MINERSVILLE – On the 10th weekend, the Panther Valley football program came to a season-ending rest.

The two-win season wasn’t what the Panthers were hoping for back in August.

Panther Valley’s woes came to careening end at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Minersville on Friday as the Miners posted a 46-0 rout.

Minersville rode the swift feet of Gabe Kuehn who rushed for 231 yards on just nine carries and scored four touchdowns.

The win lifts evens the Miners’ season log at 5-5 and improves their Schuylkill League Division II record to 3-2. Although the Miners fell short in a quest for a District 11 Class 2A playoff spot, they did earn an Eastern Conference playoff berth.

On senior night, Kuehn had himself a rocking time. Needing just 185 yards to go over the 1,000-yard rushing mark on the season, he got that on his seventh carry and never touched the ball in the second half.

The Miners ran off eight plays from scrimmage, one of which was a punt, in the first quarter scoring three times all by Kuehn. Kuehn had two touches in the first series garnering 18 yards before zooming 43 yards to pay dirt. Teammate John Adams connected for the first of seven extra points to make it 7-0. That score came just 41 seconds into the contest.

The Panthers forced Minersville into its first punt, but quickly turned the ball over on a fumble. One play into its third possession, Minersville hit the scoreboard again when Kuehn bolted 24 yards to the end zone. On the next possession, it took Kuehn just one touch to race 72 yards.

Wham! Bam! Thank you, Mam!

Minersville was on top 21-0 and the second quarter had yet to be reached.

In the second quarter, Kuehn rang up a 49-yard TD run for a 28-0 lead. The next Miners’ score came when Brennan Chapman picked off a pass and returned it 12 yards. The Miners still weren’t finished as a 25-yard pass from Scott Schwalm to Bryce Ellinger pass made it 42-0 at halftime.

The only scoring the Miners had in the second half were a pair of third quarter safeties that set the final numbers.

FINDING A SILVER LINNING ... If you had to measure a team by heart, Panther Valley’s was big. It’s a tough struggle when your numbers are down, your legs feel like putty, your lungs are burning and you keep getting whacked, but find a way to get up. Character and courage were not lacking in the Panthers.

WHY THROW? ... Minersville was heaving the ball late in the game, trying to get Ellinger a receiving record. It came out looking like a poor move on the Miners part. It’s something that could have been done earlier in the game — not with the score already 46-0.

PANTHERS ... Panther Valley quarterback Ethan Reis is good enough to play on any team, but he had to run for his life under fierce pressure from Minersville all game. He’s a junior and returns. Six seniors played their final game for the Panthers — Carter Brettle, Kyle Rusnak, Sam Janner, Cody Colleveichio, Chris Hoover and C.J. Hoffman.