NTL FOOTBALL: WYALUSING BATTLED THROUGH INJURIES IN 2021 (2021-11-17)

Northern Tier Sports Report
Every year there’s one team that just can’t seem to shake the injury bug, and this year it was Wyalusing. The Rams never really got the full band together in 2021 as they went 2-8 on the year, though, with maybe a little more health could have been above .500.

“First off, I’d like to say, thank you seniors,” said Wyalusing coach Henry Laboranti. “They have done such a tremendous job both on and off of the field, and we will certainly miss them. I’m so proud of all of the hard work that the team has put in this season. Although our win total isn’t as much as we had hoped, there were many games that were decided in the last minutes, or seconds, that we could have won, and because of that, I’m so encouraged for what the future of this team holds.”

Things started great with a 64-0 win over Montrose, a game that didn’t kick-off until 9:30 p.m. due to lightning delays.

The high point of the season, though, was probably a 19-14 win over Montgomery on homecoming. They rallied in the second half, and had probably their best defensive game of the year, against a team that took state ranked Muncy to the wire in the district playoffs.

The three games that got away were NP-Mansfield (28-18), Wellsboro (24-6), and Towanda (20-8). They led at the half against the Panthers, the Hornets was a one score game until late in the fourth quarter, and the battle with the Knights was back and forth all night long in the pouring rain.

The Rams also had a tough stretch early, getting Muncy (42-8) and Canton (55-20) back to back in weeks three and four, two teams that have been ranked all season in the top five in the state for Class A.

Injuries also played a big part in their losses to Athens (46-6) and Troy (48-8), where they had only about 20 active players on hand for both games. 

Blake Morningstar stepped in under center and threw for over 1,000 yards, going 97-for-235 for 1,241 yards. He also had nine touchdowns on the season.

Nolan Oswald was a mainstay in the receiving corps, playing in every game to finish with 40 catches for 476 yards and five touchdowns. Jacob Bruyn was a key big play threat with 422 yards receiving and three touchdowns on 15 catches.

On the ground Brian Arnold ran for 420 yards and five touchdowns, while Ayden Hunsinger had 238 yards rushing with one score.

Despite missing all the personnel they were in the playoff hunt throughout the season, and with all the action the younger players saw, they should be ready to step into regular varsity play come 2022.