On the final evening of summer, Mahanoy Area’s football team was basking in the afterglow, shocking one of its bitter rivals — Marian.

The Golden Bears spoiled the Colts’ homecoming night, rallying around a junkyard-tough defense, and making big plays when it was least expected to secure an impressive first win of the season, 26-7, on Saturday.

Mahanoy’s win snapped a four-game losing streak, and gave the team a boost of confidence, which was felt throughout the sidelines as the game wore on and momentum kept creeping in favor of the underdog Bears.

When the visitors fell behind 7-0 to open the second quarter, Marian looked like its mission was on course.

The Colts were fine-tuning their running game, consuming 12 plays, to cash-in for a score. They kept plugging their splendid sophomore back Rory Dixon into the small cracks of Mahanoy’s defensive line.

Then, with the onset of the second quarter, Dixon bolted into the end zone before trusted kicker Jah Bushati made it a quick 7-0 lead.

Just when the Golden Bears seemed to have found their wheels, they whiffed on a chance to get the equalizer, turning the ball over on their 49-yard line. The Colts marched deep into Mahanoy territory looking to take a double-digit lead.

But the best was yet to come — for Mahanoy Area.

It rose up on the heels of its defense, choking off the Marian offensive attack with a huge stop one yard shy of a touchdown. Marian (3-2) was pounding the rock, riding the legs again of Dixon. But a stout Mahanoy Area defensive front kept digging in, and when a fourth-down run was turned away, the momentum turned in favor of the Bears.

“That (stand) was so outstanding, and when we got that huge run from Levi Terry, it felt like a load was off our backs,” said Mahanoy head coach Dave Holman.

Terry raced 64 yards out of danger, and though Mahanoy Area didn’t turn it into points, it turned the tide in the Bears’ favor. Mahanoy’s defense stayed hot, and when the offense got back on the field, Terry was able to use his quick feet to speed to the end zone, going another 64 yards for six points.

“I trust my offensive line,” Terry said about his 135-yard rushing night.

He can also trust fellow senior Mike Oblas, who tormented Marian’s defense, scoring three touchdowns. His first was a 31-yard pass play from Terry that jolted Marian and put the Bears on top 12-7 with 10:30 left on the third quarter clock.

“I really felt confident, mainly because I knew I could get by their corners,” Oblas said. “You’ve got to give it to our line play, if they don’t give (Levi) time we are not getting a completion. And they blocked great all night.”

The Golden Bears (1-4) capped a short 12-yard drive after taking over following a fumble recovery at the onset of the fourth quarter, as Oblas buried his head into the line for six more points. He then caught a two-point conversion, and the telltale sign was growing bigger for Mahanoy Area.

“This was such a big win for us,” said Kyler Quick, who was a standout on both sides of the ball, adding key runs at times in crucial situations.

Then the coup de grace came with less than two minutes remaining, as Mahanoy’s defense forced a second fumble with 3:33 to go. The Bears took control, and turned to Oblas, who hit paydirt for the third time in the game.

“It was very important that we get this win,” said senior two-way star Brian Gallagher. “It’s a rivalry game, and we stopped our losing streak. Now we can look at the next five games and see what happens.”

JULIAN ON THE WATCH … Julian Hermany, the Marians’ standout two-way tackle, suffered an injury early in the second half, and had to be removed via an ambulance. His head coach Billy O’Gurek said everything is fine, just soreness in his neck.

DEBUT … Freshman Marian QB Greg Tirpak got his first start and played well. Dylan Rodino filled in late and seemed comfortable behind center.

HE SAID IT … “Give credit to Mahanoy Area, they did a great job all night recognizing some things, and played tough,” O’Gurek said of the Bears’ effort.

SHIFTY … “He is so shifty, and if you don’t come up and tackle him, he is going to break a run. Our guys did a great job. And we had to contain No. 10 (Mike Gelatko), and our guys did a great job there too,” Holman said of trying to contain Dixon, who finished with 144 rushing yards.

Mahanoy Area 26, Marian 7

Mahanoy Area 0 6 6 14 - 26

Marian 0 7 0 0 - 7

Scoring summary

M - Dixon 4 run (Bushati kick)

MA - Terry 64 run (kick failed)

MA - Oblas 31 pass from Terry (run failed)

MA - Oblas 8 run (Oblas pass from Terry)

MA - Oblas 5 run (conversion failed)