Although football is a team sport, just one outstanding athlete can make a big difference.

Mahanoy Area defeated Panther Valley 35-13 on Friday, with the two teams were pretty evenly matched - except for Mahanoy’s Colm McGroarty.

McGroarty is only 5-9, 150 pounds but he’s fast, elusive and gutsy. He zig-zagged past defenders, bounced off would-be tacklers like pin balls and ran into the thick of the line without hesitation.

He scored two touchdowns and rushed for 171 of Mahanoy’s 253 yards.

Mahanoy coach Paul Barbinsky surprised the Panthers by moving him from quarterback - where he started in the first two games - to running back.

“We normally go with Colm (at quarterback),” Barbinsky said. “But we wanted to give him more open space so we moved Ban Manley to quarterback.”

The Panthers controlled the ball for the first 12 minutes of the game, driving from their 31 to the Mahanoy 17 in 17 plays before surrendering the ball on downs.

Then they were introduced to McGroarty. He picked up five yards on the first play from scrimmage, then broke loose on the second play, traveling through the right side and racing 68 yards for a touchdown.

The Golden Bears scored on their second possession, again because of McGroarty. He handled a punt at the Panther 42 and ran to the 9 before being knocked out of bounds. He carried twice, the second time a five-yard scamper into the end zone.

Panther Valley first-year coach Mark Lavine was disappointed with the first half, but pleased the way his team responded to the halftime adversity.

“I was proud of our guys in the second half,” he said. “They competed. We got some drives going. We got some points in the fourth quarter.”

He admitted he was caught off-guard by the move on McGroarty but was especially impressed with the Mahanoy player’s speed, saying he watched game film “but he’s even quicker than on film. He’s a heck of a player.”

“I was happy that we finished strong. That shows the character of our kids,” Lavine said.

PV’s first scoring drive started when Riley Hoben recovered a fumble on the Mahanoy 41. A grueling drive on eight plays took the ball to the five. Quarterback Michael Pascoe, who had his best passing night this season, connected down the middle to sophomore Brennan Kunkel who caught the ball while on his knees at the goal line for a touchdown.

On the next series, a kickoff return by freshman Brody Breiner put the ball on the 23 and the Panthers advanced it in 11 plays to the Mahanoy 34. Pascoe tossed a long pass into the corner of the end zone to senior Dave “Trey” McAndrew, who made a great catch for the score.

A GREAT PANTHER EFFORT ... Don’t let the score fool you, the Panthers never quit and were manhandled by Mahanoy. Coach Babinsky said of the Panthers, “They got their program going in the right direction. We knew it was going to be difficult. They have tough runners in Pascoe and (Austin) Hadley. We sort of bent defensively but we didn’t break. McAndrew deserves credit, pulling in three of four passes for 61 yards.

SCOREBOARD WOES ... The scoreboard has been difficult to read at times. But that’s going to change. If all goes as scheduled, the Panthers will be getting a new scoreboard at the end of the season.

A VETERAN TEAM ... Mahanoy has a very experienced squad. Coach Babinsky said only two starting seniors were lost from last season. Most of the team has been together for the past three years.

NEXT UP ... The Panthers have a Thursday game at home next week against Shenandoah.