdale, Lakeland, Mid Valley, Old Forge, Riverside, Valley View and Western Wayne.
“I’m really proud and couldn’t be happier for these guys that last time they walk off a high school field, they’re winners,” Schuback said.
During pregame introductions, a moment of silence was held and the game was dedicated to the memory of Hunter James, who died from injuries in an ATV accident in 2021 a month before starting ninth grade at Abington Heights. This would have been the year James, who had played linebacker and kicker in youth football, would have been eligible to potentially be part of the Dream Game.
