Minersville's Paiten LaPoint (2) breaks away from a Halifax defender during Friday night's game. (Photo by Kelly Wiley)

Hurricanes eye program’s 600th victory

Over the past 99 seasons of Schuylkill Haven football, the Hurricanes have played more games against Minersville than any other school — 86.

Tonight’s 87th meeting could have historical importance for the Hurricanes.

A victory by Schuylkill Haven in tonight’s Schuylkill/Colonial Blue Division showdown would be the Hurricanes’ 600th all-time, making Haven the fifth area team to reach that milestone, joining Mount Carmel Area (902), Pottsville (721), Shamokin (631) and Minersville (616). Haven enters tonight’s game with a 599-413-27 all-time mark.

It’s just one of several storylines surrounding tonight’s clash at Minersville’s Veterans Memorial Stadium between the Hurricanes (3-1, 3-0 Blue) and Miners (3-1, 2-1 Blue). The game will be broadcast live on T-102 (101.9 FM). Pre-game show begins at 6:30 p.m., with kickoff at 7 p.m.

“I think it’s going to be a lot of fun,” Minersville coach Justin Frantz said. “Thursday night, only game in town, will make for a great atmosphere.

“We have to slow down their run game and continue to make big plays on offense. Spread the ball to our playmakers and let them play fast. That’s our goal.”

The Miners and Hurricanes series began in 1925, and the teams have met continuously every year since 1947. Minersville holds a 44-39-3 lead in the series, which includes three playoff meetings, all Schuylkill Haven victories (1979 EC, 1982 EC, 1996 D-11).

The series even includes a Thursday night game — a 0-0 tie on Sept. 13, 1962, when the game was moved up because of the Schuylkill County Volunteer Firefighters’ Convention (shout out to Minersville historian Shayne Schafer for that tidbit).

Minersville dominated the early portion of the series, going 26-7-2 through 1975. Schuylkill Haven has been in charge since, including a stretch from 2008-19 where the Hurricanes won 11 of 12 meetings.

The last two clashes have been shootouts, the Miners winning 47-39 in 2022 in Minersville and the Hurricanes grabbing a 35-28 victory last year at Rotary Field.

With the explosiveness of both teams’ offenses, the scoreboard could get another workout tonight.

“It’s tough to say. I can see it being another shootout,” Frantz said. “Two good teams that put up a lot of points usually makes for a fun game. Both teams have the ability to consistently make big plays, but the defenses have also been good through four weeks.”

Added Schuylkill Haven coach Mike Farr: “It will be a great game. We need to control the tempo. The team that controls possessions and turnovers will win this game.”

The Hurricanes enter tonight’s showdown on a roll, winning three straight games after a season-opening loss to Blue Mountain. Haven blitzed past Panther Valley, Shenandoah Valley and Mahanoy Area, outscoring those three teams 193-8.

Schuylkill Haven’s three-headed rushing attack is averaging 391 yards per game and 14.1 yards per carry, with Niko Carestia (46-706, 10 TDs), Colton Reber (23-449, 7 TDs) and Niko Castillo (17-182, 3 TDs) following a big, experienced offensive line.

Haven rushed the ball for 543 yards in Friday’s 59-8 win over Mahanoy Area. Farr’s club has thrown the ball just six times so far this season.

“They’re huge and physical,” Frantz said of Haven. “They come right at you on both sides of the ball. They do what Haven has done over many years, try to bully you.”

Minersville, meanwhile, will look to bounce back after suffering a 42-36 loss at Williams Valley last Friday.

The Miners built an early 14-0 lead only to have Williams Valley score on six straight offensive possessions behind a dominating running game. The Vikings gained 276 yards rushing and racked up 24 first downs.

Trailing 42-21 in the fourth quarter, Minersville rallied behind quarterback Dante Carr, who made plays with both his arm and legs. The junior quarterback rushed for a 62-yard touchdown, then completed a pair of passes to Paiten LaPoint that resulted in another score that sliced the deficit to 42-36.

Minersville nearly won the game with a drive in the final minutes, but Carr was intercepted at the goal line by Williams Valley’s Evan Achenbach (see video on T102SportsNow.com).

On the season, Carr has completed 34-of-65 passes for 708 yards and 11 touchdowns while rushing 26 times for 527 yards and nine more scores. Containing the 6-foot-4, 220-pound junior will be Haven’s goal tonight.

“Dante is a great athlete,” Farr said. “We need to keep him in the bubble. You can’t contain him for four quarters. Just try to limit the explosive plays. We need to make Dante uncomfortable, if that’s possible.”

Both coaches said they moved up their weekly routine by one day to accommodate the short week, with Farr calling the Thursday night special a “good experience” for his team. It’s Schuylkill Haven’s first Thursday game since facing Marian on Sept. 20, 2018 (shout out to Haven’s Mike Tracey for that tidbit).

“We need to stay the course, nothing different,” Farr said. “Our offensive and defensive lines need to carry us.”