Pottsville hands Raiders first loss

POTTSVILLE – The defending Schuylkill Football League Division I champion from a season ago is back at it again.

The way Pottsville played Friday, it’s obvious that the title isn’t going to be ceded easily — someone is going to have to wrestle it away.

Previously undefeated Tamaqua found that out in a hurry, when it watched the Tide roll – literally.

Pottsville scored early and often on its way to a 42-12 victory.

“When it rains it pours,” a philosophical Tamaqua coach Sam Bonner said as he tried releasing a cramp his daughter, who is one of the Raiders’ team managers, had incurred moments after the game had ended.

Pottsville definitely did seem to pour on Tamaqua’s parade as the Tide rolled up 427 yards of total offense.

“They did it all,” continued Bonner. “They made some nice (completions) passing, they ran the ball very effectively, and I thought their defense was very, very good. We just couldn’t make something happen offensively tonight.”

Pottsville ran off 216 yards on the ground led by Sam Siminitus as the sophomore rushed for 149 yards on 14 carries. He hit the end zone two times, including a scintillating 83-yard dash to paydirt early in the third quarter.

“He’s a tough runner at 200 pounds,” said Pottsville coach Tom McGeoy, who watched his team improve to 5-2. “We’ve got weapons. We can throw the ball and run the ball. When you have that combination it is tough to stop.”

The only thing that stopped Pottsville was deferring the first-half kickoff, and then its defense stymied the Raiders forcing a three-and-out which quickly gathered momentum for its offense. The Tide rang up a 10-play drive that ended on a Justice Minor three-yard TD run.

The Tide made it a 14-0 advantage with two seconds to play in the first quarter, finishing off a seven-play, 54-yard march with Siminitus garnering his first score on a 13-yard dash to the end zone.

Meanwhile Tamaqua’s offense was stuttering as it was held to minus yards rushing in the first half and had to punt five times.

Despite the lack of a running game, the Raiders came close to cutting into the lead just before halftime. The Raiders counter-punched all the way down the field following a Pottsville punt that put them at their own 17. Quarterback Brayden Knoblauch worked the passing game to precision, first hitting Nate Boyle for a 33-yard gain, and following that with a 14-yarder to Nick Breiner and another completion to Boyle for 22 more yards. But time was fleeting and Pottsville’s defense eventually held off the threat thanks to a Mike Botto sack to end the half.

“Their defensive line really took it to us. We had a hard time not allowing them to get the penetration,” said Bonner.

Tamaqua did eventually get on the board in the third when it cranked off an impressive nine-play, 55-yard march with Thad Zuber sprinting eight yards for the score to make it 27-7.

The Raiders’ other score came when Breiner kicked in his jets to roar 49 yards in the final quarter.

“We just got to go back and pick up the pieces. We’re better than this,” said Bonner.

WHERE IT BEGAN… Pottsville had a lot of faith in its defense and put that team out on the field first by deferring the first half kickoff. The game plan worked perfectly.

HELP, HELP, HELP… Tamaqua struggled blocking the Tide upfront, especially in the opening half. The quarterback tandem of Zuber-Knoblauch never did get into a flow because of the pressure.

ADDING UP THE NUMBERS … Breiner finished up with 91 yards rushing on 13 carries. Knoblauch completed eight passes for 85 yards.