NEPA Sports Nation

Today in NEPA Sports Nation, 9/2

Crestwood at Dallas highlights the Friday night schedule to kick off Week Two of the high school football season.

The Comets and Mountaineers meet in one of two Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 openers and one of four games matching 1-0 teams against each other.

Both teams won the battles up front a week ago in impressive season openers.

Crestwood outrushed defending District 2 Class 4A champion Valley View, 280-79, in a 20-7 victory.

Dallas outrushed Abington Heights, 281-156, in a 44-13 victory.

Noah Schultz carried 21 times for 98 yards for Crestwood.

Parker Bolesta carried 11 times for 237 yards and 4 touchdowns for Dallas.

Dallas averaged 12.2 yards per run and 12.5 per pass attempt while racking up 419 yards total offense.

The Mountaineers scored 34 points in the second half.

Crestwood was down at halftime before outscoring Valley View, 20-0.

The other games between 1-0 teams have Western Wayne at North Pocono, Hazleton Area at Wallenpaupack and Dunmore at Mount Carmel in non-league play.

Western Wayne, Hazleton Area and Dunmore all scored more than 40 points in their openers and all go against teams that played well defensively last week.

Mount Carmel overcame a North Schuylkill touchdown on the game’s first play to win, 25-17.

Quarterback Cole Spears was 14-for-19 for 170 yards and a touchdown while running for a pair of scores to lead the Red Tornadoes.

Thomas Bowen threw for four touchdowns and ran for two for Dunmore when it beat Old Forge, 43-36.

The Bucks will try to make it two straight wins over teams ranked in the top five in the state in their classifications by PennLive.com. Old Forge was second in Class A in the preseason. Dunmore and Mount Carmel are both Class 2A teams.

The other WVC Division 1 game has Pittston Area (0-1) at Williamsport (1-0).

The only divisional game played anywhere in District 2 last week was Tunkhannock’s loss at Wyoming Area.

The Tigers are on the road for another WVC Division 2 game, this time at Hanover Area, which rallied past Holy Cross in its opener.

The last District 2 football team to open its season is Montrose, which plays at Susquehanna in the 11th annual Battle for the Bluestone.

Susquehanna plays one home game each year under temporary lights.

Abington Heights is hosting a night game for just the second time ever, playing Wilkes-Barre Area under the lights and on the turf field at the high school rather than the usual home of Comets Stadium on Grove Street in Clarks Summit.

Abington Heights defeated Tunkhannock on the turf to open last season.

The rest of the Friday football schedule has: Berwick at Valley View, Carbondale at Lakeland, Scranton at Wyoming Valley West, Scranton Prep at West Scranton, Lackawanna Trail at Lake-Lehman, Riverside at Mid Valley, Honesdale at Wyoming Area and Nanticoke at Old Forge.

Berwick’s Mike Bennett is looking for his first coaching victory.

Football is not the only sport in action.

Wallenpaupack is hosting a boys soccer tournament that includes Western Wayne, Honesdale and Hamburg.

Crestwood plays its opener in girls soccer when it hosts Lake-Lehman (2-0).

The non-league field hockey schedule includes Wilkes-Barre Area at Holy Redeemer and Abington Heights at Lackawanna Trail.

There is action in both girls tennis leagues.

Crestwood is at Dallas in Wyoming Valley Conference Class 3A Division golf.

Pittston Area is at Western Wayne in non-league girls volleyball.

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