SCHUYLKILL HAVEN - Jim Thorpe head coach Mark Rosenberger wanted 48 minutes from his team Friday night.

That’s exactly what the Olympians gave him.

Jim Thorpe circled the wagons to erase a halftime deficit and pull out a 22-21 Schuylkill League victory over Blue Mountain.

The Olympians scored on offense, defense and special teams to move to 2-0.

“It was an outstanding win for us,” Rosenberger said. “We thought it was going to be a battle for 48 minutes. We were down at halfitme, and I said, ‘Guys, it’s only 24 minutes into it. We have 24 more to go.’

“And our kids came out and made plays.”

Jim Thorpe trailed 7-6 after the first quarter and 14-6 at halftime.

But a 34-yard pick-six by Derryl Fisher made it 14-12 with 6:54 to play in the third. On the two-point conversion try, freshman Noah Rosahac came up with a loose ball in the end zone to tie it.

“We all played good together,” said Fisher. “We knew it was going to be a dog fight, and we just pulled it out and got the win.”

The Eagles (1-1) answered on their next possession, with Jack Dean hitting Bryce Hensley for a 17-yard score, with the extra point making it 21-14 with 4:26 to play in the period.

The Olympians went three-and-out on their next possession. But the Red Swarm pounced after forcing Blue Mountain into a punting situation when a bad snap from the 34-yard line went into the end zone and was recovered by Jordan Burak to make it a one-point game.

After a penalty on the Eagles on the first extra point try, Rosenberger went for two and Brandon Fasolino converted to put the Olympians ahead 22-21 with 2:10 left in the third.

“I had a lot of hope in my team,” said Thorpe senior Christopher Strika. “I just had a feeling that we were going to make that two-point conversion.

“I’m just so proud of them ... they just stepped it up and everyone did their part.”

The Eagles threatened again midway through the fourth quarter, driving from their own 19-yard line to the Olympians’ 13 with under six minutes to play in the game.

But a 30-yard field goal attempt was no good.

Thorpe punted after its next drive stalled, with Blue Mountain taking over near midfield and 3:25 left on the clock.

The Olympians surrendered a first down and the Eagles made it to the Thorpe 27.

But an incompletion, a fumbled snap and another errant pass on fourth down sealed the win, as the Olympians took over with 1:17 to play and Blue Mountain out of timeouts.

“We’re family,” said Thorpe junior Bryson Heydt. “We come together when we need to. That’s what we are, that’s our mentality. You can’t win a football game without it.”

EARLY SCORES ...

The Olympians took a 6-0 lead in the first quarter when Davier Calcano hit Fisher for a 23-yard score with 24.6 left in the opening frame. The extra point try failed.

Blue Mountain responded on the ensuing kickoff, with Hensley racing 89 yards for a touchdown. Freshman Carson Steinruck connected on the extra point try to put the Eagles ahead 7-6 with 10.8 seconds to play before the end of the quarter.

Quarterback Jack Dean capped Blue Mountain’s next drive with a 3-yard plunge with Steinruck adding the extra point to push the advantage to 14-6 with 6:04 to play in the half.

TEAM EFFORT

... Rosenberger praised each member of the program for making the victory possible, especially with several players dealing with cramps throughout the contest. “From 1-to-47 playerwise, every coach, every manager,” he said. “And give credit to our four managers (Carsen Rosenberger, Megan Rosahac, Andi Hoherchak, Brandy Montemuro) on the sidelines who were running like crazy, getting the kids waters. From players to coaches to managers; the trainer was busy tonight. Just everybody. I’m extremely proud of all of them for an outstanding job.”

STAT LINE

... The Olympians had six first downs in the game and none in the second half. Blue Mountain outgained Thorpe 216-136.