Written by: Jeric Yurkanin
MOSCOW, Pa. — The forecast called for rain throughout most of the afternoon, and fans arrived at North Pocono Stadium prepared for the worst. A few brief showers moved through before the C-Team game, falling off and on beneath the dark clouds.
But by the time the C-Team kicked off, Mother Nature called an audible.
The clouds moved away, the rain disappeared and the sun took over. It remained bright throughout the rest of the schedule and stayed that way until around 5 p.m.—long after the final game had ended.
By the time North Pocono’s B-Team took the field, the only storm developing was wearing Junior Trojans colors.
North Pocono arrived determined, hungry and ready to do whatever was necessary to earn a victory. The Junior Trojans battled through penalties, overcame missed opportunities and made big plays whenever they needed one.
It also became the Dalton Powell and Nick Bowers show. The two connected through the air several times—including one final lightning strike that put the game away.
Old Forge received the opening kickoff but could not generate anything against North Pocono’s defense. When the Junior Trojans took possession, they immediately went to work on the ground.
Rich Romanko carried the ball for 3 yards on North Pocono’s first play. Forrest Semsick followed with a 5-yard gain before Romanko scampered ahead for another 3 yards and a first down.
Romanko powered forward for 6 more yards on the next play. An offsides penalty against Old Forge moved the football another 5 yards and appeared to have North Pocono rolling.
Then the yellow flags began flying in the opposite direction.
A false-start penalty pushed North Pocono backward. Semsick responded with a 7-yard run, and Romanko added another 3 yards, but a holding penalty erased the momentum and backed up the Junior Trojans again.
Old Forge’s defense smelled an opportunity.
Romanko took the next handoff but was swallowed up in the backfield for a 7-yard loss. North Pocono was suddenly moving in the wrong direction, while Old Forge’s defense continued growing stronger with every snap.
Facing fourth-and-10, the Junior Trojans needed someone to make a play.
Powell and Bowers provided the first preview of what was coming.
Powell dropped back and found Bowers for a huge 20-yard completion, moving the ball all the way down to the Old Forge 4-yard line. Romanko took the next handoff and powered forward to the 2.
North Pocono appeared ready to finish the drive and score the first touchdown of the afternoon—but Old Forge’s defense refused to break.
The Blue Devils forced the ball loose and recovered the fumble at their own 1-yard line with only six seconds remaining in the opening quarter. After surrendering the fourth-down completion, Old Forge answered with an impressive goal-line stand.
Pinned against its own goal line, Old Forge attempted to give its offense some breathing room. Jase Volovitch gained 5 yards before Nolan Shotwell carried the ball on consecutive plays for gains of 2 and 5 yards.
Just when the Blue Devils appeared to be moving, a holding penalty pushed them backward. Jayden Villanueva managed a 1-yard run, but two plays later, North Pocono’s defense created the break it had been waiting for.
Old Forge quarterback Jackson Harte put the ball through the air, but North Pocono’s Tucker Keegan read the play and intercepted the pass at the 31-yard line.
This time, the Junior Trojans took advantage.
Romanko opened the possession with a 3-yard run. Semsick added 4 yards before Romanko carried the ball for another 4, moving North Pocono down to the 11-yard line with 1:43 remaining in the half.
With the clock ticking, Semsick powered forward for 3 yards and then another 5. The Junior Trojans were knocking on the door again—and this time, they refused to leave without points.
Bowers took the ball and charged across the goal line for North Pocono’s first touchdown of the afternoon. The one-point conversion was successful, giving the Junior Trojans a 7–0 lead.
Old Forge attempted to create something before halftime. Harte completed a pass to Vito Schiavo, but North Pocono’s defense quickly closed in and dropped him for a 5-yard loss.
That brought the first half to an end.
North Pocono had battled Old Forge’s physical defense, overcome several penalties and recovered from a costly goal-line fumble. It had not been a perfect half—but the Junior Trojans had done enough to carry a 7–0 lead into the break.
North Pocono received the second-half kickoff and wasted little time returning to its ground attack.
Romanko gained 2 yards before a 15-yard facemask penalty against Old Forge moved the Junior Trojans forward. Semsick then found an opening and raced for 19 yards, carrying the football down to the Old Forge 25-yard line.
Powell finished the drive himself.
The North Pocono quarterback took the ball, found daylight and sprinted 25 yards into the end zone for a touchdown. The conversion attempt was unsuccessful, but the Junior Trojans had extended their lead to 13–0 with 5:31 remaining in the third quarter.
Old Forge could have folded.
Instead, the Blue Devils answered.
Schiavo gained 4 yards and moved the ball to the Old Forge 42-yard line. Harte then broke free for 14 yards, giving the Blue Devils their first true spark of the second half.
Two plays later, Harte struck again.
The Old Forge quarterback found an opening, exploded through it and took the ball 39 yards to the house for a touchdown. The one-point conversion was successful, cutting North Pocono’s lead to 13–7 with 3:50 remaining in the third quarter.
Suddenly, the Blue Devils were alive.
North Pocono took over at its own 38-yard line, but two plays and multiple penalties once again threatened to derail the possession. Powell responded by returning to his favorite target.
He found Bowers for a 22-yard completion, sending the Junior Trojans into Old Forge territory. However, North Pocono could not finish the drive and turned the ball over on downs three plays later.
Old Forge attempted to build on its momentum. The Blue Devils opened the possession with a 5-yard run, and Harte added another 5 yards.
But North Pocono’s defense refused to allow the game to slip away.
Facing fourth-and-4, Harte attempted to create something with his legs. The Junior Trojans surrounded him and dropped him for a 2-yard loss, forcing another turnover on downs.
North Pocono took over at its own 38-yard line, and three plays later, Semsick found the opening he had been waiting for all afternoon.
He burst through the hole, sprinted past the defenders and raced 42 yards into the end zone. The explosive touchdown extended North Pocono’s lead to 19–7 with 4:18 remaining in the game.
Old Forge received another opportunity, but the North Pocono defense had no intention of allowing another comeback attempt. The Blue Devils ran four plays and failed to produce anything positive, giving the football back to the Junior Trojans.
North Pocono took possession at its own 42-yard line with approximately two minutes remaining. It appeared the Junior Trojans would simply protect the football and allow the remaining time to disappear.
Powell and Bowers had something else in mind.
Two plays later, Powell looked downfield and found Bowers again. This time, their connection went for a stunning 53-yard touchdown.
One final throw. One final catch. One final exclamation point.
The successful conversion gave North Pocono a commanding 26–7 advantage and sealed the victory.
The penalties had repeatedly pushed the Junior Trojans backward, but they continued finding ways to move forward. Semsick delivered the 42-yard touchdown that created breathing room. The defense forced turnovers and produced important fourth-down stops. Powell hurt Old Forge with both his legs and his arm.
And whenever North Pocono needed a big play through the air, Bowers was there.
The forecast had promised an afternoon storm in Moscow. A few early showers teased what appeared to be a wet day, but by kickoff, the clouds had cleared and the sunshine had taken over.
The only air show that followed came from Powell and Bowers. And North Pocono Junior B team moved to 2-0.
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