BERWICK — Two of District 2’s best running backs met in a marquee clash at Crispin Field on Friday night.
Isaac Ryon was good, but Ty’Meere Wilkerson was better — and the Dawgs put another big-time win in their pocket as a result.
Wilkerson ran for 232 yards and three touchdowns, and the Berwick defense put the clamps down on Lackawanna Trail’s run game for large stretches of the night to pick up a 33-12 win over the defending District 2 Class A champions.
“Ty’s such a great kid, he worked so hard this offseason,” Berwick coach CJ Curry said. “To have a guy like that, he’s a leader for us.”
The Dawgs improved to 3-0 on the year, and avenged a 35-0 loss to the Lions last year in the process.
Brady Cleaver added two total touchdowns, one through the air in the first quarter and one with his legs in the fourth, as Berwick’s offense gave the Lions a great deal of trouble.
The two teams looked primed to settle into a back-and-forth type of game in the opening quarter, with Berwick taking a 7-0 lead as Cleaver fired a 33-yard strike to Alex Estrella for the score.
Lackawanna Trail needed just a few plays to answer, as Ryon made a few tacklers miss on his way to a 67-yard touchdown run. Berwick would maintain a 7-6 lead as the extra point was missed.
Ryon finished his night with 161 yards rushing, but couldn’t get back into the end zone. For large stretches of the game, particularly in the middle quarters, Ryon and the rest of the Lions’ rushing attack could hardly reach the line of scrimmage before a host of Berwick tacklers came charging to make the stop.
Trail wouldn’t score again until the final minutes of the fourth quarter, on a Tyler Jervis quarterback run — with Berwick running its lead from 7-6 all the way to 33-6 in the process.
The Dawgs’ defense forced several negative plays, a turnover on downs and a fumble recovered by Estrella during their scoreless run.
Wilkerson scored his first touchdown run in the second quarter, a two-yarder to make it 14-6. He added a 38-yard run in the third quarter and landed the knockout blow in the fourth, an 81-yarder straight through the teeth of the Lackawanna Trail defense.
“Our team’s been saying that we can’t be complacent,” Wilkerson said. “If I see a hole, I try my best to hit it full-speed.”
Berwick will look to remain unbeaten on the road next week, taking on Hazleton Area. Lackawanna Trail (2-1) will host Dunmore.
Berwick 33, Lackawanna Trail 12
Lackawanna Trail`6`0`0`6 — 12
Berwick`7`7`6`13 — 33
First quarter
BER — Alex Estrella 33 pass from Brady Cleaver (Caleb Yost kick) 6:27
LT — Isaac Ryon 67 run (kick failed) 3:38
Second quarter
BER — Ty’Meere Wilkerson 2 run (Yost kick) 6:44
Third quarter
BER — Wilkerson 38 run (pass failed) 8:59
Fourth quarter
BER — Cleaver 27 run (kick failed) 11:20
BER — Wilkerson 81 run (Yost kick) 8:44
LT — Tyler Jervis 3 run (kick failed) 3:19
Team statistics`LT`BER
First downs`9`15
Rushes-yards`35-197`41-325
Passing yards`33`38
Total yards`230`363
Passing`2-3-0`2-4-0
Sacked-yards lost`1-4`0-0
Punts-avg.`4-32.5`2-42.5
Fumbles-lost`3-1`0-0
Penalties-yards`0-0`5-23
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — LT, Ryon 14-161, Sean Dwyer 5-(minus-1). Jervis 8-10, Carter Edwards 7-24, Holden Edwards 1-3. BER, Wilkerson 26-232, Cleaver 6-48, Gavin Galutia 5-15, Everett Snyder 1-4, Ashton Smith 2-11, Conner Roberts 1-15.
PASSING — LT, Jervis 2-3-0-33. BER, Cleaver 2-4-0-38.
RECEIVING — LT, Dwyer 1-4, Ryon 1-29. BER, Estrella 1-33, Shiloh Escobar 1-5.
INTERCEPTIONS — none.
MISSED FGs — none.
