H.S. Football: Dallas edges Bonner-Prendie in overtime in 4A quarterfinals

DALLAS TWP. — Dallas coach Rich Mannello summed up Friday’s game with some humor, necessary to cut a tense 48 minutes plus overtime of football.

“It was worth the eight bucks or whatever, wasn’t it,” Mannello said.

For the Mountaineers and their fans, the 28-27 overtime win in the PIAA Class 4A state quartefinals over Bonner-Prendie was priceless.

Quarterback Brady Zapoticky scored on a 1-yard run and kicker Rowan Laubach booted the extra point in overtime, sending District 2 champion Dallas (14-0) to the semifinals where it will play District 3 champion Bishop McDevitt (13-0). McDevitt rallied in the fourth quarter to defeat Manheim Central 23-17.

“We talk about it all the time,” Mannello said. “If you got heart and guts, you have a chance.”

Dallas had to rally from deficits twice in the second half to tie the game. The Mountaineers had to do so once again when running back Avery Hankey’s 1-yard run in overtime game District 12 champion Bonner-Prendie (10-3) a 27-21 lead.

The Friars were penalized after the touchdown for unsportsmanlike conduct, forcing kicker Irv Fisher to try an extra point from 35 yards away. Dallas’ Nate Malarkey busted through from the left side to block the kick.

Dallas then took over and after a 2-yard run by Dylan Geskey, Zapoticky hit fullback Clark Van Orden for a 7-yard gain. The catch was Van Orden’s second of the season. Zapoticky was stuffed on third down and was initially stopped on fourth down but slid to his left and fell into the end zone.

Laubach, a soccer player, drilled the extra point to send Dallas to the Class 4A semifinals for the second time in five seasons.

“I zone out before I even get out there,” said Laubach, who led all Wyoming Valley Conference kickers with 56 points during the regular season. “I just focus on what I have to do and I try to get it done.”

The kick ended a game that was grind throughout. Dallas ran twice as many plays as Bonner-Prendie in the first half, yet the result was a 7-7 tie at halftime.

“Normally, when you do that you expect you’re going to put together a drive or break one,” Mannello said. “We didn’t have that. We had a couple misses, a couple long balls that were close. You got to convert them and we didn’t.”

Dallas also had to overcome a 14-7 deficit in the third quarter when Bonner-Prendie running back Mick Johnson dashed straight through the defense for a 60-yard TD run at the 8:29 mark. The Mountaineers did so by taking advantage of an 11-yard wind-blown punt and Friars holding penalty to take control at the Bonner-Prendie 15-yard line. Dylan Geskey scored on a 10-yard run on the second play that more like a rugby scrum with players from both teams forming a ball of bodies.

Bonner-Prendie went ahead again in the fourth quarter, only for Dallas to tie the score 21-21 when Zapoticky hit Gavin Lewis in stride for a 71-yard touchdown three plays later.

The first play after the ensuing kickoff took away a big piece for Bonner-Prendie. Johnson, who had 174 yards on 15 carries at that point, came up wobbly and didn’t return. Then on a fourth-and-1, Malarkey made the first hit and his teammates swarmed to prevent a first down.

Bonnor-Prendie’s last real possession of regulation saw Geskey and Lewis made tackles for losses and Malarkey blitzing in to bury 5-foot-5 quarterback Noel Campbell for a 14-yard loss. The Friars got the ball back one final time in the fourth quarter with 56 seconds left and in poor field position.

“On defense, we’re always bringing the wood,” Malarkey said. “Coach said on Sunday ‘They’re fast, they’re physically, but if we bring the wood we’re going to stop these guys.’ That’s what we’ve done all season long. We play so fired up.”

PIAA Class 4A Quarterfinals

Dallas 28, Bonner-Prendie 27 OT

Bonner-Prendie`0`7`7`7`6 — 27

Dallas`7`0`7`7`7 — 28

First quarter

BP — Mick Johnson 30 run (Irv Fisher kick), 3:46

Second quarter

DAL — Zach Paczewski 10 pass from Brady Zapoticky (Rowan Laubach kick), 8:44

Third quarter

BP — Johnson 60 run (Fisher kick), 8:29

DAL — Dylan Geskey 10 run (Laubach kick), 5:49

Fourth quarter

BP — Johnson 7 run (Fisher kick), 10:42

DAL — Gavin Lewis 71 pass from Zapoticky (Laubach kick), 10:06

Overtime

BP — Avery Hankey 1 run (kick blocked)

DAL — Zapoticky 1 run (Laubach kick)

Team statistics`BP`DAL

First downs`11`10

Rushes-yards`35-197`36-71

Passing yards`35`125

Total yards`232`196

Passing`6-16-1`10-22-0

Sacked-yards lost`3-17`3-16

Punts-avg.`5-29.4`5-32.2

Fumbles-lost`2-0`1-0

Penalties-yards`6-59`5-51

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — Bonner-Prendie, Hankey 9-8, Isaiah Session 2-9, Johnson 16-175, Noel Campbell 3-(minus-17), Tymir Morris 2-9, Kenjai Gatling 1-10, Chaz Ingram 1-8, team 1-(minus-5). Dallas, Geskey 19-55, Zapoticky 12-2, Paczewski 4-8, Nate Malarkey 1-6.

PASSING — Bonner-Prendie, Campbell 6-16-1-35. Dallas, Zapoticky 10-20-0-125, Geskey 0-1-0-0, Paczewski 0-1-0-0.

RECEIVING — Bonner-Prendie, Jalil Hall 2-2, Christian Jones 3-38, Hankey 1-(minus-5). Dallas, Paczewski 5-31, Lucas Tirpak 1-3, Nick Farrell 1-7, G.Lewis 2-77, Clark Van Orden 1-7.

INTERCEPTIONS — Dallas, Mike Lewis 1-4.

MISSED FGs — none.