MAHANOY CITY - It’s one thing for a football team to know who it has to stop.

It’s another thing to do it.

Panther Valley found that out the hard way on Friday night.

Mahanoy Area’s Colm McGroaty entered the game as the main focus of the Panthers’ defensive game plan.

But that didn’t stop him from exploding for five touchdowns and carrying the Golden Bears to a 40-0 victory.

“We knew No. 2 (McGroaty) was the player we needed to contain,” said Panther Valley coach Mark Lavine. “But obviously we struggled trying to do that.

“Give their coaches credit, they moved him all over the field. I thought we did a pretty good job of preventing him from making big plays when he lined up in the backfield. But we lost track of him a couple of times when he lined up as a receiver and he made us pay for it. We also talked about not kicking to him, and the time we did, he made us pay for that too.”

McGroaty, who normally aligns as the Bears’ halfback, also took a couple of direct snaps as a wildcat quarterback in addition to splitting out wide as a receiver. He finished the game with 15 carries for 82 yards and two TDs, and two catches for 99 yards and two more TDs. But his biggest contribution might have been returning the second half kickoff 78 yards for a backbreaking touchdown.

“We were right there most of the first half,” Lavine said about a game that Mahanoy Area led 6-0 with just over two minutes remaining in the half. “But then they got the big pass play for a touchdown right before half.

“We still thought we were right there. We talked to the kids about getting a three-and-out to start the second half and then going down and punching it in to make it a one-score game. But instead they return the kickoff for a TD and all of a sudden we’re 21 points down.”

McGroaty’s six-yard run in the first quarter and his 39-yard TD catch on a pass from Levi Terry with 1:21 left in the half had Mahanoy Area ahead 14-0. In the third quarter, he sandwiched his 78-yard kickoff return and a 60-yard touchdown catch around Cael Quick’s 58-yard scoring run as the Bears built a 34-0 lead and blew the game open.

“Colm is our best athlete so we are always looking for different ways to get him the ball,” said Mahanoy Area coach Paul Babinsky. “He’s a game-breaker who has the potential to make big plays every time he touches the ball.

“We came into the game tonight wanting to get him the ball in the open field and we were able to accomplish that.”

Bubinsky agreed with Lavine’s take that of all the big plays McGroaty made, the kickoff return was the biggest.

“We definitely didn’t feel comfortable at halftime,” he said. “Panther Valley had been moving the ball, but we were able to keep them out of the end zone.

“We were aware they have some play makers too. (Quarterback Brody) Breiner throws a nice ball and they were just one big play away from making things really interesting. Fortunately for us, Colm took that kickoff back and that gave us some breathing room. Our kids then did a nice job the remainder of the third quarter of building on our lead.”

THE CATCH ... Not only did McGroarty make big plays, he also showed the ability to make spectacular plays. On his 60-yard TD catch in the third quarter, he went high between two PV defenders to make an outstanding catch, then managed to stay on his feet, pull away from both defenders and race into the end zone.

NUMBERS CAN LIE ... Despite getting mercy-ruled, the Panthers had more first downs in the game and just 38 yards less total offense. In the second half, Panther Valley had a 29-12 advantage in offensive plays, but was outscored, 26-0.

BRIGHT SPOTS ... The Panthers’ Frank Shubeck (5 carries, 35 yards); Marcus Rodriguez (6 carries, 33 yards); and Aiden Kreimendahl (5 carries 31 yards) all averaged over five yards a carry. Brad Jones, the Panthers’ leading tackler in their first two games, made plays all over the field again last night.

RECORDS ... Panther Valley falls to 1-2 and will travel to Shenandoah Valley next Friday night. Mahanoy Area improves to 1-2.