HOMETOWN — Adversity stared North Schuylkill in the face several times Friday night at Men of Marian Stadium.
Each time, the Spartans had a big answer.
Bobby Grigas threw for three touchdowns, Bobby Wagner had a breakout night and the Spartans used a dominating defensive effort to down Marian 26-7 in an Anthracite Football League contest.
The victory snaps the Spartans’ two-game losing streak and knocks the Colts from the ranks of the unbeatens.
After a week in which football fans had started to doubt the Spartans (2-2, 2-2 AFL) following losses to Blue Mountain and Lehighton, North Schuylkill bounced back in impressive fashion.
“We’re never out,” said Grigas, who completed 10-of-17 passes for 150 yards and became North Schuylkill’s all-time leader in career passing yardage.
“We have the skill guys, and tonight our linemen did fantastic. We’re never out.”
North Schuylkill’s first test with adversity came late in the first half.
The Spartans scored first on a 4-yard run by Pat Gownley late in the first quarter.
Marian (3-1, 2-1) answered in the final minute of the first half on a 47-yard touchdown pass from Ethan Kuczynski to Aaron DeAngelo. Spartans’ senior cornerback Jordan Marlow, matched up 1-on-1 with DeAngelo on the outside, crumpled to the ground after trying to cut on the hitch-and-go and was lost for the rest of the game with a knee injury.
Up stepped Wagner, who returned the ensuing kickoff 58 yards to the
Marian 34. Two plays later, Grigas found Jonathan Smith for a 32-yard touchdown with 17.5 seconds left in the half.
It was the first career varsity catch for Smith, a 6-foot-2, 188-pound senior who was only in the game because Marlow had gotten hurt.
“Jon is a kid who works extremely hard at practice,” North Schuylkill coach Wally Hall said. “He has that ability. It was awesome to see him make a play. He has those capabilities.”
The touchdown gave North Schuylkill a 12-7 lead and killed any momentum Marian had built with the go-ahead score just 28 seconds before that.
“End of the first half, that was a backbreaker,” Marian coach Stan Dakosty said. “You could feel their air go up and our air go down. We made a big play (to get the lead), then we gave up a big return, then we had a blown coverage.
“We were getting the ball back at the start of the second half, and we were right where we wanted to be.”
North Schuylkill suffered another key injury in the third quarter when Gownley was carried off with an ankle injury.
Again, the Spartans responded.
Wagner and Richie Zahodnick picked up the offensive workload for North Schuylkill, as Wagner caught a pair of passes for 42 yards and Zahodnick rushed nine times for 41 yards.
Wagner’s second reception was a 30-yard TD pass that gave North Schuylkill a 20-7 lead late in the third quarter.
In the fourth, Wagner picked off a Kuczynski pass and returned it to the Marian 15. That set up a 12-yard screen pass from Grigas to Zahodnick that made it 26-7 with 6:40 left.
“It was a little nerve wracking,” Wagner said of having to step into a bigger role. “But just repping at practice and just working hard, it all pays off.”
Defensively, linebacker Major Jordan and defensive end Dane Tarantelli spearheaded an effort that held Marian to 53 yards rushing.
Jordan and Tarantelli each had key sacks to stop Marian drives in the first half, and Jordan, Gownley and Zahodnick were around the ball every time the Colts’ K.J. Snerr carried it. Snerr was held to just 44 yards on 15 carries.
Kuczynski finished 16-of-33 for 170 yards, but never hit a big play after DeAngelo’s touchdown grab.
“Defensively, we played fantastic,” Hall said. “Tonight, they rose to the challenge. We did great against the run.”
Added Dakosty: “We couldn’t get anything going. We couldn’t get anywhere near a running game. They were tough up front.”
The Spartans’ overall effort, especially in the second half, was a change from the two previous weeks, where North Schuylkill was dominated in the final two frames.
This time, the Spartans rose to the challenge.
“I think they’re starting understand as the season moves on,” Hall said. “We had a tough two weeks the past two weeks, and we had to start rising as one. We can’t start falling apart now. It’s early in the season and we had kids step up.
“The bottom line is that coaches don’t have a magic wand. It’s ultimately up to the kids. These kids took charge tonight and did a fantastic job responding.”
Game Summary
N. Sch. (2-2, 2-2) 6 6 8 6 — 26
Mar (3-1, 2-1) 0 7 0 0 — 7
NS — Gownley 4 run (kick failed)
Mar — DeAngelo 47 pass from Kuczynski (Buscher kick)
NS — Smith 32 pass from B. Grigas (run failed)
NS — B. Wagner 30 pass from B. Grigas (Murray pass from B. Grigas)
NS — Zahodnick 12 pass from B. Grigas (kick blocked)
NS Mar
First Downs 10 12
Rushes-Yards 31-80 30-53
Passes 10-17-0 16-34-1
Passing Yards 150 170
Total Yards 230 223
Fumbles-Lost 2-0 3-1
Penalties 5-43 7-45
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING: North Schuylkill — Zahodnick 9-41, Gownley 13-38, Jordan 2-11, B. Grigas 4-0, B. Wagner 2-(-1), Team 1-(-9). Marian — Snerr 15-44, Nause 2-4, Dubravski 1-4, Litsch 2-2, Kuczynski 9-(-1), Mussoline 1-(-2).
PASSING: North Schuylkill — B. Grigas 10-17-0, 150. Marian — Kuczynski 16-33-1, 170; Snerr 0-1-0, 0.
RECEIVING: North Schuylkill — Zahodnick 4-51, B. Wagner 2-42, Smith 1-32, Jordan 2-15, Murray 1-10. Marian — DeAngelo 9-129, Nause 5-32, Snerr 1-7, Litsch 1-2.
INTERCEPTIONS: North Schuylkill — B. Wagner