Freshman quarterback Jake Howe passed for 196 yards and Mekhi Nelson ran for 4 touchdowns Friday night to lead the way in Wilkes-Barre Area’s come-from-behind, 35-21 victory over host Berwick in a Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 game.
Nelson, who carried 22 times for 180 yards, scored three of his touchdowns in the second half when the Wolfpack overcame a 14-7 deficit.
Howe completed 11 of 14 passes and threw for the third-quarter touchdown that gave Wilkes-Barre Area its first lead.
Both teams come out of the game with 1-1 division records. The Wolfpack is 3-2 overall while the Bulldogs are 2-3.
All three Berwick touchdowns came on passes from Matt Lonczynski to Drey Wilk.
Wilk had 4 catches for 126 yards and Lonczynski also threw for more than 100 additional yards.
Their connections gave Berwick a 7-0 lead after one quarter and a 14-7 lead going into the half before pulling the Bulldogs back into a 21-21 tie early in the fourth quarter.
Nelson responded to the last Berwick touchdown by breaking a game-winning, 79-yard touchdown less than a minute later. He added a 15-yard insurance touchdown with 2:18 left.
The other Nelson touchdowns tied the game in the second and third quarters.
Howe hit Naquan Johnson with a 37-yard touchdown pass with five seconds left in the third quarter for a 21-14 lead.
Nelson caught 6 passes for 78 yards and Johnson caught 3 for 75 yards.
Johnson was also among the team’s defensive leaders in the game. He had three of the team’s seven sacks as part of his seven tackles and two assists.
Howie Shiner had six tackles and three assists. He had an interception, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
