By Tom Robinson, NEPASportsNation.com
SCRANTON – Scranton receivers know to adjust their routes when quarterback Billy Maloney is running around with pass rushers in pursuit.
Midway through an unbeaten season in which Maloney has shown off his legs as much as his arm, Knights receiver Donato Stepney flashed his own speed to give Maloney a chance to instead display arm strength.
Stepney got behind the defense to pull in a 33-yard touchdown pass, breaking a scoreless tie early in the second quarter and sending the Knights on their way to a comfortable, 38-7, non-league victory over Wyoming Area at Scranton Memorial Stadium.
“As I see him scrambling around, I’m always looking to get into an open spot so he can see me,” said Stepney, who caught 3 first-half passes for 85 yards.
This time, Stepney made his move and sprinted. Maloney showed he could stand in the pocket in deliver, throwing the ball nearly 50 yards in the air and finding Stepney as he was crossing the goal line. Stepney extended slightly and cradled the ball while falling to the turf in the end zone.
“I just put my head down and took off,” Stepney said. “I trusted my quarterback, he threw a perfect ball and I just grabbed it.”
Scranton’s defense and special teams kept creating chances throughout the night and, after some first-quarter stumbles, the Knights offense took advantage.
The Knights scored on their final six possessions, including two touchdown passes and one scoring run from Maloney.
The game was scoreless almost two minutes into the second quarter when Chris Chandler blocked a punt to set up the Knights at the Warriors 35.
Wyoming Area held firm to create third-and-eight.
Maloney and Stepney connected as Scranton reached the end zone for the third time, but the first time that counted.
Lamaire Saldano had appeared to score twice in the opening drive, which also included a 30-yard Maloney scramble to the 5.
All three were wiped out by penalties.
Officially, the Knights were charged with 5 penalties for 35 yards in the drive, but in reality the penalties cost Scranton 122 yards and the game’s first points.
Wyoming Area came up with a fourth-down stop on the next possession, but that was the last time a Scranton drive ended with anything but points.
A big reason for that steady point production and the team’s third effort of at least 35 points in the last for weeks was where and how quickly the Knights kept getting the ball back.
Scranton’s defense allowed just two first downs prior to the final play of the third quarter.
Wyoming Area’s short possessions often began and ended with the Warriors pinned deep in their end.
When Keegan Hughes was not kicking five extra points and a field goal, he was landing kickoffs deep and a coverage team, led by Chandler’s sprints down the outside, was stopping Wyoming Area inside the 10 twice and inside the 20 two more times.
“Our kicker is a huge weapon for us,” Scranton coach Steve Shumbres said. “We always stress special teams as one-third of the game.”
Chandler had three tackles and an assist on kickoffs.
The field position advantage carried over to the Knights starting 3 of their 6 scoring drives in Warriors territory and another at the 49.
Maloney’s running was responsible for the next score. He had two five-yard runs, including one to convert third-and-one. Then, on a designed pass play, he avoided the sack, took off and weaved his way through the secondary for a 47-yard touchdown with 3:10 left in the half.
Scranton got the ball back in Wyoming Area territory with 1:57 remaining.
Maloney stepped up under the pass rush and hit Stepney on a third-and-13 crossing pattern for 43 yards to the 5.
“It’s like a delayed drag (pattern) where I’m coming across and Billy was really patient and made the proper read,” Stepney said. “As soon as I caught it, I got as many yards as I could and got out of bounds because we were running out of time.”
Scranton could not find the end zone from there, but Keegan’s 25-yard field goal with 16.6 seconds left made it a three-possession game at halftime, 17-0.
Dohnavin Laybourn-Boddie provided a bruising, 16-yard run on Scranton’s first offensive play of the second half.
Maloney had to jump to flip a short pass over the line on fourth-and-two. Noah Ardestani caught it and ran down the sideline all the way for a 32-yard touchdown and 24-0 lead midway through the third quarter.
Wyoming Area had to punt from the end zone and Scranton started at the 30.
Maloney and Ardestani connected for 16 yards on the first play, then Saldano got a touchdown that counted 3 plays later, scoring from the 5.
Pinned again and trailing by 31, Wyoming Area put together a drive of more than eight minutes, running on 14 of 15 plays to cover 93 yards.
Michael Crane, one of three Warriors to take snaps at quarterback, scored on a 4-yard keeper.
Scranton came up with one more touchdown.
Isaiah Ortiz ran 26 yards on a third-and-12 reverse, leading to freshman Brody Coyle scoring from the 14 with 1:43 left.
Maloney finished 5-for-11 for 133 yards and 2 touchdowns passing while running 11 times for 94 yards and a touchdown.
Craig Pabst led the Scranton defense with five tackles and three assists.
Aaron Crossley carried 18 times for 108 yards for Wyoming Area.
