HS FOOTBALL: North Pocono staves off Western Wayne
Sep. 2—S. CANAAN TWP. — North Pocono head coach Greg Dohlon called it an old-fashioned win.
The Trojans overcame two special teams miscues to hold off Western Wayne, 10-9, in Lackawanna League football game Friday night.
North Pocono (1-1) struck first when senior quarterback Noah West scored on a 5-yard run with 6:01 left in the first quarter to cap a 12-play drive.
"We had motivation to push through on every play," West said. "We knew every play was going to be big. We're going out week-by-week and trying to prove ourselves."
Points were hard to come by for the remainder of the contest.
No. 8 Western Wayne (1-1) got on the board after a snap sailed over the head of North Pocono punter Sam Magnotta and through the end zone for a safety with 5:43 left in the second quarter.
Western Wayne took the lead after the Trojans airmailed another snap on a punt attempt and the Wildcats took over at the North Pocono 6-yard line. Junior running back Josh Vinton scored on the next play.
Magnotta made one of the key plays of the game late in the third quarter, corralling the snap after a slight bobble and pinning the Wildcats at their own 6-yard line with a 41-yard punt.
After dealing with adversity throughout the game, Magnotta remained focused during the pivotal moment.
"Deep breath, don't look at the guys coming at you, just stare at the ball, swing the leg and hope for the best," he said. "I knew the second it came off my foot that it was going to be a good ball."
After Western Wayne went three-and-out, North Pocono senior kicker Brady Mapes nailed a 25-yard field goal to put the Trojans back ahead with 8:13 left in the fourth quarter.
"I was ready to do my job," Mapes said. "I got called up to do it and I got it through. I kept my head down, drove through everything and we got a 'W' out of it."
The kick held up as the game-winner as North Pocono was able to chew nearly five minutes off the clock during an 11-play drive in the fourth quarter which included a key first-down pickup by West on a quarterback sneak, and later stifle Western Wayne's last-gasp comeback attempt.
"We had so many mistakes and so many ups-and-downs, and we didn't go away," Dolhon said. "I thought we played with a lot of grit. We survived with a team effort because everybody took a role and said we're winning this football game."
The Trojans also escaped with a win-point win over the Wildcats last year.
"These last two years have been doozies with Western Wayne and North Pocono," Dolhon said.
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