Dallas’ Tyce Mason, left, reacts after returning a punt for a touchdown against Hazleton Area at Mountaineer Stadium in Dallas Twp. on Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. BILL TARUTIS / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Dallas’ Marc Saracinaj (42) plows his way in for a touchdown against Hazleton Area at Mountaineer Stadium in Dallas Twp. on Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. BILL TARUTIS / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Hazleton Area’s Alex Fedorko (18) runs left-side against the Dallas defense at Mountaineer Stadium in Dallas Twp. on Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. BILL TARUTIS / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Dallas’ Owen Oldt (10) reacts fter scoring a touchdown against Hazleton Area at Mountaineer Stadium in Dallas Twp. on Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. BILL TARUTIS / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Hazleton Area quarterback Jayson Arroyo looks to pass against Dallas at Mountaineer Stadium in Dallas Twp. on Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. BILL TARUTIS / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Dallas’ Hunter Pitcavage (4) reaches for the goal line on a touchdown run against Hazleton Area at Mountaineer Stadium in Dallas Twp. on Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. BILL TARUTIS / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Dallas’ Tyce Mason (2) runs through cannon smoke after scoring a touchdown against Hazleton Area at Mountaineer Stadium in Dallas Twp. on Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. BILL TARUTIS / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
Hazleton Area quarterback Zach Wilson, right, runs a keeper as Dallas’ Hunter Pitcavage pursues at Mountaineer Stadium in Dallas Twp. on Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. BILL TARUTIS / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
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Dallas’ Tyce Mason, left, reacts after returning a punt for a touchdown against Hazleton Area at Mountaineer Stadium in Dallas Twp. on Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. BILL TARUTIS / CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
DALLAS TWP. — Unbeaten Dallas’ biggest challenge entering Week 6 of the high school football season may not necessarily have been its opponent or grinding its way to its sixth straight win.
Complacency? Perhaps for another team.
But for these Mountaineers?
Certainly not Friday.
Facing an injury-depleted, one-win Hazleton Area team on Homecoming at Mountaineer Stadium, Dallas scored early and often and in nearly every conceivable way in a 56-0 nonconference victory.
“We set the standard by our standard,” Dallas head coach Rich Mannello said. “If you watch us practice, you’d see that everyday. … We do a lot of best-against-best, 11-on-11 stuff, so our guys are always ready to compete no matter who the opponent is or what situation we’re facing. It’s our standard and our kids know our standard.”
The Mountaineers built a 42-0 lead by halftime, ensuring the game would be played under the PIAA’s mercy rule and its running clock for the entire second half.
Dallas scored twice on special teams: the first on Trevor Slavinski’s 5-yard return of Bobby Gallagher’s blocked punt and the second on Tyce Mason’s 50-yard punt return.
The Mountaineers’ special teams also swallowed up Hazleton Area punter Derek Radzwich before he could get his initial boot of the night off, setting up Dallas in point-blank range for their first touchdown.
“These kids are brought up on the techniques and schematics of special teams all year long,” Mannello said. “We’ve got a history of going into the state tournament and winning some games that people thought we’d never have a chance to win because of our special teams. When you do that, our younger guys see that and they get to know, ‘Hey, this stuff works.’ The buy-in is not so hard.”
On offense, Hunter Pitcavage zigged and zagged 11 yards for a touchdown and Marc Saracinj later carried twice for scores, one time from 3 yards and another from 21, the latter on the first play from scrimmage in the second half before Mannello turned the game over his reserves.
Quarterback Talan Geskey also got into the act, dumping off a 7-yard TD pass to fullback Owen Oldt and later connecting with Mason on a 12-yard touchdown toss.
Defensively, Dallas kept the Cougars (1-5) on their side of the field for the entire game, holding them to minus yards of total offense and five first downs. Snap issues led to Hazleton Area losing a total of 137 yards. In all, the Cougars put the ball on the ground 12 times, relinquishing possession on four of their fumbles.
Cole Hampel capped Dallas’ scoring when he fell on a botched Cougars snap in the end zone in a fitting way for the visitors’ night to end.
“We just played an ugly game,” said Hazleton Area head coach Scott Sacco, whose team was without at least 10 players, including several starters, because of injuries. “We couldn’t do anything. Anything and everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong.
“Even though we’re down as many guys as we’re down, we should still be able to move the ball a little bit and do the fundamental things like handling snaps,” he added. “It’s easy stuff that we’ve got to be able to do.”
After Gallagher’s tackle on Radzwich in punt formation led to Pitcavage’s touchdown, his blocked punt and Slavinski’s short touchdown return made it 14-0 by the end of the first quarter.
The snake-bitten Cougars actually went for it on fourth-and-4 from their own 26 on their next possession, but they had to fall on a poor snap at the 12. Saracinaj took it in from the 3 three plays later. Brandon Miller kicked the extra point as his team’s lead ballooned to three scores with still 11:19 left before halftime.
Geskey’s 49-yard bomb to Mason set up the quarterback’s 7-yard touchdown flare to Oldt. Moments later, Geskey and Mason teamed up on a 12-yard scoring pass that came on fourth down.
After the Cougars again went three and out, Mason fielded a Radzwich punt, found an opening along the right sideline and sped 50 yards for his second touchdown in a matter of minutes.
“Our special teams are a killer….Coach Mannello is big on that,” Mason said. “We’re able to move to ball however want on offense. Our defense is a killer, too. Either way, you’re not stopping us.”
In a couple misleading statistics, Dallas had 132 yards of total offense and moved the chains only six times all night. Of course, having an average starting field position at the Hazleton Area 21 on their seven offensive possessions meant the Mountaineers didn’t have to go too far to reach the end zone. And when Dallas had its “worst” starting field position at the Cougars 44, Geskey and Mason quickly hooked up on a 49-yard pass to the Hazleton Area 7.
It was that kind of night.
For both teams.