It wasn’t a game for the faint of heart.

But it was one for the record books.

Not because of a delirious, whacky and unforeseen ending - but for the way Minersville unleashed its superb running back Luke Stevenosky.

The 5-10 senior ran roughshod around and through Marian’s defense, marching for a school record of 322 yards to lead the Battlin’ Miners to a 41-39 victory at the Men of Marian Stadium.

With Stevenosky’s performance and Minersville building a sizable lead after three quarters, the Colts looked down for the count.

But in a gutsy Marian performance, Stan Dakosty’s club rallied in desperation mode and came within a two-point conversion of tying the game and sending it to overtime.

The two-point try was wily, to say the least. Marian quarterback Bruce Hopeck flung a ball to one of his intended receivers, but it was deflected at the line of scrimmage and popped back into Hopeck’s hands. He threw it to a receiver for what seemed like the tying points.

But hold on! Two forward passes by the same thrower are null-and-void.

Despite the loss and dropping to 1-1, the way it nearly turned the tables has the potential to keep the Colts building as the season moves forward.

“We have a lot of heart, we have a lot of quality football players, and we showed that we are a winner,” Marian head coach Stan Dakosty said.

While most eyes were glued toward the talented three-sport Minersville athlete - quarterback Dante Carr, it was Stevenosky that stood out like a beacon, stealing the show.

He tore through the Marian defense, shredded would-be tacklers and finished with four touchdowns. His scoring runs were 55, 5, 81 and 67 yards. Carr was held in check as Marian read his eyes, and pressured him into poor throws - which resulted in three interceptions.

As for Stevenosky, Minersville head coach had this to say: “He’s one of the most respectful kids I ever had, soft spoken, but when you get him on the field, he’s an animal.”

Walk softly and carry a big stick is the way best to describe Stevenosky. His effort not only led his team to victory, but it overshadowed a superb effort by Marian senior Brandon Klitsch.

The 5-10, 170-pound two-way performer was smack in the middle of the Colts effort. He raced 69 yards for one touchdown that helped lead the comeback. Then moments later with time dwindling, he picked off a Carr pass and raced 44 yards to paydirt, cutting the deficit to 34-33.

The Miners answered back seconds later, with Stevenosky roaring 67 yards to the end zone to put his team ahead 41-33.

“We always preach when you play a Marian team, they don’t make mistakes, and in the second half we made mistakes,” Frantz said. “They just kept hanging around, chipping away. But you know, at the end of the game, our kids just fight.”

Not lost in the shuffle was Marian’s Jesse Rodino. The senior was nothing short of stellar all evening. When he wasn’t pounding his way on offense, his defensive work was staunch and tough. He, too, left an impression which will carry through the remainder of the season.

Rodino tried ever so much to help his team pull off the miracle comeback, scoring the final touchdown on a 22-yard pass from Hopeck. It was his second score, the first coming on a rumbling 22-yard run in the fourth that ignited the rally.

“The team never quit,” said Dakosty. “And what can you say about (Rodino). He’s such a big player for us … He showed his leadership and will to win. Unfortunately, we couldn’t finish it off, but we found a way to win even though it didn’t show on the scoreboard. We are winners and it will carry over the rest of the way.

“I told our players, ‘This isn’t a race, it’s a marathon.’”

BANGED UP … Jayden Fermin took a shot to his shoulder and had to be sidelined early in the third quarter. His fill in, Rory Dixon - a freshman - played like a season veteran.

GET ME THE BALL … Tight end Mike Gelatko is a big target, and a few more passes to the 6-3, 235-pound junior will create big problems for the opposition.

TACKLE TACKLE … The Colts need to improve on tackling technique if they want to succeed. They had a tough time bringing down Stevenosky.