Pennsylvania High School Football Team Wins on Field Goal as Clock Hits 0:00

Hazleton Area scores all 17 of its points in the final seven minutes, with junior Derek Radzwich delivering the Cougars' first victory on the game's final play.

Derek Radzwich kicked a 23-yard field goal as time expired, Friday night, to life Hazleton Area to a 17-14 win over Crestwood in a Pennsylvania High School football game. | Derek Radzwich

Derek Radzwich had already experienced the agony of being a kicker with a football game hanging in the balance.

Friday night, he got another chance.

This time, he delivered.

Radzwich kicked a 23-yard field goal as the clock reached 0:00, completing a remarkable fourth-quarter comeback and giving Hazleton Area a 17-14 victory over Crestwood at Harman-Geist Memorial Field in Hazleton, Pennsylvania.

FINAL: Derek Radzwich drills it. Cougars win.

Hazleton Area wins 17-14, and they’re storming the field at Harman-Geist. https://t.co/2kuq6fF36m pic.twitter.com/Y4eLQ9IzMl

— Kevin Carroll (@TLKevinCarroll) September 19, 2026

The junior's game-winning kick was the final twist in a frantic finish in which Hazleton Area scored all 17 of its points in the final seven minutes to earn its first victory of the season.

According to a report in the Times Leader, Hazleton Area scored all 17 of its points in the final seven minutes, completing the comeback when Radzwich connected on the game-winning 23-yard field goal.

The Times Leader reported that Radzwich had missed an extra point earlier in the fourth quarter — a miss that appeared as if it could prove costly.

Instead, the junior got a shot at redemption.

And Crestwood even called timeout before the final play in an attempt to ice him.

It didn't work.

Radzwich sent the 23-yard attempt through the uprights as time expired, setting off a celebration as the previously winless Cougars improved to 1-3.

Hazleton Area Erases Late Deficit

For most of the night, there was little indication such a finish was coming.

Crestwood scored on its opening possession when quarterback Jack Rodgers connected with Braylon Murray for a 21-yard touchdown. The Comets' 7-0 lead remained intact through the end of the third quarter.

Then everything changed.

Hazleton Area quarterback JJ Lantigua scored on a 17-yard fourth-down run with 6:56 remaining. Radzwich missed the ensuing extra point, leaving Crestwood ahead 7-6.

The Comets immediately made the miss appear even more significant, scoring another touchdown to take a 14-6 lead with 5:06 remaining.

It took Hazleton just 20 seconds to respond.

Junior Wilmington Fabre raced 82 yards for a touchdown with the ensuing kickoff, before Lantigua connected with Jose Lopez on the 2-point conversion to tie the game at 14 with 4:45 remaining.

The Cougars then turned the ball over on downs with a fourth down sack in their own territory, with 1:23 remaining, and Lantigua drove his offense into field goal range.

The quarterback carried three times for 44 yards on the final possession, moving the Cougars into position for opportunity for Radzwich.

Missed Extra Point Becomes Game-Winning Field Goal

Radzwich responded by drilling the 23-yard field goal as the scoreboard clock reached zero.

It completed an improbable turnaround for a Hazleton Area team that had entered Friday night 0-3 and had been held scoreless for more than three quarters.

Then came seven remarkable minutes, which included a fourth-down touchdown, an 82-yard kickoff return and a game-tying 2-point conversion.

And finally, with no time left on the clock, a kicker getting a second chance.

This time, Radzwich didn't miss.