Jim Thorpe wide receiver Justin Yescavage

Open the record books and write down his name.

On a night when Jim Thorpe defeated Catasauqua 39-0 in a Schuylkill/Colonial Red-White crossover game, wide receiver Justin Yescavage set an all-time school record for receiving yards after he set the number of receptions record last week against Southern Lehigh.

He did it in grand style, too. With 2:27 left in the first quarter Friday, Yescavage caught a 41-yard touchdown pass from Cole Lazorick to put the Olympians up 19-0.

“I told the team that it’s a great feeling that they say Justin Yescavage broke it,” he said, “but from the bottom of the roster all the way to the top, everyone helped me get there, the scout team, the other receivers of course, our quarterback and the line and the coaches that helped me run the routes.”

For the game, Yescavage caught six passes for 97 yards and two TDs.

Jim Thorpe coach Mark Rosenberger lauded his senior receiver.

“Justin is a special player,” Rosenberger said. “He makes unbelievable catches. You can’t really cover him one on one. He has great ball skills, especially in traffic. He’s the best we have had here and his record tonight proves it.”

The game belonged to Jim Thorpe from the first play from scrimmage. Lazorick threw a perfect strike to a streaking Joshua Louk on a deep post pattern for a 62-yard, pass-and-run play and a 6-0 lead.

“We practiced that play all week long,” Rosenberger said. “We knew Louk had the speed to get behind the coverage and Cole hit him in stride. We wanted to jump out early on them and that’s just what we did.”

On their second possession, the Olympians (2-5, 1-5 Red) struck paydirt again. Following a 23-yard punt return by Yescavage that set up his offense on the Rough Riders’ 29-yard line, Lazorick finished the drive with a 7-yard burst off tackle for a 12-0 advantage.

Catasauqua (3-4, 2-4 White) had all kinds of problems moving the ball throughout the game. Mired by 65 yards in penalties, three interceptions and two fumbles, the Riders crossed midfield only once, to the Jim Thorpe 48-yard line and not until late in the fourth quarter.

“Our defense controlled the line of scrimmage and the three interceptions were key,” Rosenberger said. “When they tried to throw, our defensive backs had excellent coverage.”

Jim Thorpe put its third score of the first quarter on the board after an interception by Louk and the TD pass to Yescavage. In the second quarter, the Olympians put the ball in the end zone once again. This time, Michael Antignani bolted through the Catty defense from four yards out to complete a 57-yard drive.

Then, with 3:05 left before the half, Jim Thorpe marched from its 46 to the Catty 25 where Lazorick hooked up with Yescavage for a 25-yard TD pass.

The home team showed its efficiency in clock management on its last drive before the half. The Olympians began a drive with 25 seconds left. With a first-and-20 at the 50 after a penalty, Louk ran up the middle on a draw play for 37 yards to the 13. On the next play, Lazorick threw to Aaron Curran for a 13-yard touchdown with three seconds left before the intermission.

Louk had a big night, He ran for 69 yards. He caught three passes for 45 yards, scored a touchdown and had two interceptions. Lazorick was sharp with his delivery. He completed 12-of-14 passes for 172 yards and four TDs.

Despite having lost their last five games before this victory, Rosenberger noted the progress of his team.

“We’re better at the fundamentals of blocking and tackling,” he said. “It’s a learning process and we continue to get better each week.”

Kudos to coaches … Rosenberger credited his team’s improvement to his dedicated coaching staff of Craig Zurn, Frank Miller, Brian Schwartz and Will Cameron.

Flags a flying … There were 16 penalties called in the game that totaled 117 yards.

Reversing the trend … Jim Thorpe had lost its last two games by large margins. This win reversed the trend that they hope will continue next week against Northwestern Lehigh.

Game Summary

Jim Thorpe 39, Catasauqua 0

Cat  (3-4, 2-4 White)      0        0         0       0  —  0       

JT (2-5, 1-5 Red)        19      20        0       0 —  39   

JT — Louk 62 pass from Lazorick (kick failed)

JT — Lazorick 7 run (pass failed)

JT — Yescavage 41 pass from Lazorick (Geiser kick)

JT — Antignani 4 run (pass failed)

JT — Yescavage 25 pass from Lazorick (Geiser kick)

JT — A. Curran 13 pass from Lazorick (Geiser kick)