Breaking News
Local Sports

Shamokin pulls away from Williamsport to win 48-14 in Week 7

By MARC MALKOSKIE 5 min read

Shamokin wasn’t hoping to produce a sequel to last week’s “tale of two halves,” but regardless, that’s what happened Friday night at Williamsport.

Aside from a couple quick scores, the top-ranked Indians took their foot off the gas for the remainder of the first half and even a bit into the third quarter, but when they finally accelerated again, it was like a world-renowned drag racer leaving any and all competition in the dust. A blocked punt on the opening second-half drive that established Williamsport in the red zone looking to tie was promptly extinguished by a Liam Montgomery fumble recovery, and from that point forward, as the kids say, “it was curtains.”

The Indians pulled away for a 48-13 victory to officially earn their third consecutive PHAC Division-I title.

“It’s a bad habit to be in right now,” Shamokin coach Marc Persing said of his team looking shaky in the first half again after meeting the same obstacle in last week’s 42-0 shutout of Selinsgrove. “(How we played in) the second half is the team we know we are. We’re talented, but we’re not talented enough to pick and choose our spots consistently. That’s on me. We have to find ways to create more excitement in the beginning of games. That’s two straight weeks where something hasn’t clicked. I don’t know if it stems from practice or what.

“But that’s not a bad football team over there. They do some things schematically that gave us problems. They have some matchups that were in their favor. That’s a good Williamsport team.”

In the first half, Shamokin (7-0, 5-0 PHAC-I) netted just 22 rushing yards on 19 attempts, largely from losing 33 yards on a pair of errant snaps and fumbling on five occasions, albeit failing to recover the loose ball just once.

After the break, however, it was an entirely different story -- 273 yards on 16 carries to finish with 295 on the ground, and another 156 courtesy of Logan Steele’s right arm.

“Our offense came out and executed a lot better in the second half,” said junior defensive end Brayden Cavanaugh, who for the second straight road game jumped a screen pass for an early pick-six, doing so on the very first play from scrimmage Friday for a 23-yard score just 13 seconds into the contest.

Cavanaugh jumped a similar screen pass for another key interception near the end of the second quarter to halt the Millionaires (5-2, 3-2 PHAC-I) on the doorstep of the red zone and help preserve a 14-7 halftime lead.

“Brayden is a special football player. We truly believe he’s an all-state caliber player,” Persing said. “He’s exactly what you’re looking for in that position. He can stop the run, he’s great in coverage and he has a high football IQ and understands route concepts. Brayden is a very important piece to this puzzle.”

Steele, in addition to running for a game-high 129 yards, added two more touchdowns through the air to already bring him within one of matching his 2025 total.

The first was a quick find to Ryan Bickert, who proceeded to cut diagonally across the gridiron and outrun multiple Williamsport defenders for a 27-yard score.

On the second, Steele uncorked a deep pass past the reach of a couple defensive backs to Colin Steinhart, who made a highlight-reel, sliding grab in the end zone, completing the 38-yard strike.

With little time, if any, to catch his breath, Steinhart then tacked on the extra point to extend the Indians’ lead to 27-7 five minutes into the third.

“Logan put that ball perfectly where I could get it and I just got it,” recalled the 6-foot-4 senior, returning from an all-state junior campaign. “It really just gave us momentum. Shoutout to our big guys up front. I just give all glory to God for everything I do because you have to for everything.”

Williamsport, still without star quarterback Tevin Williams for the fourth straight game, was led by backup Zion Hughes in the first half, accumulating 83 yards through the air and a team-high 47 on the ground.

But Hughes didn’t return to the field after the break, and instead, three other Millionaires saw time under center.

Over the last three seasons, Shamokin is now 15-0 in divisional play and victors of 27 consecutive regular-season games, something Persing -- even though his team’s ultimate goal is much bigger -- doesn’t take lightly.

“A wise man once told me, ‘It’s not the Xs and the Os, it’s the Jimmys and the Joes,'” he said. “We’ve been blessed to have some tremendous athletes come through here and I’m proud of my staff. They’ve been excellent teachers of the game of football. When you get high-level coaching with high-level talent, this is the result of it.”

Shamokin out-gained Williamsport in total yardage, 451-194. Hughes led Williamsport with 47 rushing yards on five carries and a touchdown while Zamire Hopkins had 36 yards and a score on 11 carries. Javion Alston went 2 for 2 for 44 passing yards after Hughes finished 7 for 16 for 83.

Hughes' 17-yard touchdown run made it a 14-7 deficit in the second quarter. Williamsport wouldn't socre again, however, until Hopkins had a two-yard run in the fourth quarter wtih 6:00 left, with the game all but decided by then.

Starting at /week.