North Pocono Football 2017 Season

MaxPreps has 2017 at 7-5 and 3-2, third in Lackawanna 2. North Pocono was 6-0 at home. The playoff opener was 48-15 over Pittston Area, and Berwick won the next playoff game, 48-14.

The Times-Tribune’s 2018 preview listed J.C. Gaughan at 151 carries, 1,062 yards, and 17 touchdowns, and Donny Blaine at 78 of 142 for 1,472 yards and 13 touchdowns. Daniel Walsh had 19 catches for 471 yards and seven scores. The preview header says 7-4 and 2-3 in LFC II. The game list printed under that header is 7-5, which is the record kept here.

The opener was 42-19 at Riverside, a game the Times-Tribune called nonconference. Fifth-ranked North Pocono scored the first five times it had the ball. Donny Blaine completed all five of his passes, including a 55-yard touchdown to Daniel Walsh. J.C. Gaughan had 112 yards on eight carries and four touchdowns, from 2, 3, and 2 yards, then from 55. Joe Ianni scored from 1 yard. The lead was 28-0 less than a minute into the second quarter.

Wallenpaupack was 34-17 at Trojan Stadium on Sept. 8, a game the paper called nonleague. A bad punt snap gave the Buckhorns the ball at the 9, and Joe Ingulli scored on the first play, 7-0, 1:34 in. J.C. Gaughan returned the kickoff 93 yards from his 7, and Donny Blaine’s pass to Brett Butler made the conversion and the lead 8-7. Blaine hit Dan Walsh for a touchdown 13 seconds later. Blaine threw for 208 yards and two scores and ran for another, with 185 passing yards by halftime. Dale Moore returned an interception 65 yards. The lead was 34-10 with five minutes left in the third. North Pocono was 3-0. Wallenpaupack was 1-2.

Honesdale was 42-28 at Trojan Stadium on Oct. 20. J.C. Gaughan had 217 yards and five touchdowns on 21 carries, 168 of the yards after halftime, and four of the touchdowns in the second half. Honesdale led 21-14 at halftime. Gaughan’s 41-yard run gave North Pocono its first lead, 35-28, with 7:30 left, and his 60-yard run with 2:56 left made it 42-28. North Pocono was 6-3 and 3-1 in Division II. Honesdale was 2-7 and 0-4.

On Nov. 3, fourth-seeded North Pocono beat fifth-seeded Pittston Area 48-15 in the District 2 Class 4A quarterfinals at Trojans Stadium. The Times-Tribune had North Pocono at 7-4 and Pittston Area at 6-5, in the playoffs for the first time since 2008. Three Pittston turnovers in a four-play span made it 28-0. Joe Ianni scored from 4 yards, and Donny Blaine later found him for a 52-yard touchdown. J.C. Gaughan ran 21 times for 186 yards and four touchdowns. Blaine scored from 5 yards. North Pocono rushed for 327 yards and finished with 431 total. The win set up a semifinal against Berwick.