Pottsville faces test against Southern Lehigh

Pottsville's Veterans Memorial Stadium will be the site tonight when the Crimson Tide host Southern Lehigh. (Photo by Bob Lipsky)

POTTSVILLE — Well, Pottsville has reached another crossroads game.

It seems like the Crimson Tide has had a few of them already this season.

After losing the opener to Shamokin, Pottsville rebounded with a decisive victory over Jim Thorpe. In Week 3, Tamaqua edged the Tide in the final seconds, but Pottsville (2-2, 2-1 Red Division) responded with a 38-7 drubbing of Bangor last week to get back to the .500 mark.

Now comes the next test, trying to get over the hump with a signature victory over a surging Southern Lehigh squad that has outscored its last two opponents 70-17. The Spartans (3-1, 2-1 Red) entered the season as one of the contenders in the realigned Schuylkill/Colonial Cooperative Red Division, and they seem to be trending in that direction as they visit Veterans Memorial Stadium this evening.

(The game will air live on WPPA 1360 AM and A-106/105.9 FM, beginning with pregame at 6:45 p.m. and kickoff at 7 p.m.)

“It’s been a little bit of a roller-coaster. … They’ve shown a lot of resiliency,’’ Pottsville coach Mike Brennan said of his squad. “They’ve shown a lot of toughness. We’ve cleaned things up. Everything we’ve put a priority on during the week, they’ve been able to clean up on Friday night. That’s the sign of a team who wants to become good. We’re taking the steps to become a better football team. I’m proud of the guys for doing that.’’

After falling to Blue Mountain 32-20 in Week 2, Southern Lehigh has rebounded with resounding victories over Lehighton (34-3) and North Schuylkill (36-14).

Against the Spartans, junior Sean Steckert carried 20 times for 117 yards and two TDs. Senior Andrew Olesh, a University of Michigan recruit, carried three times for 26 yards and caught three passes for 48 yards.

Sophomore Colton Sams has been effective since taking over as the starting quarterback. He completed 11-of-18 passes for 257 yards and three TDs against North Schuylkill. Luke Kawczenski (3-106, TD) and Darius Roman (4-90, 2 TDs) were Sams’ other top targets.

Kicker Noah Tapler is a weapon, too. He converted a 20-yard field goal against North Schuylkill.

Southern Lehigh, which boasts impressive size on both sides of the ball, held North Schuylkill to just 32 yards rushing on 20 carries. Solehi also got off to a quick start, scoring on its first four possessions to build a 29-0 lead.

Southern Lehigh presents a varied offense. The Spartans will line up with multiple tight ends in a power-I and run the ball right at the opponent. Changing things up, they also aren’t afraid to take deep shots down the field in the passing game.

“They do everything well,’’ Brennan said.

The Spartans present both a challenge and a measuring stick for the Tide.

“Beat somebody you’re not supposed to beat,’’ Brennan said matter-of-factly. “It’s pretty clear. We have an opportunity this week to do that. We can go out and see exactly how far we’ve come five games into the season.’’

Meanwhile, Pottsville sophomore quarterback Andrew Allen is coming off the best game of his career. Against Bangor, he connected on 26-of-34 passes for 236 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. He also kicked a field goal and two extra points. On the year, Allen has completed 59-of-94 passes (62.8 percent) for 739 yards with six TDs and four interceptions.

Junior running back JuJu Bainbridge has shown flashes of greatness. He leads the team with 57 carries for 358 yards (6.3 per carry) and six TDs.

Senior Tsirell Curry (13-392, 2 TDs), senior Letrel Montone (11-114, 2 TDs) and junior Christian Alvarez (10-137) lead the receiving corps. Curry also had an 80-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Bangor.

“It all starts with the protection up front,’’ Brennan said, adding the contributions of his receivers making plays and the running backs in pass protection.

 “Ultimately, it falls on the quarterback,’’ Brennan added. “Andrew, for a young guy, in his first season as a starter, just four games in, has taken care of the football. He’s made as many good choices as can be made for a sophomore in high school. He’s taken a big step forward in his play-making ability from our preseason camp until now.

“A lot of it is on him. We’re proud of him and excited to see what he can do. He learns every day, gets better every day. He’s coached extremely hard and he responds to coaching.’’