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KINGSTON — Dontae Rhodes was healthy enough for a return to part-time duty last week.
Fully prepared and ready for full-time work at quarterback, Rhodes led the way as a healthier Wyoming Valley West team broke a six-game losing streak, defeating visiting Abington Heights, 21-13, on Senior Night at Spartan Stadium.
“I just came back and it was my first time being able to play a full game,” Rhodes said. “It feels good getting a win for the seniors.”
Rhodes showed he was not only ready to be on the field the entire game. He was ready to take extra hits from his quarterback position while running 26 times and throwing nine more.
“Last week, I didn’t get a full week of practice,” he said. “This week, I got the movement down. I was more loose coming in.
“My body was trained more for this game.”
With Rhodes running for 171 yards, Zack McDaniels running for 81 and three of their teammates each running for a touchdown, the Spartans controlled the ball.
Wyoming Valley West racked up 300 yards on 53 rushing plays and built a 30:52-17:08 advantage in time of possession.
“The linemen were holding their blocks,” Rhodes said. “Everything was open. I was just finding and hitting the hole.”
Rhodes ran five times for 31 yards in a 57-yard drive to the game’s first touchdown, a 1-yard run by Jonathan Stochla late in the first quarter.
The 6-foot, 180-pound junior had five more carries for 36 yards in a 63-yard drive that resulted in Darius Redguard’s 5-yard touchdown run for a 14-0 lead with 4:26 left in the half.
Abington Heights cut that lead in half in just three plays with the help of a 56-yard screen pass from Robby Horvath to Julian Blanco and a 9-yard touchdown run by Horvath.
Horvath made his first start at quarterback with Michael Show out of the Abington Heights lineup and ran for two touchdowns.
It was not enough, however, to counter the return of Rhodes and other starters to the injury-riddled Wyoming Valley West lineup.
Rhodes ran 61 yards on the first play of the second half to set up a 10-yard Brendan Woods touchdown that restored the 14-point lead just 39 seconds into the third quarter.
Wyoming Valley West won the opener at Scranton, the only other time Rhodes played a full game. He was injured in the second game.
Rhodes suffered a fracture in his pelvis. A similar injury had cost him six weeks last season, but he was back after missing four this time.
Wyoming Valley West 21, Abington Heights 13
Abington Heights`0`7`0`6 — 13
Wyoming Valley West`7`7`7`0 — 21
First quarter
WVW – Jonathan Stochla 1 run (Tyler Gillespie kick), 1:44
Second quarter
WVW – Darius Redguard 5 run (Gillespie kick), 4:26
AH – Robby Horvath 9 run (Jimmy Lefchak kick), 3:51
Third quarter
WVW – Brendan Woods 10 run (Gillespie kick), 11:21
Fourth quarter
AH – Horvath 7 run (kick failed), 9:46
Team statistics`AH`WVW
First downs`8`17
Rushes-yards`26-152`53-300
Passing yards`65`2
Total yards`217`302
Passing`3-9-1`3-9-0
Sacked-yards lost`0-0`1-12
Punts-avg.`2-34.0`3-28.3
Fumbles-lost`2-2`1-0
Penalties-yards`7-27`9-75
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — AH, Horvath 10-52, Julian Blanco 5-41, Michael Pusateri 10-39, Corey Perkins 1-20. WVW, Dontae Rhodes 26-171, Zack McDaniels 12-81, Redguard 9-30, Woods 1-10, Jeremiah Williams 1-10, Stochla 2-3, Team 2-minus 5.
PASSING — AH, Horvath 3-9-1-65. WVW, Rhodes 3-9-0-2.
RECEIVING — AH, Blanco 2-61, Chris Wickenheiser 1-4. WVW, Nah-Syr Garner 2-1, Redguard 1-1.
INTERCEPTIONS — AH, None. WVW, Williams 1-18.
MISSED FIELD GOALS – None.
