MAHANOY CITY — Lenny Dulsky’s eyes got big when he was told he had just rushed for 329 yards in Mahanoy Area’s 38-21 victory over Minersville in an Anthracite Football League game Friday at Alumni Field.
“Wow,” the senior said and then looked at his coach, Dave Holman, in disbelief.
The Battlin’ Miners (0-4, 0-4 AFL) could attest to Dulsky’s pile-driving style of running that produced 30 carries and four touchdowns.
“Dulsky, he’s the real deal. He’s a tough kid. He’s a big kid. He runs well and he’s every bit as good as we thought he was,” Minersville head coach Pat Mason said.
Dulsky rushed for touchdowns of 28, 24, 54 and 66 yards, all in the second half. Most of the time, he took a read-option handoff and plowed ahead despite several Minersville tacklers all over him.
“You’ve got to be fast with it,” Dulsky said of the read-option. “It’s all about speed. The line has to block and we did it all tonight. ... We’re trained a lot to just keep going and going.”
The persistence paid off for the Golden Bears in the second half.
Dulsky rushed for 76 of his yards in the first half, helping the Golden Bears (3-1, 3-1) to a 10-7 lead at intermission.
“I didn’t expect us to sit back that long,” Holman said. “But I was very pleased with the way we came back at halftime. We regrouped, came out at halftime and we ran our offense.
“It just so happened that Lenny was the guy that carried the ball for us and got the yards.”
A fumble recovery by Mahanoy Area set up the Bears 39 yards from paydirt to open Mahanoy Area’s second-half possessions. Dulsky carried three plays, scoring from 28 yards out.
His 24-yard touchdown carry ended a 72-yard drive on the next possession.
The third touchdown capped an 84-yard drive and came after another of his carries produced a serious injury.
A Minersville player suffered a lower right leg injury that required his transport from the field by ambulance.
Mason would not identify the player, whose jersey was removed while surrounded by medical personnel before he was placed on a stretcher. Social media reports indicate the player is senior Brian Brennan.
“He’s a great kid and he’s in our prayers and hopefully he heals fast,” Mason said about the player.
When the game resumed, Dulsky capped the drive when he burst through the line on a 54-yard scoring run.
But Dulsky wasn’t done.
On the next possession, he finished a 79-yard drive on the third play with his 66-yard carry that hiked Mahanoy Area’s lead to 38-7.
By then, Minersville’s initial lead in the game seemed to have happened long ago.
In a first half featuring four interceptions, the first, grabbed by Brennan, set up Minersville’s opening touchdown — a 31-yard pass from Kei’dre Taylor to Dylan Stephen.
Mahanoy Area answered on the next series, a 65-yard drive capped by quarterback Mason Ryan’s 10-yard carry. Ryan’s 33-yard run was the drive’s biggest play.
The game remained tied until late in the first half. The Golden Bears drove to the Minersville 12, where the drive stalled. Joseph Bradley booted a 29-yard field goal with 1:02 left in the half.
The Golden Bears’ fumble recovery on Minersville’s third play from scrimmage in the third period then set Mahanoy Area and Dulsky in motion.
Minersville countered with two touchdowns, both late in the fourth period.
After Taylor ran 21 yards for one score, William Hummel’s second interception of the game led to a 73-yard touchdown return.
By then, the outcome was settled.
“It’s a huge game to get to 3-1, especially considering we have some tough opponents coming up,” Holman said. “The top tier of our league is coming up these next few weeks.”
Game Summary
Min (0-4, 0-4) 7 0 0 14 — 21
MA (3-1, 3-1) 7 3 21 7 — 38
Min — Stephen 31 pass from Taylor (Halye kick)
MA — Ryan 10 run (Bradley kick)
MA — FG Bradley 29
MA — Dulsky 28 run (Bradley kick)
MA — Dulsky 24 run (Bradley kick)
MA — Dulsky 54 run (Bradley kick)
MA — Dulsky 66 run (Bradley kick)
Min — Taylor 21 run (kick failed)
Min — Hummel 73 interception return (Fekette run)
Min MA
First Downs 7 17
Rushes-Yards 29-89 51-424
Passes 2-14-2 4-8-3
Passing Yards 32 35
Total Yards 121 459
Fumbles-Lost 5-1 1-1
Penalties 7-55 7-39
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING: Minersville — Taylor 13-37, Fekette 6-32, Bethea 3-21, Beach 2-7, Griffiths 3-5, Kuehn 1-(-3), Team 1-(-10). Mahanoy Area — Dulsky 30-329, Ryan 7-52, Wronski 3-22, Yedsena 4-16, Clewell 2-5, Fegley 4-0, Team 1-0.
PASSING: Minersville — Taylor 2-13-2, 32; Fekette 0-1-0, 0. Mahanoy Area — Ryan 4-7-2, 35; Fegley 0-1-1, 0.
RECEIVING: Minersville — Stephen 2-32. Mahanoy Area — Yedsena 2-19, Wronski 2-16.
INTERCEPTIONS: Minersville — Hummel 2, Brennan. Mahanoy Area — Ryan, Yedsena.