2009 "B" Team Game Recaps
FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 2009 - LAKELAND AT CARBONDALE (BACKYARD BRAWL)
The Jr. Chiefs B-Team pulled out a late 6-0 victory over the Carbondale Jr. Chargers in this year's version of the annual Backyard Brawl. The Jr. Chiefs almost scored on its opening possession of the ballgame, but Eric Ferko was tripped up by the shoelaces after scampering 37-yards to the Carbondale 42 yard-line. In the second quarter, the Jr. Chiefs also had a 29-yard touchdown run by Tony Harding called back due to a holding penalty. These & several other drives stalled & if it weren't for a stingy defense led by Antonio Cerminaro, Derek Loomis, Justin Petrunich & T.J. Gavin, the Jr. Chiefs could have trailed in the game. The game remained scoreless until about 4:00 left in the fourth quarter when Tony Harding took a handoff from Ian Baker & followed the blocking of Corey Bednash, Jonathan Marsico, Rodney LaBorde, Patrick Clauss-Walton & Eric Ferko to score on a 46-yard touchdown run. After the extra-point attempt failed, the Jr. Chiefs needed one more defensive stop to preserve the victory. The Jr. Chargers advanced the kickoff to the Jr. Chiefs 45-yard line & on the first play from scrimmage moved another 15-yards to the 30-yard line. On both plays, a touchdown-saving tackle was made by Tony Harding. After a few offensive penalties & a few plays, the Jr. Chargers were faced with a 3rd & 10 with about a minute left in the game. Their quarterback dropped back & fired to his receiver, only to have the pass picked off by Cody Rupp. The Jr. Chiefs then ran out the clock & came away with an exciting victory.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 16, 2009 - LAKELAND AT POCONO MOUNTAIN
The Jr. Chiefs B-Team suffered a 24-0 loss to the Pocono Mountain Cardinals in the opening game of its 2009 season. The Jr. Chiefs hung tough & trailed 6-0 at the end of the first half behind tough defensive efforts from Corey Bednash, Dakota Cavalier & Donta Burns MacMullen. But it wasn't enough as the Cardinals scored 3 touchdowns in the last 12 minutes of the game to ensure the victory. Also contributing with strong performances for the Jr. Chiefs were Sal Marino, Kevin Johnson, Kyle Hallisky & Matt Van Splinter.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 2009 - LAKELAND AT MOOSIC
The Jr. Chiefs B-Team recorded a 45-6 victory over the Moosic Raiders to even its record at 1-1 for the 2009 campaign. The Jr. Chiefs scored on its first two plays from scrimmage on touchdown runs of 60 & 43 yards by Patrick Clauss-Walton & Tony Harding. After Clauss-Walton added an extra point kick, the score was 14-0 with 5:00 left in the first quarter. A minute & a half later, the Jr. Chiefs got the ball back & scored again on a 51-yard touchdown pass from Ian Baker to Cody Rupp. Before the first half ended, the Jr. Chiefs added scores on a 22-yard touchdown run by Jakob Gross & a 34-yard interception return by Patrick Clauss-Walton. In the second half, Lakeland scored on a 17-yard touchdown run by Jacob Wormuth, a successful PAT conversion by Mike Lowry & an 8-yard touchdown run by Eric Ferko. The Jr. Chiefs defense remained tough for the entire game behind strong performances by Corey Bednash, Sean Sears, Billy Lavelle, Nick Catanzaro & Nick Moczulski.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 30, 2009 - OLD FORGE AT LAKELAND
The Lakeland Jr. Chiefs B-Team pulled out a tough 19-13 victory over the Old Forge Blue Devils to improve its record to 2-0 in the division & 2-1 overall. After the teams exchanged fumbles on their second plays from scrimmage, Old Forge drove the ball into the end zone for a 6-0 lead. On their next possession, the Jr. Chiefs put together a long drive behind strong blocking from Antonio Cerminaro, Corey Bednash, Sal Marino, Kyle Hallisky, Eddie Cavalier, Kevin Johnson & Jordan Boshman. Patrick Clauss-Walton carried the ball 4 times for 49 yards before scoring on an 11-yard touchdown run & after the point-after attempt failed, the score was knotted at 6-6. After the Jr. Chiefs defense made a stop, Tony Harding took the ball 56 yards down the left sideline & Lakeland took a 12-6 lead into halftime. In the second half, Old Forge played ball-control & after a long-drive resulted in a score, they held a 13-12 advantage with 4:15 left in the game. After recovering the on-side kick, the Jr. Chiefs took over at the 50-yard line & on the first play from scrimmage, Tony Harding weaved his way through several “would-be” tacklers & then scampered the distance to paydirt. Harding also converted the PAT for a 19-13 Lakeland lead. Old Forge had one more chance to pull out the victory but after moving to the 15-yard line, the Jr. Chiefs defense led by Jacob Wormuth, Mike Lowry, Jason Bebla, Cody Carrubba & Ian Baker stiffened to hang on to victory.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2009 - DUNMORE AT LAKELAND
The Lakeland Jr. Chiefs B-Team came up on the short-end of a hard fought battle with the Dunmore Oilers. The Jr. Chiefs got 2 first downs on their opening drive, but then were forced to punt after the Oilers defense stiffened. Dunmore then marched down the field & put the ball into the end zone for a 6-0 lead after the extra point attempt failed. After a series of punts by both teams, Dunmore then scored a second touchdown on a long run down the sideline despite valiant efforts by Hunter Martin, Billy Lavelle & Tony Harding. After a Lakeland drive stalled due to a lack of time, the Jr. Chiefs went into halftime down 12-0. In the second half, the Lakeland defense led by Kevin Johnson, Ian Baker, Kyle Hallisky, Tyler Judge & Dylan Reeves let up negative total yards from scrimmage. But despite nifty running from Eric Ferko & Mike Lowry + a long run by Tony Harding to the Dunmore 25 yard line, the Jr. Chiefs couldn’t score & the score ended up 12-0 in Dunmore’s favor. Despite remaining 2-0 in their division, the loss dropped the Lakeland B-team to 2-2 overall.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2009 - TAYLOR AT LAKELAND
The Lakeland Jr. Chiefs B-Team took sole possession of first place in the division with a 19-13 victory over the Taylor Jr. Vikes. Twice in the first quarter, the Jr. Chiefs began a drive inside the opponent’s 10-yard line. But on both occasions, they came up empty due to a fumble. However, they grabbed a 6-0 lead early in the second quarter behind strong running from Eric Ferko & Mike Lowry & a 15-yard touchdown run by Tony Harding. The Jr. Chiefs were poised to take that lead into halftime until 0:12 left, when a 62-yard interception return for a touchdown by Taylor knotted the score. In the second half, Lakeland’s offensive & defensive lines took control & the Jr. Chiefs were able to open up a 19-6 lead with touchdown runs from Ian Baker & Tony Harding plus a PAT run by Harding. Paving the way were Antonio Cerminaro, Eddie Cavalier, Jordan Boshman & Justin Petrunich. The score remained 19-6 until Taylor scored on a 59-yard touchdown pass with 0:24 left in the game. After a successful PAT conversion, the score was 19-13 in favor of the Jr. Chiefs & an onside kick recovery by Tony Harding preserved the victory.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2009 - NORTH POCONO AT LAKELAND
The Lakeland Jr. Chiefs B-Team retained first place in the division with a 26-0 shutout victory over the North Pocono Jr. Trojans. After the Lakeland defense forced a punt on North Pocono’s first possession, the offense took over & scored on its third play from scrimmage as Tony Harding took a handoff up the middle & scampered 49 yards to paydirt. After the PAT attempt failed, the score was 6-0 in favor of the Jr. Chiefs. With the score still 6-0 in the second quarter, Harding intercepted a North Pocono pass & returned it 25 yards to the Jr. Trojans 29 yard line. A few plays later, Harding followed a key block by Mike Lowry into the end zone & after a successful kick by Patrick Clauss-Walton, the Jr. Chiefs took a 14-0 lead into halftime. North Pocono attempted an onside kick to open the second half, but Harding grabbed the ball & darted 51 yards for another Lakeland score. After the PAT attempt was blocked, Lakeland held a 20-0 advantage. After another North Pocono punt, Lakeland put together a long drive on its next possession & capped off the scoring with a 26-yard quarterback keeper around the right end by Ian Baker. The Jr. Chiefs defense, which allowed only two first downs all game, was spearheaded by strong play from Donta Burns MacMullen, Billy Lavelle, Jason Bebla, Nick Moczulski & Sean Sears.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2009 - LAKELAND AT OLYPHANT
The Lakeland Jr. Chiefs B-Team recorded its third straight victory by downing the Olyphant Lions by a score of 19-0. Despite having good field position for the entire first half, Lakeland’s offense could not put the ball into the end zone. But a stingy defense led by Jacob Wormuth, Donta Burns MacMullen & Kevin Johnson kept the game scoreless going into halftime. Olyphant took the second half kickoff to midfield, but could muster only one first down & then the Lakeland offense took control of the game behind solid blocking from Antonio Cerminaro, Sal Marino, Corey Bednash, Eddie Cavalier, Kyle Hallisky & Jakob Gross. First, the Jr. Chiefs put together a long drive & capped it off with a 6-yard touchdown run by Eric Ferko. After a successful conversion run by Tony Harding, the score was 7-0. On Olyphant’s next possession, key tackles made by Eric Ferko, Cody Rupp & Patrick Clauss-Walton prevented a first down & after Lakeland took over on downs, Eric Ferko broke a few tackles & scooted 63 yards to the Lions 6-yard line. Two plays later, Tony Harding ran around the right end to paydirt & the Jr. Chiefs led 13-0 with 3:00 minutes left in the game. The scoring was capped off on the last play of the game as Tony Harding intercepted a desperation pass & sprinted 71-yards to the end zone.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2009 - LAKELAND AT WEST SCRANTON
The Lakeland Jr. Chiefs B-Team finished the season undefeated in division play with a 24-6 victory over the West Scranton Jets. The Jr. Chiefs opened the scoring on the first play from scrimmage as Antonio Cerminaro, Sal Marino & Eddie Cavalier spread apart the Jets defense allowing Tony Harding to dash 61 yards to paydirt. After a successful point-after kick by Patrick Clauss-Walton, the score was 8-0 in Lakeland’s favor. On its first possession, West Scranton turned the ball over on downs after a few key tackles made by Eric Ferko, Corey Bednash & Cody Carrubba. Then Kyle Hallisky, Dylan Reeves & the rest of the Jr. Chiefs offensive line led the team on a long scoring drive, capped off with a 17-yard touchdown pass from Ian Baker to Cody Rupp. After another successful kick by Patrick Clauss-Walton, Lakeland held a 16-0 advantage as the first quarter ended. On West Scranton’s next possession, the stingy Jr. Chiefs defense forced a punt that was taken all the way to the end zone by Tony Harding & after Patrick Clauss-Walton converted another kick, the score was 24-0 midway through the second quarter. Despite a continual rotation of players the rest of the way, the Jr. Chiefs defense remained strong, holding the Jets scoreless except for a late touchdown after a fumbled punt snap. Leading the efforts in the second half were Jason Bebla, Billy Lavelle, Derek Loomis, Dakota Cavalier, T.J. Gavin & Nick Catanzaro.
PLAYOFFS
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2009 - LAKELAND AT WEST SCRANTON
The Lakeland Jr. Chiefs B-Team opened the playoffs with a 21-0 shutout victory over the West Scranton Jets. After Antonio Cerminaro recovered an onside kick on the opening kickoff, the Jr. Chiefs marched downfield behind strong running from Patrick Clauss-Walton & a 43-yard touchdown burst by Tony Harding. After a Clauss-Walton kick, Lakeland was up by a score of 8-0. On the Jets second play from scrimmage, Eddie Cavalier recovered a fumble & the Jr. Chiefs were in business again. Despite having a touchdown pass from Ian Baker to Cody Rupp called back due to a penalty, Lakeland again moved in for a score, only to be stopped at the 1-foot line. On the next play, however, West Scranton fumbled & Kevin Johnson recovered in the end zone for a Jr. Chiefs touchdown. Tony Harding converted the PAT with a run around left end for a 15-0 Lakeland advantage. In the second half, the Jr. Chiefs offense played ball control behind solid blocking from Sal Marino, Cody Carrubba & Corey Bednash while the defense remained firm with strong performances from Mike Lowry, Jacob Wormuth, Rodney LaBorde & Tyler Judge. The only score came early in the third quarter after a 56-yard run by Tony Harding & a 5-yard touchdown run by Eric Ferko. With the victory, the Jr. Chiefs earned a spot in next week’s conference championship game vs. the North Pocono Jr. Trojans.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2009 - LAKELAND AT NORTH POCONOThe Lakeland Jr. Chiefs B-Team advanced to the Super Bowl with a 25-0 shutout victory over the North Pocono Jr. Trojans. The Jr. Chiefs took the opening kickoff & moved downfield, scoring on a 41-yard touchdown run by Tony Harding. After Patrick Clauss-Walton converted the conversion run, Lakeland was up 7-0. On North Pocono’s opening possession, they advanced the ball to the Lakeland 4-yard line. But a touchdown-saving tackle by Tony Harding, a quarterback sack by Ian Baker & a leaping interception by Mike Lowry prevented a score. Patrick Clauss-Walton took over for the Jr. Chiefs on their second drive, running off-tackle for 53-yards into North Pocono territory & capping the drive off with a 4-yard touchdown run up the middle. After the conversion attempt failed, Lakeland held a 13-0 advantage midway through the second quarter. The Jr. Chiefs defense then regained its footing & after three plays & a short punt, the offense went on another march. After Tony Harding ran around the right end for a 13-yard touchdown, the score was 19-0 in Lakeland’s favor with 0:12 left in the first half. Defense was the story in the second half for the Jr. Chiefs as they stifled the Jr. Trojans offense behind solid play from Antonio Cerminaro, Jacob Wormuth, Cody Rupp, Billy Lavelle, Kyle Hallisky & Eric Ferko. Lakeland iced the victory early in the fourth quarter with a 62-yard touchdown run by Tony Harding. The Jr. Chiefs will play the Dunmore Oilers next week at Old Forge Stadium to determine this year’s Super Bowl champion!
SUPER BOWL SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2009 - LAKELAND AT DUNMORE
Despite a valiant effort, the Lakeland Jr. Chiefs B-Team lost in a nail biter against the Dunmore Oilers in this year’s Super Bowl. Dunmore came out strong & built an early 13-0 lead before the Jr. Chiefs began their comeback late in the first half. With less than a minute remaining in the second quarter, the Lakeland defense forced a punt behind strong tackling by Eric Ferko, Mike Lowry, Jacob Wormuth & Patrick Clauss-Walton. Tony Harding fielded the punt & returned it 36-yards to the Dunmore 32-yard line before being stopped by the Dunmore punter. Then, on the final play of the half, Harding took a pitch & maneuvered his way between several Dunmore defenders before sprinting the final 20-yards into the end zone. After the PAT kick failed, Lakeland was down 13-6 entering into the third quarter. Defense was the story of the second half, as the Jr. Chiefs, led by Tony Harding, Sal Marino, Kyle Hallisky & Eddie Cavalier, stifled the Dunmore offense. But the Lakeland offense couldn’t put together a drive & after being forced to punt with 1:50 left in the game, they found themselves still down 13-6 & needing a score. On Dunmore’s first play from scrimmage, Tony Harding, Ian Baker & Eric Ferko held up the runner while Patrick Clauss-Walton stripped the ball & bolted 48-yards to paydirt to make the score 13-12. After Clauss-Walton’s kick failed, Lakeland lined up for an onside kick. The ball sailed over the front line & sat harmlessly for a few seconds before Tony Harding knocked a Dunmore player backwards onto the football. Several Jr. Chiefs scrambled for the ball & although Mike Lowry came out of the pile with the football, the ball was awarded to Dunmore. The Lakeland defense made one more stop & the offense came back out with 7 seconds left on the clock. But after a pass interference call & an incomplete pass, the game ended with a final score of 13-12 in favor of Dunmore. Congratulations to this year’s Lakeland Jr. Chiefs B-Team for a great championship season!
