FOUNTAIN SPRINGS — Bobby Grigas was getting antsy.
The North Schuylkill senior quarterback, recently returned from injury, watched the first quarter of Friday’s Anthracite Football League game with Schuylkill Haven from the sideline.
After the first quarter finished scoreless, it was time for a change. Grigas was going in.
Grigas completed 19-of-25 for 224 yards and three touchdowns as the Spartans routed the Hurricanes 41-8 at Ghosh Orthodontics Field at Spartan Stadium.
Richie Zahodnick started under center for North Schuylkill (5-4, 4-4 AFL) and led the Spartans to the red zone on their first possession, but the drive sputtered inside the Haven 10 and resulted in a turnover on downs.
North Schuylkill ran one play on their second drive before the first quarter ended, then Grigas went under center.
“We just saw a bunch of openings in their secondary and took the chances,” Grigas said. “We have a lot of different formations with me and Richie flip-flopping. If we see something, we’ll go with him, if we see something else, we’ll go with me.”
Grigas’ first attempt was incomplete, but the next six were caught for a combined 55 yards, the last of which was a 10-yard toss to Tevin Murray in the corner of the end zone to put the Spartans ahead 6-0.
Schuylkill Haven (5-4, 4-4) had its best chance to answer on the ensuing drive, riding running back Nick Kerschner to inside the North Schuylkill 20. But Spartans linebacker Major Jordan sacked Hurricanes quarterback Danny Lozada on third-and-3 at the 24, forcing a fourth-and-11 that was not converted.
“If I playcall the way I playcalled for 12 years, I go for that on third down,” Schuylkill Haven coach Mike Farr said. “Three yards to get it on third-and-3 instead of throwing that pass. The sack never occurs, we probably get the first down, eat up the clock, go in to score. Who knows what happens there?”
Instead, North Schuylkill took over the game.
Grigas completed 4-of-6 for 69 yards on the Spartans’ next drive, the biggest a 30-yard catch-and-run by Jordan that set North Schuylkill up in Haven territory. Jordan finished the drive with a 6-yard run up the middle and Grigas hit Zahodnick for the 2-point conversion for a 14-0 lead with 1:05 until halftime.
Grigas went exclusively to Zahodnick on the first possession of the second half, completing 4-of-5 for 57 yards and finishing with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Zahodnick to make it 21-0 three minutes into the third quarter.
“They had a lot of guys in the box and they were sending a lot of people from different places, so we took advantage of throwing the ball,” North Schuylkill coach Wally Hall said. “Bobby threw the ball good. The receivers caught the ball and ran good routes.”
But Grigas wasn’t done yet. He was 4-for-6 for 31 yards on his fourth drive, and was helped by a 20-yard run by Jordan up the middle before finding Murray in the corner again on an 8-yard touchdown pass.
Murray kept one foot in the end zone while falling out of bounds to put North Schuylkill up 28-0 with 4:30 to play in the third quarter.
Murray led the receiving corps with seven catches for 79 yards. Zahodnick wasn’t far behind with seven catches for 75 yards.
Bobby Wagner put the moving clock in effect by intercepting a Lozada pass and returning it 29 yards for a score with 3:30 to play in the third quarter.
Schuylkill Haven didn’t get near the endzone in the second half until Lozada’s 10-yard touchdown run put the Hurricanes on the board in the game’s closing minutes.
The Spartans’ passing game opened up holes for Jordan and Zahodnick throughout the game. Jordan finished with 123 yards on 18 carries, the last of which was an 11-yard touchdown run for North Schuylkill’s final points. Zahodnick carried the ball eight times for 57 yards.
“If you can pass the ball effectively like that, it’s going to open up your run game,” Hall said. “If you can run the ball, it’s going to open up your passing game. We have a bunch of different things going for us offensively.
“It’s a great thing to have a couple different options,” Hall added. “We’re just giving our opponents a lot to plan for.”
Game Summary
SH (5-4, 4-4) 0 0 0 8 — 8
NS (5-4, 4-4) 0 14 21 6 — 41
NS — Murray 10 pass from Grigas (kick blocked)
NS — Jordan 6 run (Zahodnick pass from Grigas)
NS — Zahodnick 20 pass from Grigas (Grigas kick)
NS — Murray 8 pass from Grigas (Grigas kick)
NS — Wagner 29 interception return (Grigas kick)
NS — Jordan 11 run (no attempt)
SH — Lozada 10 run (Luckenbill run)
SH NS
First Downs 8 22
Rushes-Yards 37-115 30-177
Passes 1-5-1 19-27-0
Passing Yards 15 224
Total Yards 130 401
Fumbles-Lost 1-0 1-1
Penalties 3-35 3-25
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING: Schuylkill Haven — Kerschner 22-85, Luckenbill 5-22, Browne 4-4, Lozada 6-4. North Schuylkill — Jordan 18-123, Zahodnick 8-57, Steinhilber 1-(-1), DeAngelo 2-(-1), Team 1-(-1).
PASSING: Schuylkill Haven — Lozada 1-5-1, 15. North Schuylkill — Grigas 19-25-0, 224; Zahodnick 0-2-0, 0.
RECEIVING: Schuylkill Haven — Kerschner 1-15. North Schuylkill — Murray 7-79, Zahodnick 7-75, Smith 3-35, Jordan 1-30, Steinhilber 1-5.
INTERCEPTIONS: Schuylkill Haven — None. North Schuylkill — Wagner.