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By PHIL MANCINI; Times Leader Sports Correspondent
Sunday, September 22, 1996 Page:
WILKES-BARRE — Hanover Area football coach Al Kopacz decided that
quarterback Matt Kawczenski needed a tune-up Saturday.
Kawczenski had been hobbled by an ankle injury, missing a pair of practices
each of the past two weeks, and Kopacz wanted to make sure the sophomore
hadn’t lost his timing. After all, the Hawkeyes (4-0) need to be hitting on
all cylinders as they enter the toughest part of their schedule starting next
week.
So Hanover came out throwing against Bishop Hoban (1-3), and Kawczenski got
the Hawkeyes off to a roaring start. He completed six of eight passes for 110
yards and two touchdowns as Hanover crushed Hoban, 47-6, at Wilkes-Barre
Memorial Stadium.
“That’s why we came out like we did,” Kopacz said. “His ankle isn’t 100
percent, and we wanted to give him a rest during the week.”
On Hanover’s first possession, Kawczenski, who played only the first half
and one series of the third quarter, took his team 42 yards, all on passes.
Kawczenski connected with split end Mike Wilk for 17 yards, Bryan Hatten for 9
yards and Ryan Dalton for a 16-yard touchdown.
Kawczenski’s other touchdown pass came late in the first half. A 3-yard
pass to Hatten completed a two-play, 35-yard drive to make the score 33-0 at
halftime.
Of the five Hanover touchdowns in the first half, Kawczenski and Hatten
were involved in four. Kawczenski, who had 50 rushing yards, ran for a
touchdown that gave Hanover a 19-0 lead, and Hatten scored on a 53-yard
interception return that put Hanover up 26-0.
Paul Cunard accounted for the second Hawkeye touchdown, a 1-yard run that
put Hanover ahead 12-0 in the first quarter.
The domination in the first half put to rest another concern for Kopacz:
the motivation of his team.
“I told the kids, `Coming off a 1-9 season, we can’t take anyone lightly,’
” Kopacz said. “We’re just glad to have this one behind us.”
By the time the Hawkeyes began losing their intensity, it was too late for
Hoban to make a comeback.
“We just didn’t work out there,” Hoban coach Dave Lapinski said. “For the
first time, I’m not happy with their effort. There were too many physical
mistakes that we have to deal with.”
The Argents did put together 234 yards of total offense. Hoban’s only score
came on a 30-yard run by Scott Murphy in the third quarter, which made the
score 40-6.
“We did do some nice things,” Lapinski said. “But we were just flat. That’s
what we have to work on. We need to play a complete game.
12 21 7 7 — 47
Bishop Hoban 0 0 6 0 — 6
First Quarter
Han — Dalton 16 pass from Kawczenski (kick failed), 9:24.
Han — Cunard 1 run (pass failed), 7:39.
Second Quarter
Han — Kawczenski 1 run (Gavlick kick), 8:20.
Han — Hatten 53 interception return (Gavlick kick), 6:26.
Han — Hatten 3 pass from Kawczenski (Gavlick kick), 0:42.
Third Quarter
Han — Dalton 16 run (Gavlick kick), 7:28.
Hob — Murphy 30 run (Kick failed).
Fourth Quarter
Han — Tippins 54 run (Gavlick kick), 3:52.
First Downs 15 13
Rushes-Yards 31-235 40-182
Passing yards 110 52
Passes 6-8-0 7-12-1
Sacks by 0-0 0-0
Punts-Avg 2-54 6-30.5
Fumbles-lost 3-1 2-0
Penalties-Yards 5-60 6-59