Pottsville visits Blue Mountain for Clash of 61

Pottsville's Brody Herndon (4) finds a running lane during last week's game against Wilson Area. (Photo by Danie Mae Photography)

Storylines abound.

When Pottsville visits Blue Mountain tonight for the 13^th annual Clash of 61 rivalry game, both teams will have plenty to play for.

At the center is the clash between the two largest schools in Schuylkill County, separated by a mere eight miles, and the bragging rights that go to the winner. The overall series has been played for many decades, with this edition set for the new turf at the Eagles’ Nest.

(The game will air live on WPPA 1360 AM and A-106/105.9 FM, beginning with pregame at 6:45 p.m. and kickoff at 7 p.m.)

Pottsville leads the all-time series, which started in 1960, 45-15. The Clash, which began in 2012, is tied 6-6.

These players and coaches know each other well, make that very well. They’ve seen each other on the baseball diamond, basketball court, wrestling mat and elsewhere.

“What makes this rivalry so special is the close proximity of the two schools,’’ Blue Mountain coach Tom Gallagher said. “The players know one another and have competed against each other in numerous sports growing up, so that makes it fun. Now they get a chance to go against one another on a Friday night with their classmates and communities supporting them, and it is a great atmosphere. You try to get your players to understand that it’s important to keep emotions in check for a game like this and remain focused and disciplined.’’

Pottsville coach Mike Brennan agreed.

“It’s exciting for both schools and both communities,’’ Brennan said. “Our kids take it very seriously. There’s a lot of crossover with other sports for our players and their players, so it’s always an exciting game.’’

The outcome of tonight’s game will also have a major impact on the District 11 Class 4A points race. Both Blue Mountain and Pottsville are safely in the eight-team postseason field, but the Eagles and Tide are jockeying for better seeds and potential home playoff games.

Entering the week, Southern Lehigh (7-1) topped the class with a .7200 rating. Blue Mountain is second at .6420, just ahead of No. 3 Bethlehem Catholic (4-4) at .6259. Allentown Central Catholic (3-5) rounds out the top four at .5630.

Pottsville stands in fifth place at .5198, with Lehighton (3-5) sixth at .4659. Seventh is East Stroudsburg North (3-5) at .4642 and eighth is Jim Thorpe (2-6) at .3969. As of now, Blue Mountain would host East Stroudsburg North and Pottsville would travel to ACC in the quarterfinals the weekend of Oct. 31 to Nov. 2.

“That’s not anything we need to think about. We can remain in the present,’’ Brennan said. “We know we’re going to be in and get an opportunity to play in Week 11. However the seedings shake down, they shake down. We have no control over that. … We just have to worry about going out and playing Blue Mountain this particular week.’’

Blue Mountain (6-2, 5-2 Red) is coming off a 38-14 loss to North Schuylkill last Thursday night. In that game, the Eagles turned the ball over six times with five interceptions and a fumble.

“Coming off a loss requires you to learn,’’ Gallagher said. “We are going to learn what kind of team we really are by the way we respond. Our mindset is to come out and show poise, show discipline in our approach in all three phases of the game. Both teams are going to start fast and start with a lot of intensity. We are more concerned with how our focus is once the adrenaline wears off. That is where discipline and focus can be a difference-maker. Come out and execute, each person doing their job one play a time.’’

Before the North Schuylkill game, junior quarterback Brady Strause had taken care of the ball well. For the season, he has completed 77-of-139 passes (57.5 %) for 1,440 yards with 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

Senior Tyler Stahley is the featured running back, rushing 122 times for 762 yards and 10 TDs. He averages 6.2 yards per carry. The Eagles use a lot of backs, as 15 different players have at least one rush this season.

Senior Gaige Guers is a multiple threat. He leads the team with 28 receptions for 516 yards and 5 TDs and has intercepted four passes on defense.

Senior Bradley Renninger (21-475, 5 TDs) is an effective receiver as well. Renninger also has four sacks on defense.

Junior Reese Miller (62 tackes, 6 sacks) sparks the Blue Mountain defense, with senior Lane Noecker (43 tackles) around the ball a lot, too.

“They’re very active. Reese Miller is probably the best defensive player I’ve seen all year,’’ Brennan said. “Outstanding. All over the field.

“They present challenges on both sides of the ball.’’

Pottsville (4-4, 4-3 Red) counters with sophomore quarterback Andrew Allen, who has completed 91-of-153 passes (59.4%) for 1,333 yards with 11 touchdowns and six interceptions.

His main targets are senior Tsirell Curry (36-701, 5 TDs), senior Letrel Montone (20-281, 4 TDs) and junior Christian Alvarez (13-215). Curry is a multiple threat, scoring on a punt return, an interception return and a reception last week.

The big question mark for Pottsville is at running back. Junior JuJu Bainbridge (98-667, 9 TDs) missed last week’s game with an injury. He’s listed as doubtful. Backup Evan Galavage is out with an injury. That means juniors Brody Herndon and Brett Holley and seniors Gage Hammer and Brayden Evans will share snaps in the backfield.

“We’re not right now,’’ Brennan said when asked about his team’s health. “It’s a day-by-day thing. That’s very important. We’re not a deep enough football team to not have all of our pieces of the puzzle in place. That’s certainly a challenge. … Right now we’re not as healthy as we need to be.’’

Defensively, Evans is the Tide’s top tackler, while sophomore Shay Strencosky (5 interceptions) and Curry (4 interceptions) have been ball hawks.

“Pottsville offensively has done a great job in the balance of their offense,’’ Gallagher said. “They have shown they can spread the ball around and do a great job in their play designs, making it difficult for a defense to predict what they will run. Defensively, they bring pressure from all over the place and have a nice group of athletes behind their front to make it difficult to find open areas, whether it be running or throwing the football.’’

After traveling to Blue Mountain, Pottsville finishes the regular season with another road game against another Schuylkill League rival in North Schuylkill. Meanwhile, Blue Mountain will travel to Tamaqua in Week 10.

“I’m looking forward to it, but for us, it’s more about us and our program development,’’ Brennan said of tonight’s game. “We’ve been building toward this point, building toward the rivalry games at the end of the season and the postseason. We set that as a measuring stick. Where are we going to be? How much better can we get at this point? Well, that point has arrived. It’s going to be a good week to figure out how far we’ve come as a program.

“I think we’ve come far,’’ Brennan added. “Our kids have done a lot of good things and worked really hard to put us in position to be successful at this time of year. It’s time to line up and have the opportunity to show it.’’