It’s a season of change in many regards for the Minersville football team.

The Battlin’ Miners had a banner campaign in 2023, going 10-3 and winning the program’s first District 11 championship in 20 years. Minersville defeated Marian 28-12 in the District 11 Class A final, then fell to District 2 champion Lackawanna Trail in the opening round of the PIAA playoffs.

Minersville won’t get a chance to defend that crown, however, as the Miners bump up to Class AA for the next two-year cycle. Instead of battling Nativity, Marian and Tri-Valley in the district playoffs, Minersville is now lumped into a 10-team bracket that includes Schuylkill League rivals Williams Valley, Schuylkill Haven, Shenandoah Valley and Mahanoy Area; Colonial League members Catasauqua, Northern Lehigh, Palisades and Pen Argyl; and independent Executive Education Charter.

“No matter who you play in the small-school teams, it can be brutal,” Minersville head coach Justin Frantz said. “I have got to think that Class AA has to be one of the strongest fields you’ll find anywhere with great players and coaches. I like it, it’s a huge challenge but I think it’s great. The old saying, ‘If you want to be the best, you’ve got to beat the best.’ I love it, let’s go compete with these guys who we play on a weekly basis.”

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7) Marian Colts

6) Tamaqua Blue Raiders

5) Nativity Green Wave

4) Minersville Battlin’ Miners

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The second big change for the Miners is their schedule.

The realignment of the Schuylkill/Colonial Football Cooperative from four divisions to three put Minersville in the small-school Blue Division, a 10-team grouping of all Schuylkill County schools. A big advocate of changing the way the cooperative was structured, Minersville no longer has to travel to Catasauqua, Pen Argyl, Palisades and Palmerton for league contests.

Other members of the Schuylkill/Colonial Blue Division include Mahanoy Area, Marian, Nativity, Panther Valley, Pine Grove, Schuylkill Haven, Shenandoah Valley, Tri-Valley and Williams Valley. After hosting Halifax in their home opener, the Miners play nine straight league games against Schuylkill League rivals.

“I love it,” Frantz said of the new division alignment. “I think playing all local schools makes high school football special.

“Each week the teams from the area will be battling it out in front of big crowds, which is fantastic for the kids and for our local communities. Playing these local schools every week turns into a gauntlet for each team and will make the season very exciting. Our kids and our community are very excited for the new schedule.”

The final major change comes in the Minersville backfield, where Luke Stevenosky departs after a record-setting campaign.

Stevenosky had a season to remember last fall, rushing for single-season school records of 2,467 yards and 33 touchdowns. Now at East Stroudsburg University, Stevenosky broke Dan Lipsett’s season records (set in 1981-83) for rushing yards and touchdowns and Lipsett’s career rushing yards (3,811) and TD (48) marks. Stevenosky finished his career with 535 carries for 4,071 yards and 57 total touchdowns.

Seniors Easton Schultz and Logan Rizzardi, Gavin Allan and sophomore Garrett Sukeena will battle it out in preseason camp for the No. 1 tailback spot.

“(Luke) is always very focused when it comes to practice and being in the game,” Schultz said. “He doesn’t take plays off, and if you want to be one of the best, that’s what you have to do. I’m just trying to fill in his footsteps.”

One thing that won’t change in the backfield is the signal-caller as junior quarterback Dante Carr returns for his third season under center. The Division I recruit threw for 1,139 yards and 14 touchdowns a year ago while rushing for 640 yards and 10 more scores. He’ll have plenty of targets to throw to this season as three veteran receivers return: seniors Logan Hutsko and Jake Kavanaugh and junior Paiten LaPoint.

Offensive linemen Owen Fortna, A.J. Halford, Aiden Boom and Dom Yourey also return, while junior Matt Dube returns to anchor the defense from his linebacker spot.

While there are many changes, the Miners hope the end of the season stays the same — raising a trophy after another winning campaign.

“We all have the mentality of getting to a championship again,” Schultz said. “If we take it week-by-week and control what we can control, we’ll be set.”