Football Preview: Minersville Battlin' Miners vs. Marian Catholic
Minersville has gone 8-2 against Marian Catholic recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Minersville Battlin' Miners will be playing in front of their home fans against Marian Catholic at 6:00 p.m. Minersville knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 31 points or more in their past five contests -- so hopefully Marian Catholic likes a good challenge.
Marian Catholic is facing Minersville at the wrong time: Minersville suffered their first home loss of the season on Thursday and they're likely out for redemption. They lost 72-52 to the Hurricanes. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game two weeks ago (36), the Battlin' Miners still had to take the loss.
Minersville might have lost, but man, Dante Carr was a machine: he rushed for 143 yards and four touchdowns on only 13 carries, and also threw for 403 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 14.9 yards per attempt. Carr's longest rush was for an impressive 55 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total. Another player making a difference was Paiten LaPoint, who picked up 166 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Minersville wouldn't let Schuylkill Haven keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Minersville can thank Owen Fortna and Jake Kavanaugh for forcing both of them. Fortna is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made five or more in the last four games he's played dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Marian Catholic entered their matchup against Mahanoy Area on Saturday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. Marian Catholic took a 26-7 bruising from Mahanoy Area. Having soared to a lofty 47 points in the game before, Marian Catholic couldn't push the score so high this time.
Despite the loss, Marian Catholic saw an underclassman step up: Rory Dixon rushed for 144 yards and a touchdown.
Even if they lost, Marian Catholic's defense still kept up the pressure with three sacks. Leading the way was Chase Hower with two.
Minersville's defeat ended a six-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 3-2. As for Marian Catholic, their loss dropped their record down to an identical 3-2.
Friday's game might be decided in the on the ground. Minersville has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 218.2 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Marian Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging 183.8. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Minersville strolled past Marian Catholic in their previous matchup back in November of 2023 by a score of 28-12. Does Minersville have another victory up their sleeve, or will Marian Catholic turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
