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Wyoming Valley West finally got over that hump last Friday. The Spartans defeated Nazareth, beating a District 11 team in district play for the first time in seven tries.
The problem with clearing a District 11 obstacle in the District 2/4-11 Class 4A playoffs is there’s always another. And then, if fortunate enough, another.
And they get bigger like at 7 p.m. Friday when Valley West (11-0) plays Bethlehem Liberty (8-3) in the quarterfinals.
“It was huge,” Valley West coach Pat Keating said of the 51-34 win over Nazareth. “It was a goal we set out to do early on in the year. We reiterated it last week leading up to the game that we wanted to get over that hump and be able to finally beat one of those guys in the subregion.
“We’ve done that and we have some confidence, but the road doesn’t get any easier.”
District 2 and District 4’s Williamsport have been lumped in with District 11 in a subregional tournament since 2004. Only three times has a District 2 team played in the tournament finals — Hazleton Area in 2005 and 2007 and Delaware Valley in 2012.
The first step for Valley West will be stopping — or at least slowing down — Liberty quarterback Doug Erney. Erney owns just about every school passing record. He excels at running the read-option. He’s extremely elusive in the pocket and can create with his feet when passing plays break down.
Six different receivers have caught at least 10 passes from Erney. Victor Santiago leads the way with 34 catches and 10 touchdowns. The Hurricanes can also run the ball as Gunner Anglovich has over 1,000 yards on the ground.
“What’s so different about the school down there is this is another spread offense that we’re going to be playing,” Keating said. “There is not just one guy or even two guys to worry about on the perimeter. There are three or four guys you have to worry about defending. There’s speed all over the place on the perimeter.
“That’s what has made us successful this year, but now you have an evenly matched team coming in here.”
Valley West certainly has the athletes to match up with Liberty’s receivers. Sean Judge and Devon Weidman have four interceptions each. Jake Shemo has added a pair. Judge has returned two interceptions for touchdowns along with two fumbles, a kickoff and a punt return. And that’s doesn’t even include his huge contributions on offense where he has scored every way possible and even thrown a touchdown pass.
Weidman leads the receiving group with 10 touchdowns. He has also rushed for four touchdowns. Judge has 15 rushing touchdowns. Fullback Bill Davison has seven despite not running the ball in two games.
The Spartans have trailed just three times this year, including 14-10 at halftime against Nazareth.
“They’re a lot of similarities,” Keating said. “They are another athletic team on both sides of the ball with their second and third level guys. And these guys are better up front than Nazareth. They are definitely more physical on the offensive and defensive lines. They have size and speed up front.
“It’s definitely going to be a big test.”
If the Spartans pass Friday’s test, they’ll hook up with another District 11 team next Friday at home — the winner of the Easton (8-3) at Parkland (10-1) game. Parkland’s only loss was 41-34 to Liberty in Week 6.
A victory would also tie the school record for wins in a season. The 1997 Spartans finished 12-1.
