FOUNTAIN SPRINGS — North Schuylkill’s game plan to snap a two-game losing streak was simple.

Give the ball to Luke Miller.

And keep giving it him.

The senior scatback rushed 28 times for 361 yards and four touchdowns as North Schuylkill outlasted Jim Thorpe 36-14 in a Schuylkill-Colonial Red Division game Friday night at Ghosh Orthodontics Field at Spartan Stadium.

Miller scored on runs of 11, 78, 5 and 25 yards as North Schuylkill scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to finally stave off the Olympians in a game that was much closer than the final score.

It is believed, but unconfirmed, that Miller’s rushing total is a single-game North Schuylkill school record.

“It’s been a tough two weeks,” North Schuylkill coach Wally Hall said. “They’ve been positive, though, and focused at practice. They have the mentality where they came right back to work and got stuff done. It’s tough, but the important thing right now is to keep growing.

“Losses are tough to overcome but they did a great job handling that across the board.”

The difference in this matchup of 2-2 teams was Miller’s speed and Jim Thorpe’s missed opportunities in the red zone.

A District 11 champion sprinter and PIAA state medalist in track, Miller showcased his blazing speed on several occasions. A 37-yard run around the end on North Schuylkill’s first possession set up his first touchdown with 8:24 left in the first quarter.

He upped North Schuylkill’s margin to 16-0 with a 78-yard jaunt on the first play of the second quarter, breaking through the line of scrimmage into the clear and sprinting to the end zone virtually untouched.

He added a 70-yard run in the third quarter that set up his third touchdown run that made it 24-6 early in the fourth.

“I love it,” Miller said of breaking into the clear. “I love track. Running track has helped me become a great football player. It’s what I lean on the most when I play football, my speed.

“I love running (the ball). When I see that hole, I’m out of there. It’s like running the 100 (meters). It’s fun.”

Added Hall: “Luke has track speed. That’s known across the state in verified times. When a guy like that gets into the open field, it’s a challenge for teams. He’s patient with his runs but when he hits that gear when he wants to go he’s moving fast.”

Jim Thorpe (2-3, 1-2 Red) came up empty on three drives into the red zone and fumbled away another scoring opportunity at the 1-yard line where the ball trickled through the end zone for a touchback.

The Olympians put together a 16-play drive in the first quarter that reached the 3-yard line, but North Schuylkill chased quarterback Cole Lazorick for a 13-yard loss and forced two incompletions to halt the drive.

The Olympians made it 16-6 midway through the second on a 6-yard TD pass from Lazorick to Connor Zurawa. Jim Thorpe appeared poised to get closer with a drive into North Schuylkill territory right before the half but the Spartans’ Daniel Brake made an acrobatic interception on a slant route that bounced off the hands of Josh Louk at the 2-yard line.

The two defensive stands helped North Schuylkill take a 16-6 lead into intermission.

“We were right there,” Jim Thorpe coach Mark Rosenberger said. “Our effort was tremendous. Unfortunately, we didn’t execute with those couple of opportunities we had in the red zone.”

Miller’s third touchdown made it 24-6 early in the fourth. The teams then traded haymakers, with Lazorick hitting Bobby Levins for a 64-yard touchdown and North Schuylkill’s Caden Mengel answering on the Spartans’ next play with a 58-yard bomb to Jaxon Parker.

Trailing 30-14, Lazorick then completed a long pass, this time for 48 yards to Spencer Gothard. On the next play, Lazorick faked a bubble screen and darted up the middle. He was hit at the 1-yard line and fumbled, with the ball going through the end zone.

North Schuylkill then iced the game with an 11-play, 80-yard drive that was capped by Miller’s fourth touchdown, a 25-yard run.

Lazorick, who was injured on the fumble play, finished 15-for-28 passing for 274 yards. Levins had six catches for 90 yards and the score.

“We’re not far away,” Rosenberger said of his squad. “We have a lot of young kids over here and they keep fighting. Our older kids are leading us where we need to go to.

“I can’t be more proud of our kids’ effort on the football field tonight. But we have to clean some things up offensively and then who knows, maybe we win that football game.”

For the Spartans, Friday’s win gives them some momentum heading into the second half of their schedule that includes games against Northwestern Lehigh, Lehighton, Blue Mountain and Pottsville.

IN THE TRENCHES ... Riding the efforts of offensive linemen Aiden Zilker, Gavin Wall, William Wysoski, Cameron Hutnick and Kaiden Knox, North Schuylkill rushed for 398 yards and had 464 yards of total offense.

QUOTABLE ... “It’s not easy losing two games in a row,” Miller said. “It’s definitely hard on you mentally, like why are you doing this sometimes. You just have to come to practice with the same attitude every day. You’re going to face adversity … that’s life. You have to keep going every day. That’s what you have to do, keep showing up. We have to keep going.”

North Schuylkill 36,

Jim Thorpe 14

Jim Thorpe 0 6 0 8 - 14

N. Schuylkill 8 8 0 20 - 36

NS - Miller 11 run (Miller run)

NS - Miller 78 run (Miller run)

JT - Zurawa 6 pass from Lazorick (pass failed)

NS - Miller 5 run (Nelson pass from Mengel)

JT - Levins 64 pass from Lazorick (Louk pass from Lazorick)

NS - Parker 58 pass from Mengel (run failed)

NS - Miller 25 run (pass failed)