Maybe it was redemption.

Or perhaps it was simply just a declaration.

A year ago, Tamaqua watched as its undefeated season come to halt at Pottsville’s Veteran’s Memorial Stadium.

The Raiders got a second chance Friday night, and they didn’t disappoint.

Tamaqua kept it perfect record intact with a dominant 35-6 Schuylkill League Division 1 victory over Pottsville.

The Raiders delivered a statement. And a signature win.

“It was big. We knew going in, I said and we said as a coaching staff that after last week we weren’t sitting any different than we were a year ago,” said Tamaqua head coach Sam Bonner. “So we knew that this was a pivotal game for us.

“It’s a good Pottsville team that’s 4-1, and we knew we were gonna have our hands full. They’re big up front. It’s just huge. It’s huge to start the second half of the year.”

Tamaqua (6-0) entered last year’s contest 5-0 and rolling after a 48-28 win over Blue Mountain.

But a 42-12 loss to the Tide stopped their momentum and started a streak of four straight losses.

There was no letdown for the Raiders this season.

“Like Coach B says, this was a statement win, and we really made a statement tonight,” said Tamaqua running back Nick Breiner. “And we’re gonna hope it continues for the rest of the season.”

Breiner (150) and Nate Boyle (125) combined for 275 yards rushing and two touchdowns apiece.

“Those guys don’t go down,” said Bonner. “It’s a muddy field, and they were dragging guys with them. Plays that could have gone two or three yards, went six or eight yards.

“And you can’t say enough about Boyle. I say it every week, he does everything; extra points, kickoffs, he catches the ball, he plays defense for us, and obviously he runs the ball very well.”

Boyle’s two scores came in the second half. The first was from two yards out, capping a 66-yard drive and pushing the Raiders lead to 21-6.

The score also answered a 31-yard touchdown run by Pottsville’s Kevin DiCello, the first points scored on the Tamaqua defense this season.

“They did a nice job,” said Tide head coach Tom McGeoy. “When we started to make some plays, they did a nice job hitting us with some counter plays that broke open. They caught us out of position a few times, and when you get out of position against good backs, they make good runs.”

Boyle’s second score came on a 60-yard scamper late in the third quarter to push Tamaqua’s advantage to 28-6.

Breiner finished off a 59-yard drive with a 15-yard score to make it 35-6 with 7:10 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Both scoring drives started after Tamaqua stopped Pottsville with huge sacks on fourth down. The Raiders defense harassed quarterback Damon Yost all night, never letting the junior get into a rhythm.

“I feel like we’re a lot more physical up front than we were in past years,” said Bonner. “The four defensive linemen – Carl Valentine, (Matt) Amodea, (Jared) Reedy and Bronson (Strouse) – those four guys, when you do stuff up front, it definitely opens stuff up for our linebackers to make plays. And I said going into it, the best pass defense is a good pass rush, and I thought we had a good pass rush.”

Breiner gave the Raiders a 7-0 lead with an 18-yard touchdown run with 7:46 left in the first quarter.

After a Pierce Demetriades fumble recovery, Brayden Knoblauch found Matt Kistler with a perfect throw on a 20-yard touchdown that put Tamaqua up 14-0 with four minutes left in the first half.

UP NEXT

… Tamaqua hosts unbeaten North Schuylkill next Friday. The Spartans knocked off previously undefeated Jim Thorpe 8-6 on Friday.

BIG LOSS

… Pottsville lost starting running back Justice Minor to a leg injury on his third carry of the game. He entered the contest with a team-high 431 yards rushing.