With a number of starters out Jim Thorpe knew it was going to be an uphill battled against a hard-running Bangor squad.

The Slaters’ rushing attack proved too much for Thorpe to handle as they pulled away for a 39-14 victory on Thursday night.

Bangor didn’t waste any time getting its run game going, grabbing a 6-0 lead after a 10-play, 66-yard drive that featured a healthy dose of quarterback Greg Campbell and running back Noah Hillis. The drive was capped off by Campbell’s 20-yard scamper.

The Olympian offense, - led by sophomore quarterback Cole Lazorick - showed some signs of life early on in the game, but Thorpe’s first two drives would fizzle out.

Early in the second quarter, the Thorpe offense started to move the football again, but a costly fumble at the 8:30 mark gave the ball to the Slaters at the JT 45-yard line. Bangor converted the Thorpe miscue into points as Campbell’s 33-yard gain helped setup an eventual 12-yard Hillis score that made it 12-0.

“We ran it well. It was a little bit of a change up from last week where we had a lot of success in the pass game,” said Bangor head coach Paul Reduzzi. “I was proud of the way our line worked. They have some big kids, and they gave us some different looks.

“It all starts up front, and that unit worked hard tonight, and the communication was great with those guys, and I want to give my offensive staff credit for making some great calls tonight.”

Jim Thorpe fought back midway through the second quarter to get on the board. The Olympians needed just three plays after taking over on their own 35-yard line. The arm and legs of Lazorick produced the score as he tossed a 33-yard dime to Justin Yescavage, before his back-to-back runs produced a TD that cut the deficit to 12-7.

Bangor though, would go back to the run game gaining chunks of 13, 14, and 15 yards on its ensuing possession as part of a seven-play, 69-yard drive to increase its lead to 20-7 with 3:11 left in the half.

Once again its was Campbell and Hillis doing most of th damage as Campbell finished the half with 97 yards and two scores, while Hillis rushed for 62 yards and a touchdown.

The Olympians would once again answer, driving all the way down to the Slaters four-yard line. After clocking the football, the Olympians had a second-and-goal at the four with 14 seconds remaining. A Lazorick to Yescavage pass into the left corner of the end zone appeared to be a score, but was waved off as Yescavage’s left foot touched the out-of-bounds line. Thorpe had yet another bad break on the very next play as Lazorick, after buying some time, rolled right and found a receiver open in the back of the end zone, but again the scoring play was waved off - this time for penalty - as the receiver stepped out of bounds and then returned to (THE) field to make the catch. The penalty moved the Olympians back to the 19-yard line where their scoring threat ended.

“Our kids fought hard tonight, but tonight was kind of the same story as the first game. We just didn’t take advantage of some of our scoring opportunities, and we once again had a turnover that led to a score for them - that has been hurting us,” said Jim Thorpe head coach Mark Rosenberger. “The big plays also hurt us tonight.

“But we’re going to continue to work to get better. We have a lot of young kids playing out there right now, who are fighting. So that’s what we’re going to focus on ... just working to get better.”

In the third quarter, Bangor would take control. After the Slaters forced a quick JT three-and-out to open the second half, they went right down the field as a big 74-yard hookup between Campbell and receiver Gavin Nelson got them down to the one. Hillis’ plunge would make it a 26-7.

Bangor would tack on another score later in the third after a 10-play drive went 70 yards and ended in another Campbell rushing score.

Meanwhile, the Bangor defense pitched a second-half shutout.

“It’s tough to simulate some stuff, especially when they have an athletic quarterback back there, and with the open sets they were running,” said Reduzzi. “But as the game went on, we did a much better job. I think the kids got a feel for the speed and settled in.”

THE RECORDS … Thorpe falls to 0-2 on the season and will head to Salisbury next week. Bangor improves to 2-0 and will host Southern Lehigh.

GROWING UP … Thorpe quarterback Lazorick flashed some nice moments. Lazorick threw for 181 yards and a score, and also ran the ball hard. Lazorick and Justin Yescavage (149 receiving yards) formed a good connection.

DYNAMIC DUO … Thorpe didn’t have an answer for Campbell and Hillis. as the pair combined for 232 yards on the ground and five rushing touchdowns.