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Northwest Area QB Carter Hontz scored 5 total touchdowns as the Rangers fended off the North Penn-Mansfield Panthers 35-21 at Island Park on Friday, September 16.

Hontz threw for three scores, all to Derek Dietz, and rushed for two more to have a hand in all 5 of the Rangers scores on the evening.

On their second possession of the game Hontz and Dietz connected on a 29-yard scoring strike midway through the opening quarter to take the 7-0 lead.

North Penn-Mansfield answered back with 2:06 remaining before the half as Karson Dominick hit Sammy Lawrence on a 32-yard pass.

With the game tied at 7-all as the half expired Northwest Area broke the tie on a pass from Hontz to Dietz. Later in the quarter a 90-yard pass from Hontz to Dietz put the Rangers went up 21-7. Not to be outdone, Dominick found Alex Davis for their own 90-yard score, cutting the Rangers’ lead to 21-14.

Northwest Area again pushed the lead back to 14 as Hontz called a QB sneak with 2:06 left in the 3rd quarter, but the Panthers would answer in the 4th.

Starting from the own 6-yard line Kohen Lehman broke free on a run to midfield, then a pass from Dominick to Davis setup the Panthers inside the Rangers’ red zone. Lehman finished the drive on a short jaunt into the end zone, cutting the lead back to 7, 28-21.

Northwest Area would answer for the final time, with 6:13 remaining, on another QB sneak by Hontz.

Dominick finished 22-for-54 on the night for 330 yards and two touchdowns. Davis had eight catches for 154 yards and a touchdown, Lawrence caught 5 passes for 90 yards and a score, and Kohen Lehman and Cooper Shaw each had three catches, for 37 and 30 yards, respectively. Lehman also added 70 yards 15 carries and a score.

Hontz threw for 297 yards, completing 15-of-32 passes. He also rushed for 101 yards. Jake Bobersky added 77 yards on the ground for 18 carries and Dietz finished with 163 yards through the air on 4 receptions.

The loss drops the Panthers to 0-4 (0-4 NTL Large School Division) while the Rangers improve to 4-0 (4-0 NTL Small School Division). The Panthers are back on the field next Friday at Muncy for an NTL cross-over game while travels to Warrior Run for a non-league game.