by Glenn Schuyler
The feel of autumn was in the air at Crispin Field in Berwick on Friday night. But, the signs of autumn weren’t all that accented the storied facility which was once witness to some of the most outstanding high school football in all of Pennsylvania. The question that was on the minds of many local Dawg fans was: Are the Dawgs good enough to return to the spotlight like the storied teams of two decades ago? Certainly the coach was back. George Curry, after a seven year absence from Berwick, returned in 2012 to lead his Dawgs and his grandson, C.J. Curry, to a District 2 runner-up spot. But, could they do more this year? Could they even come close to the glory years?
Enter Wyoming Valley West, a Quad A powerhouse from just up the Susquehanna River in the borough of Plymouth. This was the team George Curry coached just a few years ago after leaving Berwick. But, now he’s back, and the stage was set. Needless to say, these two teams are heated rivals. When Berwick and Valley West go head to head on Friday nights, few fans stay home. And from the look of Crispin Field on this September evening, the rivalry was alive and well in Berwick. Ten thousand fans packed into the bleachers and around the perimeter of the artificial turf to see who would be District 2 “King of the Mountain” in 2013.
Valley West got on the board first following a Berwick fumble by Dain Kowalski. Eric Acosta ran the ball in from the 20 yard line to give the Spartans an early 7 point lead. But, Berwick bounced right back when junior sensation, Nate Maczuga ran for a score from thirteen yards out to tie the game at 7-7 following Ian Ultsh’s PAT. Late in the first quarter, Berwick went ahead when C.J. Curry ran in from one yard out to give Berwick a 13-7 lead. The PAT attempt by Olivia Seely was blocked.
The second quarter saw both teams attempting to swing the momentum in their favor. At this point, it could have been any team’s game. When Valley West’s Troy Yashinski scored from 20 yards out, and Ultsh added the PAT, the score was 14-13 in favor of the Spartans. It appeared Valley West gained “Big Mo”, but Berwick’s Gordon Stout took it right back when he pounded the ball in from nine yards out to make the score 21-14 with the aide of a two point conversion on a toss sweep to Nate Maczuga. The first half ended with Berwick having a slight edge.
Following an interception thrown by C.J. Curry to open up the second half, Valley West moved to Berwick’s 20 yard line. There, quarterback, Mike Baur hit his tight end, L.J. Wesneski for a 20 yard score. With Ultsh’s PAT, this knotted the game at 21-21. However, following the ensuing kickoff, Berwick moved to the Valley West 31 yard line where Nate Maczuga took a toss sweep pitch from C.J. Curry, cut back across the center of the field, and raced 31 yards for a Berwick TD. Following Olivia Seely’s PAT, the score read Berwick 28, Valley West 21 with 3:15 left in the third quarter. Then, to make matters worse for the Spartans, just before the end of the third quarter, Zach Andress intercepted a Mike Baur pass at the Berwick 47 yard line to give the Dawgs the ball once again.
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Jordan Stout rammed the ball to near the ten yard line on a tough run, Dain Kowalski then took a pitch from C.J. Curry to finish off the drive from four yards out. The PAT was good by Olivia Seely. The score now stood 35-21 Berwick. Momentum was definitely in Berwick’s corner now. And it didn’t take long for the Dawgs to strike again. After a short drive by Valley West, alternate quarterback, Brady Davis coughed up the ball at the Berwick 40 yard line. The Dawgs were quick to capitalize. A nice run by Kyle Trenholm put the ball near the 20 yard line. There, Dain Kowalski took a pitch from C.J. Curry and raced off the left side of the line and through the Spartan secondary for Berwick’s final score with just 4:03 left on the play clock. The Spartans scored once more before the final whistle when Eric Acosta ran from 9 yards out and Ian Ultsh added the PAT to make the final score: Berwick 42, Wyoming Valley West 28.
Turnovers were a key in this night’s contest at Berwick. Most ball exchanges came from scores or turnovers. Berwick managed to come out on the better end of the turnover department. In all, Berwick racked up 378 total yards to Valley West’s 318. Berwick amassed 253 yards on the ground and 125 through the air, which was quite a twist from previous games where their aerial assault dominated their offensive play. Wyoming Valley West ran for 141 total yards, 76 of those coming from their talented quarterback, Mike Baur. Their remaining offensive attack came on the arm of Baur, who threw for 177 yards and a TD. Meanwhile, C.J. Curry threw 7 for 15 and 107 yards. Berwick’s ground attack was led by Nate Maczuga with 75 yards, Dain Kowalski with 64 yards, and Jordan Stout with 50. Other contributors on the ground were C.J. Curry with 32 yards, Kyle Trenholm with 26, and Nick Talanca with 16. Next week, Berwick meets 2009 State Champs, Selinsgrove, at Crispin Field. Wyoming Valley West hosts Wilkes-Barre Coughlin.
In conclusion, about that question on the minds of many in northeast Pennsylvania: Is Berwick back? Certainly, they have a chance to run the table in District 2. But, the state competition is pretty tough in Districts 1 and 12, not to mention Districts 3 and 7. Only time will tell.
