North Schuylkill blanks MCA in Pennsylvania

Every battle in the Coal Region seems to mean a little something extra. Shamokin Area (Coal Township) vs. Southern Columbia Area (Catawissa). Southern Columbia vs. Mount Carmel. The battle for the Coal Bucket with Shamokin and Mount Carmel.

Add North Schuylkill (Ashland) to that list after its impressive 34-0 performance over Mount Carmel last Friday night in Fountain Springs.

"Every kid played great tonight," North Schuylkill head coach Rick Geist told The News-Item in Shamokin. "That's Spartan football - be physical and then try to run them over on offense.”

North Schuylkill’s defense was strong. Mount Carmel only had five first downs and a total of 84 rushing yards, according to the Shamokin News-Item.

"The coaches helped a lot with film study. They pointed out all the plays, so I knew exactly what I was doing," said Mike Shinkus, who had 19 tackles and two sacks.

It was Mount Carmel’s second loss of the 2010 season.

"We just never controlled it," MCA head coach Carm DeFrancesco told the newspaper. "They just overwhelmed us. I have to watch the film, but it seemed like Eddy (Pavalko) didn't have any time. He was on his heels all night. And we just never got into a flow offensively. So as a coaching staff, we were trying to grab at things instead of getting a rhythm going."

2. Lakeland tops rival Dunmore: It is typical Lakeland (Jermyn) Chief football. Run, run and run some more. The Chiefs ran the football 49 times and chewed up 236 yards on the ground as Lakeland clipped rival Dunmore 13-6 Friday night, according to the Scranton Times-Tribune. Lakeland junior Ryan Nichols ran for 122 yards and two scores, both in the third quarter, to put the Chiefs up 13-0. Dunmore's lone score was a 64-yard TD reception by John Rinaldi. "They have kicked the snot out of us the last couple of years. We weren’t going to have that again,” Dunmore’s Matt Boyarsky told the Scranton newspaper.

3. Lake-Lehman upsets GAR: Cross off Wilkes-Barre GAR from the ranks of the unbeatens as rival Lake-Lehman (Lehman) used a Bryan Mathers' 32-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter for a 20-16 win, according to the Wilkes-Barre Citizen's Voice. Touchdowns by Shaliek Powell and Darrell Crawford put GAR up 14-0 in the second quarter, but the Knights rallied for the win. “Their defense outplayed our offense,” GAR coach Paul Wiedlich, Jr. told the newspaper. "They caused a lot of confusion up front with their backers coming. We prepared for it, but in a game things happen. Our kids played to the best of their ability. They were just a little bit better today.”

4. Bellefonte takes Allegheny battle: A surprising loss at Lewistown two weeks ago raised some eyebrows about Bellefonte. A victory at Huntingdon in Week 6, coupled with last week’s 41-21 victory over Indian Valley, put the Raiders back on the map in the Allegheny Division. "Tonight we were able to come out, get into a dog fight and be able to play," Bellefonte coach Duffy Besch said. "We took an extra step tonight and for these kids, it is a big step as well as for the program. They gave it their heart and played 48 minutes of football." Bellefonte’s defense was strong, creating five turnovers and scoring on a 12-yard fumble return by Wes Ritchey. The Raiders' schedule is brutal down the stretch as Quad-A Central Mountain comes to town Friday, followed by an away matchup at state-ranked Clearfield Area.

5. Bellwood-Antis rolling along: After an opening-season loss to Tyrone, Bellwood-Antis (Bellwood) continues to roll through the regular season. The Devils picked up their sixth straight win as two touchdown passes from Luke Evans gave Bellwood a 14-0 lead and the team cruised past Glendale, 41-14, according to the Altoona Mirror. Travis Taylor reached the end zone twice in the second half, while Casey Gray had an 83-yard kickoff return. "The kids played a pretty big game,” Bellwood coach John Hayes told the newspaper. “We got that big punt return right away. Kids got to dare to be great. I thought the play was over. The next thing I know, he’s running down there in front of me. I’m really happy.” Of Bellwood’s six wins, five have been by the mercy rule.

Top Games for Week 8
District 2
1. Abington Heights (Clarks Summit) at West Scranton (Scranton)
2. Wilkes-Barre GAR at Wyoming Area (Exeter)
District 4
1. Southern Columbia at Loyalsock Township. (Williamsport)
2. Danville at Shamokin Area
District 6
1. Central Mountain (Mill Hall) at Bellefonte
2. Greater Johnstown (Johnstown) at Penn Cambria (Cresson)

Fox’s Top 10
(Rankings based on Central and Northeastern Pa. Last week’s ranking and result after school name)
1. Abington Heights, 1, beat Scranton Prep, 28-0
2. North Schuylkill, 2, beat Mount Carmel Area, 34-0
3. Lewisburg, 3, beat Warrior Run, 48-28
4. Danville, 8, beat Southern Columbia, 28-18
5. Tyrone, 5, beat Bald Eagle Area, 21-0
6. Riverside (Taylor), 6, beat Honesdale, 42-0
7. Forest Hills (Sidman), 7, beat Penn Cambria, 34-6
8. Dallas, 9, beat Crestwood, 28-20
9. West Scranton (Scranton), 10, beat Wallenpaupack, 35-21
10. Southern Columbia, 4, lost to Danville, 28-18

Honorable Mention: North Pocono (Moscow), Williamsport, Dunmore, Bellwood-Antis, Bloomsburg, WB GAR, Greater Johnstown Area, Towanda, Bishop Carroll (Ebensburg), Mount Carmel Area, Lakeland, Valley View, Lake-Lehman, Bellefonte Area.

Tom Fox is sports editor at The Lock Haven (Pa.) Express and covers Central and Northeastern Pa. for MaxPreps. He can be reached at tfox@lockhaven.com.