North Warren outrushed Kittatinny by a mile, or more accurately 133 yards, but ultimately it’s how many of those yards turn into touchdowns, as the Patriots saw in their Sept. 19 loss, 26-14.
The Patriots’ running game was again led by Aiden Elliot-Able and Zach Paseler. Elliot-Able rushed for 120 yards, while Paseler notched 117. But none of those yards were converted into scores despite their stellar numbers.
The scoring came from a 3-yard touchdown run by Colton Sikkes in the second quarter and a 3-yard quarterback keeper by C.J. Mamay in the fourth. Mamay also added a two-point conversion.
Elliot-Able averaged 7.5 yards on his 16 carries, and Paseler averaged 6.5 yards on his 18 rushes.
In addition, Sikkes rushed for 35 yards and Mamay had a total of 18 yards on the ground. Contributing to those numbers was Arthur Soricelli with 12 yards and Cole Castles with 8.
North Warren rushed for 310 yards compared with Kittatinny’s 177. Patriots head coach John Bauman credited his defense line for keeping Kittatinny’s yardage down.
“The guys kept them locked up. Our defensive line played really tough this week,” Bauman said. “I can’t speak any higher of my defensive line this week. We were getting blown off the ball last week. This week they came back. They really turned it around.”
On defense, Elliot-Able recorded eight tackles, Soricelli seven and Castles six.
Despite the loss, Baum said he was encouraged by what he saw. At the same time, he said the Pats will continue to focus on the small mistakes like missed blocks that can have big consequences.
“We’re going to keep hitting it,” he said. “Pounding the ball, and playing hard-nose, blue-collar football is what Blairstown’s all about.”
Joe brings decades of journalism experience to the Ridge View Echo, covering everything from local school boards to the U.S. Supreme Court. A former National Law Journal editor and Columbia Law School press officer, he now enjoys telling community stories in Blairstown, where he lives with his wife, Rose, and their two dachshunds.
- Joe Phalon, Contributing Writerhttps://ridgeviewecho.com/author/joe-phalon-contributing-writer/
- Joe Phalon, Contributing Writerhttps://ridgeviewecho.com/author/joe-phalon-contributing-writer/
- Joe Phalon, Contributing Writerhttps://ridgeviewecho.com/author/joe-phalon-contributing-writer/
- Joe Phalon, Contributing Writerhttps://ridgeviewecho.com/author/joe-phalon-contributing-writer/
