Williams Valley is 7-2 against Minersville since September of 2016 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Saturday. The Vikings will be playing at home against the Battlin' Miners at 6:00 p.m. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Williams Valley sitting on five straight victories and Minersville on six.
Williams Valley is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Saturday. They blew past Executive Education Academy Charter School 42-13. Considering the Vikings have won eight matchups by more than 20 points this season, Saturday's blowout was nothing new.
Fletcher Thompson
| 11/01/25 vs Executive Education Academy Charter School | 162 |
| 10/24/25 vs Pine Grove | 129 |
| 10/17/25 @ Shenandoah Valley | 173 |
| 10/10/25 @ Marian Catholic | 130 |
Williams Valley can attribute much of their success to Fletcher Thompson, who gained 200 total yards and three touchdowns, and Brady Shomper, who rushed for 82 yards and a pair of scores on only ten carries. Thompson's rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his fourth straight game with at least 129 rushing yards. The team also got some help courtesy of Evan Achenbach, who picked up 29 receiving yards and two TDs.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Williams Valley was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 297 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 160 rushing yards in 19 consecutive contests dating back to last season.
Williams Valley's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB three times. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Trevon Bair, Cole Hubler, and Eli Weiss, who each picked up one sack apiece.
Meanwhile, Minersville's game on Saturday was all tied up 21-21 at the half, but luckily for them it didn't stay that way. They came out on top against Pen Argyl by a score of 35-27.
Williams Valley better keep an eye on Dante Carr. He was instrumental in Minersville's win, rushing for 300 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 14.3 yards per carry. With that strong performance, Carr is now averaging an impressive 113.8 rushing yards per game. Minersville also got a significant boost from Derek Derenzo, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 130 yards.
Minersville didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Paiten Lapoint and Justin Cutler.
Minersville's win bumped their record up to 9-2. As for Williams Valley, their victory bumped their record up to 10-1.
Saturday's game might be decided on the ground. Williams Valley has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 264.2 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Minersville struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 196.8 rushing yards. There's a good chance Saturday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Williams Valley came out on top in a nail-biter against Minersville when the teams last played back in September, sneaking past 43-40. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Carr, who rushed for 179 yards and three scores while picking up 10.5 yards per carry, and also threw for 217 yards and three TDs on only 18 passes. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will the Vikings still be able to contain Carr? There's only one way to find out.
