COAL TOWNSHIP - Shamokin coach Pat DiRienzo believes his team took Montoursville for granted, leading to the 55-15 beating the Indians took last week at the hands of the Warriors.
Tonight, Shamokin plays Mifflinburg, which is already out of the playoff picture and could be another team overlooked by the Indians, but DiRienzo said that won't happen.
"We need to go out there - to have a winning season - this is a must win," DiRienzo said. "For us to get above .500, this is a must, so that's the way we're taking it - as a playoff game, too."
At 4-4, the Indians have already clinched a playoff berth, but could still finish with two more losses than wins. After Mifflinburg, Shamokin faces Mount Carmel for the Coal Bucket.
To help set up a scenario where the Indians can finish above a .500 record, DiRienzo has the team working on tackling, which he said was a problem last week.
"It was tackling, bottom line. We're going to do some tackling drills this week, get back to basics," DiRienzo said. "We had them in the backfield a lot. We had plays stopped, but we just didn't make the play."
Good news for the Indians is that they have bounced back from a disappointing game before this season.
After losing 49-0 to Selinsgrove, Shamokin battled back from a 14-7 deficit to defeat Milton 35-14 the next week.
DiRienzo is taking a similar approach this week.
"We're just going back to work," DiRienzo said. "We know that they're (Mifflinburg) a good football team. They throw the ball well. They're on a two-game winning streak. We have to come prepared to play."
The Wildcats are coming off a 35-8 win over Milton, and after starting 1-5 are now 3-5.
Mifflinburg also had a little more success against Montoursville than Shamokin earlier in the season, scoring 41 points, but still lost by seven.
"They have a nice offense," DiRienzo said. "They can put points on the board. They put 41 on the board against Montoursville. It's not like they're a pushover."
DiRienzo pointed out 6-foot-1, 209-pound running back Eric Stroup as a threat on the Wildcats' roster, and Zach Sheesly as a wide receiver target for quarterback Jordan Wagner.
Even though Mifflinburg doesn't have a postseason to fight for, DiRienzo is expecting a playoff-like game from the Wildcats.
"Mifflinburg - this is their playoff," DiRienzo said. "They're not going to the playoffs so they have nothing to lose, so they're going to go out and do everything they can to knock us off."