Banged-up Minersville knocks off Pine Grove
Minersville's Easton Schultz (5) throws a pass during Friday's win over Pine Grove. (Photo by Charlie Roth)
PINE GROVE — Easton Schultz has been a big part of Minersville’s football success over the last four seasons.
The senior has been a running back, receiver, defensive back and linebacker.
After a sterling performance Friday night in a 31-14 Schuylkill/Colonial Blue Division victory over Pine Grove, he can add game-winning quarterback to his resume.
With standout starter Dante Carr and backup Derek Derenzo both out with injuries, Schultz stepped to the front and delivered what was needed.
Hitting on 14-of-27 pass attempts for 160 yards, including touchdowns of 3 and 26 yards to Logan Hutsko, he sparked the Miners (4-3, 3-3 Blue) as they snapped a three-game losing streak. He was also their leading rusher in the game with 54 yards on eight carries, and, for good measure, he picked off a pair of Pine Grove passes from his cornerback spot on the defensive side.
“He’s our third quarterback, starting running back,” Minersville coach Justin Frantz said. “Hasn’t played quarterback since maybe middle school.
“Our first two quarterbacks are hurt. He stepped in and I thought he had a fantastic game.”
According to Schultz, the game was his first start ever at quarterback in an actual game.
“Actually, I never played quarterback in my life besides backyard football,” Schultz said after the game. “I’ll go anywhere on the field.
“I’ll put my heart out there at any position. Wherever coach needs me, I’ll be there.”
Schultz erased any doubt he or his coaches might have had when he engineered an eight-play, 68-yard drive on the game’s opening possession to give the Miners a lead they would never relinquish. On that march, he completed 4-of-5 passes for 52 yards, capping it with the first of his two touchdown connections with Hutsko.
“I loved it,” Schultz said. “The adrenaline was rushing. I had a little bit of nerves coming in, but once I got that out of me, it was go time.”
Midway through the second quarter, Minersville pushed that lead to 14-0 when Paiten LaPoint fielded a Pine Grove punt and raced down the sideline for 58 yards and a touchdown.
Pine Grove (1-6, 1-5 Blue), also missing its starting quarterback, Wyatt Dixon, responded quickly to that score, mounting a 12-play, 65-yard drive with quarterback Wyatt Snyder plunging in from the 1, making it 14-6, a score that carried into the halftime break. On that drive, Snyder ran for 25 yards and connected through the air three times for 27 yards.
Late in the third quarter, the Miners pushed their lead to 22-6 when Hutsko, who finished with six catches for 67 yards, hauled in his second scoring toss from Schultz. Schultz then connected with Jordan Bowers for the two-point conversion.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, Logan Rizzardi’s 5-yard scoring run pushed the Miners’ advantage to 28-6. Then, on the first play after the ensuing kickoff, Snyder found Teagan Schneck-Haines open behind the secondary, a play that resulted in a 76-yard touchdown and made the score 28-14.
Bowers closed out the scoring for Minersville with a 25-yard field goal late in the game.
In addition to the two picks by Schultz, the Miners also got interceptions from Kaseem Lofton and A.J. Halford. Pine Grove got interceptions from Chase Nagle and Angel Ditzler.
“It’s a tough situation,” said Frantz of his team’s losing streak entering the night. “We’ve had three tough weeks here, but we got behind these guys and said we’re just going to come out here and do what we have to do to win.
“I’ve said it many times before. Any time you win a game in high school football, it’s a good win. It doesn’t have to be pretty, but it’s a win.”
