Mahanoy Area shuts out Panther Valley in Blue Division
Mahanoy Area will host Shenandoah Valley on Friday night for the annual Damato-Szematowicz rivalry game. (Photo by Justin Reed/Skook News)
LANSFORD — There were high expectations by the Panther Valley faithful that it would be a close football game against Mahanoy Area on Thursday night.
Both teams entered the contest with 2-6 records. Panther head coach Mark Levine said, “Guy for guy I thought we matched up pretty well.”
In addition, the Panthers were coming off an impressive, shutout win over Shenandoah Valley last week.
But it just wasn’t meant to be. Instead, Murphy’s Law or something like it worked against the Panthers and Mahanoy Area walked away with a 35-0 win in a Schuylkill/Colonial Blue Division game.
Admittedly, the Panthers (2-7, 2-6 Blue) faltered at times, giving the advantage to the Golden Bears (3-6, 3-5 Blue) with turnovers.
And then there was another element that allowed the Bears to literally make “Quick” work of their opponent. Mahanoy Area fullback Kyler Quick, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound junior, was unstoppable. He carried for three touchdowns. He amassed 206 yards on 13 carries. And he was devastating on defense.
Mahanoy Area head coach Dave Holman said of Quick’s antics: “He’s a tough kid, and old-school football player. He ran the ball great tonight.”
Holman also observed, “I would say our physicality was the difference. I would say we played really hard. And our defensive line created opportunities.”
Few could argue.
There’s more to the story, though.
Backing up to very early in the year, PV lost both its first- and second-string quarterbacks to injuries.
Running back Brennan Kunkel, a 6-0, 180-pound senior, took over the reins. Early in the second quarter, Kunkel was knocked out of the game with a shoulder injury. Until that time, he had six carries for 44 yards. His longest was a 24-yard jaunt on the first drive that took the Panthers to the Mahanoy Area 40.
An interception by the Bears’ Levi Terry ended that drive.
Besides Kunkel, other woes occurred.
Panther head coach Make Levine said, “We got a surprise illness (a starting lineman was absent), then a couple of the guys in the game went down. It’s just one of those years. I haven’t seen this in a while, but it’s small-town football. That’s what you gotta do, step up.”
Turnovers were also painful for the Panthers, with the team giving up the big early interception and four fumbles.
“The story tonight was turnovers,” Levine said. “We haven’t had turnovers all year, and I think we had five or six turnovers tonight, and (preventing them), that’s something we stressed.”
“It was disheartening because guy-for-guy we thought we matched up pretty well,” he said. “We had to stop the option. But the turnovers!”
Mahanoy Area scored on its first possession, which began with Terry’s interception. Five plays later, senior Mike Oblas ran around the right end and scampered 58 yards to paydirt.
The Bears scored the second time they had the ball, too, with Quick having a 13-yard run.
“It’s been and up-and-down season,” Holmane said. “These kids have scrapped and it was nice for them to get a couple of wins after an 0-4 start.”
Kunkel’s quarterback duties were taken over by junior Ben Baneravage, who showed moxie in his effort. At the start of the second half, he drove the Panthers to the Mahanoy 14 before turning the ball over on downs.
In the fourth, the Panthers got to the Mahanoy Area 26 but lost the ball on a fumble. On its final drive, Panther Valley reached the Mahanoy Area 17.
MILITARY HONORED: The Panther Valley community honored the military before the game, stretching out a 50-foot flag. Participating in the coin toss, standing next to Panther Valley captains, were Dave Padora of Lansford, a U.S. Navy veteran who served in the submarine division, and U.S. Navy members Justin Bosby and Kevin Tucker, both recruiters.
DIGITAL SCOREBOARD: It was Panther Valley’s turn to have the District 11 digital message board at their stadium. Athletic director Kristin Black put together a photo presentation for members of all the fall sports.
PANTHER PRIDE: Levine’s pride in his players has not diminished despite a tough season. “I can’t say enough about our guys,” Levine said. “They show up. There’s Logan Fisher, Benny Baneravage. Marcus Tessitore and those linemen; they battle, they battle, they battle. But to win football games, you have to have 11 (people who make plays) and we just don’t have 11 making plays on every play. And that’s the goal.”
Game Summary
Mahanoy Area 35, Panther Valley 0
