The North Schuylkill Spartans pulled off a last-second victory against the Notre Dame Green Pond Crusaders with a final score of 31-29 Friday night.
Both teams displayed incredible resilience and offensive firepower, making for a back-and-forth game that kept fans on the edge of their seats until the final whistle.
Notre Dame Green Pond entered the matchup with a 2-0 start, having defeated Garden Spot 71-61 and Salisbury Township 56-0 in their first two weeks. North Schuylkill, on the other hand, came in with a 1-1 record after a hard-fought win against Mount Carmel in Week 1 and a loss to Tamaqua in Week 2.
The game began with Notre Dame winning the opening toss and opting to receive. However, the Crusaders' first drive ended in a turnover on downs, setting the stage for the Spartans to take an early lead. North Schuylkill's Luke Miller scored on a 22-yard run, followed by an extra point from Gavin Mentzer, putting the Spartans up 7-0 with 4:53 left in the first quarter.
Notre Dame responded quickly, as quarterback Matt Bodnar connected with Alex Clark on a 49-yard pass and run. Kicker Mark Talpas added the extra point, and the game was tied at 7-7 with 3:32 left in the first quarter. The first quarter ended with both teams locked in a 7-7 tie.
The second quarter saw more action as North Schuylkill fumbled early but recovered to regain momentum. With 6:18 remaining in the half, Miller struck again, this time with a 2-yard touchdown run, giving the Spartans a 14-7 lead. However, Notre Dame's Alex Clark answered back with a 6-yard touchdown run of his own. The extra point tied the game at 14-14, and the teams went into halftime deadlocked.
The third quarter opened with another impressive run by Miller, who sprinted 26 yards to the end zone to make it 20-14. In a surprise move, the Spartans executed a fake field goal, with Jake Mogish taking the ball and converting a 2-point play to extend their lead to 22-14.
Not to be outdone, Notre Dame came right back with a touchdown and a 2-point conversion of their own, tying the game once again at 22-22. The teams continued trading blows, with Mentzer's field goal giving North Schuylkill a 25-22 lead late in the game.
Notre Dame’s ensuing drive resulted in a touchdown, putting the Crusaders up 29-25. But the Spartans, led by the hard running of Miller and Kolton Joyce, moved down the field. A costly fumble by North Schuylkill appeared to seal their fate, but the defense stepped up, making a crucial stand on their own 4-yard line to force a turnover on downs.
The Spartans' pushed out to their own 25-yard line through some short passes until Quarterback Caden Mengel launched a deep pass to Miller, who made a remarkable catch and run to the Crusaders' 9-yard line. With just 13 seconds left, the Spartans spiked the ball to stop the clock.
With the game on the line and only 3.4 seconds remaining, Mengel rolled to his right and found Miller crossing to the left around the 3-yard line. Miller caught the ball and fought his way into the end zone as the clock struck zero, sealing a dramatic 31-29 victory for North Schuylkill.
Notre Dame Green Pond entered the matchup with a 2-0 start, having defeated Garden Spot 71-61 and Salisbury Township 56-0 in their first two weeks. North Schuylkill, on the other hand, came in with a 1-1 record after a hard-fought win against Mount Carmel in Week 1 and a loss to Tamaqua in Week 2.
The game began with Notre Dame winning the opening toss and opting to receive. However, the Crusaders' first drive ended in a turnover on downs, setting the stage for the Spartans to take an early lead. North Schuylkill's Luke Miller scored on a 22-yard run, followed by an extra point from Gavin Mentzer, putting the Spartans up 7-0 with 4:53 left in the first quarter.
Notre Dame responded quickly, as quarterback Matt Bodnar connected with Alex Clark on a 49-yard pass and run. Kicker Mark Talpas added the extra point, and the game was tied at 7-7 with 3:32 left in the first quarter. The first quarter ended with both teams locked in a 7-7 tie.
The second quarter saw more action as North Schuylkill fumbled early but recovered to regain momentum. With 6:18 remaining in the half, Miller struck again, this time with a 2-yard touchdown run, giving the Spartans a 14-7 lead. However, Notre Dame's Alex Clark answered back with a 6-yard touchdown run of his own. The extra point tied the game at 14-14, and the teams went into halftime deadlocked.
The third quarter opened with another impressive run by Miller, who sprinted 26 yards to the end zone to make it 20-14. In a surprise move, the Spartans executed a fake field goal, with Jake Mogish taking the ball and converting a 2-point play to extend their lead to 22-14.
Not to be outdone, Notre Dame came right back with a touchdown and a 2-point conversion of their own, tying the game once again at 22-22. The teams continued trading blows, with Mentzer's field goal giving North Schuylkill a 25-22 lead late in the game.
Notre Dame’s ensuing drive resulted in a touchdown, putting the Crusaders up 29-25. But the Spartans, led by the hard running of Miller and Kolton Joyce, moved down the field. A costly fumble by North Schuylkill appeared to seal their fate, but the defense stepped up, making a crucial stand on their own 4-yard line to force a turnover on downs.
The Spartans' pushed out to their own 25-yard line through some short passes until Quarterback Caden Mengel launched a deep pass to Miller, who made a remarkable catch and run to the Crusaders' 9-yard line. With just 13 seconds left, the Spartans spiked the ball to stop the clock.
With the game on the line and only 3.4 seconds remaining, Mengel rolled to his right and found Miller crossing to the left around the 3-yard line. Miller caught the ball and fought his way into the end zone as the clock struck zero, sealing a dramatic 31-29 victory for North Schuylkill.
The win also made Head Coach Wally Hall the school's winningest football coach in the school's history.
North Schuylkill improves to 2-1 on the season and will prepare to travel to Southern Lehigh next Friday night. Meanwhile, Notre Dame Green Pond, now 2-1, will look to bounce back as they return home to face Saucon Valley next week.
North Schuylkill improves to 2-1 on the season and will prepare to travel to Southern Lehigh next Friday night. Meanwhile, Notre Dame Green Pond, now 2-1, will look to bounce back as they return home to face Saucon Valley next week.
