Dallas senior Sam Kelley (29) has two of the Mountaineers’ four 100-yard rushing games this season.
Tony Callaio | Times Leader file photo
North Pocono had just nine wins over the last two seasons. The Trojans hadn’t won a District 2 Class 4A football championship since 2016.
Yet, they were considered the best hope to end the stranglehold three teams had over the title the past eight seasons.
One of those teams was Dallas, which won the championship in 2019 and 2023 and played for the crown last year. The Mountaineers (6-5) return to the title game again when they play at North Pocono (11-0) at 7 p.m. Friday.
North Pocono’s last trip to the D2-4A championship was 2021 when the Trojans lost 42-7 to Valley View. Their only district championship came the year the PIAA expanded from four to six classifications in football.
Dallas’ last two district titles resulted in trips to the PIAA Class 4A state championship games.
Here are 10 things to ponder about the game.
1. North Pocono has the longest winning streak in District 2 at 12 games. The Trojans closed out the 2024 season by defeating Hamburg 41-0 in the Eastern Conference Class 4A championship game.
2. North Pocono has one of the most versatile players in District 2 in Cole West. The junior is listed as a receiver, but has accounted for over 900 yards of offense catching and running the ball. He will occasionally take direct snaps and has thrown for a TD. He also has four return touchdowns.
3. The best comparison to West’s ability is Pittston Area’s Lucas LoPresto, except West is bigger at 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds.
West had five catches for 159 yards and a touchdown in the 35-14 win over Dallas in Week 6. LoPresto threw a TD pass and had a touchdown run in Pittston Area’s 36-35 overtime win against Dallas in Week 5. LoPresto accounted for 110 yards via pass/run/receiving in the game.
4. North Pocono’s Joe Briskie had 111 yards rushing and three TDs in North Pocono’s win against Dallas. The sophomore running back has dealt with injuries throughout the season and senior Josiah Gray has done an excellent job assuming the main ball carrier role.
5. North Pocono last finished the regular season unbeaten in 1991. The Trojans finished 12-0, but didn’t qualify for the four-team state playoffs. They defeated Berwick 22-21 in the Eastern Conference Class 3A championship game, but Berwick went to states based on a power formula the PIAA used.
6. Dallas defeated Valley View 17-0 in the semifinals last Friday for its second shutout of the season. The two shutouts are the most Dallas has had in a season since posting three in 2021.
7. Dallas had just 180 yards of offense when the teams played Week 6. That was the Mountaineers’ second-lowest total. They had just 150 in a 7-0 win against Crestwood in Week 8.
8. The Mountaineers had two turnovers in the previous meeting with North Pocono. Since then, they have two turnovers in their last five games combined.
9. Running back Sam Kelley rushed for 105 yards in the semifinal win against Valley View, marking only the fourth time a Dallas player has rushed for 100 yards this season. Kelley had 185 against Wyoming Valley West in Week 7. Quarterback Talan Geskey had 149 in Week 5 against Pittston Area and freshman running back Mark Saracinaj had 155 in Week 4 against Wilkes-Barre Area.
10. Since the PIAA went to six classifications for the 2016 season, the District 2 champion is 3-6 in their first state playoff game. Dallas won its first playoff games in 2019 and 2023 on the way to the state championship game. Crestwood won in 2022.
