COAL TOWNSHIP —
While Selinsgrove was playing its game with rival Shikellamy on Monday night, the coaches for this week’s opponent, having played three nights earlier, were on hand to watch Selinsgrove.
The Seals won 37-0, but have to strap it up again after three days later when they visit Shamokin for a Heartland Athletic Conference Division I game.
“It does cut down your preparation time and Shamokin has certain things they do very well that we want to prepare for,” Selinsgrove coach Dave Hess said.
But Hess said, “We spend a lot of time breaking down film and working on basic fundamentals. It really doesn’t take that mental preparation time away from us.”
Hess said Shamokin was willing to move the game back a day, but the Seals thought it better to keep it on schedule.
Last season, the Shamokin game, also at Kemp Memorial Stadium, was the Seals’ lone win. That Shamokin team recovered with a strong second half and advanced to the PIAA Class AAA quarterfinals.
“They are better than they were last year,” Hess said. “From the time we played them until the time they finished in the state quarterfinal they became a different football team. They really got their stuff together and were fundamentally sound.”
Hess said he sees a continuation of that success in this year’s Shamokin team.
“They are a force to be reckoned with. I have a lot of respect for Dan Foor and I think he’s got that team moving in the right direction. The two losses they had were to two pretty good football teams (Pottsville and Danville),” Hess said.
They are a physically tough football team and (fullback Draven) Miller is a tough runner and they play physical. They are tough on the line of scrimmage.”
The Indians, hit hard by injuries this season, lost another starter, 6-foot-5, 280-pound senior tight end Kevin Carsto, for the season from injuries sustained early in last week’s game. Several other players were questionable at mid-week.
“We lost a good one in Kevin Carsto Friday night,” Foor said, but noted that injured senior linebacker/tight end Andrew Hasuga is close to returning to the field, and could get a few snaps this week.
Foor said he doesn’t worry about what happened last year, but, he added that Selinsgrove, even in going 1-9, played good defense, and are solid on that side of the ball again this season.
“They play defense so well. They are so aggressive and you just don’t know where they’re coming from,” he said.
But Foor was also impressed Monday night with the Selinsgrove offense. “(Quarterback Tyler Krebs) really threw the ball well and that is going to keep teams off balance, with the way he’s throwing and the way they’re capable of running the ball now,” he said.
Foor also said the Seals have exceptional athletes this year, not just at a couple positions, but all over the field. He said the linebackers can run as can the wide receivers and running backs and there are very athletic players in the secondary.
“They just have a bunch of good athletes on the field for them on both sides of the ball,” he said.
Hess believes the Indians have some as well, noting that junior fullback Draven Miller is a tough runner and sophomore quarterback Tucker Yost is efficient, having completed more than half his passes on the year (he has completed 28-of-55 for 352 yards and 2 TDs).
“They have more yards throwing than we do, and he has only thrown one interception in three games. He is someone we have to be concerned about and they have some kids that can catch the ball,” Hess said.
Aside from the personnel, Foor said his biggest concern this week is the mental mistakes that the Indians have been making, such as jumping offsides and not taking care of the ball.
“The little things right now are hurting us on offense because our defense has been playing real solid. I don’t want to say it’s as simple as that, because Selinsgrove presents some different challenges, but, for us, we’ve got to seriously take care of the little things.”
He said turnovers and penalties, which contributed to the loss to Danville, are drive-breakers “and that’s what’s really been hurting us; we’ve really got to clean that up.”
Shamokin News Wire
Selinsgrove meets Shamokin on short week
- Shamokin News Wire
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Heartland Division I
Team W L PF PA Danville (11-3) 6 0 301 196* Selinsgrove (10-4) 5 1 324 212 Milton (7-5) 4 2 267 211 Shikellamy (5-6) 3 3 223 250 Shamokin (2-9) 2 4 143 289 Mifflinburg (2-8) 1 5 136 234 Jersey Shore (0-10) 0 6 143 383 *-denotes division champion
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Nine local football stars earn all-state nods
LEWISBURG - For the third consecutive season Lewisburg linebacker Brandon Smith headlines the Valley’s contingent on the Pennsylvania Sports Writers All-State Football team.
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HAC champions dominate all-star teams
In addition to claiming its first District 4 Class AA title since 1999, Danville also put the most players onto the 2012 Heartland Athletic Conference All-Star team, as selected recently by the league’s head coaches.
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High School Football Podcast
Listen as Daily Item Sports Editor Bill Bowman and Assistant Sports Editor Harold Raker break down every high school football playoff game set for this weekend.
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High School Football Scoreboard
PIAA Playoffs
Friday
PIAA Class AAA Quarterfinal
at Bethlehem
Allentown Central Catholic 41, Selinsgrove 13 FINALSaturday
PIAA Class AA Quarterfinal
at HersheyPark Stadium
Wyomissing 52, Danville 0, FINAL
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Selinsgrove storms into district title game
Just a year removed from one of its worst seasons, Selinsgrove is back in the title hunt.
The Seals are only a win away from claiming their 12th District 4 Class AAA title as they trounced Shamokin 41-0 in Friday’s semifinal game at Harold L. Bolig Memorial Field. -
Selinsgrove 41, Shamokin 0
Statistics from Friday's game
- Twitter Feed
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Defense lifts Mount Carmel to Coal Bucket
Shamokin decided to try some trickery on third-and-10 from its own 32. Tucker Yost snapped the ball and handed it off to Preston Burns who started to run before stopping and looking back at Yost to try and throw it back to him.
Burns let the pass go but could only cringe as Mount Carmel’s Mike Gilger read the play perfectly and made an interception he returned 36 yards down the far sideline for a Red Tornado touchdown. -
Mount Carmel 21, Shamokin 7
Statistics from Friday's game
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Heartland Division I
