Dallas running back Parker Bolesta has rushed for over 2,000 yards this season. The Mountaineers play at Valley View at 7 p.m. Saturday in a District 2 Class 4A semifinal game.
Fred Adams file photo | For Times Leader
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Dallas’ last visit to Valley View resulted in a lopsided loss.
That doesn’t matter.
Dallas returns to Valley View off a solid victory over Wyoming Area in the District 2 Class 4A quarterfinals.
That doesn’t matter, either.
What does matter is Saturday night when the Mountaineers (9-2) play at Valley View (9-2) in a semifinal game starting at 7 p.m. The game was moved from Friday night because of the weather forecast for heavy rain.
“Last Friday is out of our mind let alone when we played (Valley View) last,” Dallas coach Rich Mannello said. “That’s not an issue. We studied all the film and all that. It’s all, obviously, part of the study going into the week. These are two different football teams.”
Dallas’ last trek to Valley View resulted in a 49-14 loss in the 2018 D2-4A title game. The Cougars also defeated Dallas 34-14 to kick off last season.
Mannello’s matra in his eight years at Dallas has been — to paraphase — enjoy the win but don’t spend too much time admiring it and start preparing to get another one.
Dallas didn’t have much to admire in the second half of the regular season. After dismantling Hazleton Area 42-20, the Mountaineers traveled to Berwick and suffered their first loss 39-22. They then defeated one-win Wallenpaupack, but played their worst game of the season in a 35-7 loss to Wilkes-Barre Area.
The Mountaineers rebounded with wins against Lake-Lehman and Wyoming Area. Granted, neither of those programs are as strong as in the recent past, but Dallas needed those victories to straighten out what had gone askew.
“We had a span there where we lost two out of three,” Mannello said. “We did a deep dive into getting that figured out.”
Valley View also had to get things aligned under coach George Howanitz, who announced prior to the season this will be his 16th and final year running the program.
The defending district champion Cougars lost 20-7 to Crestwood to open the season. They needed a last-minute touchdown to defeat Berwick 24-21 the following week. They also had a midseason tussle with rebuilding Abington Heights before prevailing 21-14.
But after a 41-27 loss to Delaware Valley, Valley View finished off the regular season with two wins including a 22-16 victory against Scranton Prep. The Cougars crushed Honesdale 54-7 in the quarterfinals.
“They are a marquee program in the district for a reason,” Mannello said. “They got incredibly talented kids. They got a lot of speed. They fly around on defense and the quarterback is 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds and is a heck of a kid. They have the district 100-meter champ at tailback.
“You can go on and on and on about them. It’s a heck of a football team.”
Valley View’s offense centers around three players. Quarterback Adam Howanitz, who suffered a season-ending knee injury midway through last season, is a pass-run dual threat just like his father George was at Valley View.
Senior running back Connor Hilling just reached 1,000 yards rushing for a second consecutive year. He has 41 rushing TDs in his last 25 games. Receiver Taheed Jewell has had a breakout season. The 6-foot-3 senior has 47 receptions and eight TD catches. He also leads the team with four interceptions.
Valley View’s defense will be tasked with stopping a very balanced Dallas attack. Running back Parker Bolesta’s 2,000-yard season obviously sticks out, but the Mountaineers can also toss the ball. Sophomore quarterback Brady Zapoticky has a very reliable group of pass catchers in Nick Farrell, Joe Peters and Zach Paczewski. Dylan Geskey is sort of the Swiss Army knife of the bunch. He can run the ball, catch the ball and block.