By JOHN ERZAR [emailprotected]
Friday, October 27, 2000 Page: 1C
As a first-year coach, Hazleton Area’s Rocco Petrone can’t control one
thing – the past.
Yet tonight, he finds himself part of it.
Petrone’s Cougars travel to Wyoming Valley West for a 7 p.m. Northeast
Pennsylvania Football Conference Division 1 game to play the Spartans, who …
remember last year’s 34-21 regular-season loss to Hazleton Area that cost
them a share of the final Wyoming Valley Conference Division I title.
remember a rematch two weeks later in the District 2 Class 4A playoffs
that ended their season when Hazleton Area won 21-7.
“(Valley West) is a great team to start with. They have an excellent
athlete in (quarterback) P.J. Piskorik,” Petrone said. “The added incentive
of the revenge factor doesn’t help. But I tell the kids it’s great to be in a
big game late in the season.”
The game may be a wee bigger for Valley West (7-1). With a victory, the
Spartans’ firm grip on a berth in the District 1-2/4 Class 4A subregionals
would become a stranglehold.
However, Hazleton Area (4-4) is also battling for a postseason berth,
albeit in the second-level Eastern Conference playoffs.
So the Cougars’ focus has been more on the present than the past.
“I wasn’t there last year, but I’m sure the players that are returning are
confident (because of last year’s wins),” Petrone said. “But it really
hasn’t been talked about all that much at practice.”
Still, Valley West needs to be leery. While Hazleton Area doesn’t have a
winning record, it has won three of its last four. The Cougars have been in
all four of their losses and was on the cusp of winning a couple of them.
Today’s games begin at 7 p.m. Check the preview for starting times of
tomorrow’s games.
Tonight’s games
Berwick (8-0) at Wyoming Area (3-5): I watched the George Curry Show
Tuesday night. Every time Curry talked, the sound on my TV cut out and
assistant Bob Croop’s voice was dubbed in.
Old Forge (4-4) at Carbondale (6-2): A Carbondale win just about sets the
table for the District 2 Class A playoffs.
Western Wayne (0-8) at Lakeland (8-0): At least Western Wayne coach Joe
Romanowski isn’t making excuses.
Susquehanna (7-1) at Lackawanna Trail (7-1): The battle for a share of
first place in Division 4 features the division’s top two tailbacks,
Susquehanna’s Nick Winnie and Trail’s Richard Jackson.
Coughlin (2-6) at Pittston Area (6-2): Will the Coughlin Crusaders remain a
hungry bunch after tonight’s game?
Dunmore (7-1) at Mid-Valley (3-5): I’m still trying to figure out the
outfit the girl in the Dunmore band was wearing last week. It looked like a
cross between a 1956 Chevy bumper, a caribou and The Great Gazoo from “The
Flintstones.”
West Scranton (6-2) at Tunkhannock (0-8): West Scranton won’t need trickery
tonight.
Crestwood (4-4) at Wallenpaupack (5-3): Good matchup, pretty area, but a
long trip.
Bishop O’Hara (2-6) at Riverside (6-2): O’Hara had minus-5 yards of offense
last week vs. Lackawanna Trail. Or as former ALPO spokesman Lorne Greene would
have said, “That’s minus-35 in dog yards.”
Bishop O’Reilly (3-5) at Northwest (1-7): O’Reilly won’t squander a chance
to reach .500. Northwest blew its chance long ago.
North Pocono (3-5) at Honesdale (3-5): To pay homage to Halloween, the
teams will dress in costumes that sum up their seasons. North Pocono will be
Dr. Jekyll and Honesdale Mr. Hyde.
Nantico*ke (3-5) at Montrose (1-7): The Trojans love to beat up on those
winless teams. Uh-oh, Montrose won last week.
Valley View (6-2) at Scranton Prep (5-3): The NEPFC’s version of
“Survivor,” with the loser voted off the Class 2A playoff island.
East Stroudsburg North (0-8) at GAR (6-2): Like the old cartoon character
Super Chicken, North coach Chuck Dailey knew the job was dangerous when he
took it.
Delaware Valley (0-8) at Scranton (2-6): DelVal has an excuse. What’s
Scranton’s?
Tomorrow’s games
Meyers (4-4) at Hanover Area (7-1), 1 p.m.: Meyers lived the life of a
lottery winner early. Then the tax collectors – aka Dunmore, Lakeland and
Hanover Area – showed up.
Williamsport (5-3) at Abington Heights (6-2), 1 p.m.: After losing last
weekend, both teams’ district hopes are in the hands of the Wyoming Valley
Sanitary Authority.
Lake-Lehman (2-6) at Dallas (6-2), 1:30 p.m.: Oh, to be a fly on the wall
of the Dallas locker room last Saturday.
Wyoming Seminary (4-3) at Perkiomen (4-2), 2 p.m.: Could be the closest
game of the afternoon.
Bishop Hafey (2-6) at Bishop Hoban (0-8), 7 p.m.: Hafey’s last chance at a
win. Hoban’s next chance comes in 2001.
