O’reilly Wins Clash With Hoban Queensmen Rallied From 14-0 Down To Take A 28-17 Lead, Then Held Off The Argents.

By JOHN ERZAR [email protected]
Sunday, November 04, 2001 Page: 3C

WILKES-BARRE – Nowhere in the annals of football does it say two struggling
teams can’t put on a great show.

Bishop O’Reilly and Bishop Hoban, each with one victory, played 48 minutes
of football Saturday night that was entertaining, dramatic and often
overzealous.
In the end, O’Reilly overcame an early two-touchdown deficit and a vigorous
Hoban rally attempt for a 28-25 victory in the Northeast Pennsylvania Football
Conference finale for the rival Division 4 schools.

O’Reilly used the tough running of Frank Crofchick in part to erase a 14-0
first-quarter deficit. The junior tailback was slowed most of the year by an
automobile crash prior to the season, but closed out with 217 yards on 37
carries.

“Records don’t really matter too much,” O’Reilly coach Gregg Yankovich
said. “You’re looking at two teams this year that were basically in the same
boat.”

And each team did its best to knock the other overboard. Personal foul
penalties were the infractions de jour as the Queensmen and Argents played
like a playoff berth was at stake.

Of course, none was. But O’Reilly (2-7 Div. 4, 2-8) closed a rebuilding
year with two consecutive victories while Hoban (1-8 Div. 4, 1-9) ended the
year playing with much more gumption than in its season opener with Meyers.

“To say this wasn’t a successful year is ludicrous,” said Hoban
first-year coach Greg Skrepenak, whose team snapped a 29-game losing streak
earlier in the season. “Most people measure success by winning and losing.
But consider where this team was and where we ended up.”

Hoban built its 14-0 lead on a 6-yard run by Brendan Moriarty and a 2-yard
run by Bryan Boote.

O’Reilly responded with three second-quarter touchdowns – an 11-yard run by
Crofchick, a 2-yard run by John Pekarovsky and a 31-yard interception return
by Ralph Mancuso – to take a 21-14 halftime lead.

Hoban moved within 21-17 at 4:09 of the third quarter on Gerry McGroarty’s

Pekarovsky to Dave Lohin early in the fourth, but the score didn’t deter the
Argents.

Trailing 28-17 with 2:01 left, Hoban quarterback Mike Olinits completed a

the next play, Olinits hit Moriarty with a short pass in the right flat. The
defender tried for the interception, but missed and allowed Moriarty to cover
the remaining 61 yards. Wayman caught the two-point conversion pass, moving
the Argents within 28-25 with 1:35 to play.

O’Reilly, though, recovered the ensuing onside kick and ran out the clock.