Nativity BVM hasn't had much luck against Minersville recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Green Wave will welcome the Battlin' Miners at 7:00 p.m. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Nativity BVM will bounce into Friday's matchup after beating Mahanoy Area, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. The Green Wave strolled past the Golden Bears with points to spare on Friday, taking the game 20-6. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Green Wave.
Meanwhile, Minersville got themselves on the board against Pine Grove on Friday, but Pine Grove never followed suit. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Cardinals 43-0. Considering the Battlin' Miners have won five games by more than 21 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Nativity BVM better keep an eye on Dante Carr. He was instrumental in Minersville's win, rushing for 66 yards and a pair of TDs on only six carries, while also throwing for 140 yards and two touchdowns while completing 75% of his passes. What's more, Carr racked up 140.6 passer rating, the most he's had since back in October of 2024. Another player making a difference was Paiten Lapoint, who gained 85 total yards and two touchdowns.
Minersville's run defense was locked in: Pine Grove could only muster 2.6 yards per carry. While two picked up at least nine total tackles, Derek Derenzo stood above the rest. He rushed for 50 yards and one score. Minersville didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 6.8.
Minersville didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Anthony Bowers.
Nativity BVM now has a winning record of 4-3. As for Minersville, their victory bumped their record up to 5-2.
Nativity BVM suffered a grim 49-28 defeat to Minersville in their previous meeting back in October of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Carr, who rushed for 207 yards and five touchdowns on only 15 carries, and also threw for 177 yards and a pair of TDs. Now that the Green Wave know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
