North Schuylkill dominated the box score that you will find on page 13.

But, don't be deceived by the number of first downs and yards gained. Jim Thorpe had three monster scoring plays that kept momentum on its side Friday night.The Olympians proved once again that the winning recipe in football is a solid ground attack and a tenacious defense as they posted an exciting 20-13 victory over the preseason Anthracite Football L:eague favorite North Schuylkill.Jim Thorpe's first drive featured a ton of quarterback Dean Richards. The senior's first rush of the game was a 40-yard quarterback keeper behind the right side of the Olympians' offensive line. He followed up the big run with a booming 31-yard TD strike down the middle of the field to tight end Greg Palmer. Jim Thorpe led early, and never relinquished the lead."The play-action was there and we practiced it a lot all week," explained Richards. "We executed well this week at practice - and we got it done tonight. Our line does a great job for us, they really stay on task and get the job done."Palmer is known as being one of the premier pass rushers for Jim Thorpe (8-0, 7-0 AFL). However, the team's leading defensive "point-getter" on the vicious Jim Thorpe front seven was ecstatic to finally get into the end zone for the first time in 2015."The throw was on a dime, it was put right in the bread basket," said Palmer of the game's first scoring play. "Nobody was around me, the safeties bailed, and it was a great way to start off the first quarter."In the second quarter, it was Robbie Heller who took a busted play 82 yards to pay dirt and extended the Jim Thorpe advantage."Robbie (Heller) once again had a huge night for us," said Jim Thorpe head coach Mark Rosenberger. "You saw tonight why he is the leading rusher in the area. He doesn't come down easy on first contact and runs through tackles. He had two huge runs for us, the first one was a broken play. All he does is make big plays. That play was a mess, but he found a hole because he has great vision and the speed to break away."North Schuylkill senior stud QB Bobby Grigas has been fighting through injuries all season and took a back seat to Richard Zahodnick for most of the game as the Spartans' signal caller. Zahodnick is a threat to run, but Grigas clearly makes the offense go for North Schuylkill (4-4, 3-4 AFL).Grigas re-entered the game in the fourth quarter and led the Spartans on two scoring drives, with help from Major Jordan, who tallied 114 yards on the ground during the loss."We knew when (Bobby) Grigas came in with seven minutes left that we would probably see some more passes," explained Rosenberger. "We bent a little in the second half, but it was a great defensive effort from our team."With 2:02 left on the clock, North Schuylkill trailed Jim Thorpe, 14-7. C.J. Steinhilber's six-yard plunge brought the Spartans to within a single point. But Grigas smacked the left upright with his PAT attempt - a truly crushing moment for the Spartans, with their District 11 playoff hopes on the line.On the following Jim Thorpe drive, Robbie Heller scampered 51 yards to the end zone, which sealed the deal. Heller finished the game with 158 yards on the ground."I thought we might have been as physical, if not more physical than they were, Rosenberger said, "I'm proud that we came out and beat a North Schuylkill team that was peaking at the right time of the season."PASS HAPPY OLYMPIANS? ... JT threw the ball a season high six times - yes six - during Friday's win. Richards has certainly excelled in his first year in the offense, totaling 387 yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions through the air.UNSUNG HERO .... Friday's unsung defensive hero was Jim Thorpe senior-corner Alec Lauer, who was on an island in one-on-one coverage for virtually the entire game. Rosenberger said, "We preach to our defense that we need to prevent the big play. If a team is going to drive the ball 80 yards down-field and score, then congratulations to them - that doesn't happen very much in high school football."GUESS WHO'S BACK ... "We preach defense, defense, defense! The 'Red Swarm' is back in its prime!," said Palmer. "Our defensive-point system gives us a lot of motivation to just keep going. It makes us practice harder and prepare for all of the plays. Now we're going to prepare for Blue Mountain."THIRD-QUARTER TEAM ... The "Red Swarm" is certainly, for real. The Olympians are yet to yield a single third quarter point to any team this season.