MINERSVILLE After graduating two all-state quarterbacks in the last two years and starting this season with two signal callers who had a total of five games varsity experience between them, Jim Thorpe head coach Mark Rosenberger still felt confident that his team could step up and defend its AFL title.

Friday night's 35-0 victory over Minersville is an indication that his belief may prove to be true.The Olympians utilized a powerful running attack and a stifling defense to manhandle the Battlin' Miners. Five different running backs scored touchdowns while Thorpe's "D" allowed only 89 total rushing yards and just seven first downs on the night.On their first possession, JT flashed its breakaway speed as Ryan Carroll broke several tackles on the way to a 43 yard gain, but a fumble at the end of the run and a Minersville recovery stopped the drive.Following a Miner's punt to the Olympian five yard line and a nine yard pick up by junior Robert Heller, he was given the ball again by quarterback Shane Snisky and this time he made three cuts upfield before breaking free for an 86-yard touchdown run."Our goal was to establish our run game, " said Rosenberger. "Heller runs extremely hard. He sees a crease and he finds the open field. He knows how to finish off a run."Heller, who gained 148 yards in the game was not JT's feature back as Rosenberger spread the ball around and it paid off.After another Minersville punt, Snisky optioned his fullback into the line before breaking off tackle to cap a three play 65 yard drive with a 63 yard TD run."We have confidence that both Snisky and Dean Richards can get it done at the QB position," said Rosenberger. "Shane managed the offense well, had some great runs, and hit a big screen pass too ."The third quarter began with a failed onside kick by the Miners. Eight plays later, junior Kevin Vitti busted up the middle for a 19 yard scoring run, giving the Olympians a commanding 21-0 lead."We just couldn't stop the big play tonight, " said Minersville coach Pat Mason. "And on offense, we couldn't get a big play. Our quarterback, Jonathan McBreen made some things happen for us, but he needs his teammates to step up and help. The bottom line is if you can't score, you can't win." Then Mason added, "Jim Thorpe is a very strong team and they pushed us around pretty good."After a Miners' three and out series, JT employed another one of its offensive weapons. This time sophomore, Antonio Madera took a Snisky handoff and raced around end for a 12 yard TD to run the score to 28 -0.On the next Minersville possession, junior Alec Lauer intercepted a McBreen pass. The Olympians then took eight plays and four minutes off the clock to open the final quarter with a Carroll one yard TD run to complete the scoring."I thought our interior defensive line and our linebackers dominated tonight," said Rosenberger. 'We forced their quarterback to scramble and even though we lost the edge on some of his runs, we shut them down pretty good. I mean what more can you say then we used a lot of weapons on offense and we pitched a shutout on defense."It's only one game, but a strong running game and a shut down defense has certainly put league opponents on notice that the Olympians appear ready and able to make a run at winning consecutive league titles.