Dallas Finds Its Breakthrough in Dramatic Finish Over Wilkes-Barre Area

By: Matt Flanagan | Sportzwire | September 13, 2025 | Photo courtesy Jake Speicher

WILKES-BARRE — Sometimes a season turns on a single play. For Dallas, that play came with four seconds left on a Friday night in September.

Senior kicker Brandon Miller lined up from 22 yards out, the game tied at 21, the weight of an 0-3 start pressing on his team’s shoulders. With one smooth swing of the leg, Miller sent the ball sailing through the uprights — and with it, the Mountaineers’ first win of the season. Dallas 24, Wilkes-Barre Area 21.

It wasn’t easy getting there. The Mountaineers had to weather big plays from a physical Wolfpack squad. Quarterback Jake Howe gashed Dallas for more than 110 yards on 16 carries, while running back Khalil Smith fought for 74 yards on 20 attempts after starter Davon Underwood exited with an injury.

But when the game hung in the balance, the Dallas defense dug in. On 4th-and-2 deep in their own territory, they stuffed Smith at the 20-yard line, flipping the momentum in the closing minutes. That stop gave Dallas life, and the offense answered with a patient 13-play, 75-yard drive that chewed up the clock and set the stage for Miller’s heroics.

For a group that had dropped its first three games, the win meant more than just getting in the win column. It was about belief, resilience, and proving that their season still has a heartbeat.

As the ball cleared the uprights and the clock wound down, the Mountaineers didn’t just celebrate a victory — they celebrated a turning point.

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