HS FOOTBALL: Delaware Valley rolls to third straight win
Sep. 30—MILFORD — Delaware Valley gave its fans who jammed into the bleachers plenty to celebrate and brought an emphatic close to Warrior Weekend activities.
Mike Iuzzolino had 96 yards rushing and a touchdown and provided an interception; Jayden Ramirez had 71 yards receiving and a touchdown and added a rushing touchdown; and Aiden Black had a pair of sacks and a forced fumble as the defense pitched a shutout in a 42-o win over North Pocono on Saturday afternoon in a Lackawanna Football Conference Division I game.
The second-ranked Warriors won their third straight game to even their overall record at 3-3 and improved to 2-0 in the division.
"It is great, and we were locked in," Iuzzolino, a sophomore, said. "There were a lot of things going on around us, but we focused in on the game and really executed the whole game.
"I am trying to get better every week and contribute as much as I can."
Delaware Valley played physical along the line of scrimmage. Carter Faubel, who received a game ball from coach Olsommer, Jacob Albaugh, Keegan Heath, Amir Guillite, and Adam Garrity, paved the way for the Warriors to rush for 301 yards on 40 carries.
In addition to Iuzzolino, Shaun Cannalley ran for 79 yards and a 66-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, and fullback Justin Kalitsnik had 77 yards on 15 carries while only playing one play into the second half.
Delaware Valley had a 22-0 lead at the half, and the defense limited North Pocono to 36 total yards in 22 plays with one first down in the first half.
"They are a really good football team and very well coached," North Pocono coach Greg Dolhon said. "I give our kids credit. They played hard, but you have to get some first downs and move the ball. I think our kids played really hard."
Delaware Valley seized the momentum right away, and Black finished the opening drive with a 39-yard touchdown reception. He followed with a jarring sack that produced a turniver when Justin Estevez pounced on a loose ball. Everett Bell connected on a 31-yard field goal for a 9-0 lead with 4:44 left in the first.
"The biggest thing was stopping their running game up front," Black said. "We moved the line of scrimmage into their backfield. Our secondary did a great job covering, and that allowed us to put a lot of pressure on the quarterback and make some plays."
Ramirez, who dropped a potential touchdown early in the game, ran for a 9-yard score and then hauled in a 38-yard touchdown pass from Ryder Machado on a double pass and a 22-0 lead. Iuzzolino's interception set up the Ramirez touchdown.
"Starting the game and dropping that wide-open pass, I honestly put my head down," Ramirez said. "After that, my teammates got my head up, and that's when I got my energy back, locked in, and started making plays."
Delaware Valley put the game out of reach in the third and started the running clock. Iuzzolino burst through the defense for a 32-yard touchdown at 8:07, and, after an 18-yard punt return by Ramirez, Chris Eisloeffel scored on a 6-yard run for a 36-0 lead.
With many of the backups in, Cannalley showed some speed after making a sharp cut and sprinted for a 66-yard touchdown to close the scoring.
Contact the writer: jbfawcett@scrantontimes.com; 570-348-9125; @sportsTT on X
