HS FOOTBALL: Richards, Bradley lead Abington Heights past North Pocono

Oct. 21—S. ABINGTON TWP. — Trailing by 10 points with seven seconds left in the half, North Pocono was in the midst of an 11-play drive at the Abington Heights 28.

Trojans quarterback Noah West dropped back, but when he wound up to throw, the ball slipped out of his hands.

Abington Heights defensive end Asiel Richards scooped the loose ball cleanly and sprinted 65 yards for a touchdown to end the half.

"I just saw him take the snap, fumble it at my feet and I picked it up and just ran," Richards said.

Richards' scoop-and-score secured the momentum for the No. 6 Comets as they rolled to a 27-9 victory over North Pocono on a rainy Friday night in a Lackawanna Football Conference Division I matchup at Abington Heights High School Stadium.

Riley Moore picked off a pass in the end zone late in the second quarter to give the Trojans a chance to add points before halftime and either try to tie the score or take the lead when they received the kick to start the third quarter. Richards took away that opportunity with the touchdown that gave Abington Heights a 20-3 lead at the half.

"I was a little confused to be completely honest," Richards said. "I thought they were going to blow the whistle, but as soon as I saw they didn't, I just kept running and I scored."

North Pocono caught Abington Heights off guard when the Trojans recovered Brady Mapes' perfect onside kick to start the game and give them the ball on the Abington Heights 45. North Pocono picked up two first downs on Moore's 9-yard run and West's 5-yard run, but Mason Fedor bolted through the line to stop West for a 3-yard loss to force a third-and-long. Mapes capped the drive with a 38-yard field goal to give the Trojans a 3-0 lead with 7:43 in the first quarter.

Abington Heights responded by putting the ball in Nick Bradley's hands. The Comets quarterback accounted for every yard on the drive, throwing for 62 yards and running for 23, including a 7-yard keeper to give Abington Heights a 7-3 lead with 3:28 in the first.

After Anthony Riker's sack halted North Pocono's next drive, Bradley went back to work. The sophomore ran for 2 yards on a fourth-and-1 and then found Fedor, who leaped and got one foot in down the sideline, for a 31-yard gain. Two plays later, Bradley was pressured, but he escaped the pocket, scrambled right and hit Fedor on the move for a 3-yard touchdown pass.

"It's amazing because you know when you can look at him and just throw a one-on-one ball and he comes up with it," Bradley said. "You can't beat it, because you really have a 100% chance when you throw it to him. It's great."

The Comets forced a turnover on downs on the ensuing possession, and Bradley started to move the Comets again. He completed his first 11 passes on the night before Moore ended his streak and the drive with an interception. A couple minutes later, Richards made up for Bradley's turnover with the scoop-and-score.

"We played amazing," Bradley said. "A couple times we faced adversity, like the kickoff that got recovered in the first, but we battled. Everybody has been working so hard. It's just cool to see us all come back and win that game. It's just great."

Moore returned the third-quarter kickoff to the Abington Heights 47, but Abington Heights forced a turnover on downs. Dominic Vergnetti's 2-yard touchdown run with 10:30 in the fourth quarter sealed the victory for the Comets.

Kevin Wickizer scored on a 3-yard run later in the fourth quarter for the Trojans' only touchdown. Wickizer finished with 87 yards on 15 carries.

Bradley finished 16 of 18 passing for 191 yards and one touchdown. He added 44 yards and one touchdown on 10 carries.

"The ball was coming out of my hand great and the receivers were running great routes," Bradley said. "We talked a lot about in practice, making the right reads and things like that and everything was working out there. The things we talked about in practice were happening and the throws were coming out on point, and receivers were making catches, so it was awesome."

Fedor had eight catches for 86 yards and one touchdown, including six catches for 57 yards in the second quarter.

Contact the writer: jbaress@scrantontimes.com; 570-348-9125; @sportsTT on X