Sports

Sawyer Aukema ran for two touchdowns and the Montrose defense limited Pottsville Nativity BVM to a single late scoring threat in a 13-0, home-field shutout Friday night in the debut of Brett Stage as Meteors head football coach.

“It was good to get that first win, but I tell them I want them to keep improving every week,” said Stage, 29. “That’s the goal; just keep getting better every week.

“I have high expectations for this group. I think they can be a very good football team if we just correct some little mistakes. I was very excited to get that first win.”

Evan Strohl hit nine of 15 passes for 143 yards to keep the offense moving. Aukema scored on a 3-yard run 1:44 before halftime and from the 10 with 6:15 remaining.

Stage said he was happy with Strohl’s performance as a sophomore making his first varsity start.

“He’s been great for us,” Stage said. “He’s been picking up the offense quickly. He missed a couple reads, but I expected that out of him as a young quarterback.

“He’s got a ton of potential. He’s going to be very good down the road.”

Strohl’s deep passes set up scoring opportunities twice in the second quarter. He found Evan McComb and Weston Nabywaniec on throws from outside the 30 to inside the 5.

Nativity pushed Montrose back the first time, but Aukema scored on the first play after the second big completion.

Gabriel De Llano Duran added the kick for a 7-0 halftime lead.

Strohl hit Timothy David on a swing pass and David turned it into a 29-yard gain to set up Aukema’s second touchdown around left end.

Montrose did not allow Nativity into the Red Zone until it had the two-touchdown lead.

The Meteors lost a fumble at the 25, but came up with a stop on downs at the 17.

Senior Ethan Smith and junior Christian Baker led Montrose up front.

Keith Gregory, another sophomore making his first varsity start, “improved a ton since the first scrimmage last week,” and played really well, according to Stage.

Stage also credited the secondary of McComb, Nabywaniec and Liam MacNamee with a strong effort. McComb and Nabywaniec intercepted passes.

Strohl distributed the ball to six different receivers with Nabywaniec leading the way with two catches for 49 yards. David and Aukema also had two catches each.

WEEK IN REVIEW

DUNMORE – Former Susquehanna Saber Weston Yannone scored three touchdowns Friday night to lead Dunmore to a surprising, 42-0 rout of visiting Wyoming Area in a meeting of two of the top Small Schools in District 2.

The Bucks, who opened the season ranked fourth in the state among Class 2A schools according to PennLive.com, easily handled a Wyoming Area team that went 9-1 in the 2025 regular season.

Yannone was switched from quarterback to tailback by coach Kevin McHale in the preseason. He caught the only two passes Brady McCormick completed in five attempts, beating the Warriors deep for touchdowns of 50 and 68 yards.

“I’m going to do whatever my team needs me to do,” said Yannone, who carried 10 times for 55 yards and a touchdown and assisted on three tackles. “...If coach McHale wants me there, I’m going to play it the best I can.”

Yannone’s touchdown run was a 19-yarder.

Riverside’s Jim Tucker joined Montrose’s Stage among those who won in head coaching debuts when Brayden Rose ran for three touchdowns and threw for another to lead the Vikings past visiting Susquehanna, 42-7, in another Friday night, non-league football opener.

Rose, who has multiple major Division I college scholarship offers as a linebacker and defensive back, carried 11 times for 123 yards. Charlie Anstett added 91 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries as the Vikings outrushed the Sabers, 302-66.

The Sabers turned away the Vikings on their only possession of the first quarter after nine straight runs moved the ball from the 49 to the 2.

Jayden Snowball stopped Anstett, Owen Cook knocked the ball loose and Snowball recovered at the 5.

Anstett got the ball back three players later when the Sabers fumbled. He then scored from the 26 on the next play.

Riverside put up 21 points each in the second and third quarters.

Rose passed 5 yards to Tyler Grill for the next touchdown, then ran 54 yards for a score late in the half.

Riverside needed just three plays and 1:08 to add to its lead in the second half when Rose scored on a 54-yard run.

Rose then ran 2 yards and Carmello Barnett went 68 for touchdowns on consecutive offensive plays by the Vikings.

Gabe Maby led the Sabers in rushing with 40 yards on 10 carries, including 33 on the first play of the next possession. He completed the drive by finding Caedon Stone with a 28-yard touchdown pass.

The final point came on a Stone kick.

Stone, Keegan Reese and Donovin Baldwin led the Susquehanna effort defensively.

Stone made five tackles and assisted on another. Reese had four tackles and three assists. Baldwin had four tackles, including a sack, and an assist.

Snowball had three tackles and two assists in addition to the fumble recovery. Cook assisted on five tackles, including Baldwin’s sack and the forced fumble, and also helped rush Rose into a fourth-down incompletion.

In girls’ golf, Hannah LaRue shot an 87 at Tall Pines Players Club Aug. 25 to earn low sophomore honors in the Ann Marie Simons Classic for Lackawanna League teams.

LaRue led the Lady Warriors to a third-place finish out of 14 teams.

Abington Heights, led by medalist Brianna Moffatt’s 5-over-par, 75, won the title with a 239, 28 shots better than Riverside.

Elk Lake shot 272 to edge North Pocono (275) and Honesdale (277).

Raegan Sample shot 91 and Piper Keeney a 94.

Forest City tied Lackawanna Trail for sixth with a three-player score of 294.

Cece Franks led the Lady Foresters with a 95.

Mountain View was 11th with 321.

Montrose did not have enough players for a team score, but Victoria Kipar shot a 93.

In girls’ tennis, Montrose jumped right to the top of the standings as the last unbeaten team in Lackawanna League Division 3 with a 3-0 start.

The Lady Meteors shut out visiting Riverside, 5-0, Aug. 24 and host West Scranton Saturday. In between, they won at home over Mid Valley Thursday.

THE WEEK AHEAD

Forest City plays Mountain View at Rock Creek Wednesday in a meeting of Lackawanna League Division 2 golf teams with 3-2 records.

In girls’ volleyball, Lackawanna Trail is at Susquehanna, Elk Lake is at West Scranton and Forest City is at Valley View in Lackawanna League Division 2 openers Wednesday. Mountain View is at Blue Ridge and Montrose is at Dunmore when Division 1 opens Thursday.

In football, the Battle for the Bluestone Trophy game is scheduled for Thursday night under the portable lights at William Emminger Memorial Field when Montrose visits Susquehanna.

Susquehanna is 13-2 vs. Montrose since the trophy was created, but the Meteors won last year’s game, 20-14.

Following the game, the 12th annual Thomas E. Robinson Memorial Award for outstanding play while showing respect for opponents and officials will be presented. Aukema received the award last year as a freshman.

Last week’s high school football predictions were 10-6 (62.5 percent). This week’s predictions, with home teams in CAPS: Montrose 17, SUSQUEHANNA 14 … DUNMORE 47, Lackawanna Trail 13 …. RIVERSIDE 45, Holy Cross 6 … West Scranton 23, CARBONDALE 14 … Western Wayne 35, OLD FORGE 0 … Mid Valley 21, TUNKHANNOCK 20 … Lakeland 27, LAKE-LEHMAN 13 … Honesdale 26, EAST STROUDSBURG NORTH 6 … EAST STROUDSBURG SOUTH 40, Wallenpaupack 12 … North Pocono 24, SCRANTON 10 … Northampton 33, DELAWARE VALLEY 20 … TRINITY PREP 28, Abington Heights 14 … Valley View 23, CRESTWOOD 17 … SCRANTON PREP 48, Trinity 22.

In cross country, the Cliff Robbins Sr. Memorial race is scheduled for Saturday morning at Misericordia University's Letterkenny Fields. It will be the opener for some Susquehanna County runners and many of the top teams and individuals in District 2.

In girls’ soccer, the Lackawanna League opens Saturday.

Wallenpaupack is at Mountain View and Old Forge is at Montrose in Division 2 while Elk Lake is at Lakeland, Blue Ridge is at Carbondale and Holy Cross is at Forest City in Division 3.

In boys’ soccer, Mountain View is at Honesdale in Lackawanna League Division 2 when the season opens Tuesday, Sept. 8. Blue Ridge is at Montrose, Carbondale is at Elk Lake and Forest City is at Old Forge in Division 3.

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