In their annual Week 10 matchup, the North Schuylkill Spartans continued their winning momentum, shutting out the Pottsville Area Crimson Tide in a dominant 36-0 victory Friday night.
The Spartans, coming off a three-game winning streak, improved their record to 7-3 as they head into the District XI Class 3A playoffs, while Pottsville, now 5-5, prepares for the Class 4A playoffs.
The game kicked off with intense defensive efforts from both teams. However, North Schuylkill’s Cooper Carl provided the night’s first major spark, intercepting a Pottsville pass with 9:38 remaining in the first quarter. Though the Spartans didn’t capitalize with points immediately, the interception established the tone for a confident North Schuylkill defense.
With just seconds left in the opening quarter, kicker Gavin Mentzer booted a 27-yard field goal, giving the Spartans an early 3-0 edge. Mentzer would add another field goal midway through the second quarter, this time from 34 yards, extending North Schuylkill’s lead to 6-0.
In the closing seconds of the first half, Luke Miller powered through Pottsville’s defense, scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run to push the Spartans’ lead to 12-0 going into halftime. A failed two-point conversion kept Pottsville within two possessions, but the Crimson Tide struggled to find momentum against a locked-in Spartans defense.
The Spartans came out strong in the second half. With 11 minutes left in the third quarter, Miller came up big again, intercepting a Pottsville pass that set up a 73-yard touchdown bomb from quarterback Caden Mengel to receiver Landen Smith. The successful extra point from Mentzer made it 19-0. Pottsville’s next drive ended in a turnover on downs at the North Schuylkill 18-yard line, and the Spartans marched down the field once more, capped by Miller’s second 1-yard touchdown run of the night, lifting the lead to 26-0 with the extra point.
In the fourth quarter, Mengel and Smith connected again, this time for a stunning 56-yard touchdown pass, stretching North Schuylkill’s lead to 33-0. Mentzer added his third field goal of the game late in the quarter, making it a final score of 36-0.
The game took a tense turn in the final quarter as a helmet-to-helmet collision between North Schuylkill’s Miller and Pottsville’s Tsirell Curry resulted in Curry’s ejection. Miller was taken out of the game for medical evaluation following the hit but was seen in good spirits with trainers post-game.
Both teams now set their sights on postseason play. North Schuylkill, the No. 3 seed in the Class 3A District XI playoffs, will face Notre Dame Green Pond next week, whom they defeated earlier this season in a close 31-29 game. Pottsville, seeded fifth in Class 4A, will play Allentown Central Catholic as they aim to bounce back from Friday's loss.
