There were plenty of positives for Wally Hall.

Hall watched his North Schuylkill team move the ball effectively and play its typical brand of attacking defense in a 38-15 win over Tamaqua on Thursday night.

The Spartans scored on four of their five first-half possessions to build a 24-0 lead, while the defense forced a turnover and allowed just 30 yards and two first downs. They opened the second half with another score to push their advantage to 31-0 with 8:18 to play in the third quarter.

“In the first half, almost every possession we had we converted and got points out of it,” said Hall. “It was productive. We did what we needed to do. Our defense played outstanding in the first half. In the second half, we got a little lackadaisical and stuff like that, a little too comfortable. But after the scores and everything else, we responded when we needed to.”

And while Hall was pleased with another solid effort that helped North Schuylkill win its second straight game and move to 3-1 on the season, Blue Raiders head coach Sam Bonner was proud of a determined performance from his squad, which ripped off 15 straight points during a stretch in the second half.

“I thought there was about eight, 10 minutes between the third and fourth quarter where we got a couple scores, I thought our defense was playing more aggressively,” said Bonner. “So I definitely think we took a step forward in that way.”

It was a rally that started when the Spartans botched a punt attempt deep in their own territory on their second possession of the second half.

Tamaqua (0-4) took over at the North Schuylkill 14-yard line, and Luke Kane found Damon Sell for a nine-yard score on fourth-and-five with 1:13 left in the third quarter.

The Spartans fumbled on their second play of the ensuing possession, which was recovered by Michael Styka, and the Raiders put together a six-play, 40-yard drive, capped by Kane’s 12-yard score with 9:35 left in the fourth quarter.

Tamaqua looked to keep that momentum going on defense, with a sack by Jacob Hehn forcing the Spartans into a third-and-17 from their own 39-yard line. But quarterback Caden Mengel found Collin McGee for a 34-yard gain, and three plays later, Mengel hit Joey Flail for a 31-yard touchdown with 7:11 left in the game.

Mengel finished 16-of-24 through the air for 208 yards and two scores, both to Flail, who had six catches for 130 yards.

“We were holding our own upfront,” said Bonner. “But we gave up some big pass plays, which are kind of backbreakers, especially when you get them in third-and-long. It’s tough to give up that big play. But a lot of stuff that we did wrong is correctable. We have a young team trying to get better each week - and one plus is I think we got better from last week to this week.”

Tamaqua stopped North Schuylkill on its opening drive when Victor Schlosser broke up a fourth-down pass at the Blue Raiders’ 29-yard line.

The Spartans, who had 349 yards of total offense, then scored on five straight possessions. Jaxson Chowansky (13 carries, 84 yards) went in from a yard out to open the scoring and added a 12-yard run to make it 24-0 before halftime. Mengel hit Flail for a 32-yard score before Gavin Mentzer drilled a 35-yard field goal to make it 17-0 midway through the second quarter.

Ricky Halford’s second carry of the game was a 35-yard touchdown that made it 31-0 in the third quarter.

Bonner praised his team’s response and tenacity despite the deficit.

“I thought Tyler Koch played a heck of a game,” said Bonner. “Him, Jacob (Hehn) upfront, Mike Styka made some big plays for us. So we have guys that are really starting to make plays, and that’s what we’re emphasizing.”

IRONMEN

... Most of Tamaqua’s starters rarely get the chance to come off the field, in part due to injuries. It’s something not lost on Bonner. “We have a lot of kids playing two ways,” said the coach. “I felt like they didn’t give up, guys were enthusiastic. Landon Tringone is a guy that comes to mind, Jacob Hehn is a guy that comes to mind, Luke Kane. Those guys, they don’t come off the field.”

STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

... The Blue Raiders had seven first downs in the second half after gaining two in the first two quarters. “I thought offensively we moved the ball a little bit better than we have,” said Bonner. “I think we’re starting to get a little bit more feel for the kids that we have, plus we’re getting a few guys back this week, which hopefully helps us out.”

UP NEXT

... Bonner will go for win No. 100 when Tamaqua travels to Salisbury next Friday.