HS FOOTBALL: Scranton Prep topples Trinity

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DUNMORE — After Scranton Prep shut down Trinity on two straight drives, the Cavaliers just needed a spark to get some separation.

They thought Noah Krzywiec provided it when he returned a punt for a touchdown, but it was called back by a penalty.

With Scranton Prep facing a third-and-9, quarterback Oliver Swingle hit tight end Ricky Dewey on a crossing route, and Dewey barreled through two defenders for a 15-yard gain and a first down.

“We were running our drive play, and they like to send the middle backers a lot, so I knew that we were going to have Ricky coming across there,” Swingle said. “I just hit him, and I trusted him to go make a play and get the first down.”

It proved the spark for the play that came next, as Swingle lofted the ball perfectly to Braedon McPartland, who leaped and hauled in a 46-yard catch to set up the Cavaliers on the Trinity 6-yard line before the end of the first quarter.

After that, there was no stopping Scranton Prep, as it scored 28 points in the second quarter and rolled to a 45-7 victory over the Shamrocks on Friday night in a nonconference football game at Dunmore Veterans Memorial Stadium.

“We were practicing that play all week,” McPartland said. “It’s kind of a funky play, and the defense was actually calling it out, but I trust Ollie. He threw a good ball and I went up and grabbed it.”

Two plays later, McPartland ran in for a 2-yard touchdown to give the Cavaliers a 10-0 advantage with 11:09 left in the second quarter against Trinity, which advanced to the PIAA Class 3A semifinals last season and, like Scranton Prep, lost to Northwestern Lehigh.

“We knew they were going to be good, but last week we came off a tough loss in a game that we could have won,” said McPartland, referring to the Cavaliers’ 41-34 Week 1 loss to Loyola Blakefield. “So, we just came out pumped up and just put it on them.”

Finn Mulligan’s tackle for no gain, Roman Lowe’s tackle on third-and-3 and the defensive line overwhelming Trinity (0-2) on fourth-and-1 forced a turnover on downs.

After a four-and-out and a three-and-out, Krzywiec had a 30-yard punt return to set Scranton Prep up on the Trinity 48. Owen Jeffers ran 28 yards to get the Cavaliers into the red zone, Swingle ran for eight yards on third-and-5 and Brandon Farmer capped the drive with a 2-yard touchdown with 3:43 left in the second quarter for a 17-0 lead.

After another three-and-out, Swingle hit McPartland underneath and he ran 28 yards into Trinity territory. Then Swingle hit Krzywiec for 19, Jeffers ran for 13 yards and McPartland walked into the end zone for a 2-yard touchdown with 2:35 left in the half to give the Cavaliers a 24-0 advantage.

Once again, Scranton Prep (1-1) moved Trinity backward, as Mulligan and McPartland combined on a tackle for a loss and Levi Carter and Jordan Henning combined on another tackle for a loss.

After the punt, the Cavaliers needed just four plays to reach the end zone, as Swingle hit Liam Haggerty in stride down the right sideline for a 30-yard touchdown and a 31-0 lead with 52 seconds left in the half.

Swingle finished 10 of 14 with 164 yards passing and a touchdown, all in the first half.

“We’ve got younger guys on the line, a lot of them had to step up and that’s what they’re doing this year,” Swingle said. “They’re doing a great job protecting me. The returning seniors are doing a great job playing their part, too, like Noah (Krzywiec), Liam (Haggerty), Tato (Braedon McPartland), Ricky (Dewey). All of them are doing a great job.”

While the offense shone, the defense allowed just 78 first-half yards.

“It starts with the D-line,” McPartland said. “They held everything down and when they hold it down, the secondary just follows them and we all just come together.”

McPartland ended the first possession of the third quarter by sacking quarterback Nick Sweppenhiser and forcing a fumble and a punt.

Then Krzywiec finally got his touchdown.

The senior caught the ensuing punt, and bolted down the right sideline for a 55-yard return to give Scranton Prep a 38-0 lead with 9:59 left in the third.

Farmer added a 27-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter, and Trinity’s Tyler Kuntz ran for a 1-yard touchdown with 1:00 left in the game. Tyler Bianchi gave the Cavaliers a 3-0 lead in the first quarter with a 31-yard field goal, with Owen McPartland doing a nice job getting the hold down after a low snap.

Scranton Prep faces Fairfield Prep on Friday at 6 p.m. at Dunmore Veterans Memorial Stadium.

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