By Tom Robinson, NEPASportsNation.com
SCRANTON – City practices did little to provide a hint of the play that would turn out to be the biggest of the 2013 Dream Game.
No team ever needed more points in order to win in the all-star football game that dates back to 1935.
The City came up with some innovative ways to do so, finally going ahead to stay in the high-scoring affair on a hook-and-lateral play that worked to perfection.
“Going into the game, I wasn’t sure how it was going to work,” said Scranton Prep’s Griff DiBileo, the passer on the 60-yard touchdown in the City’s 35-28 victory. “It really didn’t work that well in practice.”
There was not a more important play In the game that tied for the highest-scoring in Dream Game history and featured the most points ever scored by a losing team.
The City trailed for almost 20 minutes before scoring three straight touchdowns, the second of which was a combination of the team’s three offensive leaders for the night.
DiBileo threw a short pass to Scranton’s Karlon Quiller, who flipped a lateral to Dunmore’s Austin Seamon, who did the rest, covering the last 58 yards.
The touchdown broke a 14-14 tie in the third quarter.
DiBileo, who threw three touchdowns during a streak of four straight completions in the middle quarters, went 9-for-14 for 149 yards.
Quiller caught 6 passes for 53 yards and also contributed on defense by breaking up 3 passes.
Seamon carried 9 times for 87 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns, including the clincher, a 50-yard run with 1:38 left for a 35-21 lead. He also had a 58-yard kickoff return and the 58 yards he was credited on the hook-and-lateral.
Both offenses produced throughout the night. The County wound up leading 21-17 in first downs, 239-168 in rushing yards and 366-339 in total offense.
The County led 7-0 after one quarter and 14-6 late in the half.
The first score came just 3:18 into the game when Riverside’s Nick Dranchak found Old Forge’s Anthony Piccolini for a 26-yard touchdown pass.
DiBileo threw 19 yards to Quiller for a 19-yard touchdown, but a failed extra point left the County ahead 7-6.
Lackawanna Trail’s Pete Murazzi ran 5 yards for the 14-6 lead with 3:34 left in the second quarter.
The City scored the next 22 points.
Marquis Brownlee from West Scranton ran 2 yards and Clem Rinaldi from Scranton Prep caught the tying two-point conversion pass from Wallenpaupack’s Will Hendel.
Following the hook-and-lateral touchdown, DiBileo threw a 17-yard scoring pass to Delaware Valley’s Connor Decker.
Jerry Langan from Abington Heights scored on a 1-yard run with 10 minutes left to pull the County within 28-21.
The County drove after Seamon’s second touchdown, but the 6-yard touchdown pass from Dante Pasqualichio from Abington Heights to Ronny Tomasetti from Mid Valley came with just four seconds remaining.
Langan was also the County’s defensive leader with nine tackles and three assists.
Montrose’s John Lawson led the City defense. He matched Langan’s tackle and assist totals and also had a sack for a 5-yard loss and another pass rush that forced an incompletion.
Lawson was selected for the game as a fullback and linebacker, but when City coaches expressed a need for defensive lineman, he spoke up and wound up earning the starting nose guard position.
“D-Line has always been my favorite,” said Lawson, a 6-foot, 235-pounder who played the position in Pee Wee football. “I loved playing D-Line.
“ … During my high school career, I would always come down when we needed an extra lineman in a short-yardage situation.”
