Carbondale Finds a Statement Win, Holds Off Crestwood 14-7 on Salute to Service Night
By: Justin Bradley | SportzWire | September 11, 2026 | Photo courtesy Justin Focus
CARBONDALE — There was a different feeling inside the Andrew J. Cerra Sports Complex Friday night.
Before Carbondale Area and Crestwood collided under the lights, football took a back seat.
Local first responders walked onto the field and were recognized as part of Carbondale’s Salute to Service night. They joined the captains for the coin toss, and the stadium then went quiet for 25 seconds in remembrance of the lives lost on September 11, 2001.
Service. Sacrifice. Community.
Then the ball was kicked off, and for the next four quarters, two 1-1 football teams gave the crowd a fight.
When it was over, Carbondale Area had the kind of win head coach Jeff Arthur has been waiting for.
The Chargers knocked off Crestwood, 14-7, improving to 2-1 and bouncing back from a Week 2 loss to West Scranton.
It wasn’t flashy. It didn’t need to be.
Carbondale ran the football, controlled stretches of the game and made the plays that mattered most when the game was hanging in the balance.
Caedon Voglino led that effort with 115 yards on the ground, setting the tone for a Chargers offense committed to moving the chains and keeping Crestwood’s offense watching from the sideline.
Roman added 44 yards on 17 carries, while quarterback Nick Zaccone completed three passes for 37 yards. Cole Balderas hauled in two of them for 26.
But this game was going to be won by the Chargers’ defense.
And senior Chayse Roche was everywhere.
With points at a premium, Roche broke through and blocked a Crestwood punt, then recovered it himself in the end zone for a touchdown.
For a senior offensive and defensive lineman accustomed to doing the work in the trenches, there was something pretty special waiting underneath that pile.
His first varsity touchdown.
“This is my first touchdown in high school,” Roche said afterward. “First one senior year. I’m so happy.”
Crestwood wasn’t going away.
Jeckell churned out 151 rushing yards and a touchdown, keeping the Comets within striking distance. But every time Crestwood looked ready to change the complexion of the game, Carbondale’s defense found an answer.
Seven points.
That’s all the Chargers allowed.
And with one last chance for Crestwood to extend the night, there was Roche again.
Sack. Ballgame.
The same senior who helped change the game with a blocked punt ended it by getting to the quarterback.
Yet when Roche talked about the performance afterward, there wasn’t much interest in talking about himself.
“Defense played amazing,” Roche said. “Crestwood’s a great team, and we kept them to seven points. I’m very proud of everyone on the defense. On offense, we kept driving the ball. Everyone did their 1/11, and I’m so proud of them.”
That 1/11 mentality produced something Carbondale has been chasing.
Arthur put the significance of it into perspective when he addressed his players afterward.
“We haven’t had a big win in here and beat a great quality playoff football team since 2017, and you guys just did that here tonight.”
For a program trying to climb, there are games that count as wins in the standings.
Then there are games that can make a group start believing something different about itself.
Arthur hopes Friday was the latter.
“I’m really hoping that this win right here is the win that this program needed,” Arthur said. “I think this could be the win that gets us over the top.”
That’s what makes 14-7 feel a little bigger than 14-7.
Carbondale didn’t overwhelm Crestwood. The Chargers had to earn it. They had to protect a one-score game, withstand Crestwood’s rushing attack and make a play when one play could decide everything.
They did.
Now comes the opportunity to prove Friday night was more than one memorable win.
The 2-1 Chargers travel to 2-1 Honesdale next week with a chance to build on it. Crestwood drops to 1-2 and travels to 0-3 Hazleton Area.
For one night in Carbondale, though, the scoreboard said enough.
Chargers 14. Crestwood 7.
And maybe, as Arthur hopes, the start of something more.
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