Delaware Valley has a short week to shake off the effects of a loss last week that ended its quest for a Lackawanna Football Conference Division I championship.
The Warriors (4-5 overall, 3-2 in Division I) play at Scranton (2-7, 0-5) in a regular-season finale between playoff teams Thursday at 7 p.m. at Scranton Veterans Memorial Stadium.
It is the third Thursday night game this season for Scranton. The Knights lost to Pocono Mountain East, 45-0, in Week 3, and to Abington Heights, 49-13, last week.
Delaware Valley has secured the No. 3 seed for the District 2 Class 5A playoffs. The Warriors do not know their opponent. Pittston Area (8-1, .712) leads the power rating standings and plays at Wyoming Area (8-1) on Friday. Abington Heights (7-2, .676), the defending champion, is No. 2 and will play at Hazleton Area (1-8) on Friday.
Scranton will play in the District 2-4 Class 6A subregional playoffs. The Knights are most likely to play a road game against Williamsport (4-5) in the semifinals.
Delaware Valley lost to North Pocono, 28-21, in overtime last week when North Pocono’s Chase Zimmerman made a stop of Mike Iuzzolino on fourth down to preserve the win. The Warriors have the top-rated offense in the LFC, averaging 397.8 yards per game. Iuzzolino is the leading rusher in Division I with 1,151 yards and 13 touchdowns. Quarterback Colin McGarvey has 1,429 yards passing while sophomore Trey Newton has 47 receptions for 580 yards.
An abundance of injuries has devastated Scranton. The Knights average 226.1 total yards per game and give up 313.7 total yards.
Ismael Salazar has 170 yards rushing while filling in for Reece Whitman, who has been out since Week 3. Chris Manning and Connor Thomas have played quarterback while trying to take over for injured starter Brody Coyle. They have combined for 304 yards and one touchdown.
LFC leaders
Division I: North Pocono has the No. 1 defense in Division I. The Trojans limited Delaware Valley to 297 total yards last week. It was 113.4 yards less than the Warriors’ average of 410.4 yards per game heading into the game.
Iuzzolino leads in rushing (1,151) and is tied with Scranton Prep’s Will McPartland with 90 points. McGarvey leads in passing yards (1,429) and touchdowns (16). North Pocono’s Chase Zimmerman has the top passer rating (198.6).
Abington Heights’ Gavin Anders has the most receptions with 55 and the most receiving yards with 878. Newton leads with seven receiving touchdowns.
Delaware Valley’s Reagan Decker has 41 extra points and four field goals for 53 kicking points.
Division II: Dunmore has the top offense at 379.4 total yards per game. The Bucks also have the No. 1 defense at 173.8 total yards per game.
Mid Valley’s Mason Vinansky is the leading rusher with 1,070 yards. Dunmore’s Ryan Mecca has 11 rushing touchdowns and a division-best 78 points.
Lakeland’s David Naniewicz leads the division with 1,347 yards, 14 touchdowns and a passer rating of 188.5.
Mid Valley’s Nick Pinto has the most receptions with 32 while Lakeland’s Chase Rosenkrans leads with 559 receiving yards and nine receiving touchdowns.
Dunmore’s Johnley Jean and Lakeland’s Nicholas Janosky each have 35 extra points and a field goal for 38 kicking points.
Division III: The showdown between Lackawanna Trail and Riverside will pit the No. 1 offense against the No. 1 defense.
Lackawanna Trail averages 367.2 total yards and leads Riverside, which averages 293.3 total yards. Riverside gives up 209.7 total yards, and Lackawanna Trail gives up 227.1 total yards to rank second.
Lackawanna Trail’s Isaac Ryon leads in rushing yards with 1,730, rushing touchdowns with 28, total touchdowns with 33 and total points with 213.
Old Forge quarterback Robby Solfanelli leads with 1,342 passing yards, and Riverside’s Brayden Rose has the most passing touchdowns with 17 and the top passer rating (171.1).
Old Forge’s Chris Rasmus has 53 receptions and 696 receiving yards to lead the division. He is tied with Riverside’s Jared Jackson with six receiving touchdowns.
Santino D’Amico has 47 extra points and two field goals for 53 kicking points.
Key games
The most important LFC game is Friday night when Lackawanna Trail (8-1, 4-0) plays at Riverside (8-1, 4-0) to determine the Division III champion. Lackawanna Trail won the last two titles.
Wallenpaupack (3-6, .467) is at Valley View (5-4, .589) in a Division I game with playoff implications. Wallenpaupack needs a win and then some help to overtake Crestwood (4-5, .486) for the fourth and final spot in the District 2 Class 4A playoffs. Crestwood is at Wyoming Valley West.
Wyoming Valley West (1-8, .331) is trying to fend off West Scranton (2-7, .317) for the fourth and final spot in the District 2 Class 5A playoff race. West Scranton plays at Honesdale (3-6) on Friday at 7 p.m.
The tight pursuit of the last two spots in Class 3A will be intense.
Scranton Prep (5-4, .569) helped its cause with an impressive win over Jersey Shore last week. The Cavaliers hold the third spot in the standings and will host undefeated North Pocono (9-0) on Friday at 7 p.m.
Hanover Area (5-4, .513) defeated Lake-Lehman, 35-0, and will play at home against Nanticoke Area (0-9), a Class 4A opponent, on Friday.
Mid Valley (4-5, .472) plays at Lakeland (8-1), a Class 2A opponent. If the Spartans win, it would certainly boost its power rating.
Lake-Lehman (4-5, .463) plays at rival Dallas (4-5), a Class 4A opponent. Like Mid Valley, a win in that game would have an impact on its power rating.
Carbondale Area (5-4, .459) plays at Old Forge (2-7), a Class 1A opponent. The Chargers would need a lot of dominoes to fall in their favor, and even that might not be enough to make a major leap from the No. 7 position they hold into the top four.
Milestone win
Scranton Prep coach Terry Gallagher earned the 100th win of his career last week. He is the 24th coach in LIAA history to achieve the milestone.
Abington Heights coach Joe Repshis earned the 132nd win of his career to move into a tie for 17th place on the list with former Jessup coach Marty Reap.
Riverside coach Harry Armstrong earned the 98th win of his career.
DELAWARE VALLEY (4-5) AT SCRANTON (2-7)
When: Thursday, 7 p.m.
Where: Scranton Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Last: Delaware Valley, 45-7 (2024).
The buzz: Delaware Valley has won 16 straight games in the series. Delaware Valley has qualified for the District 2 Class 5A playoffs. Scranton is an automatic qualifier for the District 2-4 Class 6A subregional playoffs. Scranton is 0-2 in Thursday night games this season, losing to Pocono Mountain East and Abington Heights.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Scranton’s Jonathan Mrozik.
JONATHAN MROZIK
Scranton, LB-TE
A three-year starter, he contributed three catches for 29 yards last week in a loss to Abington Heights. He is also the team’s leader on defense.
Delaware Valley’s Trey Newton.
TREY NEWTON
Delaware Valley, WR-CB
A sophomore, he had five catches for 49 yards in a loss to North Pocono last week. He has 47 catches for 580 yards and seven touchdowns this season and is the program’s all-time leader with 105 catches.