For the fourth straight season the Schuylkill League watched the state football quarterfinals from the sideline.
Minersville (Class A) and Williams Valley (Class AA) represented the area in the PIAA playoffs, but both were eliminated in the first round.
It marks the fourth straight season Schuylkill League teams were done by Thanksgiving, the magical mark coaches shoot for each season.
The early PIAA exits extend the area’s streak of not having a football team reach the state championship game to 17 seasons. That’s an amazing streak considering that in recent years the Schuylkill League has had teams win state championships in girls’ volleyball, boys’ basketball, girls’ basketball, baseball, softball and track and field, and see the Blue Mountain girls’ soccer team reach the state title match in 2018.
Pottsville was the last local football team to reach the state final, falling to General McLane in 2006. Tamaqua came close in 2019, making it to the state semis.
Maybe next year.
Records fall
If there was a theme for the 2023 season, it was the large number of individuals who etched their name in record books.
Several seniors ended their careers as their school’s all-time best in one or more categories.
Let’s take a look:
• Alex Achenbach, Williams Valley — Achenbach’s monster year has been well-documented. The area’s leading rusher the past two seasons, he completed the three-peat by running for 3,056 yards and scoring 37 touchdowns this season for the District 11 Class AA champion Vikings.
Achenbach broke Dylan Rabuck’s career records of 6,421 yards and 78 touchdowns set from 2014-17, finishing his career with 7,017 yards and 86 scores. He’s also the school record-holder in carries with 946.
Achenbach’s rushing total ranks third all-time in the Schuylkill League behind Schuylkill Haven’s Zach Barket (8,325) and Haven’s Kobe Brish (7,645) and fourth in District 11. East Stroudsburg South’s James Mungro is the D-11 record-holder at 8,432.
• Luke Stevenosky, Minersville — Stevenosky ran for 2,467 yards and scoring 33 touchdowns for the District 11 Class A champion Miners this season.
Stevenosky broke Dan Lipsett’s season records (set in 1981-83) for rushing yards and touchdowns and Lipsett’s career rushing yards (3,811) and TD (48) marks. Stevenosky finished his career with 535 carries for 4,071 yards and 57 total touchdowns.
• Joey Flail, North Schuylkill — Flail owns the Spartans’ single-season marks in receptions (61, sophomore year), receiving yards (1,006, sophomore year) and touchdowns (15, junior year); and owns the North Schuylkill career marks in receptions (173), receiving yards (2,838) and touchdowns (42).
His 42 receiving touchdowns are the most ever by a Schuylkill League wideout and second all-time in District 11 to ACC’s Kevin Gulyas’ 54. Flail scored 52 total touchdowns in his career, which breaks Ethan Motsney’s school mark of 40 set from 2009-12. Flail hauled in 47 passes for 815 yards and 10 TDs this season.
• Nick Ryan, Shenandoah Valley — Ryan is the school’s all-time leading receiver with 130 catches for 2,231 yards and 26 touchdowns. He also owns the single-season receiving yards mark of 879, set last year. This season, Ryan hauled in 46 passes for 775 yards and 11 TDs after grabbing 50 passes for 879 and 10 scores last year. He also had 86 tackles and three interceptions on defense.
• Colm McGroarty, Mahanoy Area — The Golden Bears’ do-everything back rushed 201 times this season for 1,469 yards and 23 touchdowns. He became the school’s all-time leader in carries (653) and rushing yards (4,219), breaking the mark of 4,033 yards set by Jim “Ziggy” Dudash from 1997-99. McGroarty also broke the Mahanoy Area career record for interceptions with 16, picking off five passes this season.
• Brady O’Donnell, Lehighton — O’Donnell didn’t get the attention those players listed above did during the season, but the senior QB finished as the Indians’ career record-holder in pass completions (361), passing attempts (663) and passing yards (4,136). He threw 32 career touchdown passes, short of the school-record of 44.
• Lane Lehman, Pine Grove — A standout senior running back/linebacker for the Cardinals, Lehman had 113 tackles this season to push his career total to 376, breaking the previous career mark of 371 held by Colin Ibarra.
• Noah Dolbin, Nativity — Only a junior, Dolbin broke Paul Bandholz’s school records for career receptions and receiving yards marks set from 1986-88 and now has 103 catches for 1,953 yards in three seasons. He has 16 career TDs, one short of the school record.
• Tyler Shuey, Hamburg — Also a junior, Shuey broke the Hamburg season marks previously held by Xander Menapace for passing attempts (238), pass completions (151), passing yards (1,833) and passing touchdowns (16) by completing 170-of-304 passes for 2,762 yards and 25 touchdowns. Teammate Mason Semmel broke the Hamburg single-season receptions mark with 43 catches.
Specialist awards
The Schuylkill County Specialist Awards honor the area’s three best kickers/punters.
The winners are chosen based on a formula that factors kickoffs, extra points, longest field goal, field-goal percentage, touchbacks, points scored, punt average and longest punt.
North Schuylkill’s Gavin Mentzer is the champion for the second straight season with a score of 92.6, while Jim Thorpe’s Noah Geiser (65.5) was second and Pine Grove’s Evan Karenda (57.4) was third.
Mentzer was 53-of-57 on PATs and 5-for-7 on field goals this season, scoring 68 points. He had 35 touchbacks and averaged 42.3 on his punts.
Geiser was 28-of-30 on PATs with three field goals. Karenda was 13-of-14 on PATs with two field goals and eight kickoff touchbacks.
Defensive leaders
Achenbach led the area in interceptions this season with six. Here’s a look at some other defensive leaders:
• Tackles — Aiden Myers, Schuylkill Haven, 132; Colm McGroarty, Mahanoy Area, 130; Dylan Zullo, Marian, 114; Lane Lehman, Pine Grove, 113; Nova McGuire, Marian, 112; Niko Carestia, Schuylkill Haven, 107; A.J. Halford, Minersville, 106; Maddox Reed, Mount Carmel, 106; Cade Schultz, Minersville, 106; Aidan Clauser, Schuylkill Haven, 105; Jesse Rodino, Marian, 104; Charlie Hower, Marian, 103; Max Karycki, Mount Carmel, 103; Ben Miller, Mount Carmel, 103; Kash Tobin, Tri-Valley, 103; Skylor Green, Williams Valley, 102; James Rodino, Marian, 102; Vern Kleckner, Blue Mountain, 100
• Tackles for Loss — Jesse Rodino, Marian, 27; Noah Rosahac, Jim Thorpe, 25; Eoghan Savage, Upper Dauphin, 24; Neekoli Carabello, North Schuylkill, 17; Aidan Clauser, Schuylkill Haven, 17; Max Karycki, Mount Carmel, 17; Cade Schultz, Minersville, 17; Keatin Dieffenbach, Upper Dauphin, 16; James Rodino, Marian, 15; four others, 14
• Sacks — Jesse Rodino, Marian, 11; Matthew Balichik, Mount Carmel, 8; Aidan Clauser, Schuylkill Haven, 8; Neekoli Carabello, North Schuylkill, 7; Eoghan Savage, Upper Dauphin, 7; Max Karycki, Mount Carmel, 6.5; Austin Duplessie, Upper Dauphin, 6; Jacob Hehn, Tamaqua, 6
Team stats
Mount Carmel was the area’s top scoring team, averaging 40.6 points per game. The Red Tornadoes were followed by North Schuylkill (36.3), Williams Valley (33.8), Minersville (32.0) and Schuylkill Haven (31.9).
Marian was the area’s stingiest defensive team, allowing just 13.8 points per game. Blue Mountain allowed the least amount of points, 162, but was second in average at 14.7. The Colts and Eagles were followed by North Schuylkill (17.4), Mount Carmel (17.8) and Williams Valley (20.5).
Source: Berkshire mont
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