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Mike Umerich darts up the field in Abingtons 51-7 victory.

Abington Journal /Stephanie Walkowski

HAZLETON – A spirited Hazleton Area crowd looking for big things from a new coach and a new high school football season roared in unison when the Cougars recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff.

People danced in the aisles at Harman-Geist Stadium when Pedro Guzman dashed into the end zone on a touchdown run moments later.

It was the last thing Hazleton Area had to cheer about all night.

The rest of the noise was made by the talented backfield tandem of James Freuhan and Paul Gallagher, who combined for 304 rushing yards and six touchdowns in Abington Heights’ 51-7 crushing of the Cougars to spoil the Hazleton Area debut of head coach Paul Marranca.

“They manhandled us up front,” Marranca said.

Running like he was shot from a cannon, the speedy Freuhan scored on touchdown runs of 4, 2, 24 and 13, dashing and darting for 154 yards on 19 carries. He also scored on a 25-yard touchdown dart from quarterback Mike Beamish to give the Comets a 31-7 lead just before halftime.

Gallagher simply gashed Hazleton Area for 150 yards on 20 carries and delivered what may have been the game’s most decisive blow when he barreled straight up the middle for a 56-yard touchdown run. It gave the Comets a 17-7 lead in the final minute of the first quarter, broke open a tight game and seemed to break Hazleton Area’s back.

“That backfield, with James Freuhan and Paul Gallagher, they’re athletic, tough, physical runners with great speed,” Abington Heights coach Joe Repshis said. “We’re very confident in our running game and our passing game.”

Not that the Comets needed the airwaves much, but when they did throw, Beamish connected for 114 yards on his 6-for-8 night.

“It’s like the boxer,” Marranca said. “When they get punch-drunk, you start feeling dazed.

“Our kids had that dazed look in their eyes.”

Funny it turned out that way, since the Cougars threw the first roundhouse punch.

Steve Komar recovered a ball that was fumbled on a hellacious hit on the season’s first kickoff as Hazleton Area set up deep in Comets territory.

On the second play from scrimmage, Guzman swept across the goal line for a 21-yard scoring run, giving the Cougars a 7-0 lead just 17 seconds into the game. But as quickly as the good feeling came, it left Hazleton Area.

“Anytime you score first, you’re happy,” said Marranca, a Pennsylvania Football Coaches Hall of Fame inductee for his work with Wyoming Area who returned to the sidelines to fill a vacancy at Hazleton Area this season. “But then, we didn’t move the ball.”

Meanwhile, Abington Heights moved it at will.

“We preach all along it’s a 40-minute game,” Repshis said. “No one hit the panic button.”