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Williamsport scores 21 unanswered points to defeat Wilkes-Barre

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Williamsport’s Kahyear Whaley (23) falls into the end zone to score during the first half of a high school football game at Williamsport on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024.

In a game that had playoff implications in the opening round of the District 2-4 playoffs, Williamsport snapped their five-game losing streak in comeback fashion.

Williamsport won in exciting fashion as well, scoring 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to secure a win over the Wolfpack.

The Millionaires turned their first drive three-and-out into a scoring opportunity with a muffed punt that they recovered. After their drive was stopped, Parker Johnson hit his first of two opening-quarter field goals, sending this one soaring 38-yards through the uprights for the opening score of the game.

Throughout the rest of the first, they paired their early lead with a pair of stifling defensive stands to force back to back punts for a clean first quarter. Their efforts were rewarded early in the second as Kahyear Whaley (11 for 58) smashed his way through a couple Wilkes-Barre defenders for the score to put Williamsport up 13-0 to start the second quarter.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Wilkes-Barre's Rajan Watson (17) intercepts a pass intended for Williamsport's Kyreek Bradshaw (3) during the second half of a high school football game on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024. Williamsport won 34-20.

It was far from smooth sailing however, as the second half saw Wilkes-Barre storm down the field on their opening drive of the half with some help from Williamsport penalties. Junior quarterback Jake Howe (21 for 29, 209 yards) shined on this drive, connecting on seven consecutive passes before running back Davon Underwood would swing way out to the left, and sneak into the front corner of the endzone to get the Wolfpack on the board trailing, 13-7.

Following a three-and-out by Williamsport, Howe would connect with receiver Rajon Watson for the longest play of the night with a 54-yard completion and run down the sideline. The deep connection set up the hand off to Gene Ardo who would hammer a hole up the middle for a 14-yard run to find pay dirt, putting the Wolf Pack ahead, 14-13.

The Wilkes-Barre defense also stepped up in the second quarter. On Williamsport’s final two drives of the half the Wolf Pack forced a punt and an interception to secure the lead going into halftime.

The second half started with both defenses holding strong. Both teams exchanged stops for the first four drives of the half, highlighted by a pivotal interception at midfield by Wilkes-Barre.

Wilkes-Barre rode the momentum and let Jake Howe and his impressive accuracy go to work. He led the Wolf Pack down the field connecting with Jordan Kieselovsky (12-99) thrice, before finding him wide open in the endzone for the 15-yard passing touchdown to improve to a 20-13 lead.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Williamsport head coach Michael Pearson returns to the sideline after a time out during the second half of a high school football game against Wilkes-Barre on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024. Williamsport won 34-20.

On the ensuing drive by Williamsport it appeared that they would get their scoring revenge as the running back pair of Kahyear Whaley and Jamel Bailey moved the ball down the field with chunk play after chunk play. On the doorstep of the endzone, a pass floated to the corner was picked off by Wilkes-Barre snuffing out the Millionaire drive.

Nevertheless, the Millionaire defense came up huge with an interception of their own at midfield on a deflection off the hands of a Wilkes-Barre receiver into the waiting arms of Giovanni White.

“They just kept battling,” Williamsport coach Mike Pearson said. “It took everybody on this team to get those stops.”

The momentum was palpable.

The Millionaires marched confidently down the field with a blend of timely pass plays, and an unyielding run attack culminating by a 4-yard touchdown run by Jamel Bailey. A play that saw him punch through the line and drag a few members of the Wolf Pack along with him into the endzone would bring Williamsport back to a tie ball game with three and a half minutes to go in the fourth quarter.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Williamsport's Zion Hughes (1) intercepts a pass and scores in the final minutes of a high school football game against Wilkes-Barre on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024. Williamsport won 34-20.

The pair of Kahyear Whaley and Jamel Bailey played an enormous role in the late game scoring by Williamsport.

“Jamel ran hard, the line blocked hard, and Kahyear ran hard,” Whaley said. “We kept moving the sticks … the more we move the sticks the more our confidence goes up.”

Another opportunity for Wilkes-Barre was once again halted by the Millionaire defense, as they forced a punt after just three plays. With two minutes on the clock in a tie ball game, Williamsport called on their QB Elijah Way to get them close.

He delivered with his furthest pass of the game, sailing 37-yards into the hands of Whaley for the biggest play of the night. The other half of the running back duo would do the rest, as Jamel Bailey bounced out to the left and powered his way past the Wolf Pack to give the Millionaires the lead 27-20 with 40 seconds left in the game.

Wilkes-Barre would get one final drive to respond. With every member of the home crowd on their, the final pass of the game went up and was snatched out of the air by Zion Hughes in stride as he exploded past going untouched into the endzone for the game sealing pick six.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Wilkes-Barre's Jordan Kieselowsky (12) runs into interference by a pair of Williamsport defenders during the second half of a high school football game on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024. Williamsport won 34-20.

The magnitude of this win for Williamsport cannot be understated. The Millionaires were finally able to snap its five-game losing streak, and secure the advantage of hosting an opening-round game of the playoffs next week.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Wilkes-Barre quarterback Jake Howe (2) drops back to pass during the first half of a high school football game at Williamsport on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Williamsport’s Jamel Bailey II (5) picks up yardage past a pair of Wilkes-Barre defenders during the first half of a high school football game at Williamsport on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Williamsport’s Jamel Bailey II (5) picks up yardage past a pair of Wilkes-Barre defenders during the first half of a high school football game at Williamsport on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Williamsport quarterback Elijah Way runs the ball during the first half of a high school football game against Wilkes-Barre at Williamsport on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Williamsport’s Zion Hughes (1) connects with a pass from quarterback Elijah Way during the first half of a high school football game against Wilkes-Barre at Williamsport on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024.

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Williamsport’s Zion Hughes (1) connects with a pass from quarterback Elijah Way during the first half of a high school football game against Wilkes-Barre at Williamsport on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024.

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