HS Football: Pottsville looks to rebound against Wilson Area

Pottsville plays Bangor on Sept. 12, 2025. (Photo by Jocelyn Barrett / Danie Mae Photography)

POTTSVILLE — Pottsville’s football team needs something to go its way.

It’s been a trying season for the Crimson Tide. A Murderer’s Row of state-ranked opponents. Missed opportunities to make explosive plays. Gut-wrenching losses. A rash of injuries, some of them season-ending. And, currently, a scoring drought.

For all of their challenges, the Tide will have a chance to change their fortunes when they visit Wilson Area on Saturday afternoon in a Schuylkill-Colonial interdivision, non-league contest.

(The game will air live on WPPA 1360 AM and A-106/105.9 FM, beginning with pregame at 11:45 a.m. and kickoff at noon.)

Pottsville (2-5) will host Blue Mountain in the Clash of 61 rivalry game in Week 9, then entertain another rival, North Schuylkill, in Week 10.

“There are a lot of challenges we have to get over as we head into the stretch run,” Pottsville coach Mike Brennan said.

Start with injuries.

And start at quarterback.

Last week, junior Andrew Allen made a brilliant, 16-yard run on fourth-and-7 to keep a Tide drive alive against Northwestern Lehigh. On that play, Allen took a crushing hit and had to leave the game. His status for this week is uncertain.

“We won’t know. It’s going to be a day-by-day thing,” Brennan said.

Freshman Tommy Welsh has been getting most of the quarterback reps during practice this week. He’ll get the call if Allen can’t go.

Star running back JuJu Bainbridge is still out as are about seven others, including five linebackers from where Pottsville started in the summer.

“We’ve had about as much bad luck as we probably could,” Brennan said. “I can pinpoint the other three years that I went through this in my 27 years (in coaching), and that’s where we are. It’s not an excuse. It is what it is. We played some mediocre football when we had everybody, but at the end of the day there’s a lot going on that’s beyond the game of football at this point. We have to find a way to go down there and get some momentum this week . I’m at the point now where I don’t feel like anything is a given. I think that’s where we are. We’re working every day like we have to earn everything back.”

Right now, Pottsville must find a way to put the ball in the end zone. The Tide haven’t scored in nine quarters. The last Pottsville touchdown came in the third quarter of the Week 5 game against Southern Lehigh.

Max Clews, a converted tight end/H-back, has been effective rushing the ball in place of Bainbridge. He’s hard to bring down and has a downhill running style. Last week against Northwestern Lehigh, Clews rushed 17 times for 83 yards. It will be up to Clews and the offensive line to step up and take control of the game against Wilson Area.

The Warriors (0-7) enter with a 38-game losing streak; they only score 9.0 points per game and allow 34.6, including a 42-8 loss to Northern Lehigh last week.

Wilson Area, though, has shown some signs of improvement this season. Junior quarterback Jaxon Tadayesky has completed 40-of-93 passes for 449 yards with nine interceptions. A pair of running backs, junior J’son Johnson (84-372, 3 TDs) and sophomore Ryan Bonham (71-276, 3 TDs), have shown flashes. Juniors Jayden Rapoli (10-166, 1 TD) and Christian Samayoa (10-114) are the top receivers. Connor Patterson and Leonard Davis have made two interceptions apiece. Winning the turnover battle will be key for both teams.

“You see good athletes that run around,” Brennan said of Wilson Area. “They’re scrappy kids. We won the game cleanly last year, but they get you sort of out of rhythm and out of system because they’re athletic. They’re not big, even their line guys are unorthodox. They’re smaller, and they move.”