Archive for the “2006 Season” Category

Marian Catholic 21
Jim Thorpe 14

Game Photos
Principal Lesisko Game Photos

Marian outlasts Jim Thorpe to force a 3-way tie for the lead in the Anthracite Football League. Both teams fought extremely hard in a driving rain in front af a huge homecoming crowd at Jim Thorpe. The Red Swarm defense allowed only 50 yards rushing and forced 3 turnovers but was hurt several times on big pass plays. In the end, it was the Colts that capitalized on Thorpe miscues to win the game.The Olympians capped their first possession with a 5-yd TD pass from Craig Zurn to Scott McGonigal. Alex Landon made the extra point to give Thorpe the 7-0 lead. Marian answered later in the first quarter on a 2-yd run by Brad Petrisch.

The Olympians held on to the lead by blocking the extra point leaving the score at 7-6 after one quarter. Jim Thorpe extended the lead to 14-6 at half-time on a 63-yd flea flicker from Zurn to Josh Hontz.

In the 3rd quarter Marian took advantage of good field position to tie the score at 14. Adam Agosti capped the dive with an 8-yd run. A 2-pt conversion pass from Agosti to Petrisch knotted the game.

The game would remain tied for most of the 4th quarter with neither team able to get into an offensive rhythm. The Olympians seemed to be poised to take the lead. With eight minutes remaining in the game, Agosti was sacked and fumbled. Kyle Porembo recovered setting up the Olympians with a first and goal at the Colt 5-yd line. Two running plays field reach the endzone and on third down Travis John made a diving interception in the endzone to end the threat.

The Red Swarm defense stopped the Colts again but Thorpe fumbled the ball away near midfield. A few plays later Agosti connected with Kevin McNavage who avoided two tackles and raced 40 yards to put the Colts up 21-14. With 22 seconds remaining in the game, Craig Zurn scrambled 39 yards to the endzone while avoiding several Colt defenders. The play was negated however on a phantom block in the back penalty. Time expired before the Olympians could run another play.

RUSHING: Marian: Petrisch 26-50, Yorke 2-16, Confer 1-9, King 3-5, Rizzo 1-1, Agosti 11-(-30), JT: Redline 14-40, Garland 1-8, McGonigal 1-5.

PASSING: Marian: Agosti 9-17-1-149, JT: Zurn 7-21-2-154.

RECEIVING: Marian: McNavage 4-84, Stevens 4-33, Petrisch 1-32, JT: Hontz 2-94, McGonigal 2-14, DeBenedittis 1-24, Skaflestad 1-11, Redline 1-11.

If Shenandoah Valley and Marian Catholic both win in week 10, they will share a Tri-Championship with Jim Thorpe (all 3 teams would have an 8-1 league record). All 3 teams have already clinched spots in the District XI playoffs (SV & Marian in A and Thorpe in AA).

Friday 10/27-Tonight’s game against Marian Catholic has been moved up to 6pm to avoid rain.

Welcome to a new feature on the Olympian Football website. This week Jacob & William preview the Anthracite League championship game.

The Marian Colts enter Friday’s game ranked 9th in the state by the Harrisburg Patriot News in single A. The Colts will be fired up after suffering their first loss of the season last week to Shenandoah Valley. Marian dominated the Devils most of the night but 6 turnovers helped SV to a 20-6 victory.

On offense the Colts run and the pass well and are led by QB Adam Agosti, RB Brad Petritsch & WR Kevin McNavage who is also one of the most dangerous kick returners in the state. Division I recruit Mike Ryan anchors the offensive & defensive line.

Marian’s defense is only allowing 8 points per game. NG Matt Mlynek has caused havoc so far this year leaving LBs Josh Butala & Matt Rizzo free to snuff out opponent’s running.

Our Olympians enter the game 8-0 looking to win back the Anthracite Title they held in 2004.

Jacob’s analysis: Defensive struggle early turns into a 10 point Thorpe win with the Red Swarm defense forcing turnovers at key points in the game. Dont be surprised to see a defensive score by the opportunistic JT defense. Front seven shuts down the Colt running game and puts constant pressure on Agosti. Alex Landon continues his kicking success. Final score JT 17, Marian 7. “GO THORPE!”
William’s analysis: Olympians score first and never look back behind a complete team effort. Close game at the half but the team speed of JT takes over in the second half. Late Colt TD ruins bid at shutout. Final score JT 28, Marian 7. Long bus ride home for the Colts. “WE ARE, JIM THORPE!”

JACOB & WILLIAM URGE EVERYONE TO ATTEND THE GAME FRIDAY NIGHT. EVERYONE WEAR RED. WELCOME THE COLTS TO A SEA OF RED! SEE YOU ALL AT THE GAME!

“RED OUT” the Colts this Friday!

The Olympians return home after 3 games on the road. The 8-0 Olympians host the 7-1 Marian Colts on Friday October 27th at 7pm. A win by the Olympians will secure the Anthracite League Championship for Jim Thorpe. Come early and wear red to show your support!

Jim Thorpe 31

Schuylkill Haven 6

The Jim Thorpe offense looked sluggish to start the game and the first quarter ended in a scoreless tie. The game did not remain close for much longer. The Olympian offense got a spark when Corey Cinicola completed a 36 yd pass to Craig Zurn. Just a few plays later, Phil Redline scored on a 7 yd TD run. Two plays into the next Haven possession, Zurn intercepted a pass and returned it for a defensive TD. Alex Landon would cap the first half scoring with a 31 yard field goal. Jim Thorpe held a 17-0 lead at the half.

The Red Swarm defense dominated the Haven offense only allowing 147 total yards and causing 2 fumbles. Robert Mathurin was practically unstoppable on the D-Line for the Olympians. Zach Barkett, the AFL’s leading rusher entering the game, finished the night with only 60 yds on 20 carries.

The Olympians used a balanced offensive attack to move the ball on the Canes. Zurn passed for over 100 yards including a 4 yd TD pass to Josh Hontz in the 3rd quarter that expanded the Thorpe lead to 24-0. Redline led the Olympian rushing attack with 60 yds. Zurn rushed for 56 and Joe Garland added 3 carries for 12 yds in his first game since returning from an injury. Zurn completed 3 passes to Raul DeBenedittis for 66 yds, Hontz caught 2 for 12 yds and Ben Flizack had 1 reception for 21 yds.

Zurn rushed for a 15 yd TD early in the 4th quarter to make the score 31-0. The Hurricanes escaped the shutout with an 8 yard TD run late in the final quarter.

Jim Thorpe 38
Pocono Mountain West 28

Pictures from the game.

Jim Thorpe improves record to 7-0.

Jim Thorpe jumped out to an early 14-0 lead Friday on rushing TDs by Phil Redline and Scott McGonigal. The Panthers dominated the remainder of the half scoring 21 points. PMW quarterback Jon Mangual had a tremendous game throwing for 216 yards and evading the JT rush.

JT trailed for the first time this season 21-14 at the half. The Olympians regrouped at the half and scored 17 3rd quarter points. The Red Swarm defense set up the Thorpe offense forcing back-to-back turnovers on Panther drives. Corey Cinicola, making his first career start, threw a 27yd TD pass to Raul DeBenedittis to tie the score at 21. Redline would score his 2nd rushing TD on the next JT possession to give the Olympians a lead they would not relinquish.

Alex Landon connected on his first field goal of the year to expand the JT lead to 31-21. Redline scored a 3rd rushing TD in the 4th quarter to make the score 38-21. The Panthers would not quit and drove for a TD of their own to cut the Thorpe lead to 38-28 with under 5 minutes to play.

An onside kick attempt by PMW was recovered by Mike Thomas. The Olympians would be forced to punt and made a final defensive stand to preserve the win for the Olympians. Cinicola finished 8-15 for 146yds 1td and 2 ints. His main target was Josh Hontz with 4 receptions for 61yds.

Redline had a huge game on the ground carrying 32 times for 135 yds and 3 scores. The Red Swarm defense played a tremendous second half containing Mangual who was so elusive in the first half.

NEXT GAME

7pm Friday October 20th at Schuylkill Haven

Minersville 20
Jim Thorpe 7

The loss drops the Olympian JVs to 3-2 on the season. JT fumbled the first snap of the game and 1 play later Minersville grabbed a 6-0 lead on a 25yd touchdown pass. Later in the first quarter Tony Mistretta would score the only Thorpe TD on a 35yd run. Andrew Watterson made the extra point and JT held the lead at half 7-6.

The JT offense would not be consistent for the rest of the evening. Billy Rieck had a 25yd reception on a screen pass from Kyle Busocker. Busocker also had a long cut-back run late in the 3rd quarter. On defense, Nate Jones intercepted a pass and the Olympians recovered 2 fumbles. The Olympians could not contain the Minersville running attack. A third quarter score pushed the Miner lead to 12-7 and the Miners secured the game with another rushing TD late in the 4th quarter.

NEXT JV GAME
5pm Monday October 16th at home vs Pocono Mtn West.

Shenandoah 30
Jim Thorpe 20 The Olympian JVs fell to Shenandoah 30-20 on Monday. The Devils hit several big plays and took advantage of poor JT tackling to come away with the victory. Jim Thorpe failed to convert a 4th and 1 on their first possession. Shenandoah connected on a halfback pass on their first offensive play for a 55 yard touchdown to take a 6-0 lead.

Olympian defense would even the score later in the first quarter when Tom Hartman intercepted a screen pass and returned it 35 yards for a TD. The try for 2 failed leaving the score at 6-6. Another SV drive was stopped in the first half by a CJ Lehman interception. JT would take a 12-6 lead when Corey Cinicola connected with Nate Jones late in the 2nd quarter.

The Devils regained the lead just before the half on a 65 yard fade. The 2 pt conversion failed but a JT penalty on the try allowed another attempt. SV scored to make the score 14-12 at the half. SV opened the 2nd half with a long drive for a TD which was aided by JT missed tackles. After the 2 pt conversion the Devils lead was 22-12.

On their next drive the Olympians answered when Tom Ferguson raced 45 yards on a toss to cut the SV lead to 22-18. JT got hard inside running from Bill Rieck and Kyle Busocker and Ferguson continued his success to the outside. Ralph Bertrand led the Olympians with 3 receptions.

The JT defense played well at times with Tony Mistretta recording to tackle for a loss and a big sack by Josh Strohl. The Olympians seemed to take a 24-22 lead late in the 3rd quarter but a holding call negated the score. That drive stalled setting up another big play for the Devils. The SV QB connected on a passs over the middle which was misplayed by the JT defense. The Devil receiver raced 50 yards for the score extending the SV lead to 30-18.

The Olympians threatened one last time but SV intercepted a 4th down pass at the one yard line with 4 minutes remaining. SV would take a safety on 4th down to make the score 30-20 with under 2 minutes remaining.

NEXT JV GAME
Monday 10/09/2006 5pm at home vs Minersville

Olympians dismantle Battlin Miners upping their record to a perfect 6-0. Through most of the first 2 quarters, the Olympian offense controlled the ball driving for 2 scores and a 14-0 lead. Between the 2 scoring drives, Kyle Porembo halted a Minersville drive with a 3rd down interception.

With under 3 minutes remaining in the half, JT QB Craig Zurn was tossed from the game by an overzealous official on a controversial call. They Minersville team and crowd erupted into a deafening roar. The Miners believed that without Zurn, the Olympians would quit.

They couldn’t have been more wrong. Freshman backup QB Corey Cinicola replaced Zurn and the Olympian dominance continued. JT rode balanced offense (101 yards rushing & 121 yards passing) and a stifling Red Swarm defense (forcing 7 turnovers) to a 28-6 AFL victory.

The Miners offense was held in check the entire night with the exception of one big play in the 3rd quarter. A 97 yd TD run by the Minersville QB cut the Thorpe lead to 14-6. On the ensuing kickoff the Olympians were pinned inside their own 5 yd line but the Miners would not be able to take advantage of the field position.

After a scoreless 3rd quarter, Cinicola threw his first varsity TD pass to TE Ben Flizack to extend the lead to 21-6. Just seconds later the Olympians special teams would slam the door on any Minersville hopes. The Miners fumbled the kickoff return which was scooped up by Raul DeBenedittis who raced 24 yards for the final TD of the game. Alex Landon was a perfect 4-4 on PAT attempts.

“Jim Thorpe Pride” overcame adversity as the entire team stepped up in a tough situation. The Olympians never lost their intensity and kept their composure throughout the contest. The Red Swarm was dominant again allowing only 60 yards of offense outside the one Minersville TD run. The Thorpe pass defense stepped up after allowing over 100 yards each of the previous 2 weeks. Miner receivers caught just 3 of 17 pass attempts for 33 yards while the JT defense had 4 interceptions (Eric Busocker 2, Porembo & Josh Hontz).

The Thorpe offense had many contributors. The O-line (Bradley, Andrews, Malatak, Mathurin, Zayas & Mertz) protected Thorpe QBs, giving them time to complete 73% of their passes (Zurn 5-7-0-86 & Cinicola 3-4-1-35). Josh Hontz was the leading receiver catching 4 passes for 71 yards (Redline 2-30, McGonigal 1-11 & Flizack 1-9-1TD). The Olympians rushed for over 100 yards (Phil Redline 25-64-1TD, Scott McGonigal 12-24-1TD, Zurn 9-12, Porembo 1-5).

NEXT GAME

7pm Friday Ocober 13th at Pocono Mountain West

So, another win. But this win is extra special because the team overcame incredible odds with yard after yard and converted turnover after converted turnover. The Miners cheap-shot Jake Zurn early in the game which had the desired affect of getting Craig riled up. Craig went too far, sure, but he was only looking out after his brother.

But, the Olympians didn’t even blink. They lost their star quarterback and STILL dominated the Battlin’ Miners. The Miners couldn’t hold onto the ball and the Olympians were there every time with the big conversion. The Red Swarm was absolutely bullet-proof.

And then there’s #9 freshman quarterback Corey Cinicola — how impressive was this kid’s performance? He had to have been nervous. I know I was. And, yet, he kept his cool and made the plays. He fit with the offensive line and didn’t play like a back-up. He played like a leader.

I’ll say it again, OMG. We were screaming our hearts out in the stands and even though the team can’t really hear us, we decided it makes us feel better. Check out the photos from tonight’s game here. I don’t know why the pictures are dark. I really need some lessons from Principal Lesisko!
So, fans, nurse those sore throats and get ready for Pocono Mountain West next Friday.

Better yet, stop by the JV game on Monday at 5 p.m. Minersville gets to come to our house this time.

Go Thorpe!