Lots on the line when Pottsville visits North Schuylkill
North Schuylkill players gather prior to an Oct. 18 game against Lehighton at Ghosh Orthodontics Field at Spartan Stadium. The Spartans host Pottsville tonight. (Photo by Bob Lipsky)
Two teams playing their best football down the stretch will clash in a Schuylkill/Colonial Red Division game tonight in Fountain Springs.
Pottsville (5-4, 5-3 Red), fresh off its 28-14 road victory over rival Blue Mountain, will visit North Schuylkill (6-3, 5-3 Red), which pounded Lehighton 58-21 last week at Ghosh Orthodontics Field at Spartan Stadium.
(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.)
Both teams have plenty to play for, starting with an opportunity to beat one of their long-time Schuylkill County and Schuylkill League foes. The series dates back to 1970, with Pottsville holding a 21-11 lead. North Schuylkill has won the last two, including last season’s 37-21 victory.
There’s more, much more.
For North Schuylkill, the Spartans have not yet clinched a spot in the four-team District 11 Class 3A field. Entering Week 10, Northwestern Lehigh (9-0) and Notre Dame-Green Pond (8-1) are in, with North Schuylkill (.6437 rating) standing in third, Tamaqua (6-3, .6037, home vs. Blue Mountain) in fourth and Saucon Valley (7-2, .5998, at Northern Lehigh) in fifth. This bracket breaks down to three teams battling for two playoff spots.
“Every week has been a challenge and fight to secure a district playoff spot,’’ North Schuylkill coach Wally Hall said. “The message has not changed since Day 1. The important part is the team goals are all achievable at this time of year.’’
For Pottsville, the Crimson Tide are in the eight-team District 11 Class 4A bracket. The top four are Southern Lehigh (8-1), Blue Mountain (6-3), Bethlehem Catholic (4-5) and Allentown Central Catholic (4-5). The Vikings (.5919) visit Whitehall this week.
Pottsville (.5560) stands fifth, followed by East Stroudsburg North (4-5, .4948, at East Stroudsburg South). Lehighton (3-6) and Jim Thorpe (3-6) round out the field. The Tide’s goal is to beat North Schuylkill, then hope for an Allentown Central Catholic loss to possibly rise to the No. 4 seed and gain a quarterfinal home game.
Like everyone else, the Tide endured ups and downs during the season, went through the grind in Weeks 6-7-8, then came through the other side and knocked off Blue Mountain.
“You get your second wind for the stretch run, and that’s exactly what happened,’’ Pottsville coach Mike Brennan said. “The kids are high energy. Everybody feels refreshed, and we’ve had some of our best practices of the year.’’
Both teams feature big-play offenses and opportunistic defenses that force turnovers.
Junior running back Luke Miller is the Spartans’ playmaker, rushing 176 times for 1,158 yards and 18 TDs. He also has 30 receptions for 430 yards and four more TDs. On defense, Miller has 38 tackles, one sack and three interceptions.
Junior quarterback Caden Mengel runs the show. He’s completed 83-of-135 passes for 1,145 yards with 11 TDs and just three interceptions.
In addition to Miller, senior Michael Mogish (18-220, 3 TDs) and junior Landen Smith (12-235, 2 TDs) are Mengel’s top targets.
Junior linebacker Cooper Carl leads the team in tackles. The Spartans have 44 tackles for loss, six recovered fumbles and 10 interceptions.
“Those guys are extremely explosive,’’ Brennan said, “but their physicality and the way they control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball make them very difficult to prepare for.’’
For Pottsville, the return of junior running back JuJu Bainbridge gave the Crimson Tide the balance they needed to defeat Blue Mountain. Injured in Week 7 against Northwestern Lehigh, Bainbridge carried 39 times for 141 yards and two touchdowns. For the season, Bainbridge has rushed 137 times for 813 yards and 11 TDs.
Sophomore quarterback Andrew Allen has completed 99-of-174 passes for 1,488 yards with 12 TDs and seven interceptions.
Senior Tsirell Curry is Allen’s big-play target. Curry (39-790, 6 TDs), senior Letrel Montone (24-318, 4 TDs), junior Christian Alvarez (13-221) and sophomore Max Clews (11-97, 1 TD) give Allen plenty of options in the passing game.
Defensively, Shay Strencosky leads the Tide with five interceptions, Curry has picked off four passes. Brody Herndon and Curry have 54 tackles apiece.
“Offensively, they run the football well and are capable of stretching the field vertically in their pass game,’’ Hall said. “Defensively, they are good versus the run and do not give up a lot of big plays.’’
The kicking game could be a factor as well.
Pottsville has used two kickers, both of whom have had success. Alvarez has converted 15-of-18 extra points, while Allen has connected on 10-of-11 PATs and three field goals.
Meanwhile, Gavin Mentzer is a weapon for the Spartans. A Division I prospect, Mentzer has connected on 29-of-30 extra points and 5-of-7 field goals, including a season-long 51 last week against Lehighton. In addition, Mentzer has 37 touchbacks on kickoffs.
