SCHUYLKILL HAVEN — Stan Dakosty never expected it.
As the 63-year-old Marian coach watched the final seconds tick off the clock, he got hit ... not once, but twice, and from both sides.
The water-cooler shower that soaked the veteran coach from head to toe started a raucous celebration on the Marian sideline as air horns rang from the crowd.
After four attempts, career win No. 300 was in the record books.
K.J. Snerr rushed for 226 yards and three touchdowns while passing for another as Marian routed Schuylkill Haven 41-14 in an Anthracite Football League contest Friday night at Rotary Field.
The victory upped Dakosty’s overall record to 300-144-3 and makes him the 12th coach in Pennsylvania history to reach the 300-win plateau.
After the game, Dakosty’s players formed a tunnel and chanted, “Coach, Coach, Coach,” as the Colts made their way to the locker room. There, former Marian players and Dakosty’s family joined in the celebration, which was capped by a loud, joyous singing of the Marian alma mater.
“Win No. 300 ... the players, the coaches, I stand on their shoulders,” said Dakosty, in his 39th year at the helm. “There’s so many great coaches and players that have been in this program. The school, the support from people like the Men of Marian. The fact that our former players care about us and what we do makes it really special.
“This is about them and the efforts they put out.”
Win No. 300 was the by-product of a big night from Snerr and a sensational effort by the Colts’ offensive line.
Marian finished with 343 yards rushing on 48 carries, its best night on the ground this season. The offensive line of Devin Shimko, Zach Falls, Ryan Malarkey, Josh Skotek and Kyle Plesh consistently cleared holes for Snerr, who had 150 yards rushing in the first half and scored on runs of 31, 1 and 4 yards.
In Marian’s three previous games, the Colts were held to 53, 69 and 69 yards on the ground, respectively, in losses to North Schuylkill, Blue Mountain and Lehighton.
“Our offensive line tonight did a great job,” Dakosty said. “Those kids came off the ball and stayed on their blocks. K.J. was at his ‘A Game’ and did a super job.
“We’ve been waiting for this win. The kids have persevered. Some guys got a chance tonight to step in there, and they came through with flying colors.”
Snerr suffered a sprained MCL in his knee in the loss to Blue Mountain and didn’t play against Lehighton. He was clearly the difference, as he was able to use his speed to get to the outside and rip off big gains against the Hurricanes defense.
His first TD came one play after the Colts ran a fake punt on a fourth-and-6 play from the Haven 42. Punter Aaron DeAngelo tucked the ball under his arm, sprinted left and was able to get the first down by inches.
After an offsides penalty, Snerr raced through the Haven defense to put the Colts on the board.
“My line did incredible,” Snerr said. “This whole season they’ve done a decent job. This game they went above and beyond. I can’t be more proud of them.”
Marian (4-3, 3-3 AFL) dominated the first half, racking up 200 yards rushing and scoring on all four of its possessions.
Snerr had all three of his scores in the opening 24 minutes, while Ethan Kuczynski added an 11-yard run. The Colts led 27-0 at halftime, compiling 11 first downs and outgaining Haven 236-66.
“That was the best half we played all year,” Dakosty said. “Even in our wins, we were inconsistent in what we did and how we did it.”
Schuylkill Haven (4-3, 3-3) sliced the Marian lead to 27-7 on Nick Kerschner’s 1-yard run in the third quarter, but Snerr ripped off a 48-yard run on Marian’s next play, then found Kuczynski on a 10-yard halfback pass five plays later for a touchdown.
Marian’s Noah Goldberg made it 41-7 with a 1-yard TD run before Jake Luckenbill’s 4-yard score late in the game set the final margin.
The victory improves the Colts’ chances in a tight District 11 Class A playoff race.
“I was so concerned about win No. 4,” Dakosty said. “We’ve been struggling for three weeks. We didn’t finish games. Our offense couldn’t get going, and our offensive line was struggling.
“We just needed to have some success. It was a great night. A fun night.”
Game Summary
Marian (4-3, 3-3) 13 14 7 7 — 41
Haven (4-3, 3-3) 0 0 7 7 — 14
Mar — Snerr 31 run (pass failed)
Mar — Snerr 1 run (Buscher kick)
Mar — Kuczynski 11 run (Buscher kick)
Mar — Snerr 4 run (Buscher kick)
SH — Kerschner 1 run (Evitts kick)
Mar — Kuczynski 10 pass from Snerr (Buscher kick)
Mar — Goldberg 1 run (Buscher kick)
SH — Luckenbill 4 run (Evitts kick)
Marian Haven
First Downs 17 8
Rushes-Yards 48-343 32-138
Passes 3-6-0 1-4-1
Passing Yards 46 18
Total Yards 389 156
Fumbles-Lost 2-2 5-4
Penalties 7-47 4-24
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING: Marian — Snerr 20-226, Nause 3-30, Kuczynski 6-26, Nolter 7-20, Goldberg 6-18, Dubravski 4-18, DeAngelo 1-6, McCall 1-(-1). Schuylkill Haven — Lozada 10-74, Luckenbill 4-40, Kerschner 11-24, Koch 1-4, Gehring 4-3, Browne 1-2, Team 1-(-9).
PASSING: Marian — Kuczynski 2-5-0, 36; Snerr 1-1-0, 10. Schuylkill Haven — Lozada 1-4-1, 18.
RECEIVING: Marian — Stanziola 1-19, Nause 1-17, Kuczynski 1-10. Schuylkill Haven — Browne 1-18.
INTERCEPTIONS: Marian — Snerr.