HS FOOTBALL: Spartans overwhelm Raiders in playoff rematch, 55-15
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL - North Schuylkill's #8 Ricky Halford rushes during Thursday night's game.
FOUNTAIN SPRINGS – Some early trickery kept Tamaqua in the game early, but the Raiders couldn’t keep with the North Schuylkill Spartans through all four quarters.
The two teams met Thursday night in a rematch of a regular season bout, this time at North Schuylkill and in the District XI 3A playoffs.
North Schuylkill won the coin toss and elected to receive the opening kick, though Tamaqua had other ideas.
The opening kickoff was an onside kick — the first of several trick plays called by Tamaqua — and it was nearly recovered by the Raiders until a flag was thrown for interference after a North Schuylkill returner signaled for a fair catch.
The Spartans capped off the opening drive with a 6-yard touchdown run by Collin Stanakis.
On the ensuing drive, North Schuylkill held them to a punt, or so they thought.
Senior punter Michael Styka dropped back and passed to a wide open Junior receiver Jacob Hehn. North Schuylkill Senior Collin McGee brought Hehn down with a touchdown-saving tackle.
With the first down, Junior quarterback Luke Kane found junior Tyler Koch for a big gain to bring the Raiders into the red zone, followed up by a handoff to Junior running back Bradley Whalen for a game-tying touchdown.
Cue seven straight Spartan touchdowns.
A multi-faceted offensive attack overwhelmed the Raider defense, while the Spartans stifled the Raider offense with multiple interceptions and quarterback hurries.
On the ground, senior quarterback Trevor Minalda eclipsed 100 yards on the game, scoring three rushing touchdowns. Through the air, he added two more touchdowns with the help of McGee, a 48-yarder and a 52-yarder.
Senior running back Ricky Halford added two touchdowns on the ground for the Spartans as they took a 55-15 victory over the Raiders.
Tamaqua finishes their season at 5-6, while North Schuylkill moves on with a record of 9-2.
They will face #2 seed Palmerton next week.
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