MINERSVILLE, Pa. — Minersville is coming off a 10 and 3 season with a district championship. Overall, it was a season to be proud of but the Battlin' Miners want more this season and know it won't come easy.
"This year, teams are going to be on us. We have a target on our back and we have to come each week, come ready to play," said AJ Halford.
Minersville returns with experience and it begins at quarterback. Dante Carr is a three year starter, leading a battled tested offense.
"He could do a little bit of it all. He could run, pass and he's a dual threat. Whatever he wants to do, 99% of the time it works. And, we have really good receivers and our O line is looking really good this year," said Easton Schultz.
"All those kids are coming back from last year and played a lot of football for us. So, when you think of weapons, you think of those skill guys, but you know, our O line is a weapon because they've been there for so long," said head coach Justin Frantz.
With the PIAA changes to the divisions in the Schuylkill League, that means more classic match-ups. For Minersville, that'll mean nine straight weeks in a row of those rivalries.
"It's Schuykill County football, hard nosed football. So every week you're going to have to go in fighting for a win. It's not like how it was before but Schuylkill County teams, we love to win. So it's going to be like that every week, it's going to be hard," said Dante Carr.
"I've been saying all summer, it's a gauntlet, but it's fun. And that's what we want. We want to play these local teams and we want those rivalries coming back," Frantz said.
The Miners set some big goals for this season and the team hopes to rewrite some history books.
"A district championship, absolutely. But, I want to go on a state run. Minersville has never won a state playoff game before, so we want to be the first to do that," Carr said.\
Super 16 team #8.. the Minersville Battlin' Miners.