There’s no denying the importance of first possessions — to start the game and to open the second half.

On Friday night, Tamaqua excelled both offensively and defensively in those situations to set the tone in what ended up as a 48-7 Blue Raider victory over Jim Thorpe.

Sam Bonner’s club scored on its first play from scrimmage as Bradley Whalen gave Tamaqua an early lead with an 80-yard dash to the end zone. The defense then followed with a three-and-out, which led to another Raider tally.

After the Olympians hung around and nearly made the contest a one-score game at the end of the half, Tamaqua once again came out strong to start the third quarter.

An interception by Cooper Ansbach set up another Raider scoring drive. Quarterback Luke Kane tossed a 16-yard strike to Declan Coleman on a fourth-and-three to give the host team a 28-7 advantage.

“We kind of emphasized coming out in the second half, we said we dodged a bullet there, it could have been a one-score game at the half,” said Bonner. “So we kind of emphasized getting that stop and having a good drive to start the second half.

“And I couldn’t be more happy that we got both. We got a stop, and then we drove and got a score on our first possession of the second half. I think that set the tone for the second half. We knew the first drive was important, both offensively and defensively.”

After Tamaqua (4-0) went up by three scores, it controlled the rest of the game, never giving Jim Thorpe a chance to rally.

In fact, the Raider defense held the Olympians (1-3) to negative yardage and forced three turnovers over the final two frames.

“We had momentum there at the end of the second quarter there for a while, but we just didn’t executive offensively well enough,” said Thorpe head coach Mark Rosenberger. “Defensively, we’re just not getting any stops. It could have been a situation where you get the last four score and the first four score, and it would have been a tie game. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to capitalize on their turnover, and we turned the ball over.

“Credit to Tamaqua and Coach Bonner. Their team is playing extremely well and the kids are playing hard, and they earned the win, for sure.”

It looked like the Raider would run away early, as Whalen’s long run was followed by a Luke Kane 71-yard carry that set up his 4-yard tally. Midway through the second, Whalen also reached the end zone on an 11-yard score to make it 21-0.

But Thorpe, who had quarterback Cole Lazorick back in the lineup after missing last week with an injury, fought back. The talented junior completed five passes during a 63-yard drive that led to his 1-yard TD run.

The Olympians had the ball two more times in Tamaqua territory and threatened to score, but picks by Tyler Koch and Ansbach ended both opportunities.

“Lazorick is very elusive in the pocket and he can get out and scramble,” said Tamaqua’s Kane. “Our defensive line, though, was amazing tonight. … They did everything to contain him, and they did a great job of it. They’re a pass heavy team and we came out knowing they were going to throw a lot, and our secondary put pressure on their receivers and our D-line put pressure on the quarterback, and that helped force turnovers.”

Kane, who finished with 146 yards rushing and threw for 65 more, helped put the finishing touches on Thorpe late in the third. He completed three consecutive passes and picked up 14 yards on two carries before upping the score to 35-7 on a 3-yard TD run.

“He does a great job,” Bonner said of his quarterback. “He’s shown great leadership. We did a lot of play action because they were loading up on us when we were running the ball. We took advantage of that. Luke made really good decisions. He’s running the way I thought he was going to coming into the season. He’s not afraid to lower the shoulder and get some tough yardage for us.”

The Raiders’ Terrence McDowell ended the game’s scoring in the final period. First, he reached the end zone on a 4-yard run. Then on the next play from scrimmage, he came up with a pick-six.

GAME STATS … Whalen finished with 123 yards on eight carries, as the Raiders put up 327 rushing yards. Thorpe’s Lazorick threw for 97 yards in the first half, but none in the second.

DEFENSE … Tamaqua’s defense had four sacks and four interceptions. Isaiah Davis had 1½ sacks, while Whalen and Luke Frohnheiser each had one.

Tamaqua 48, Jim Thorpe 7

Jim Thorpe 0 7 0 0 - 7

Tamaqua 14 7 14 13 - 48

Scoring summary

T - Whalen 80 run (Barron kick)

T - Kane 4 run (Barron kick)

T - Whalen 11 run (Barron kick)

JT - Lazorick 1 run (Geiser kick)

T - D. Coleman 16 pass from Kane (Barron kick)

T - Kane 3 run (Barron kick)

T - McDowell 4 run (Barron kick)

T - McDowell 35 interception return (run failed)