Dallas running back Dylan Geskey runs through the Valley View defense during last Friday’s District 2 Class 4A championship game. The Mountaineers host District 12 champion Bonner-Prendie at 6 p.m. Friday in the PIAA Class 4A state quarterfinals.
Fred Adams file photo | For Times Leader
Dallas coach Rich Mannello waited until the gift was delivered Friday night to tell his team.
The present — a home game in the PIAA Class 4A state playoffs — was met with a roar of approval.
No long road trip on Black Friday. No less-than-adequate facilities on and off the field. Instead, Dallas’ stadium will be the site when the District 2 champion Mountaineers (13-0) play District 12 champion Bonner-Prendie (10-2) at 6 p.m. Friday in the state quarterfinals.
Note that the game is starting an hour earlier than originally scheduled. Also note that the tickets are now $8 — plus a processing fee — and available only at piaa.org. No tickets are available at the gate.
Mannello kept the home-game scenario under wraps throughout the week leading to the district championship game.
“We knew last week that was the case,” Mannello said, “but we weren’t going to add that to Friday night’s deal with the district title. We kept that separate. We were fortunate to win the game and share that with the kids Friday night when the game was over. Their reaction was great.
“It’s great for the community to have another night. I reminded them … this is it now for this group. After Friday night, this group as it is will never again be in that stadium, so we have to embrace every moment.”
Last year, D2-4A champion Crestwood had to play Bonner-Prendie at the Northeast Super Site in Philadelphia in the quarterfinals. Nothing was super about the place — badly maintained turf and neglected restrooms were among the issues.
Several players return from that Bonner-Prendie team, which lost 21-14 to Crestwood but was solid on defense. Take away TD runs of 53 and 76 yards by Crestwood’s Noah Schultz, and the Comets totalled just 96 yards on 40 other plays.
The Bonner-Prendie defense starts with defensive end Mylachi Williams, a Penn State recruit who had 11 sacks going into last week’s game with District 1 champion Pope John Paul II. Mick Johnson and Isaiah Session are the top tacklers.
“The two edge guys on defense have great length and can run really well,” Mannello said. “There is speed all over the field. The skill guys, there are some tremendous players there. If you miss a run fit and a gap gets left open, they can go to the house.”
The Friars, though, struggled offensively in their 21-13 victory over PJP. They had the same number of first downs as punts (6) and managed 169 yards compared to 275 by PJP. PJP had five turnovers, including an interception returned for a touchdown.
The recent offensive difficulties could be traced to injuries. Johnson, leading rusher Avery Hankey and receiver Jeremiah Ford all missed the D12-4A championship game with Bartram. Johnson returned against PJP while Hankey made a cameo and Ford’s name wasn’t in the final stats.
Still, Dallas will have to deal with 6-foot-4 receiver Jalil Hall, who has James Madison, Nebraska and Rutgers among about a half-dozen offers. Bonner-Prendie is young at quarterback, using freshmen Kanjai Gatling and Noel Campbell. Both have put up decent numbers.
Dallas received three rushing touchdowns from running back Dylan Geskey in its 21-18 victory over Valley View in the D2-4A title game. Quarterback Brady Zapoticky hit on big gainers to receivers Zach Paczewski and Lucas Tirpak and tight end Nick Farrell.
But the offense also hurt itself on a couple possessions, starting one with a holding penalty and having another hampered by a 15-yard crack-back penalty.
The defense shut down the Valley View running game, forcing the Cougars into passing way more than expected. The Cougars’ last possession appeared in jeopardy when pressure from John Cummings and Zach Williams forced an errant pass on second-and-16, but an unsportsmanlike penalty led a first down on the ensuing play. The threat ended on an interception by Gavin Lewis.
“They just kept coming back,” Mannello said. “We seemed to get off schedule an awful lot, either self-induced or otherwise. They responded well. That penalty late in the game, it’s third-and-16 and it ends up being third-and-1. That was a lot to overcome and they did it. I was really proud of them.”
UP NEXT
The winner plays the District 3 champion, either Manheim Central (11-1) or Bishop McDevitt (12-0), in the semifinals. Those teams play at 7 p.m. Friday at McDevitt.
If Dallas wins, there is a good chance of that game being inside District 2 based on the bracket. Last year, D2-4A champion Crestwood played McDevitt at a District 3 site in the semifinals.
