NTL FOOTBALL: WYALUSING TRAVELS TO TROY WITH A LOT ON THE LINE (2021-10-22)

BY CHRIS MANNING
Northern Tier Sports Report
One of the big NTL tilts of the night will be Wyalusing (2-6) heading to Alparon Park to face the Trojans. Troy (6-2) is battling for an NTL Division-I title, while the Rams are still in the playoff hunt.

“Troy has a long history of being one of the finest programs in the state,” said Wyalusing coach Henry Laboranti. “They are a very well balanced team with great playmakers on both sides of the ball. I’m very impressed with their players, and their coaches year in and year out.”

It’s been a rough year for Wyalusing, but Troy isn’t taking them lightly.

“Wyalusing has some talented players,” said Troy coach Jim Smith. “They are big and physical. They are able to make you defend the whole field with a very talented, strong armed quarterback. They have had struggles, as we all have, but when they are on, they can make plays.”

One thing Wyalusing’s been able to count on is the big play, both on offense and defense. They’ve shown the last few weeks that they can pick up large chunks of yards in a hurry, and that they can also create turnovers.

“We need to be good open field tacklers, and fly to the ball as a team,” said Smith. “We need to stay in coverage longer as their offense has been able to create big plays, and their quarterback has a big time arm. Our box players must continue to dominate.”

After a slow start to the season, Wyalusing’s defense has started to come around these past few weeks. Last week, despite falling to Wellsboro, it was just a 10-6 game mid-way through the fourth quarter before short fields finally took their toll on the Rams.

“I was very proud of our boys last week,” said Laboranti. “Even with all the injuries we’ve had we still fee like we did a good job against a good opponent. We’ve been focused on finishing the games with the same intensity that we have in the beginning.”

They’ll need to get their offense going against one of the stronger defenses in the league, as Troy held Towanda to negative-yards in the first half of their win last week.

“Troy’s defense is very impressive, and very disciplined,” Laboranti said. “This week in practice we’ve simulated some of their stronger players to try and keep track of them the whole game.”

As for the Trojans, they’re still trying to find their groove offensively. A few weeks ago they may have had their best game of the season in a win over Loyalsock, but the past two weeks have seen Troy struggle with the ball.

“We were sloppy, our ball security was poor, and we lacked enthusiasm,” Smith said about their performance against Towanda last week. “We did not hurt ourselves with penalties, but turned the ball over multiple times. We will be focusing on the little things this week, get some tempo back, play with some excitement, urgency, and hang on to the ball. We are not a flashy, dynamic type of offense. To beat good teams we must be efficient with few mistakes; we will be focusing on that.”

WYALUSING

Player to watch: Nick Woodruff - Woodruff is the type of physical presence the Rams will need to keep up with Troy. He’s been in and out of the line-up, and in different positions, but should have an influence on the game.

Key to the game: Hold their own in the box - Troy will try to manhandle them in the box, so the Rams will have to be able to handle the Trojan physicality in the trenches in order to give their quarterback Blake Morningstar time to find their athletes. It won’t be easy, but the alternative will be a lot of 3-and-outs.

TROY

Player to watch: Charles Oldroyd - Oldroyd filled in at running back due to injuries last week, and had 63 yards rushing with a touchdown. Look for him, and Cody Johnston, to both get some carries this week, again.

Key to the game: Keep containment defensively - Wyalusing has some very good athletes down field, and Morningstar does a good job extending plays to give them time to get open. Even if they stop the Rams on a drive or two early, they can’t get complacent, because Wyalusing has a big play threat every down.