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WILKES-BARRE — Sometimes a game as complicated as football can be quite simple.
Simple as putting the ball in the hands of your fastest player like Coughlin did.
Receiver Vincent Todd ran out of the wildcat formation several times, piling up 194 yards and scoring three touchdowns as Coughlin defeated Crestwood 33-14 in a Wyoming Valley Conference Division 4A game.
Coughlin improved to 2-1 and into a three-way tie for second with Berwick and Tunkhannock in WVC Division 4A. Wyoming Area (3-0) leads the pack.
“It’s good to get back in the win column,” Coughlin coach Ciro Cinti said. “I thought the first half we played very well. We played inspired. We played 100 percent better than last week. The second half, we came out a little flat. We have to put four quarters together.
“Next week we have Wyoming Area and we have our work cut out for us because all three phases of their games are outstanding.”
Todd scored on a 7-yard run in the first quarter and on runs of 44 and 61 yards in the second quarter as the Crusaders built a 27-0 lead. The 44-yard run was from shotgun formation where Todd picked through a swarm of players in the middle of the field. The 61-yard score was on a lateral throw from quarterback Kevin Kozerski.
“You don’t have to be a scientist. When the ball is in his hands, things happen,” Cinti said. “And I’m glad Jake Cole played a lot better than the first two games. He played 100 percent better. He’s finally getting into football shape.”
Cole, the team’s top running back, rushed 20 times for 129 yards. He was hobbled by an ankle injury prior to last week’s loss to Scranton Prep and missed a significant amount of practice.
Crestwood labored on offense much of the first half, but finally broke through with a seven-play scoring drive late in the half. Kevin Klusewitz ended it with an 8-yard run to cut the deficit to 27-7 at halftime.
But the Comets failed to capitalized on a couple of chances to start the third.
Coughlin fumbled a punt snap early in the third and Crestwood recovered on the Coughlin 12-yard line. But two holding penalties hampered the possession and the Comets turned over the ball on downs at the 6-yard line.
Crestwood also moved to the Coughlin 8 on its next possession, but fumbled the ball away.
“That’s two weeks in a row where we just can’t get out of our own way,” Crestwood coach Greg Myers said. “We’re playing quality football teams, so I don’t want to take anything away from them. But we’re just killing ourselves with penalties and mistakes at key times in the game.
“We felt like we were going to get back into the game in the second half, that we were going to wear them down. We got to capitalize when we get down inside the red zone. We got to stop committing so many penalties.”
Crestwood’s only score in the second half came when defensive lineman Troy Simko recovered a fumble in the end zone. The momentum was short lived as Kozerski capped an ensuing 50-yard drive with a 1-yard TD sneak.
Coughlin 33, Crestwood 14
Crestwood`0`7`7`0`—`14
Coughlin`13`14`6`0`—`33
First quarter
COU — Vincent Todd 7 run (kick failed), 6:37
COU — Jervone Young 18 pass from Kevin Kozerski (Michael Cinti kick), 1:39
Second quarter
COU — Todd 44 run (Cinti kick), 8:49
COU — Todd 61 run (Cinti kick), 5:58
CRE — Kevin Klusewitz 9 run (Alex Despirito kick), 1:57
Third quarter
CRE — Troy Simko recovers fumble in end zone (Despirito kick), 11:03
COU — Kozerski 1 run (kick failed), 5:33
Team statistics`CRE`COU
First downs`11`18
Rushes-yards`30-150`48-349
Passing yards`79`18
Total yards`229`367
Passing`9-19-1`1-2-0
Sacked-yards lost`3-4`1-8
Punts-avg.`3-36.7`2-20
Fumbles-lost`3-2`3-2
Penalties-yards`7-61`7-52
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — Crestwood, Lance Blass 11-59, Pat Rother 3-28, Klusewitz 7-29, Owen Grigas 4-6, Branden Brozena 2-21, Mike Macri 2-7. Coughlin, Jake Cole 20-129, Todd 16-194, Kozerski 4-15, Young 3-9, Vance Cullen 1-(minus-17), Eric Sovan 2-10, Jared Kline 1-0, Marc Rodriguez 1-(minus-1).
PASSING — Crestwood, Blass 9-19-1-79. Coughlin, Kozerski 1-2-0-18.
RECEIVING — Crestwood, Grigas 2-20, Garrett McAfee 1-8, Rother 3-23, Klusewitz 1-18, Macri 2-10. Coughlin, Young 1-18.
INTERCEPTIONS — Coughlin, Melvin Robinson 1-32.
MISSED FGs — None.
