Williams Valley finds yet another hero
Although sophomore Alex Achenbach spent most of the first four weeks squarely in the spotlight following several productive efforts running the ball, Williams Valley (4-1) turned in an entirely different direction last weekend. And the Vikings needed Brady Evans to get loose twice in order to squeeze past gritty Bloomsburg 13-6. Evans racked up touchdown receptions of 21 and 70 yards — the first on a dish from quarterback Isaac Whiteash and the latter on a halfback option pass from Achenbach — and caught eight passes for 149 yards.
Tim Savage’s squad will be at home between the tall pines in Williamstown for a matchup with winless Panther Valley (0-3), the Blue Division opener for both Colonial-Schuylkill sides. Â
Tri-Valley on the rebound
Staked to an 18-7 halftime lead — Reece Huntzinger’s 83-yard interception return accounted for Tri-Valley’s final first-half score — the visiting Bulldogs (3-1) watched everything crumble after the break as Hamburg cranked up its ground game and rolled over the visitors 36-18. When it was over, Tri-Valley had yielded more than 325 rushing yards to the once-beaten Hawks.
Now, with their Blue Division opener on tap against winless Marian Catholic (0-5, 0-1), Jeff Sampson’s Bulldogs hope to reestablish what they had going before COVID-19 protocols forced the West Enders to pause for a week. Quarterback Jonas McGrath was effective prior to Tri-Valley’s layoff, but he was just 9 of 27 passing (137 yards, 1 touchdown) at Hamburg. He also ran six times for a team-high 50 yards in the Bulldogs’ double-digit loss.
Pine Grove hoping to even league mark
While Pine Grove’s White Division opener ended with the Cardinals (1-4, 0-1) dropping a 14-7 decision to Schuylkill Haven, Frank Gaffney’s club will go on the road Friday night to visit a Minersville squad (3-2, 0-1) that two weeks ago tore up Williams Valley through the air.
So, look for the Cards to try to play keepaway when they have the football. That means touches for Lane Lehman and Colin Ibarra.
