Lackawanna's Tyrone Clark Jr. (1) carried 34 times for 270 yards and three touchdowns in the Steelers' 38-28 nonleague win over Clymer/Sherman/Panama on Saturday at Jack Keeney Community Field in Panama. P-J photo by Matt Spielman

PANAMA — Tyrone Clark Jr. could be the next big thing to come from the Western New York football scene.

On Saturday afternoon, the Clymer/Sherman/Panama Wolfpack got an up-close look at the Lackawanna sophomore.

He came as advertised.

Clark ran 34 times for 270 yards and three touchdowns as the Steelers beat the Wolfpack 38-28 in a nonleague game at Jack Keeney Community Field.

“I’ve never seen a running back better,” Clymer/Sherman/Panama head coach Ty Harper said. “We played against Xander Hind, we’ve played some really good backs at the state level against Tioga — Emmett Wood comes to mind — but Tyrone did some things today that not very many high school kids can do.”

Clymer/Sherman/Panama's Carter Brink catches a fourth-quarter touchdown during Saturday's nonleague game against Lackawanna at Jack Keeney Community Field in Panama. P-J photo by Matt Spielman

Lackawanna, No. 10 in Class B according to the New York State Sportswriters Association, improved to 5-0 on the season, outscoring its opponents 266-55 in the process.

Clymer/Sherman/Panama, the state’s second-ranked Class D team, fell to 3-2 overall, but its losses are to Waverly — the defending Class C state champion — and the Steelers.

Saturday’s game changed on a five-play span midway through the second quarter.

The Wolfpack’s Carter Brink caught a 48-yard touchdown from Tate Catanese with 8:32 remaining in the first half and Catanese’s 2-point conversion run made it 16-14 in favor of Lackawanna.

On the Steelers’ third play of the ensuing drive, Clark ran for a 42-yard touchdown and also added the conversion run to make it 24-14. Clymer/Sherman/Panama then muffed a short kickoff and Lackawanna recovered at the Wolfpack 32-yard line.

Clymer/Sherman/Panama's Bryce Hinsdale makes one of his three catches during Saturday's nonleague game against Lackawanna at Jack Keeney Community Field in Panama. Hinsdale now has 197 catches in his career. P-J photo by Matt Spielman

“We put an emphasis on special teams. We didn’t lose the game on special teams, but to give them a possession on the fumble was tough,” Harper said. ” … We had a miscue on that play.”

On the next play, Clark — who already has collegiate offers from numerous schools, including Syracuse, ran for a touchdown that made it 32-14 after another conversion run.

“I thought we were in position to make tackles multiple times and he’s just very physically gifted,” Harper said of Clark. “There’s a reason why he’s getting scholarship offers at 16 years old.”

Clymer/Sherman/Panama turned the ball over on downs on its final two drives of the second quarter, once at Lackawanna’s 27-yard line and another at the Steelers’ 16-yard line, as the visitors took an 18-point lead into the locker room.

“We definitely did not play well enough to win and that falls on me,” Harper said. “There were certain possessions and plays that I wish we had back. We didn’t do a good enough job of finishing drives in the red zone.”

On Lackawanna’s second drive of the third quarter, the Steelers threw a touchdown on third-and-goal from the 15-yard line to go up 38-14 and the Wolfpack never got closer than 10 the rest of the way.

Fifty-one seconds into the fourth quarter, Catanese connected with Brink on a 30-yard touchdown to make it 38-20 and on the Wolfpack’s next drive, the duo connected again for their third touchdown play of the game to make it 38-28 with 5:58 remaining after Catanese’s 2-point conversion run.

“I thought Carter Brink was tremendous today,” Harper said. “I thought any extra attention that Bryce (Hinsdale) and Alex (Barmore) were getting, Carter was obviously able to expose the defense. I thought he was the player of the game, honestly.”

But Lackawanna, behind an offensive line anchored by 6-foot-4, 340-pound senior Sam Ikeguwonu, ran nearly six minutes off the clock on its next drive before punting the ball back to Clymer/Sherman/Panama with 1:08 remaining.

On fourth-and-5 from the Steelers’ 48-yard line, Catanese threw his third interception of the game ending the Wolfpack’s final hopes of a comeback.

“I’m incredibly proud of the way that we battled in the second half. There were multiple points in the second half where we probably could have packed it in and felt sorry for ourselves,” Harper said. “For the most part, the line did a great job. … We were giving up 100 pounds per man.”

Refusing to shy away from larger opponents with its nonleague games, Clymer/Sherman/Panama will welcome another Class B team, Lake Shore (1-4), to Sherman next Saturday for homecoming festivities.

“When we schedule games like this, the idea is to play against the best competition. At the end of the day, you always play to win the game, but to play the No. 10 team in the state in Class B when they’ve been averaging close to 60 points per game on offense … to make it a 10-point game, there are definitely positives to take from this,” Harper said. “We just have to keep getting better and improving every week.”

NOTES: Lackawanna ran 48 times for 303 yards, but committed 12 penalties for 119 yards. … Catanese went 19 of 37 for 259 yards and three touchdowns. Brink caught six passes for 127 yards and three touchdowns, while Barmore caught six passes for 85 yards and a touchdown. Hinsdale had three receptions and now has 197 for his career. … Defensively for the Wolfpack, Collin Ryan was in on 16 tackles and forced a fumble; Dalton Richter was in on 10 tackles and recovered two fumbles; and Travis Owens was in on seven tackles and forced a fumble. Brink intercepted a pass for Clymer/Sherman/Panama.

Lackawanna 8 24 6 0 — 38

Clymer/Sherman/Panama 6 8 0 14 — 28

Lac–Moore 3 run (Clark run)

C/S/P–Barmore 56 pass from Catanese (pass failed)

Lac–Clark 4 run (Hines run)

C/S/P–Brink 48 pass from Catanese (Catanese run)

Lac–Clark 42 run (Clark run)

Lac–Clark 32 run (Clark run)

Lac–Underwood 15 pass from Moore (run failed)

C/S/P–Brink 30 pass from Catanese (run failed)

C/S/P–Brink 26 pass from Catanese (Catanese run)