Jim Thorpe came out Thursday night against Wilson with a clear mission to run the football and be physical in the trenches.

From the opening snap, the Olympians committed to grinding out yards on the ground — and by the final whistle, their mission was fully accomplished.

Thorpe (3-2) racked up 253 rushing yards in the first half alone, building a commanding 28-0 lead at the intermission, cruising to an eventual 35-0 shutout victory over the Warriors (1-4).

The Olympians wasted no time leaning on their ground game after electing to receive the opening kickoff.

Thorpe marched 62 yards on nine run plays to take a 7-0 lead at the 7:22 mark. Sophomore running back Bobby Levins was the catalyst on the drive, carrying the ball five times for 50 yards, including a 17-yard burst into the end zone.

“Our goal was to try and get the football first and get the ball in our athletes hands and come out and play a physical brand of football,” said Jim Thorpe head coach Mark Rosenberger. “I’m proud of our players because they’re building towards playing that brand of football every week. We might not have been there early in the season, but we’re there now.

“We just have to continue to keep building towards that. Bobby Levins and Tyler Hoherchak also did a great job, and they had some explosive runs for us tonight.”

Jim Thorpe’s defense then stepped up with back-to-back stops as Wilson threatened to shift the momentum.

After the Olympians’ Christian Ortiz intercepted Wilson’s second offensive play of the game, the Thorpe offense looked poised to quickly extend its lead to 14–0. Instead, the drive stalled at the Wilson 2-yard line when it couldn’t convert on fourth-and-short.

Wilson answered by marching down to the JT 21-yard line behind several big plays from quarterback Connor Patterson.

Patterson broke loose for a 28‑yard run, aided by a facemask penalty, and followed it with two nice throws of 19 and 15 yards to put the Warriors in business. The Thorpe defense bent but didn’t break, sacking Patterson on fourth‑and‑four to force a turnover on downs early in the second quarter.

The JT offense then suffered another miscue, fumbling on a scissors play and giving Wilson the ball at the Thorpe 25.

But once again, the “Red Swarm” defense delivered, forcing a Warriors punt after Gaetano Sarnelli opened the drive with a sack that immediately put Wilson behind the chains.

“Those two big stops by the defense in the first half were huge. That really swung the momentum in the game,” said Rosenberger. “I love how our guys are flying around on defense right now. They’re getting a lot of hats to the football.

“We bent but we didn’t break, but getting those stops was big because it kept momentum on our side, and then we were able to explode there offensively in the second quarter.”

Thorpe’s offense capitalized on the defense’s big stop, marching 85 yards in 11 plays on its ensuing possession.

A pair of strong runs — a 14‑yard rush by Levins and a 19‑yard gain from Hoherchak — set the tone early. Hoherchak then delivered one of the game’s most crucial conversions, escaping pressure on a fourth‑and‑eight from the Wilson 32, finding Anthony Kiehl over the middle for a 13‑yard pickup.

The drive eventually ended with Levins powering in from three yards out, extending the lead to 14–0 with 4:08 left in the second quarter.

After JT forced another quick three‑and‑out, Hoherchak again displayed his running ability. On a quarterback draw, he broke left, slipped past a few defenders, and sprinted 41 yards to the end zone, pushing the Olympians’ advantage to 21–0.

Thorpe wasn’t finished adding to its first‑half total.

On the ensuing kickoff, Wilson lost the ball in a scrum, and the Olympians recovered at the Warriors’ 17-yard line. A 15‑yard run by Levins set up Hoherchak’s short plunge into the end zone, sending Thorpe into halftime with a 28–0 lead.

“I’m really proud of the way our guys are playing up front. Our goal tonight was to make sure we were the more physical football team tonight. You can see that group is getting better each and every week,” added Rosenberger.

Thorpe was able to force another interception with Angel Rivera coming through with the pick on Wilson’s opening second half possession around the JT 35-yard line.

The Olympians then put the game into the mercy rule going 75 yards on seven plays with Levins finishing off the drive with a 25-yard rushing touchdown.

“To be a good defense, you have to take the ball away. We were able to do that tonight, and that’s a good sign. We’ve really been preaching that,” said Rosenberger. “We’ve been challenging our players to come up with more turnovers. And again, I just really like the speed we’re playing defensively.

“And it all starts in practice. Our guys have been working really hard in practice, and they’ve been practicing with a lot of effort and intensity, and that’s the type of stuff that shows up on game day.”

GROUND AND POUND ... Thorpe took it to the Warriors with its rushing attack, rushing for an impressive 306 yards

DYNAMIC DUO ... Levins rushed 14 times for 123 yards and three scores, while Hoherchak added 105 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries. They’re the first JT duo to rush for 100 yards in a game since Cole Lazorick and Josh Louk did it back in 2024 in a win over Palmerton.

TURNOVER TOWN ... JT forced four Wilson turnovers in the game, with Ortiz coming through with two interceptions.

Jim Thorpe 35, Wilson 0

Jim Thorpe 7 21 7 0 - 35

Wilson 0 0 0 0 - 0

JT - Levins 17 run (Flyzik kick)

JT - Levins 3 run (Flyzik kick)

JT - Hoherchak 41 run (Flyzik kick)

JT - Hoherchak 1 run (Flyzik kick)

JT - Levins 25 run (Flyzik kick)