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: NIsportsPublished: November 6, 2009
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share thisShamokin Area's football team did a good job of killing Mifflinburg's District Four AAA playoff hopes last week with a 22-12 win, and the Indians will turn their attention to a AA hopeful this week when they close the season at Loyalsock.
The Lancers (6-3) have been an up and down unit all season, and presently sit seventh in the district AA point standings with 810 points, 60 points ahead of Troy and 90 points ahead of Wyalusing. Troy (6-3) plays Canton (4-5) and Wyalusing (6-3) plays unbeaten Towanda (9-0), so the Lancers can't afford to get complacent against the 3-6 Indians.
The Lancers gave those unbeaten Black Knights all they could handle in a 24-21 overtime loss last weekend, a game which has been typical of their season, in which they have mixed big wins (14-0 over both Southern Columbia and Bloomsburg, and 21-8 over Montoursville), with tough losses (21-0 to Lewisburg and 20-0 to Mount Carmel).
Loyalsock's key player, at least offensively, is Stephen Stopper, who has played both tailback and quarterback this season. Stopper has rushed for 1,226 yards on 224 carries, with 10 touchdowns, and has also completed 16 of 41 passes for 242 yards when filling in for starting quarterback Tyler Bogaczyk.
The defense is led by the linebacking pair of Mike and Don Kinney, who have 89 and 69 tackles, respectively, and defensive back Alec Eggerton (43 tackles and six interceptions).
Shamokin will look to use fullback Brent Forbes in much the same fashion the Indians did last week, when he rumbled for 265 yards and helped milk the clock against the Wildcats.
Forbes got some help in the backfield from Jared Montgomery, who added 90 yards, and the Indians ran for 400 total yards, amassing 27 first downs and running 69 offensive snaps, 57 on the ground.
Still, Shamokin needed three goal-line stands late in the game to cement the win, continuing the Indians' habit of making life more difficult than it has to be with untimely mistakes and penalties.
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