HS Football: Tide try to rebound against Jim Thorpe

Led by Logan Kessler (54), Max Clews (21) and Eli Accardi (71), Pottsville enters Veterans Memorial Stadium prior to Friday's game against Shamokin (Photo by Jocelyn Barrett / Danie Mae Photography).

POTTSVILLE — Pottsville has been here before.

Twelve months ago, to be exact.

Coming off a disappointing loss to high-powered Shamokin Area in Week 1, the Crimson Tide faced the test of avoiding a second straight loss when they prepared for a Schuylkill-Colonial Cooperative Red Division game against Jim Thorpe. Pottsville responded and rebounded with a resounding 48-7 victory over the Olympians.

Now, the Tide are coming off another season-opening loss to those state-ranked Indians and have to go on the road to take on the Olympians this evening as Pottsville tries to avoid starting the season 0-2. Last week, Pottsville tied Shamokin 14-14 in the third quarter before the Indians pulled away for a 34-14 victory.

(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.)

“There were a lot of things we did very well. I never questioned our kids’ toughness physically,” Pottsville coach Mike Brennan said. “We competed, but one of the points we touched on last week was that we had to play a clean game, and we certainly didn’t. The penalties, turnover, just missed opportunities were too much when you’re playing a team like (Shamokin).

“We talked about a lot of teams feeling pretty good about themselves this week, and us not feeling very good about ourselves because of some of the things we did and the opponent we played,” Brennan added. “For us, you don’t have to win them all, but you have to get better every week. That’s the idea this week. To feel good about ourselves, we’ve got to go out and fight for that. … Overall it’s a really important game for us to come together and for us to begin to seize momentum. And I feel like we will.”

Pottsville (0-1) moved the ball effectively at times against Shamokin, finishing with 153 yards rushing and averaging 5.1 yards per attempt. JuJu Bainbridge led the way with 21 carries for 89 yards.

The Tide, though, passed for just 86 yards as Andrew Allen completed 10-of-23 with one interception that Logan Steele returned 102 yards for a back-breaking touchdown. In addition, 33 of those 86 yards came on a screen pass to Bainbridge.

While Pottsville struggled against Shamokin Area, Jim Thorpe opened the season with a 28-14 victory at Palmerton.

Dual-threat quarterback Cole Lazorick led the Olympians (1-0) by completing 15-of-20 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed 18 times for 60 yards and a TD. Lazorick has thrown for more than 4,000 yards in his career.

His main target is running back Josh Louk, who had 11 carries for 30 yards and a TD. Louk is a bigger factor in the short passing game, making eight receptions for 66 yards.

“Lazorick’s really, really good. He does some really freakish athletic things,” Brennan said. “He’s been around forever. He’s certainly the guy that makes it all go, but Josh Louk’s not far behind. He’s a really impressive kid, does a lot of things for them as well. So those two guys are certainly the go-to guys.”

Gavin Strohl, a 6-foot-1, 285-pounder, is Jim Thorpe’s top lineman.

A difference for the Olympians this season has been the contributions of others besides Lazorick and Louk. Against Palmerton, Anthony Kiehl caught a 46-yard touchdown pass, and Bobby Levins hauled in a 63-yard TD toss. Jim Thorpe’s defense also forced three turnovers with a pair of fumble recoveries and an interception.

“Their skills are formidable across the board,” Brennan said.

Jim Thorpe’s offense features a myriad of formations and motions, running a lot of empty sets with no running backs, giving Louk and other speedsters the ball on jet sweeps or using all of that misdirection to run Lazorick. A key for Pottsville will be penetration on defense while playing assignment football as the defensive ends and outside linebackers prevent Jim Thorpe from running wide and turning the corner.

“They really want you to play basketball on grass,” Brennan said. “They want to spread you out; they want to be able to do their thing, and they’ve done it for years effectively. So it’s the same old, same old out of Jim Thorpe and Coach (Mark) Rosenberger. We’ve got a lot of respect for him and the program. They offer a lot of challenges to our defense in particular with their creativity on offense.”