Greg Price and Jesse Pruitt formed a potent one-two punch on both sides of the ball Friday night to lead Susquehanna to a 45-8 rout of visiting Montrose in a Lackawanna Football Conference Division 3 game played in the mud and light rain.

Sabers coach Dick Bagnall relied on the hard running of Price and Pruitt to keep the offensive attack simple in the difficult conditions.

“We were able to run I-formation and pound them with dives and isos,” Bagnall said. “We didn’t run our option stuff. We didn’t have to.

“With wet conditions, I don’t want to run a lot of it.”

Price was the offensive leader with 173 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries while Pruitt chipped in with 60 yards and a touchdown on seven carries.

“We just kind of ran our power package and it worked pretty well,” Bagnall said. “Of course, Pruitt and Price are good backs.

“They can make things happen, so that’s what we did.”

Defensively, it was Pruitt who led the way with eight tackles and four assists. He forced one fumble, recovered another, broke up a pass, sacked the quarterback and had another tackle for a loss. Price provided six tackles, including two for nine yards in losses, while assisting on two others and breaking up a pass.

The two senior running back/linebackers were in the middle of most of the key plays for the Sabers.

When Susquehanna fumbled its first play and Montrose was threatening, it was Pruitt who came up with the fumble recovery at the Sabers 23 with 5:25 in the first quarter.

They then combined to run on all 10 plays of a 77-yard scoring drive that put the Sabers in control. Price had seven of the carries for 51 yards, including the 8-yard touchdown run on a fourth-and-1 sweep around left end, for a 7-0 lead in the final minute of the quarter.

Susquehanna turned the ball over before and after its first scoring drive. A muffed punt put the Sabers in trouble again by giving the Meteors possession at the Susquehanna 35 with 10:20 left in the half.

Gage Piechocki’s crunching hit for a loss, set up third-and-13 from the 36. When Zack Loomis took an option pitch, Price was there, with an assist by Pruitt, to force a four-yard loss. Montrose went for fourth down but Price was there again to break up the pass.

Price had consecutive runs of 13, 11 and 20 yards on the ensuing drive. But it was Pruitt who finished it off by running 10 yards up the gut on third-and-nine. C.J. Monks added the second of his three extra points for a 14-0 lead.

Pruitt forced a fumble that Jon Michael Marino recovered at the Susquehanna 45 with 2:59 left in the half.

The Sabers picked up the pace, completing their only two passes - out of only three attempts in the game - on the way to a score 1:16 before halftime.

Price caught the first pass of 16 yards from Sean Stanley to begin the drive. Marino pulled in a tipped pass for a 43-yard touchdown and 20-0 halftime lead.

Susquehanna overwhelmed winless Montrose to start the second half, completing a stretch of 12:06 in which it scored five touchdowns to go from a 7-0 lead to the use of the Mercy Rule with a 38-0 advantage.

By that time, the starting unit was done for the day.

Susquehanna’s defense allowed just three first downs, 15 yards rushing and 57 yards total offense up to the point that the Mercy Rule was invoked.

“I think our defense is really good,” Bagnall said.

The offense joined in, hitting its stride late in the second and early in the third quarter to put away the Meteors and leave the Sabers (2-0 in the division and 5-2 overall) in a three-way tie for the division lead with Old Forge and Mid Valley.

Susquehanna opened the second half by going 65 yards in five plays. Price raced 43 yards on a third-down play then, after Pruitt ran for 11 yards, went the final 7 for the touchdown.

Montrose gambled on fourth down from its own end of the field and Pruitt broke up the pass.

Price went 34 yards for a touchdown on the next play.

The Meteors fumbled on the second play and Nicholas Lloyd recovered at the 17.

Devin Fowler ran 3 yards for the score and 38-0 lead with 5:22 left in the third quarter.

Montrose then drove for its only touchdown which came on a 1-yard run by Dylan Heeman. Heeman hit Brenton Warner with the two-point conversion pass.

Warner also had five other receptions for 24 yards to combine with Nate Clark (16 carries, 46 yards) to lead a limited Montrose offense.

James Murnock ran 8 yards for the final Susquehanna score with 3:28 left. He had 35 yards on six fourth-quarter carries, helping push the Sabers final total to 304 yards on 36 carries.

WEEK IN REVIEW

Megan Hinds and Gracee Bulger of Montrose won one match to make it to the final 16 teams before being eliminated from the District 2 Class AA girls’ tennis doubles tournament at Kirby Park in Wilkes-Barre.

Hinds-Bulger defeated Brina Platt-Lisa Chihorek of Wyoming Area, 6-3, 6-2, before falling to the fifth-seeded Dallas team of Melissa Tucker-Bridget Boyle, 6-3, 6-0.

Elk Lake also had a team win one match.

Meagan Bush-Lydia Watkins had to get past Galen Mayorowski-Lindsey Greenwood of Holy Cross, 6-0, 6-1, in a preliminary round just to get into the round-of-32 where they lost, 6-0, 6-0, to the top-seeded and eventual championship team of Nathalie Joanlanne-Sheena Syal from Wyoming Seminary.

Wyoming Seminary’s Emma Spath-Jane Henry defeated Elk Lake’s Hannah Cave-Taylor Watkins, 6-2, 6-3; and Holy Redeemer’s Shaina Dogherty-Allison Muth defeated Montrose’s Ceara Hartman-Jen Reed, 7-6 (7-2), 6-2, in other matches.

In boys’ soccer, Forest City clinched the Lackawanna League Division 3 title before suffering its first loss of the season.

Forest City clinched Oct. 11 with a 3-2 win at what was then second-place Carbondale.

Lakeland passed Carbondale into second place and beat Forest City, 2-1, two days later.

The Foresters are 12-1 with one match remaining.

In girls’ soccer, Mountain View has clinched at least a tie for the Lackawanna Division 2 title. The Lady Eagles improved to 10-0. Only Forest City (9-2) was still alive mathematically at the start of the season.

Mountain View clinched the tie with a 5-0 win over Carbondale Oct. 10. The Lady Eagles have outscored opponents, 60-3.

In professional hockey, the Binghamton Senators took the first game of the season against the rival Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Binghamton went on the road to win, 5-4, in overtime Saturday night.

Mark Parrish, who also had two assists, won the game with his second goal of the game 3:29 into overtime.

COLLEGE CORNER

The Hall sisters, red-shirt senior Laurie and freshman Allison, have been a big part of a successful cross country season for California University of Pennsylvania.

The Halls are Blue Ridge graduates. Megan Kleiner, a junior from Blue Ridge, is also on the Vulcans roster.

California has had a first-, second- and third-place finish among its four invitationals, which include the Division II team competing against many Division I programs.

Laurie Hall had her best finish of the season in the most recent meet, Oct. 8. She was the team’s second runner and finished 12th out of 162 total runners to help California finish third out of 15 teams in the Carnegie Melon Invitational. Laurie Hall finished in 19:38:31 and Allison Hall was 14th, less than four seconds behind her.

Allison Hall was the team’s top finisher and was third overall in 19:42 when California won the Saint Vincent Invitational for the second on the third straight year. The Vulcans were first of 11 teams in the Sept. 24 event.

In the Sept. 17 opener, California was second of five teams at the Buffalo Stampede. Allison Hall was second on the team and seventh overall out of 57 in 19:30. Laurie Hall was fifth on the team and 22nd overall in 19:39.

California runs next in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championships Saturday.

THE WEEK AHEAD

Susquehanna begins a difficult closing stretch against three LFC Division 3 opponents with winning records when it plays at Lackawanna Trail Friday night.

Lackawanna Trail is 0-2 in the division, but won all five of its games before division play started.

Montrose (0-2, 0-7) is home against Holy Cross (0-2, 3-4).

Susquehanna concludes its schedule with Mid Valley and Old Forge, the two teams it is currently tied with for the division lead.

Our predictions in last week’s games were 9-1 (90.0 percent), bringing our season record to 66-20 (76.7 percent).

This week’s predictions, with home teams in CAPS: LACKAWANNA TRAIL 29, Susquehanna 12; Holy Cross 39, MONTROSE 20; Old Forge 17, MID VALLEY 12; Dunmore 35, WESTERN WAYNE 22; Lakeland 33, HONESDALE 19; Riverside 22, CARBONDALE 21; SCRANTON 20, Delaware Valley 7; WALLENPAUPACK 47, North Pocono 8; VALLEY VIEW 34, Scranton Prep 3; West Scranton 19, ABINGTON HEIGHTS 13.

In field hockey, the District 2 Class AA tournament opens Friday and moves to the quarterfinals Tuesday, Oct. 25.

TOM ROBINSON writes a weekly local sports column for the Susquehanna County Transcript. He can be reached online at RobbyTR@aol.com.

Kenseth Conquers Charlotte

CONCORD, N.C. - Matt Kenseth outran Kyle Busch Saturday night in the Bank of America 500 for his third Cup win of the season. The victory put him in a good position to win his second championship. He is now third in the Chase, just seven points behind his teammate and leader, Carl Edwards..

Matt Kenseth celebrates his Charlotte win.

Jimmie Johnson, who appeared to be on an upswing, was involved in a wreck with Ryan Newman, and finished 34th. His chances for a sixth title now appear slim.

“I knew we had a shot to win the race if we got in front of Kyle and ran him down the last long run we had,” said Kenseth. “I knew our car was a little bit superior to his and I was going to feel pretty bad if I cost these guys a race again.

“Thankfully on the the second-to-last restart, we were fourth and outside and I could get rolling with Kyle right away, and had a good couple of corners and got up to second and then I was able to race him one‑on‑one and that was a big key.”

Busch, who led a race-high 111 laps, wasn’t elated with second, but considering that he started at the rear of the field after an engine change, had reason to feel encouraged.

“It was the best run we’ve had here in a while, but we still came up short,” Busch said. “We’ve got to keep finishing like this. It’s not that hard. We finally finished where we ran - except we didn’t. We still lost a position, which is four points essentially, because you get three bonus points for winning a race.”

Edwards, the third-place finisher was upset by the line Busch took as they raced for second after the final restart - and told Busch as much after the race.

“We should definitely be racing each other hard,” Edwards said. “It’s just that there’s a difference between racing hard and then cutting across a guy’s nose.

“What I told Kyle is I just wonder why, coming off of Turn 2 when I got underneath him, that he drove down instead of going up to the wall like we would normally do. And I just let him know that next time that happens, I’ll just stay where I’m at and he can drive across my hood and wreck himself.”

Kasey Kahne, Marcos Ambrose, Kevin Harvick, A.J. Allmendinger, Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin, and Ryan Newman were the remaining top-10 finishers.

Johnson ran in the top five early in the race, but fell behind after a slow pit stop and was battling to get back into the top-10 when he crashed while racing Ryan Newman. Johnson lost control of his car, spun onto the apron and then shot into the Turn 2 wall.

“Definitely not the night we wanted. This is not going to help us win a sixth championship,” Johnson said. “But I promise you, this team and myself, we won’t quit. We will go for every point we can from here on out and hopefully we are still champions at the end of the year.”

Top-12 Chase leaders after 31 of 36: 1. Edwards-2203, 2. Harvick-2198, 3. Kenseth-2196, 4. Kyle Busch-2185, 5. Stewart-2179, 6. Keselowski-2178, 7. Kurt Busch-2176, 8. Johnson-2168, 9. Earnhardt-2143, 10. Newman-2142, 11. J. Gordon-2137, 12. Hamlin-2117

SAY IT AIN’T SO, DALE JR.

I sure hope Dale Earnhardt Jr. isn’t staying in racing just because it’s part of his business plan.

Junior should have several years of driving left in him, but judging by the way he’s racing and acting, his real, hard racing days are over. He turned 37 on October 10, and by NASCAR driving standards, should be in his prime.

Earnhardt has had only a few good runs this year. His winless streak stands at 124 races. His last victory was at Michigan in the summer of 2008.

During his behind-the-hauler press sessions each week at the track, he answers questions rather quietly, and monotonously.

There doesn’t seem to be any fire-in-his-belly, or spark-in-his-eye.

Which leads me to recall an incident several years ago by a talented NFL running back. This player had been in the league for only six years and was considered one of the best.

He called a press conference before the start of the new season and said, “I’m leaving the sport.”

Reporters asked about his decision, and he gave them a very simple and solid answer.

“I’ve used up all my football abilities.”

Is this what has happened to Dale Jr.? Some people can work late into life, while others retire at an early age.

According to Jimmy Spencer, a former Cup driver who works for the Speed Channel, Dale Jr. got out of his car after the Kansas race and gave a very disappointing interview. The media asked him about his day and he said he was more worried about his Fantasy Football League picks.

This doesn’t sound good coming from NASCAR’s Favorite Driver.

I don’t know where he went off track, but he needs to figure out quickly what he really wants to do, because it’s not good for the sport.

I recall that in the past, Dale Jr. was such an enthusiastic and lively young man during interviews, no matter whether he won or lost. He displayed a real zeal for the sport and expressed his views.

As we age, youthful heartiness has a tendency to decrease, but racing is a sport of emotions. Win or finish last, a driver needs the ups and downs to keep him going.

Brad Keselowski and Carl Edwards are good examples.

Dale Jr. no longer has that all powerful desire to win. Maybe it’s because he has so much in life, including a $200-million corporation. Maybe winning a race isn’t that important any longer. Is it because his other possessions outshine his racing? Maybe suiting up for a race on Sunday is only a means to bring dollars into his corporations.

He needs to show something so all his thousands of fans who buy his souvenirs, seek out his autograph and spend their afternoon rooting for him will believe their time and money has been well spent. Hopefully, he will say, “It ain’t so.”

EDWARDS REBOUNDS FOR NATIONWIDE WIN

Carl Edwards rebounded from hard contact with the outside wall early to score his eighth Nationwide victory of the 2011 season. The win moved Edwards’ No. 60 Ford to within three points of the Nationwide Series owner’s point lead.

Edwards, who led only five laps in the race, fell back as far back as 27th, before steadily rebounding for the victory.

Kyle Busch refused to talk with reporters after finishing second. He lost the lead with seven laps-to-go to Edwards on a restart, and headed to his hauler immediately after the checkered flag.

Trevor Bayne finished third, followed by, Elliott Sadler, Brian Scott, Brad Keselowski, Justin Allgaier, Paul Menard, Ricky Stenhouse, and Brian Vickers.

Top-10 leaders after 31 of 34: 1. Stenhouse-100, 2. Sadler-1085, 3. Almirola-1013, 4. Allgaier-1009, 5. Sorenson-1006, 6. Leffler-947, 7. K. Wallace-894, 8. Scott-877, 9. S. Wallace-870, 10. Annett-859

HORNADAY GETS 51ST TRUCK WIN

LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Polesitter Ron Hornaday Jr. held off a late challenge by Matt Crafton on Saturday to earn his 51st Camping World Truck Series victory in the Smith’s 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Hornaday, 53, led 107 of the 146 laps and notched his second victory in a row and his first in 11 starts in Las Vegas. Crafton was second, .629 seconds back, followed by Timothy Peters, Johnny Sauter and Todd Bodine.

Rounding out the top-10 were Nelson Piquet Jr., David Mayhew, Cole Whitt, Brendan Gaughan and Parker Kligerman.

Top-10 leaders after 21 of 25: 1. Dillon-731, 2. Sauter-726, 3. Buescher-724, 4. Hornaday-710, 5. Peters-706, 6. Crafton-673, 7. Bodine-671, 8. Whitt-668, 9. Coulter-656, 10. Kligerman-642

Weekend Racing: The Trucks and Cup teams are at Talladega, the longest track on the NASCAR circuit (2.66-miles). The Nationwide teams are off until Nov. 5.

Sat., Oct. 22, Camping World Trucks Coca Cola 250, race 22 of 25; Starting time: 4 p.m.; TV: SPEED.

Sun., Oct. 23, Sprint Cup Good Sam 500, race 32 of 36; Starting time: 2 p.m.; TV: ESPN.

All times are Eastern.

Racing Trivia Question: What year did Kurt Busch win the Cup championship?

Last Week’s Question: Where is Michael Waltrip’s hometown? Answer. It is Owensboro, Kentucky.

You may contact the Racing Reporter at hodges@race500.com.