DALLAS TWP. — Dallas needed something to awaken a dormant offense Friday night.
One play did the trick and led to the game’s only score.
A 45-yard catch-and-run by Sam Kelley off a pass from Talan Geskey in the fourth quarter led to a 2-yard TD run by Geskey as Dallas defeated Crestwood 7-0 in a Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 game.
The outcome was the second-lowest score in the teams’ 43 meetings dating back to 1981. Crestwood’s 3-0 win in 1985 was the lowest scoring.
The game was more important to the District 2 Class 4A standings than the division as Crestwood (1-2 Div. 1, 4-4 overall) entered in third place and Dallas (3-1 Div. 1, 3-5) in fourth. The teams switch spots based on the standings late Friday night. Four D2-4A teams make the postseason.
Dallas had gone three-and-out in two of its previous three possessions before getting the ball back on its 36-yard line with 9:01 left in the fourth quarter. On first down, Geskey hit Kelley in stride with a short pass and he raced to the Crestwood 19.
Three plays later, Geskey twisted his way through the middle for the game’s only touchdown with exactly eight minutes remaining.
“We didn’t drive the ball,” Dallas coach Rich Mannello said. “It’s a work in progress, but we found a play there and we made one and it was enough to win the game. We have a lot of work to do. We know that.”
Crestwood had an opportunity to score in the game’s final minute. The Comets drove to the Dallas 10-yard line, but a fourth-and-8 pass was intercepted at the 3 by Dallas’ Tyce Mason with 24 seconds left. They had a 12-yard touchdown run by quarterback Jaden Shedlock wiped out by a holding penalty four plays before the interception.
Mason also had an interception in the end zone to end the first half. It came after a 6-yard TD run by Shedlock was negated by another penalty.
“He’s been doing that most of the season,” Mannello said of Mason, who leads the WVC with six interceptions. “He had two red zone picks a week ago. He makes plays, but it was everybody.”
Crestwood also had a pass completion to the Dallas 5 in the third quarter negated by an illegal-receiver penalty, an infraction that was initially waved off and then enforced. That drive ended in a missed 37-yard field goal.
Shedlock proved the bulk of the offense for Crestwood. He rushed 27 times for 121 yards and passed for 133 yards. The Comets outgained Dallas 283-150, but 11 penalties hampered the attack.
“That’s a team (Dallas) that went toe-to-toe with a team that wiped us off the field a couple weeks ago,” said Crestwood coach Ryan Arcangeli, referring to Dallas’ overtime loss to a Pittston Area team which defeated his Comets by 33 points. “So the guys responded. We had a great week of practice. Defensive side of the football did an amazing job. Offensive side did an amazing job between the 20s.
“We’ve got to cash in. We didn’t. They did one time on one play. We controlled the game, but we didn’t control the scoreboard at the end.”
Dallas 7, Crestwood 0
Crestwood`0`0`0`0 — 0
Dallas`0`0`0`7 — 7
Fourth quarter
DAL — Talan Geskey 2 run (Brandon Miller kick), 8:00
Team statistics`CRE`DAL
First downs`17`7
Rushes-yards`40-150`27-99
Passing yards`133`51
Total yards`283`150
Passing`9-18-2`4-7-0
Sacked-yards lost`1-6`0-0
Punts-avg.`4-26`5-32
Fumbles-lost`3-0`0-0
Penalties-yards`11-75`3-15
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — Crestwood, Jaden Shedlock 27-121, Jacob Jeckell 6-16, Matthew Bealla 4-2, Nate Walsh 2-5, Jack Rodgers 1-6. Dallas, Mark Saracinaj 8-29, Sam Kelley 6-28, T.Geskey 12-43, team 1-(minus-1).
PASSING — Crestwood, Shedlock 9-18-2-133. Dallas, T.Geskey 4-7-0-51.
RECEIVING — Crestwood, Giovanni Barna 3-28, Rodgers 4-82, Logan Lawson 2-23. Dallas, T.Geskey 1-(minus-3), Tyce Mason 1-8, Logan Geskey 1-1, Kelley 1-45.
INTERCEPTIONS — Dallas, Mason 2-40.
MISSED FGs — Crestwood 37 WL.
