FOUNTAIN SPRINGS - North Schuylkill quarterback Ryan Henning wouldn't say if Saturday was the best high school game he's ever had.
"It's probably the most times I threw the football," the senior said. "It's up there."
With Minersville playing tough run defense, Henning, who's headed to Bucknell next fall, put the ball up often.
The result was another North Schuylkill victory but in somewhat unusual fashion.
Henning threw for 211 yards while Mike Shinkus' interception return for a touchdown helped turned the momentum in the Spartans' favor for good in their 41-6 Anthracite Football League victory over the Battlin' Miners at North Schuylkill.
"Minersville knew we are a power-running team but we spread the field out more," Henning said. "I found a lot of windows open and found the receivers."
Henning finished the night 10-of-16, throwing first-half touchdown passes of 24 and 53 yards to Ethan Motsney, who finished with 98 yards receiving. Five different receivers caught passes Saturday for North Schuylkill (2-0, 2-0 AFL) with Jonathan Long adding 64 yards on three catches and Tom Gallagher 45 yards on three grabs.
Even backup quarterback Matt Smarkanic got into the spirit, completing a 19-yarder to Anthony Kodak late in the fourth quarter.
"We wanted to throw the ball," North Schuylkill coach Rick Geist said. "We knew they would be up on us. We'd like to throw the ball more and I think we can throw it more. We have some guys who can catch it.
"We started slow. They are a good team. They have good players."
Perhaps Henning's biggest touchdown came late in the first half after the Miners (1-1, 0-1 AFL) got on the board when Cole Weachock hooked up with Jake Kopinetz on a slant patter over the middle for a 27-yard score with 1:27 left in the half, making it 14-6.
Three plays into the North Schuylkill's ensuing drive, Henning found Motsney open behind the Miners' secondary down the right sideline. The 53-yard hookup, followed by a Henning conversion run, made it 21-6 with :53.1 left in the half.
"He did a flag route and it opened up nice," Henning said. "The free safety came over the top but then Ethan got right by him."
Then it was the Spartans' defense's turn to make a play.
Already upset with the fact they had allowed a score, Shinkus stepped in front of a Weachock pass at the Minersville 36-yard line two plays in to the Miners' next possession. Weachock was the only one who could catch Shinkus but the 6-2, 225-pound linebacker ran past him and down the left sideline for the score and a 28-6 advantage.
"We got beat on a slant before and that's what they were beating us on," Shinkus said. "When I saw pass, I just looked left, saw the guy slant in and the ball was right there. Good placement, I guess."
Minersville moved the ball on the Spartans at times but the Miners were never able to recover from the late first-half flurry. Minersville had 187 yards of offense but Weachock was picked off four times, including two by Daniel McSurdy.
Still, the yardage, and the score, was unsatisfactory for Shinkus.
"We gave too many yards and a touchdown," he said. "We never like to give up touchdowns. We are going to come back Monday, work hard and give up no yards, no first downs and no touchdowns."