FOUNTAIN SPRINGS - Palmerton found out why North Schuylkill's football team ran through the Anthracite Football League undefeated this season.

The Spartans won the battle in the trenches, holding the Blue Bombers scoreless for the first time this season in picking up a 38-0 victory in the District 11 2A semifinal here on Friday night.Palmerton couldn't finish off any drives as quarterback Jarred Perschy was sacked 10 times on the night leading to what turned out to be a minus rushing yards performance for the Bombers.The Bombers were able to pass on the Spartans however, as Perschy completed 15 passes for 171 yards, but Palmerton couldn't find the goal line."It was a little scary, but our defense played exceptional," said North Schuylkill's Wally Hall. "In games like this, you have to move the changes, we have to run the ball. We had to take our shots and move it little by little offensively,"The Spartans did just that with John Rupinski being the workhorse, rushing for 94 yards and scoring three touchdowns. Major Jordan added two more scores and it was a gutsy fourth down call that gave the Spartans a 6-0 lead with just over four minutes remaining in the first quarter to break the ice. Quarterback Bobby Grigas threw it in the corner of the end zone and 6-5 wide receiver Tevin Murray jumped up and pulled it in between two Bomber defenders for a 25-yard score.North Schuylkill took advantage of starting eight drives in Palmerton territory thanks two two interceptions and a fumble that halted a Bomber drive early in the game."That field position and our special teams played well really helped."Our line has been doing a good job all season. They're big guys and come off the ball well."And Palmerton head coach Chris Walkowiak couldn't agree more."They were better up front," Walkowiak agreed. "We didn't get much going and that's a credit to them. They're a good football team and well coached. They did a number on us up front and that's where the game starts."The Spartans started their second scoring drive on the Bombers' 38. Rupinski took it into the end zone from four yards out and with 57 seconds to go in the first quarter, North Schuylkill had a 12-0 lead.Rupinski did the bulk of the work on the next North Schuylkill scoring drive that took over five minutes off of the clock. He snuck in from three yards out to give the Spartans an 18-0 lead with 2:35 left in the half.Juston Heaton intercepted a pass on the Palmerton 14 and in two plays, Jordan ran it in for a 1-yard TD giving North Schuylkill a 25-0 halftime lead.Neither team could get much going in the third quarter until the Spartans recovered a fumble on the Bombers' 9. Two plays later, Jordan caught a 3-yard pass for a TD and with 2:04 left before the final 12 minutes, North Schuylkill's lead went to 32-0.North Schuylkill stopped a Palmerton drive on its own 34. Nine plays later, Rupinski scored another TD on a 13-yard run to send the game into the "Mercy Rule".The game ended with the Bombers on the North Schuylkill 20 yard line after Anthony Maradeo gave Palmerton one more offensive possession by recovering a fumble."We had a couple of turnovers, they had a couple of big plays, but at this stage of the game they get magnified," said Walkowiak. "That's playoff football. We preached that we couldn't do that against a good team or anybody.""They established the line of scrimmage that we couldn't get our running game going. They gave us fits."This season is a step in the right direction. It's a credit to the seniors. they've battled through patience and perseverance sticking through some tough times. Everyone got a taste of November football and that was one of our goals."