Argents Back In Playoff Picture

Kolojejchick scores 2 TDs, rushes for 135 yards as Bishop Hoban holds off Tunkhannock.

Tunkhannock’s Colton Rosario runs for yardage as Bishop Hoban’s Michael Kaiser lunges toward him.

WILKES-BARRE – Tunkhannock couldn’t have asked for a better scenario. All the District 2 Class 3A teams the Tigers needed to lose this weekend did just that.
All that was left to wrap up a profitable weekend was a victory Saturday night at Wilkes-Barre Memorial Stadium. That piece never fell into place.
Instead, Tunkhannock squandered its opportunities, turned over the ball five times and failed to capitalize on a late-game fumble recovery as Bishop Hoban held on for a 20-14 Wyoming Valley Conference victory.
A victory would have moved Tunkhannock (3-3) from fourth in the D2 3A standings entering the weekend to second. Instead, the Tigers fell to fifth in the race for four playoff spots.
“No doubt,” Tunkhannock coach Steve Jervis said. “We talk about this all the time that we control our own destiny and we don’t worry about what other people do. But everything was playing into our favor and all we had to do was win.”
Hoban (3-3) won for the third consecutive time and moved back into the hunt for one of eight D2 2A playoff spots.
“We had a team meeting and said we could either turn it around or just play for pride,” Hoban tailback Matt Kolojejchick said. “We decided we wanted to make something out of this season. Since the Lake-Lehman game, we’ve been playing better as a team and turning big games around. This was a huge win for us.”
Several factors worked against Tunkhannock on Saturday night.
The first was Hoban’s ability to make key plays when it counted.
Kolojejchick rushed for 135 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries, but his most important gain was a 21-yarder on a second-and-10 play with less than two minutes to play. The run ended Tunkhannock’s hopes.
Hoban senior Kyle Flemings was outstanding on both sides of the ball. He caught five passes for 175 yards, including a jumpball with seven seconds left in the third quarter that he turned into a 65-yard touchdown and a 20-7 lead.
Flemings also intercepted two passes to end Tunkhannock drives in Hoban territory. Mike Burns and Nick Konetski also had interception, with each inside the Hoban 10.
“Kyle Flemings made some big-time plays,” Jervis said. “In a game like that, that could be the difference.”
Meanwhile, Tunkhannock’s best threat – WVC Division 3A leading rusher Dustin Faux – injured his right ankle late in the first quarter. Faux returned, but was noticeably hobbled by the injury.
Still, the Tigers moved within 20-14 with five minutes remaining in the game when backup tailback Martin Dantoe darted through the right side of the line for a 26-yard touchdown.
Tunkhannock’s Corey Armstrong recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff at the Hoban 27, but Burns recorded his interception on a fourth-and-18 play with 3:23 left.
Kolojejchick’s running and a 15-yard facemask penalty prevented Tunkhannock from getting the ball back.
“We didn’t get a lot of breaks early in the season,” Hoban coach Dwayne Downing said, “but we’re starting to play good football.”