Dallas decided on its first drive it wasn't going to sit around and wait for something good to happen.
Facing a fourth and three in its own territory, Dallas went for it. And the decision paid off in full when Kris Roccograndi burst through the line and scampered down the field for a 66-yard touchdown.
Roccograndi's run ignited a strong ground game which chewed Williamsport's defense up for 329 yards as Dallas grabbed its second win in as many weeks, defeating the Millionaires, 31-7.
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Williamsport quarterback Sadiq Burkholder stiff-arms John Murray of Dallas on a sweep in the third quarter.
"It was big. It was a fourth down and we were stuck," Roccograndi said. "We got a good run formation in and it was well blocked. I just took it to the house."
Dallas (2-3) entered Friday's contest fresh off its first win of the season, a 17-7 win over league rival Coughlin. And the Mountaineers continued to build off last week's success, going 75 yards on four plays for an opening drive touchdown. Roccograndi highlighted the drive with his 66-yard run to pay dirt on a fourth and three play.
"We're on a mission to win the rest of the season out, and it's important to us," Roccograndi said. "It's important to us and we are going to come out for every game fired up and ready to play."
Roccograndi, who finished with 234 yards on 21 carries and the touchdown, ripped off another long run midway through the second quarter. The 62-yard burst helped spark a five-play, 79-yard drive, which ended when Ryan Zapoticky tossed the first of three touchdowns. Zapoticky went on to throw touchdowns of five and 18 yards, the latter of which capped the scoring as he found Kris Kozloski after a broken play sent him running in the fourth quarter.
"It's good, because it boosts everyone's confidence," Roccograndi said of his long runs. "It's just great and gives us confidence that we can run the ball. It opens up the pass and everything."
Dallas racked up 318 yards in first half, while scoring 23 points and blanking the Millionaires. The Dallas offense posted over three hundred yards in the first half, despite 85 yards of penalties.
Williamsport, which was forced to use four different quarterbacks on the night, struggled to find any type of offensive consistency in the first half. The Millionaires offensive possessions in the first half resulted in two three-and-outs, four sacks, minus three rushing yards and 34 total yards.
"We had three sophomores and two juniors out there on the offensive line," Williamsport coach Kevin Choate said. "There was a time I was worried they were going to fall apart, but they hung together and stuck it out."
The second half, which opened with Williamsport (0-5) driving 80 yards on seven plays, went much more smoothly for the Millionaires.
Devin Miller, after posting negative rushing yards in the first half, rebounded to carry the ball three times for 39 yards and the touchdown. Sadiq Burkholder, who played most of the second half at quarterback, rushed for 50 yards on 11 carries and pulled down 3 passes for 37 yards.
"I see it in this team's character," Choate said. "They continue to fight and continue to come back. These kids pick each other up and work hard for each other."
