Lesher sets school record as Mid Valley secures share of division title – Scranton Times-Tribune

THROOP – Just moments after Jakob Lesher set a school record for career rushing yards, Mid Valley fans and the team acknowledged the achievement with cheers.

However, the Spartans senior remained focused on the next play.

Friday night was all about the team.

No. 6 Mid Valley defeated Lakeland 34-7 to clinch a share of the Lackawanna Football Conference Division II title at Spartan Stadium.

Lesher again led the way with 221 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 25 carries, securing the Spartans their first league title since 1991. He surpassed Jason Cuozzo’s career mark of 3,191 with an 18-yard run on the first play of the second half. As the crowd erupted when the feat was announced, Lesher simply lined up and took the next handoff for two yards. Brett Yanoski then threw a swing pass that Connor Hughes carried 30 yards to the Lakeland 7. Mason Vinansky capped the drive with a 7-yard touchdown run to give the Spartans a 27-7 lead and move Mid Valley closer to its ultimate goal.

“It means a lot to me, but it also means a lot to the team,” Lesher said of the record. “They have helped me the whole time and without them it wouldn’t be possible.”

Lesher has recorded 1,369 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns on 180 carries in eight games this season, missing two games due to injury, increasing his career total to 3,233.

“He means so much, not even as a football player, but just as a person, as a friend,” Mid Valley linebacker Gavin Rapoch said. “Incredible person to be with. We work together. We do everything together and feel really good. But for him to get this is great for him.”

The Spartans (6-3 overall, 3-1 LFC DII) prepared for a share of the division title when they defeated previously undefeated Western Wayne 22-10 last weekend. They used the same formula to beat the Chiefs on Friday – Lesher’s powerful running combined with strong defense.

Mid Valley fell behind first, just like it did against Western Wayne. After three plays, Lakeland quarterback David Naniewicz took the snap and ran up the middle for a 41-yard touchdown. Last week, Western Wayne scored the first 10 points before the Spartans shut them out.

“We played like that week after week. For some reason we got off to a slow start, but once we get going, we’ll get going,” Rapoch said. “And everyone had to be there to do it. All 11 men completed their mission and that’s what happens when everyone does what they have to do.”

A slow start doesn’t matter when Lesher lines up in the backfield. Yanoski handed the ball off to the star running back on the next five plays, and Lesher reached the end zone on a 16-yard run, tying the game at 7.

After Lakeland advanced into Mid-Valley territory, a false start set the Chiefs back and Rapoch hit Naniewicz on a designed run for a loss of six yards. Lakeland got it back to a manageable fourth-and-5 pass, but Wyatt Youngblood intercepted Naniewicz’s next pass.

After Lakeland forced a turnover on downs, Mid Valley forced a three-and-out, with Michael Wall’s tackle for loss being the decisive play on the drive. Then Lesher went back to work with gains of 9, 10, 18 and 2 yards. Yanoski then threw a swing pass to Hughes, who ran into the end zone but had the ball deflected by Jackson Pochas. However, Connor Bartlett jumped on the ball in the end zone, giving the Spartans a 13-7 lead with 7:00 left in the second quarter.

Then Rapoch wreaked havoc in the backfield. On three straight plays, Rapoch had a sack, a tackle for no gain and a tackle on a two-yard gain to force the three-and-out.

“They got the ball back and we needed a play,” Rapoch said. “I try to make as many plays as possible, but the guys did what they had to do. We called out a few lightning attacks. They took their guys over and we said all week that one of us would be free and I was the free one every time, but we all did our part.”

A botched snap on the punt led to another touchdown by Lesher as he needed just two plays to go 28 yards for a 19-7 lead with 2:21 left in the second quarter.

Nick Jackson had two of his three sacks in the final two minutes of the half. Rhys Williams added two sacks for Mid Valley.

“I think that’s exactly how we play football. Spartan football,” Lesher said. “I think it really showed the intensity that we bring to every game.”

Hughes caught a 32-yard pass from Yanoski to clinch the Division II title.

“It’s been a long time. It’s been 33 years since we won one, so these kids got involved,” Mid Valley coach Stan Yanoski said. “They wanted to hang a banner in the gym and said they would go there in the summer, and they did.”

Mid Valley secured the No. 4 seed in the Class 3A District 2 playoffs and will host No. 5 Lake-Lehman in the quarterfinals next week.

“I feel like we have the best coaching staff in the area in terms of preparation,” Lesher said. “They always invest their time, just like we invest ours. Day after day they explored everything, narrowed everything down and just did everything they could do. They’ve put us in the best position possible so I think they’ll be a big part of that and we’ve just got to keep increasing the intensity and see where we can get with it.”

Lakeland (3-6, 1-3) is seeded fourth in the Class 2A tournament. The Chiefs will travel there

Top seed Riverside in the semifinals.

Originally published: October 26, 2024 at 12:33 am