Valley View’s defense closes in on Wallenpaupack’s Logan Caruso during the football game at John Henzes/Veterans Memorial Stadium in Peckville on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Valley View’s defense makes an opening for Brady Bachman during the football game at John Henzes/Veterans Memorial Stadium in Peckville on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Valley View’s Gavin Oprishko and Jeffrey Wasilchak move to stop Wallenpaupack’s Ed Kiesendahl during the football game at John Henzes/Veterans Memorial Stadium in Peckville on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Valley View’s Ismael Turner celebrates with Tristan Smith after Smith scored a touchdown during the football game at John Henzes/Veterans Memorial Stadium in Peckville on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Valley View’s cheerleaders perform their halftime show during the football game at John Henzes/Veterans Memorial Stadium in Peckville on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Valley View’s head coach Scot Waslichak talks to his players after defeating Wallenpaupack at John Henzes/Veterans Memorial Stadium in Peckville on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Wallenpaupack’s marching band performs at halftime during the football game at John Henzes/Veterans Memorial Stadium in Peckville on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Valley View’s defense closes in on Wallenpaupack’s Logan Caruso during the football game at John Henzes/Veterans Memorial Stadium in Peckville on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
BLAKELY — With a teammate sidelined with an injury, Gavin Oprishko got his first career start Friday night.
The junior safety made an impactful play that gave No. 9 Valley View the momentum it needed to defeat No. 10 Wallenpaupack, 20-7, in a Lackawanna Football Conference Division I regular-season finale at John Henzes Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Oprishko’s 37-yard interception return in the second quarter set up the Cougars’ first touchdown and highlighted a solid defensive performance that saw Valley View (3-3 league, 6-4 overall) force two turnovers and limit the Buckhorns to 143 total yards and nine first downs. Most of that (50 yards, three first downs) came on Wallenpaupack’s final drive when it scored on a 9-yard touchdown pass from Jake Rafferty to Ed Kiesendahl with 2:27 remaining to spoil the shutout.
“Gavin is a nice kid who came back to football. He hasn’t played in a few years,” Valley View coach Scot Wasilchak said. “Early in the year, he was adjusting to it. Now we put him in there and in a game like tonight he made a big play. He did a really nice job.”
Valley View’s defensive front of ends Aiden Muchal, Brady Cunningham, Brody Call and tackles Mason Mitchell, Jake Rutkowski and Jack Kondrat never allowed Wallenpaupack (1-5, 3-7) never was able to get its running game going and applied constant pressure on quarterback Rafferty.
“They were very impressive, especially their defensive front,” Wallenpaupack coach Matt Nawrocki said. “That was disappointing to see us not be able to react and adapt. We really didn’t get anything going until the end there.
“They’re a well-coached defensive line. They have a ton of pass rush moves in their pockets and they get off the ball. Those kids play really hard, credit to them.”
Coach Wasilchak said he couldn’t ask for anything more from his defense.
“They couldn’t run the ball and when that happens, we’re tough,” coach Wasilchak said. “Those guys just stepped up and played really great defense tonight. The momentum swing with the interception got our offense going because we were sloppy.”
Wallenpaupack’s defense wasn’t too shabby, either, forcing three turnovers and limiting Valley View to 20 points.
“I thought our defense played a really great game tonight,” Nawrocki said. “Causing turnovers, bending but not breaking. I’m proud of them for that.”
Scoreless early in the second quarter, with Wallenpaupack facing third-and-10 from its 23, Oprishko intercepted a pass at the 45 and returned it to the Buckhorns 8.
“It was man coverage. I noticed the quarterback all night was staring down his guy,” said Oprishko, who had six tackles (5 solo, 1 assist) and one pass breakup in addition to his interception. “I saw him staring the receiver on the right side. It was a little underthrown, made a break on it and made the catch. That set up the momentum for the game. It seriously felt unreal.”
Two plays later, Tyler Muchal kept his feet moving and pushed the pile into the end zone for a 3-yard touchdown run. Braden Loff’s kick made it 7-0 with 9:18 left in the second.
Ed Kiesendahl returned the ensuing kickoff 76 yards to the Valley View 11. But Mitchell sacked Rafferty for an 8-yard loss on first down and the Buckhorns wound up coming away empty when they missed a 35-yard field goal.
“We’ve got to capitalize in the red zone,” Nawrocki said. “It would have been huge to get points there. To be able to reset the whole game there and get the momentum back on our side would have been nice.”
To open the third quarter, Valley View went on an 11-play, 61-yard scoring drive that Brady Bachman capped with a two-yard touchdown run to make it 13-0 as the extra point was blocked.
“We started flat, but once we get in a rhythm, there’s no stopping us,” Bachman said. “The O-line was just pounding, we were running hard, the defense was getting stops left and right. We just came ready to play in the second half.”
Bachman lined up at tailback, tight end and quarterback during the game. He finished with 82 yards on 13 carries, made an acrobatic 26-yard catch over two defenders in the second quarter and had two tackles and a pass breakup from his linebacker spot.
“He was all over the field,” coach Wasilchak said.
In the fourth quarter, Tristan Smith scored on a 5-yard touchdown run with 6:31 to play for a 20-0 lead. He set up the score one play earlier with a 63-yard run.
Smith also recovered a fumble in the third quarter.