POTTSVILLE — Mike Brennan knew what Jim Thorpe was capable of.

He saw it last week when the Olympians put up over 500 yards of total offense in their season opener.

And he got a better look at it Friday night when they marched down the field against his Pottsville team and finished their opening drive with a trip to the end zone.

But Brennan knew if the Tide could withstand the pressure, they could counter with a surge of their own.

Pottsville did just that, overwhelming Jim Thorpe to claim a 48-7 victory.

It’s Brennan’s first win as the Tide’s (1-1) head coach, and one that comes after a 27-13 loss to Shamokin in the season opener.

“I think people are going to learn that Shamokin football team is very good,” said Brennan. “So for us to be able to compete and keep that to a one score game after being down three most of the time was a positive for us.

“And our kids didn’t quit, and they continue to get better. So tonight, I told them everybody comes out, no matter who you play, you have to weather the storm in the first quarter. And we were able to do that tonight, and then we were able to sort of pull away with some opportunistic plays in the second quarter and the O-line started to take over slowly, and then they did a great job.”

Pottsville scored the final 41 points in the game after the Olympians (1-1) tied it with a two-yard touchdown run by Josh Louk with 41.6 seconds to play in the first quarter, a drive that went 16 plays and covered 84 yards.

The Tide turned the momentum on the next series as quarterback Andrew Allen somehow escaped a sack and hit Tsiell Curry for a 63-yard score. Shay Strencosky came up with a pick on Jim Thorpe’s next drive, and Allen cashed in with a seven-yard touchdown to make it 21-7.

A long drive on Jim Thorpe’s next possession ended with a turnover on downs, and Pottsville needed just six plays to go 79 yards, with Juleon “Ju Ju” Bainbridge rushing in from two yards out.

The Tide defense forced another turnover on the Olympians’ next drive, this time recovering a fumble, and Bainbridge rushed in from 13 yards for his third touchdown of the first half as Pottsville took a commanding 34-7 lead with 27.4 left before halftime.

“We have to be more physical, and we need to be a better tackling football team. So defensively, we just didn’t give ourselves a shot,” said Jim Thorpe head coach Mark Rosenberger. “We had opportunities and we just didn’t tackle well. And we weren’t physical enough. Offensively, we did some nice things. We had a 16-play drive first time, scored a touchdown, moved the ball a decent amount, but we just couldn’t finish things off. And that’s a credit to Pottsville. They played a very good football game.”

Pottsville got two third-quarter scores from Evan Galavage, one from nine yards out and the other a 74-yard burst to make it a mercy rule game with 5:11 left in the third quarter.

The Tide got big plays on offense, but also kept an explosive Olympian group in check. Pottsville outgained Jim Thorpe 412-259, and held the Olympians to 93 yards rushing.

“A lot of pressure across the board,” said Brennan. “Our defensive line we feel is athletic and can run well, and our linebackers did a great job. We felt we bent a little bit in the first half, but then made big plays when we had to.”

The Olympians will use the loss as a learning experience, one that will prepare the squad for the challenges ahead.

“Every team we’re going to play is going to be physical like that,” said Rosenberger. “So we got a barometer of where we’re at and where we need to get to. So it’s an opportunity to watch film and hopefully see where we’re at and what we need to do to get better.”

MOVING THE CHAINS … Jim Thorpe finished with 18 first downs, three more than Pottsville.

ROLL TIDE … Pottsville had a number of playmakers Friday. Bainbridge finished with 122 yards and three scores in the first half on 14 carries. Galavage had just three carries, but scored two TDs and had 99 yards. Curry made three catches, including a 50-yarder, and finished with 134 yards receiving, while quarterback Allen completed 7-of-10 passes for 176 yards.

OLYMPIANS LEADERS … Jim Thorpe QB Cole Lazorick was 19-of-28 for 127 yards with 29 yards rushing, while Louk made five catches for 44 yards in addition to his rushing score.

Pottsville 48, Jim Thorpe 7

Jim Thorpe 7 0 0 0 - 7

Pottsville 14 20 14 0 - 48

Scoring summary

P - Bainbridge 2 run (Alvarez kick)

JT - Louk 2 run (Flyzik kick)

P - Curry 63 pass from Allen (Alvarez kick)

P - Allen 7 run (Alvarez kick)

P - Bainbridge 2 run (Alvarez kick)

P - Bainbridge 13 run (kick failed)

P - Galavage 9 run (Alvarez kick)

P - Galavage 74 run (Alvarez kick)