Minersville's Justin Cutler (19) and Derek Derenzo (12) attempt to tackle Williams Valley's Fletcher Thompson (Photo by Kelly Wiley).

MINERSVILLE — Williams Valley and Minersville went punch for punch Friday night, but only the Vikings remained unbeaten.

Brady Shomper, Fletcher Thompson and Trevon Bair paced Williams Valley’s running attack as the Vikings defeated the Battlin’ Miners 43-40 in a Schuylkill-Colonial Blue Division game at Veterans Memorial Stadium that turned into an absolute heavyweight battle.

“We knew coming into this game that we didn’t want to throw the ball much,” Vikings coach Stephen Sedesse said. “We wanted to go to our ground game, chew the clock, keep the ball away from Minersville’s offense. You obviously saw what happens when (Dante) Carr has the ball in his hands. Just a little bit of game planning there, but you can only do so much. He’s going to make his plays.”

Shomper, a senior quarterback, rushed 22 times for 125 yards and two touchdowns, and added another through the air. Thompson, a sophomore running back, collected 166 yards and two rushing TDs, while Bair chipped in six rushes for 40 yards and was vital in short-yardage scenarios.

The action started fast as Blazer Lords hauled in a 19-yard touchdown pass from Shomper on the Vikings’ opening drive. Minersville wasted no time answering when Dante Carr connected with Paiten LaPoint for a 51-yard score less than a minute later.

Williams Valley (4-0, 3-0 Blue) went back on top on a 15-yard run from Thompson, then stretched the lead when Shomper scored on a 1-yard keeper. Carr kept Minersville (3-1, 2-1 Blue) in it with a 37-yard touchdown run before halftime, putting the Vikings up 22-14 at the break.

Special teams gave the Battlin’ Miners life in the second half. Jordan Bowers executed a high-chopping onside kick that was recovered by Ty Atkinson late in the third quarter, setting up a 37-yard touchdown run by Carr early in the fourth on the second play of the drive.

Shomper scored again on an 8-yard run, and Thompson broke free for a 64-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter to keep the Vikings on top. Minersville rallied as Carr hit Derek Derenzo on a 63-yard strike and later added a 2-yard scoring run before Bowers went back to the well and executed another onside kick. With a full head of steam from the Battlin’ Miners, Brandon Adams emerged with the football.

With 3:30 remaining in the contest and Williams Valley leading 43-40, Minersville had an opportunity to take its first lead of the game or set up overtime.

A holding call, followed by a pair of no-gains, left the Miners facing third-and-20 near midfield. Carr scrambled for a few yards but lost his helmet, forcing him to the sideline for Minersville’s fourth-and-15 attempt to keep the game alive. Derenzo stepped in under center and gave a valiant rush but was stopped short of the first-down marker by a host of Vikings.

“It was huge for us to try to get pressure,” Sedesse said. “We would’ve liked a little more pressure up the middle. Where we lacked, (Minersville) was able to find some creases and make some long runs.”

Shomper and Williams Valley were able to kneel out the clock, as Minersville had burned a timeout earlier in the half and was out of opportunities.

Carr paced Minersville with 179 rushing yards and three scores while also throwing for 217 yards and three touchdowns. Derenzo caught three passes for 61 yards, while Matt Dube pulled in five receptions for 60 yards.

The Battlin’ Miners travel to Schuylkill Haven on Thursday, while the Vikings hit the road to take on Tri-Valley on Friday.

Game Summary

Williams Valley 43, Minersville 40

WV (4-0, 3-0) 14  8   7   14 — 43

Min (3-1, 2-1)  7   7    6   26 — 40

WV — Lords 19 pass from Shomper (Smeltz kick)

Min — LaPoint 51 pass from Carr (Bowers kick)

WV — Thompson 15 run (Smeltz kick)

Min — Carr 37 run (Bowers kick)

WV — Shomper 1 run (Smeltz kick)

Min — Dube 20 pass from Carr (run failed)

Min — Carr 37 run (pass failed)

WV — Shomper 8 run (Smeltz kick)

Min — Derenzo 63 pass from Carr (Bowers kick)

WV — Thompson 64 run (Smeltz kick)

Min — Carr 2 run (Bowers kick)

Team Statistics

WV-Min

First Downs —- 17  15

Rushes-Yards — 45-331  23-202

Passes —- 3-3-0  12-18-1

Passing Yards —- 41  217

Total Yards —- 372  414

Fumbles/Lost —- 0-0  0-0

Penalties — 1-10  10-65

Individual Statistics

RUSHING: Williams Valley — Thompson 17-166, Shomper 22-125, Bair 6-40. Minersville — Carr 17-179, Derenzo 4-18, LaPoint 1-5, Allen 1-0

PASSING: Williams Valley —- Shomper 3-3-0, 41. Minersville — Carr 12-18-1, 217.

RECEIVING: Williams Valley — Lords 1-20, Thompson 1-19, Achenbach 1-11. Minersville — Derenzo 3-61, Dube 5-60, LaPoint 2-56, Cutler 2-30.

INTERCEPTIONS: Williams Valley — Crisswell. Minersville — None.