Thorpe’s Selby MVP in North win

SCHUYLKILL HAVEN – CJ Selby was a workhorse for Jim Thorpe this season, piling up staggering statistics on his way to becoming the school’s all-time leading rusher.

Selby showed he still had plenty of gas left in the tank for another monster performance after leading the North to a 28-17 win over the South in Wednesday’s Schuylkill County Football Coaches Association Senior All-Star game.

On a night where many of the league’s best were recognized for their accomplishments, it was Selby who shined the brightest, rushing for 105 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown, and also throwing a 51-yard strike to fellow Olympian Noah Snisky to earn MVP honors for the North.

“It’s obviously really cool to come out with the MVP,” said Selby. “But it wasn’t just me who earned it; we all did a little bit of work to get this. Obviously, my line was doing great up front; the receivers were blocking downfield; and I also had Noah (Snisky) who caught the big pass down the field.

“That was all exciting stuff. We all worked hard. We earned it together.”

Selby capped a long opening drive with a 2-yard plunge to give the North a 7-0 lead. After a 5-yard run on 4th-and-2 on the next possession, Selby took a pitch and found Snisky downfield for a 51-yard score to give the North a 14-7 advantage.

“It’s fun. It’s a fun play,” Selby said of the connection. “I was kind of throwing it at the coaches, and I said, ‘We need to do the play at least once.’

“And we ended up scoring a touchdown on it so it was very exciting, very exciting to experience.”

Schuylkilll Haven standout Kobe Brish was selected as the MVP for the South. Brish finished with six catches for 85 yards, catching a 29-yard touchdown pass from Minersville quarterback Scott Schwalm (7-of-11, 87 yards) to tie it at 7-7 in the first quarter. He also returned the opening kickoff of the second half for a touchdown, a run that put the South up 17-14.

The North went ahead on a 5-yard score by Lehighton’s Kyle Mayernik (seven carries, 18 yards) in the third quarter to make it 21-17. A 2-yard plunge from Marian’s Mason Miller (two carries, nine yards) with 5:26 left in the fourth sealed the win.

“It’s always a great experience,” said Panther Valley’s Rick Jones, who coached the North. “I’m so happy for the kids from Shenandoah and Marian, who have had such a tough couple of years. And the kids were great. It was just a very clean football game, which I was very happy with.”

The Panthers’ Blake White had three catches for 51 yards, while teammate Elias Tavares added 41 yards rushing on four carries.

“It was good,” said White. “It was a new experience with different coaches and doing different things. But it was just a lot of fun and a good experience.”

All of White’s catches came from Miller, who enjoyed the opportunity to lineup with players he’s been across from for the past four years.

“I knew coming into this that it was going to be fun, but I also knew it was going to be an actual football game, and that’s what it was,” said Miller. “It was fun having the opportunity to win as a team with kids that you don’t normally play with.”

The North squad piled up 336 yards of total offense – including 234 on the ground – while holding the South to just 131 yards and four first downs.

North Schuylkill’s Tyler Elsdon had seven carries for 45 yards for the North.

“I love everybody on the North,” added Selby. “We’re all like a family. We were together for two weeks, and we’re all really close now. It’s really great, and I couldn’t have asked for a better team.”

LASTING IMPACT … With their legacies firmly established, the annual Thanksgiving-eve contest was a chance for several players to set an example for some underclassmen who might be making the trip to Schuylkill Haven’s Rotary Field next season. “I want them to be able to be mentally and physically tough,” said Lehighton’s Brett Gasker. “As seniors, we showed them to play that way. And to play Lehighton football, which is playing the game hard.”

RECOGNIZED … With its PIAA Class 3A semifinal coming up tonight, Tamaqua players did not participate in Wednesday’s game, though those who were selected were recognized during pregame introductions.

BIG BOOT … Schuylkill Haven’s Gavin Evitts drilled a 41-yard field goal for the South midway through the second quarter to cut the deficit to 14-10, a score that held into halftime.

NICE TOUCH … A moment of silence was observed prior to the game for North Schuylkill quarterback Jaden Leiby, who was injured against Pottsville on Oct. 25.

HEY NOW, YOU’RE AN ALL STAR ... The following area players were selected for the game: Tamaqua – Matt Kistler, Brayden Knoblauch, Nate Boyle, Jake Barron, Sean Lavine, Pierce Demetriades, Bronson Strouse and Jared Reed; Marian – Mason Miller, Jared Spalti, Hunter Shimko, Nick Goff, Lucca Stroia and Jared Wimmer; Jim Thorpe – Noah Snisky, CJ Selby, Cobe Frycklund, Kendall Herron, Dominic Madera and TJ Garritano; Lehighton – Brett Gasker, Devin Greene and Kyle Mayernik; Panther Valley – Shawn Hoben, Ethan Reis, Ben Sheridan, Elias Tavares and Blake White.