After eight weeks of football games, the Schuylkill Haven Hurricanes had not yet suffered their first loss, and that trend continued for them into week nine. The Hurricanes battled a gritty Shenandoah Valley Blue Devil team on Friday night at Rotary Field. In the end The Hurricanes proved to be too strong.
The Hurricanes entered the scoring column just three minutes into the game on their first possession via a 60-yard touchdown run by Mike Kalyan, followed by an Evitts’ PAT. Haven’s next set of downs also had the same result. It ended with a six-yard touchdown run from Mike Kalyan, which made the score 14-0 halfway through the first quarter.
The Blue Devils’ offense had a tough time getting going on Friday night and three interceptions by the Hurricane’s defense didn’t help matters. The first of the three interceptions came late in the first quarter by defensive lineman Connor Raymond on a deflected pass. The turnover set the Hurricanes up with good field position, which they capitalized on thanks to a three-yard touchdown run from Danny Lozada to bring the score to 21-0.
The second of the Hurricane’s interceptions came on Shenandoah Valley’s next possession, a play that saw cornerback Preston Gehring pick off a pass and return it 37 yards for the score. Gehring’s touchdown made it 28-0 after the first quarter.
Schuylkill Haven tacked on three more touchdowns in the second quarter on touchdown runs by Lozada, Brish of 55 and 89 yards respectively, and a 17-yard touchdown pass from Lozada to Gehring. The halftime score favored the Hurricanes at 49-0.
Brish reached the end zone again in the third quarter on a run from 42 yards out to make it 56-0. Shortly after Brish’s touchdown, sophomore running back Jacob Luckenbill had one of his own from the goal line, which brought the score to 63-0 after three quarters of play.
The final score of the game came from back up quarterback Josh Kalyan of a four-yard touchdown run in the fourth to bring the score to its resting place at 69-0.
Schuylkill Haven travels to Blue Mountain next week to face their rivals, the Blue Mountain Eagles.
Shenandoah Valley hosts Mahanoy Area.
Notes: Schuylkill Haven’s Daniel Lozada rushed for 134 yards on six carries and a score. Kobe Brish rushed for 133 yards on three touches and two touchdowns. Mike Kalyan also rushed for two touchdowns on five carries for 97 yards.
Shenandoah Valley’s Noah Allegretta went five for 19 passing for 30 yards, with Michael Vinas on the receiving end on four of those passes for 30 yards total.
For the Schuylkill Haven Hurricanes, the 2016 season thus far has been defined by their strong defense. This week, the Hurricanes offensive line proved that they have also been a vital reason for the success of the team. Minersville’s defense has been notable to this point in the season as well, but on Friday night at Rotary Field, Minersville’s defense had their work cut out for them.
The matchup last year between the Schuylkill Haven Hurricanes and the Mahanoy Area Golden Bears went in favor of Mahanoy. It was a game in which they captured an early lead and held on to it throughout the game. This year Schuylkill Haven was determined to reverse those roles, and did so by earning an early lead and never looking back on it.
The matchup Friday night at Rotary Field between Schuylkill Haven and Tamaqua resembled previous games that featured the two schools, as the game was physical and highly competitive. The defenses came to play in this one, with Schuylkill Haven prevailing as the Hurricanes came away with a 24-7 victory.
Last year the matchup between Schuylkill Haven and Jim Thorpe went in favor of the Olympians, as they defeated Schuylkill Haven 28-7. This year was a different story, as the Hurricanes led by a bevy of backs and a strong defense defeated Jim Thorpe by a score of 31-14.