Coming off their biggest win of the season, North Schuylkill's unbeaten Spartans can't afford a letdown this week when they host a solid Mahanoy Area team.
The Golden Bears are 5-2, run a triple option offense very well and have been competitive in both their losses, to Tamaqua and Minersville.
As could be expected of a team averaging 35 points per game, Mahanoy Area has one of the premier offensive threats in the Anthracite Football League in quarterback Mike Gaval. Although not big at 5-11 and 160 pounds, Gaval has tremendous quickness and runs the triple option flawlessly. He has run for 1,038 yards and 15 touchdowns, and has completed 23 of 38 passes for 445 yards and seven TDs, with just one interception.
Gaval ran for 1,300 yards last season, and his passing has greatly improved. He has already doubled his passing yardage from last season.
"He can run a little bit," said North Schuylkill head coach Rick Geist, who is worried about the Golden Bears' offense because his team rarely sees it.
"The last time we played a team that does it was last year when we played them," Geist said. "I spoke with the team today about having to play assignment football against it. You can't worry on defense about what the other guy is doing. They actually came out last year and really moved the ball well on us for a half before we made some adjustments."
Although Gaval is the main offensive threat, he has help. A committee of running backs is led by 5-5, 177-pound sophomore fireplug Austin Forte, who has 52 carries for 353 yards and four touchdowns. Three other backs have rushed for 158 or more yards, including slotback Neal Goodman, who has run for 198 yards and is the team's leading receiver with 14 catches for 333 yards and five touchdowns.
Geist thought the Spartans played a solid game against Mount Carmel in their battle of unbeatens, although he feels there is room for improvement.
"I thought we played alright," Geist said. "We had a couple of mistakes but that's going to happen in every game. We played with intensity, which was good to see."
Geist is concerned about a natural letdown this week, against a team which could take advantage.
"We're talking about goals we have for the season," Geist said. "We're number two in the district now, so if we want to stay there, we have to win. We're trying to win the Anthracite Football League for the third straight year; no one's done that yet. And we're trying to win 30 straight regular season games."
On the down side, the Spartans lost two more players for the season with injuries in the Mount Carmel game. Sophomore wide receiver Tim Sokoloski suffered a concussion and two cracked vertebrae on an end zone hit, and linebacker-running back Mike Shinkus, the heart of the defense, is out for the year with a knee injury suffered on the opening kickoff.
"(Curt) Adams and (Ethan) Motsney will probably get a lot more carries now, and (Mike) Pogirski and (Kody) Newberry will take turns for Shinkus on defense," Geist said. "But Pogirski has a dislocated elbow, too. We're banged up. We have four kids out for the season now."