SCOTT TWP. — Aiden Willson didn’t get his hands on the ball very much, but when he did he made it count.
The senior wide receiver only caught two passes, but his second was the biggest play of the game — a 12 yard touchdown from quarterback Paxton Grebb that put Mid Valley ahead with 4:22 left in the game.
Willson then intercepted a pass to stop any chance of a Lakeland comeback as the ninth-ranked Spartans defeated the sixth-ranked Chiefs, 33-27, in a Lackawanna Football Conference Division II game Friday night at Lakeland Stadium.
“Before the play (the go ahead touchdown) I had a feeling the ball was coming my way,” Willson said. “I told myself I just had to look for the ball, focus and make the catch. I was able to do that and we were able to get this big win.”
The Spartans (5-3 overall, 2-1 Division II) found themselves in a 14-0 hole early in the second quarter after Lakeland (6-2, 1-2) quarterback Chase Rosenkrans scored on a 53-yard wildcat formation pass from Luke McFarland, and then added a 5-yard run on a quarterback draw early in the second quarter.
That’s when Mid Valley turned to its battering ram: Kayden Barnauskas, who finished with a game-high 121 rushing yards.
The senior ran the ball six times on a nine-play drive, getting the Spartans on the board with a 15-yard touchdown run.
Mid Valley then forced a three-and-out and scored again when Grebb found tight end Richard Lupcho for a 27-yard touchdown to tie the game at 14 with 2:18 left in the first half.
Another three-and-out got the Spartans the ball back just before halftime. Grebb hit his main weapon Nick Hricenak for a gain of 40 yards down to the Chiefs 1, where Barnauskas punched it in with 20 seconds left in the second quarter for a 21-14 halftime lead.
“I’m always trying to run my hardest,” Barnauskas said. “I got to give credit to my offensive line for opening those holes. This win is huge for us. Coming up to Lakeland is always tough, they’re always a really good football team.”
Lakeland responded in the second half.
Rosenkrans scored his second rushing touchdown in the third quarter on a 10-yard run. The Chiefs then took the first play of the fourth quarter courtesy of an Evan Lonzinski 6-yard touchdown run for a 27-21 lead.
Hricenak returned the ensuing kickoff 45 yards into Lakeland territory and the Spartans ground game took over from there. Five plays — all on the ground — ended in a Grebb 10-yard touchdown run tying the game at 27.
The Mid Valley defense got a stop to get the ball right back.
Five Barnauskas runs for 40 yards led to the Willson touchdown reception and a lead the Spartans wouldn’t relinquish.
“This is a huge program victory for us,” Mid Valley Head Coach Stan Yanoski said. “Beating a team like Lakeland really helps as we’re trying to move up in the playoff standings. The guys really stepped up. Kayden is a great downhill runner. He worked hard over the winter and tonight was very good for him. Paxton has also played really well for us the past two weeks stepping into quarterback full time.”
The victory keeps the Spartans tied for second in the LFC Division II standings with Honesdale — who they will face in Week 9. Both teams are one game behind undefeated Dunmore.
“It’s going to be a big game next week,” Willson said. “We’re going to practice hard and we’ll be ready.”