Olympians top No. Schuylkill, Jim Thorpe improves to 7-0

Jim Thorpe head coach Mark Rosenberger didn’t need to need to remind his players what it was like to play North Schuylkill.

“Buckle your chin straps,” Rosenberger said.

The Olympians received the message, loud and clear.

Jim Thorpe brought that intensity and fire into Friday night’s game and kept its undefeated season intact with a 42-18 win over the Spartans.

“It’s going to be a physical football game when you play North Schuylkill, and that’s what it’s about,” Rosenberger said. “We challenged our kids all week long, who could be the more physical football team upfront, and I think our kids did that tonight.”

Rosenberger’s players certainly didn’t need any extra motivation.

After losing to the Spartans twice last year – in the regular season and in the District 11 Class 3A playoffs – having a chance to exact a measure of revenge was sweet for Olympians (7-0) running back Justin St. Hill.

“It’s incredible, especially because they beat us twice last year. They ended our season,” said St. Hill. “We said that we really gotta get this win, especially for a big confidence boost … we just made plays, and the rest of the team just made holes, and we just never gave up.”

A week after rushing for 325 yards against Blue Mountain, St. Hill gashed the Spartans (5-2) for 180 yards and two scores on 33 carries doing much of his damage on direct snaps. The senior also made plays with his arm, throwing for 81 yards and two scores.

“I love how the coaches at the beginning of the year, they kind of made and offense that can really suit me and really get me to use my speed and the rest of our athletes to get them in open space, and it’s worked a lot,” said St. Hill. “Especially with the no-huddle; we just tire-out teams, and we’ve been conditioning all year so it just helps out for all of us.”

That up-tempo offense helped Jim Thorpe build a 21-0 lead in the first quarter before taking a 21-6 advantage into the locker room at halftime.

After Shawn O’Toole went in from eight yards out to give the Olympians a 28-6 lead in the third quarter, North Schuylkilll responded with 12 unanswered points to cut the deficit to 28-18 in the fourth quarter. The second scoring drive was setup by a blocked punt near midfield that gave the Spartans excellent field position.

But Jim Thorpe responded, picking off two Doug Weist passes to set up a one-yard run from St. Hill and a 31-yard touchdown from O’Toole to put the game away.

“I’m actually kind of glad it happened that way,” Rosenberger said. “It showed the resiliency that we have as a football team, and I think it’ll provide confidence for our players in the future that if teams score and things don’t go our way, we can bounce back. And that’s what we did tonight.”

STREAK SNAPPED … Tyler Elsdon 10-yard touchdown in the second quarter was the first score Jim Thorpe had allowed since Week 1 against Schuylkill Haven.

PICKS … O’Toole, St. Hill and Trevor Keefer all had interceptions for Jim Thorpe, which forced five turnovers. “It feels great. We’re showing everyone we’re a real team to contend with,” said O’Toole.

HOCO … Friday was Homecoming night at Jim Thorpe. The court also included Rosenberger’s daughter, Mackenzie. “Homecoming was beautiful. It was nice to see my daughter on the Homecoming court, that was special as well. It was a great win for the Rosenberger family,” the coach said.