Tamaqua sophomore running back Terrence McDowell (Photo by Leroy Boyer).

TAMAQUA — After the nightmare the Pottsville High football team endured in losing last year to Tamaqua, it is probably best not to ask the Crimson Tide its thoughts on the bus ride home Friday night from Tamaqua Sports Stadium.

Let’s just say the 21-19 loss stung even more than last year’s 24-21 gut punch that came as the result of two long pass completions in the final minute.

This time the Tide led through three quarters and appeared to be building momentum in the Schuylkill-Colonial Red Division after last week’s opening league 16-7 victory at Jim Thorpe.

Instead, the Crimson Tide (1-2, 1-1 Red) saw its defense shredded by the Blue Raiders (1-2, 1-1) with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns. This was a game the Tide should have controlled, but hurt itself with incomplete and dropped passes and the inability to crack into the end zone on a fourth-and-1 try from the 1 late in the half.

Still, the Tide led 7-0 at the half on an 18-yard touchdown pass from Andrew Allen to Nick Huda and Allen’s point-after kick in the second quarter. In the third quarter momentum began to shift as the Raiders began to control the line of scrimmage.

Sophomore running back Terrence McDowell broke free for an 8-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, but the Tide hung on to a 7-6 lead when extra-point kick failed. McDowell was just getting started, finishing with 35 carries for 135 yards and three touchdowns.

With 11:33 remaining, McDowell scored on a 4-yard run. The Raiders went ahead 14-7 when Brady McCabe caught a conversion pass from Chase Serfass. Pottsville responded, but still couldn’t pull even because of a missed kick after Christian Alvarez caught an 8-yard touchdown pass from Allen.

McDowell then ran eight times on an 11-play, 56-yard drive that he ended with a 13-yard touchdown run. That gave the Raiders a 21-13 lead with 2:54 remaining.

Allen then directed a 58-yard scoring drive, completing passes of 14 yards to Donovan Durham and 31 yards to Colin Kline. With 68 seconds remaining, Allen scrambled 7 yards for a touchdown, but the Blue Raiders’ forward wall stopped the run for the two-point conversion.

In addition to McDowell, sophomore Ace Schickram came up big for the Raiders. He had four carries for 40 yards and three receptions for 25.

JuJu Bainbridge had 17 carries for 48 yards to lead the Tide.

Game Summary

Tamaqua 21, Pottsville 19

Potts (1-2, 1-1)         0          7          0          12  —   19

Tam (1-2, 1-1)          0          0          6          15  —    21

Potts — Huda 18 pass from Allen (Allen kick)

Tam — McDowell 8 run (kick failed)

Tam — McDowell 4 run (McCabe pass from Serfass)

Potts — Alvarez 8 pass from Allen (kick failed)

Tam — McDowell 13 run (McCabe kick)

Potts — Allen 7 run (run failed)