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How’s this for a Disney movie storyline.

A coach takes over a stagnant high school football program. After initial struggles, he coaches the team to a championship game. A game at an opponent where he was once the quarterback back in the late 1980s. At the field where his future father-in-law took boys from various small towns and melded them into the school’s first football team back in 1966.

Sounds like a heck of a feel-good movie. One problem, though. The Berwick Bulldogs read the script last Friday night, crumpled it up and tossed it into the trash can.

But that’s what the Dawgs have done throughout their history — take heartwarming plots and twist them for their own benefit.

So as Wyoming Area’s stadium stays dark Friday night, Berwick (8-4) will travel to North Pocono (9-3) to decide the District 2 Class 4A championship starting at 7 p.m. The game is also a PIAA Class 4A state playoff first-round contest under the new six-classification system.

North Pocono is coached by Greg Dolhon, who was Wyoming Area’s starting quarterback in 1987 and 1988. He’s married to the daughter of Dunmore coach Jack Henzes, who was Wyoming Area’s first head coach in 1966. Dolhon in his fifth season at North Pocono and coached the Trojans at his alma mater in 2014.

But a possible return to his old stomping grounds was wiped out last Friday as Berwick defeated Wyoming Area 38-6 in the semifinals to avenge a regular-season loss to the Warriors. At the same time, North Pocono avenged a regular-season setback to Valley View with a 34-6 semifinal win.

“People said that to me about my alma mater,” Dolhon said. “Obviously, if I’m not up for North Pocono the other team I’m up for is Wyoming Area. It’s my hometown and I have an affinity for there. But to me, it mattered about getting a home game. That’s the biggest thing.”

The Trojans will be playing their eighth home game of the season. Berwick will be on the road for the fourth time in the last six week. But considering the Dawgs lost two of their last three regular-season games, they were fortunate enough to squeeze one home game in the postseason.

“Through the last month of the season, we played some very competitive football teams in Williamsport and Wyoming Valley West,” Berwick head coach Frank Sheptock said. “So even though those games games didn’t go our way, it allowed us to learn how to play faster and play through some things. Through some adversity, it brings out the character of our team a little bit.”

Sheptock believed that character showed in the 35-7 quarterfinal-win against West Scranton, a team which handed North Pocono a 27-20 loss in Week 6. And it was certainly on display in the 38-6 victory over Wyoming Area in the semifinals, a win which avenged a 34-20 loss in Week 3.

Wyoming Area churned out an 18-play, 87-yard scoring drive on its first possession. Berwick surrendered just 18 more yards in the first half in building 17-6 lead after two quarters. Quarterback Jared Marshman had all of his 123 passing yards before halftime as the Dawgs’ running game wore down Wyoming Area in the second half.

Marshman also rushed for two touchdowns, and Berwick finished with 390 yards. Running back Len Wyda added 101 yards on 20 carries and appeared over a nagging injury that cut his game short against Wyoming Valley West in Week 8.

“He’s progressed tremendously over the season from an on-the-field standpoint as a thrower, reading the read-option, running the offense,” Sheptock said of Marshman. “But also, he’s developed so much for us as a leader.”

North Pocono opened district play with a 48-14 over Crestwood, a team Berwick escaped with a 15-7 in in Week 4. Marshman, though, missed the game with a knee injury suffered the week earlier against Wyoming Area. Several Dawg linemen were also dinged up against Wyoming Area.

After starting the season with five victories, North Pocono went 2-3 over its next five games. The Trojans’ credo is running the ball and that didn’t happen in two of those losses — 12-7 to Valley View and 28-7 to Scranton Prep. The running attack was strong against Crestwood and again in last Friday’s win over Valley View.

“We lost to some very good football teams,” Dolhon said. “Prep is one of the best teams in the area. Valley View was in the playoffs. The West (Scranton) game, they beat us and we didn’t play as well as we should have. We deserved to lose those games.

“But we learned something and grew from them and saw some things we had to get better at. Maybe in the end, it helped us become a better football team. It grounded us a little bit. We were flying high at 5-0 after beating DV and Scranton back to back.”

Dolhon’s offensive philosophy doesn’t fall far from the trees of his father-in-law and the one he ran as a player at Wyoming Area. The Trojans will run the ball downhill and pick their places to have sophomore Donny Blain to throw.

North Pocono fullback Tyler Musgrave (6-foot-1, 215 pounds) will be one of the biggest backs Berwick has faced this season. He’s a pounder with the ball and does plenty of thumping as an inside linebacker. Backmate and fellow senior Matt Craig (5-9, 185) is more elusive and can pick his way through traffic. His running style is akin to Wyda.

Berwick quarterback Jared Marshman has developed as a runner, thrower and leader as the season has progressed, according to Berwick coach Frank Sheptock.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/web1_ber_k2_faa.jpg.optimal.jpgBerwick quarterback Jared Marshman has developed as a runner, thrower and leader as the season has progressed, according to Berwick coach Frank Sheptock.
Dawgs head to North Pocono for title contest

By John Erzar

[email protected]

BERWICK AT NORTH POCONO

District 2 Class 4A Championship

7 p.m. Friday

Tickets: $6 for adults; $4 for students

What’s At Stake: The winner plays the District 12 champion, either Imhotep Charter (10-0) or Cardinal O’Hara (10-0), in the PIAA Class 4A state quarterfinals next weekend. The D2 and D12 championship games are also PIAA Class 4A state first-round games.

Reach John Erzar at 570-991-6394 or on Twitter @TLJohnErzar