Dallas Looking To Take Bite Out Of Dawgs
By DAVE KONOPKI [email protected]
Thursday, November 01, 2001 Page: 17
DALLAS TWP. – There have been many important games played at Mountaineer
Stadium since Dallas High School was founded in 1962. District playoff games.
Eastern Conference playoff games. Wyoming Valley Conference championship
games. Old Shoe games.
But perhaps no game will be as important – or receive as much hype – as the
game that will take place there Saturday afternoon.
Dallas hosts six-time state champion Berwick at 2 p.m. Saturday in a
crucial game for both teams. The winner will share the Northeast Pennsylvania
Football Conference Division 2 South championship with Wyoming Area, and
secure the No. 1 seed in next week’s District 2 Class 3A playoffs.
And the game is even bigger for Dallas, which is looking to capture its
first division championship since moving from the former Wyoming Valley
Conference Division II.
“If we lose, there’s a possibility that we’re not getting into the district
playoffs,” said Mountaineer head coach Ted Jackson, who received his 150th
career victory during Dallas’ 21-14 win against Lake-Lehman in the 54th annual
Old Shoe game Saturday afternoon. “If we win, we get a share of the division
title and probably a home game in the first round of the playoffs.
“Winning the championship would be fantastic. We’ve won a 3A district
championship, but we haven’t won the division championship since they changed
the conference.”
Jackson knows his team better be ready to face the perennial Class 3A state
power. Especially since the Dawgs are coming off a tough 15-13 loss against
Wyoming Area last Friday.
“They’re going to be more focused and more intense,” he said. “They know if
they lose, they don’t play at home game in the playoffs, and they don’t win
the league championship. Those things don’t happen very often in Berwick.
“I hope we’re ready. Berwick is bigger, stronger and faster than we are.
Anytime you play Berwick you’re going to be the underdog and that’s the case
on Saturday.”
Berwick has easily defeated Dallas in the two games the teams have played
as members of the NEPFC. But the game has never been played in Dallas.
“We’re happy the game is at Dallas and we’re looking forward to the
challenge,” said Jackson. “But we know it’s not going to be an easy task.
We’ve played Berwick twice and we got our butts kicked twice. But we’ve been
able to stay with them physically. Our kids played hard from the time they got
off the bus until the time they got back on the bus. Our problem has been
stopping the big play.”
Jackson will be counting on a nucleus of seniors, including quarterback
Chuck Suppon, linemen John Simonitis and Brian Downey, running
backs/linebackers AJ Harris and Jeremy Harris, and receivers Mike Dombroski
and Blake Saba to play well against the Dawgs.
“Our seniors have done a great job. They’ve come a very long way. To be 7-2
in a league like ours is a big accomplishment. And I really think we should be
played very all season.”
Jackson and his coaching staff is working overtime for Saturday’s showdown.
” You have to put in a lot of extra hours when you play Berwick,” said
Jackson, who worked with his coaching staff for several hours after Saturday’s
game against Lake-Lehman, for more than six hours on Sunday, and until 11 p.m.
Tuesday. “Turning back the clocks hurts us. We’d like to be on the (practice)
field until 7, but we can’t because it’s too dark and we don’t have lights.
We’re doing a lot of inside classroom preparation for the game. When you play
Berwick, you better be prepared.
“We’ll be ready and I really believe our kids are going to play hard.
