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Jim Thorpe takes care of Tamaqua

Tagged under: District 11, Gameday Hub, News

| October 17, 2020


Jim Thorpe takes care of Tamaqua

     Familiarity. When you have two coaches who have been doing it as long as Jim Thorpe coach Mark Rosenberger, and Tamaqua coach Sam Bonner, you tend to see similar games year in and year out. Each coach knowing the tendencies of the other. Both playing more of a chess match than a football game. Friday night was no different for the 2020 installment of Jim Thorpe vs Tamaqua. 

     While each team took their time feeling each other out at the start of the game, it was Jim Thorpe who made the first move. After taking over inside their own 50 yard line, the Olympians put together a nice drive which ended in a Brandon Fasolino 1 yard touchdown. After a botched extra point, Thorpe lead 6-0. On the ensuing Tamaqua, Fasolino decided to make his presence felt on the defensive end for the Red Swarm. Blue Raider quarterback Nate Whickersham dropped back looking across the middle, only to have the route jumped by Fasolino and taken into the red zone. The Tamaqua defense tightened up however and forced a turnover on downs to end the first quarter.

     Much like Coach Rosenberger, Coach Bonner takes pride in instilling a toughness into his teams. After a tough defensive stop, the Raiders put together a tough offensive drive which ended with running back Nate Curvey making a 49 yard house call. A missed extra point left things knotted at 6. It didn’t take Thorpe long to make their next move however. On their first play scrimmage, Fasolino struck again, taking a sweep around the corner and down the sideline for a 67 yard touchdown. Chris Condly punched through the XP to go into the half up 13-6.

     The Olympians came out on offense to start the second half looking to extend on their lead. That’s just what they did. Quarterback Davier Calcano tossed a swing pass to the outside to Chris Strika. Strika broke away from one tackle and reached the endzone to give Thorpe some much needed breathing room. Tamaqua didn’t give them much space however. Lining up at receiver this play, Wickersham was on the receiving end of a 48 yard pass from Nathan Gregoire. A failed 2 point conversion left us at 20-12. After a punt on each side, Fasolino made his presence felt again. This time taking a carry 27 yards through the heart of the Raiders defense for the score.

     Midway through the fourth with Thorpe leading 27-12, Tamaqua tried to put together one final push to make a comeback. Wickersham broke off for a 42 yard run, then found Lucas Schickram for a 13 yard gain down to the 2 yard line. Wickersham handled the rest, powering in the touchdown. With the score now being 27-18 and a huge 2 point conversion upcoming, The Red Swarm defense stepped up with a stop to keep the differential to 2 scores. A failed attempt at an onside kick left Thorpe with the ball and just under 2 minutes remaining in the game. With no timeouts remaining to stop the clock, Calcano was able to kneel on the ball and give the Olympians the 27-18 victory.

     After playing their first 2 home games at neighboring Panther Valley stadium, Jim Thorpe (5-1) will look to christen their new turf field with a victory against Coach Rosenberger’s alma mater Pottsville. Tamaqua (3-3) will be in search of an opponent after their contest with North Schuylkill was called off. 

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