MINERSVILLE – It took steady nerves, concentration and poise under pressure.

You can say all you want about how to react in a pressure pact moment, but the way Marian executed a winning field goal in a tense overtime period with Minersville was near perfection.

Actually, it had to be perfection!

Lucca Stroia used his big-time leg to boot the Colts to their first win of the season Friday evening on a soggy, somewhat muddy turf, nailing a 22-yard field goal to lift his team to a 17-14 Schuylkill Football League Division II victory.

“I wasn’t nervous at all,” smiled Stroia near his team’s locker room. “I told the guys we do this all the time in practice. You block for me and I’ve got you guys.”

“I knew he could do it,” said his center Dakota Streisel “All I wanted to do was make a good snap. I knew Lucca had it if it was a good snap.”

“I was a little nervous, I’m not going to lie,” said holder Jacob McLaughlin. “I got my center, I got my line…”

For the past five weeks, Marian (1-5, 1-1) has been discombobulated. It hadn’t found enough offensive continuity. Defense wasn’t something to write home about, either.

“It’s been a long couple of weeks,” said second year coach Pat Morgans. “But our guys hung together. With all the injuries we’ve had, it was tough no doubt about it.”

The Colts sprung in front but only after stopping a 13-play Miners’ drive by stuffing a fourth down attempt.

Marian then proceeded to take a 7-0 lead using a seven-play drive to hit pay dirt when fullback Zach Boyer boomed 13 yards into the end zone on a power run and Stroia booted the PAT. There were three big plays that enabled the Colts to hit the end zone: a 26-yard run off a wingback reverse from McLaughlin, a 15-yard face mask penalty by the Miners and a 14-yard pass completion from Mason Miller to McLaughlin.

In the second quarter, the home team would tie it when Gabe Kuhen blasted his way into the end zone from a yard away and John Adams added the PAT kick. However the Colts came right back with an-in-your-face nifty drive to jump to a 14-7 halftime lead. Marian pulled off a bit of chicanery with a double reverse, pass play in the drive. Streisel tossed a 60-yard pass and run completion to Keith McCall who sped his way for the go ahead score with 91 seconds to play in the first half.

“We were able to get them to bite on the play, and Streisel did a great job of getting the ball to Keith,” explained Morgans.

Thereafter things stalled for Marian. Minersville had more than its share of chances to catch the Colts and perhaps take a lead. But the Miners hurt themselves with penalties as they had two touchdowns called back by flags and a pass picked off by Streisel to end another threat.

Minersville did cook up the tying six points with a four-play, 50-yard drive which ended on a five-yard Kuhen run with 11:06 to play in the game.

The Miners then had an eight-play drive stall out with a punt, and another eight-play drive come up empty on downs, thus forcing the overtime and an eventual victory for the Colts.

“We knew we have a great kicker, and we wanted to play defense first,” said Morgans about the game-ender. “We just needed to hold them.”

Indeed that did come to pass. Minersville got the first crack, turning Hayle loose on a on first down run to the two. Then the Colts stiffened and on fourth down and one from the one, Boyer made the game’s biggest stop when he brought down quarterback Scott Schwalm, who tried running to the wide side of the field.

BIG NUMBERS

… Minersville quarterback Schwalm completed 16-of-22 in the passing department, but just couldn’t hit the big one. Of course, a lot had to do with the pressure Marian applied when it was critical.

GETTNG IT DONE … Marian’s Matt Doherty played lights out on both sides of the ball as did Dylan Seibert, Jared Spalti and Nick Goff.