Bangor Area High School football team remains unbeaten with 34-13 win over Catasauqua High School

FROM THE EXPRESS TIMES

The Bangor Area High School football team proved Friday night that records don't mean a thing.

Then Josh Wing showed everyone at Paul Farnan Field at Bangor Memorial Park Stadium that records were made to be broken.

The senior running back rushed for a school-record 342 yards, scored three touchdowns and converted a pair of two-point conversions as Bangor ran over Catasauqua 34-13 in a battle of Colonial League unbeatens.

"We could see from the second quarter on that our size was starting to wear on Catty," Bangor coach Frank Scagliotta said. "But give them credit, those kids didn't quit. We knew they were undefeated, just like we were, but we felt like we had a big advantage physically up front and Josh (Wing) had a great game."

Wing broke off TD runs of 60, 34 and 53 yards, breaking the Colonial League record of 304 yards set by Notre Dame running back Dan Tavani in 2003. He also broke former Slaters standout Scott LaValva's school record of 294 set in 2009.

"Here's a kid who couldn't line up right two years ago," Scagliotta said. "He's a gifted athlete. He has natural speed and he's getting better and better each week. That's the progress that he's he made by working hard."

Wing, the leading rusher in Express-Times region, also went over 1,000-yard plateau, finishing the night with 1,040 yards and 14 rushing touchdowns so far.

Both teams came into the night at 5-0 in a four-way tie for first place with Northern Lehigh and Pen Argyl, which square off tomorrow in Pen Argyl, in the Colonial League

But Bangor was obviously too much for the Rough Riders' smaller interior offensive and defensive lines.

Bangor (6-0) amassed 385 yards on the ground, while Catasauqua finished with 72 yards on 25 carries - most of which came on the final drive of the game, which ended with a 4-yard TD from running back Ra'Von Burton against the Slaters second-team defense.

Catasauqua (5-1) scored first on the game's opening drive when quarterback Jake Bloszinsky hit wide receiver Vinny Pellechia on a slant for 22 yards and a touchdown with 4:31 into the game to make it 7-0.

It was all Slaters from that point.

Bloszinsky completed 6 of 11 passes for 87 yards before leaving in the second quarter with a hip injury.

Wing spent the rest of the night breaking into the secondary for big chunks of yardage.

"If it wasn't for the offensive line, I wouldn't have gotten to the secondary," Wing said. "We had an idea we could wear them down and run on them. We weren't expecting for me to get 300 yards but we thought we could wear them down."

Wing, who racked up 204 yards on 15 carries by halftime, got the Slaters to within 7-6 when he took a pitch from Hydock, cut back against the grain and broke up the middle for his first TD of the night - a 60-yarder.

The pass defense stiffened, limiting the Roughies and backup quarterback Zach Bradley to 30 yards through the air. Wing made it 14-7 with a 34-yard dash to the end zone on the Slaters' first possession of the second quarter.

Bangor was driving for a possible score at the end of the first half when starting QB Ryan Hydock, who was making his first start of the season, was intercepted on the goal line on fourth-and-5 from the Rough Riders' 9 with nine seconds left in the second quarter.

Wing's third TD of the night came on a 53-yard inside burst on the first play from scrimmage in the second half. Fullback Mike Onjack and wide receiver Bryan Pearson also scored rushing touchdowns for the Slaters.

Onjack, starting in place of the injured Josh Pensyl, had 30 yards on 10 carries, including a 2-yard TD and Pearson scored on a 15-yard end around early in the fourth.

Pensyl broke his leg last week in the 35-14 win over Wilson.

"We're where we want to be right now," Scagliotta said. "There's some tough roads to hoe, coming up the next month. But at least we're in a position to do something about it."

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/10/bangor_area_high_school_footba_4.html