Usamah Alansari (14) caught two long touchdowns in the second half last week to help Wyoming Area return to tonight’s District 2 Class 3A championship game.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Scranton Prep running back London Montgomery (7) has developed into one of the district’s top players and has begun earning scholarship offers from FBS programs.
Times Leader file photo
Wyoming Area conquered arguably the best quarterback in the Lackawanna Football Conference twice. Now the Warriors must do the same against the LFC’s top running back.
This mission, though, could be more taxing. Scranton Prep junior London Montgomery is starting to draw interest from Division I college programs.
Kickoff for the District 2 Class 3A championship game between Wyoming Area (10-1) and Prep (10-0) is 7 p.m. Friday at Scranton Memorial Stadium. Tickets are $7 for adults and $4 for students and are available online only at piaad2.org by clicking on the link below “HOMETOWN”.
Montgomery didn’t get much notice last season when he ran for nearly 900 yards and 13 TDs as Prep played just five games because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the spring, he won the 200-meter gold medal in the District 2 Class 2A track meet, finished second in the 100-dash after having the top time in the preliminaries and ran the final leg on the gold medal 400 relay team.
This season, the 5-11, 190-pound Montgomery has rushed for 2,160 yards and 34 TDs on only 159 carries, an average of 13.6 yards per carry. Those numbers would be even better if he didn’t miss two games because of a COVID-19 situation. He picked up offers from Arizona State and Old Dominion this week to go with one from UConn.
“Each year he’s gotten better,” Prep coach Terry Gallagher said. “The difference this year is he’s significantly more explosive and he’s obviously a lot bigger. He’s about 190 pounds. I think track helped him a lot, but a lot of it goes to his work in weight room and putting on that weight.
“In years past because he was a little bit leaner, guys would be able to bring him down, one or two guys. This year it seems like guys are shrugging off him.”
Montgomery hits the hole with incredible speed and vision, with the latter allowing him to dart to an alternative route if needed without slowing. He carries those traits to the second level where he makes tacklers miss and then he’s gone. Gallagher also said Montgomery has been a role model for the younger players because of his work ethic and determination to improve every year.
“He is definitely the focal point as far as what they present,” Wyoming Area coach Randy Spencer said. “But they also have some outstanding complimentary players, and their coaches put them in great position.”
Wyoming Area advanced with a 35-32 victory over Lakeland and dual-threat quarterback Dominico Spataro in the semifinals. The Warriors also handed Lakeland its other loss, 19-14 during the regular season, but Spencer admitted Spataro caused plenty of issues in both games.
A misfire on a fourth-down pass to an open receiver in the end zone with 18.4 seconds left preserved the semifinal win. Had Spataro made his 22nd completion of the night, Lakeland would have, in all likelihood, been playing tonight.
“I don’t know if we stopped Spataro,” Spencer said, “but we hung in there and fought to the end. That was a great performance by him and his teammates. I have a lot of respect for Lakeland. They played a heck of a game.”
Prep quarterback Sean Monahan doesn’t have Spataro’s resume, but can do enough to be a factor. He’s hit on 33-of-52 throws for 712 yards and 11 TDs with no interceptions. Rob Rossi has been his main target. The 6-foot-4 senior has 22 receptions for 533 yards and eight scores. Prep disposed of Mid Valley in the semifinals 42-0.
Prep’s defense will be defending a Wyoming Area attack that can come from all angles. The running back stable includes between-the-tackles bruiser Aaron Crossley, speedy Nico Sciandra and Leo Haros, who brings a power/speed combination. Receiver Rocco Pizano has been dangerous taking handoffs coming across the formation.
“Obviously, they’re going to try to be physical up front and take their shots downfield,” Gallagher said. “They do a good job of giving you trick plays and stuff like that, make the (defense) stay disciplined and keep you on your toes. Guys have to make sure they know their assignments and focus on their assignments and try not to do too much and play other guys’ positions.”
Quarterback Blaise Sokach-Minnick has connected on 56-of-99 passes for 961 yards, 15 TDs and a lone interception. Pizano, Usamah Alansari and John Morgan give him a corps capable of big plays. Tight end Mike Clark’s main contribution has come blocking and that could be where the game is ultimately decided.
Prep’s offensive line averages 256 pounds, with 6-2, 290-pound tackle Adam Kenny the biggest guy. That’s pretty beefy for high school until compared to Wyoming Area’s group of Matt Clarke (280), Nick Elko (295), Ryan Gilpin (280), Ethan Spence (275) and Owen Kelly (260).
“The whole group has been very productive if you look at what we’ve been able to rush for consistently,” Spencer said. “And I believe that group has given up only one sack over the course of the season.”
Wyoming Area didn’t have the opportunity to defend its D2-3A title in 2019 that ultimately ended with a state championship. The Warriors and Prep would have qualified for districts in 2020 under normal circumstances, but the pandemic reduced the district playoffs to only championship games.
