STROUDSBURG — The offenses came to play between Stroudsburg and Wilkes-Barre, but the Mounties were able to figure it out to win their home opener against the Wolfpack 35-20 on Friday night.
Neither team wasted time getting on the board as Wilkes-Barre scored on its opening drive with a 25-yard passing touchdown from quarterback Jake Howe to receiver Rajon Watson. Stroudsburg quickly responded with a long drive of its own, capped off with a 12-yard touchdown run from running back Jaylin Rieara.
The Mounties appeared to be in trouble after that, however, as Howe was able to lead another drive with a combination of short and long passes before dumping it off to Davon Underwood, who took it 30 yards to give Wilkes-Barre a 13-7 lead. The Wolfpack offense had little resistance in the first quarter, while Stroudsburg's offense couldn't match the same success it had on the opening drive.
That all changed in the second quarter when senior defensive end Mehki Kirkland, who was limited due to the offense going away from his side, finally got a sack and was able to force a fumble, which was scooped up by linebacker James Kelly for a return touchdown.
That sparked a defensive turn for Stroudsburg, who forced Wilkes-Barre to punt multiple times and essentially brought its offense to a halt.
"It's about settling in," Stroudsburg head coach Jim Miller said about the defensive adjustments. "Their quarterback is precise and gets it out quick. We changed our coverages and what we needed to do a little bit, and once we did that, we were able to cover their receivers a little bit more."
It looked like it was going to be a one-point game going into halftime, but starting quarterback Ben Pilcher threw a Hail Mary pass to the end zone with time expiring, and Ethan Dudsak was able to secure the ball after it was tipped to give the Mounties some breathing room entering the half.
Unfortunately, the second half couldn't have started worse as Kamari Coleman muffed the kickoff, allowing Wilkes-Barre to recover with a short field. That wasn't the only negative play: sophomore quarterback Jackson Mitchell came in for a drive and led the team to within the 10-yard line only to throw an interception in the end zone in the first half.
Both players got their redemption though, as Mitchell connected with Coleman for a 40-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter to make the score 28-13.
"They're playing through adversity," Miller said. "That's the biggest thing: they're gonna have the ups and down, what are they gonna do with that? We had those two mistakes and we were able to fight through it."
Wilkes-Barre didn't go down without a fight as the Wolfpack managed to score in a goal line situation late in the third quarter to make the score 28-20. But Stroudsburg put together its most methodical drive of the game, running down the clock until Rieara scored his second rushing touchdown of the game with 38.4 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
"This game was a fun experience," Rieara said. "Great execution from everybody on the field. I feel like I could've been better defensively, but offensively, I did really good."
If the touchdown wasn't enough, linebacker Keegan Munch intercepted a pass, and Stroudsburg used the victory formation to end the game.
Overall, the Mounties showed their ability to adjust defensively while showcasing what they had to offer on offense. Wilkes-Barre came in as the team that defeated traditional EPC power Whitehall in Week 1, so that only supports the strong start from Jim Miller's team.
"It was a team unit, 11 guys on defense and 11 guys on offense," Miller said. "Every week they're getting better and better, they're starting to click more, and they don't give up. They keep working hard."
Stroudsburg's next opponent will be fellow 6A opponent Liberty. The Mounties will face the Hurricanes on the road on Saturday, Sept. 7.
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Week 2 Pocono Football Scores
Northampton 24, East Stroudsburg South 21
Charles Capers had another monster game, scoring three touchdowns and breaking off multiple long runs. The Cavaliers led the Koncrete Kids 14-3 after the first quarter, but they eventually tied it up 21-21 before Northampton kicked a game-winning field goal to win it on the road 24-21.
Wallenpaupack 36, East Stroudsburg North 14
North faced its second consecutive 4A school, and it ended with a similar result to the Week 1 matchup against Honesdale. The Timberwolves fall to 0-2, but the silver lining is them scoring multiple touchdowns in consecutive game, something they did not do in 2023 (though they did score 14 points then 13 on two separate occasions).
Pocono Mountain West 9, Belmont Charter 0
The Panthers were able to bounce back from their Week 1 loss to Scranton by defeating the Tigers at home. Hopefully this is a sign of the young team getting more comfortable before EPC play begins.
Honesdale 43, Pocono Mountain East 20
This is the second time that Honesdale has beaten a Pocono team. While it looks like the Cardinals have significantly improved under Dustin Thomas offensively, the defense still needs time to figure itself out.
Pleasant Valley at Dieuff, Sat 8/31
The Bears will play the Huskies Saturday afternoon.
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