Article published 07/14/2007, WNEP-TV 16 The N.E.P.A. Miners beat Hudson County 370 Saturday night in North American Football League action at Lake-Lehman’s Ed Edwards Stadium. Miner ball carrier Donnie Jackson-Bey had 134 yards to break the all time semi-pro rushing record by one yard. The run came in the fourth quarter and gave Jackson-Bey 15,170 for his career. He also had three touchdowns in the game. The Miners improve to 2-0 in the Pennsylvania Division and 3-0 overall in their first ever season. Next week they go on the road to play the Central Penn Piranha....

by Mark Coons, Staff Writer Article published 7/14/2007, The Times-Tribune Donnie Jackson-Bey looks to lead his Northeast Pennsylvania Miners into their North American Football League crossover game against the Hudson City Stars tonight at 7:05 p.m. at Edward Edwards Stadium in Lehman Township. The 31-year-old Bridgeton, N.J., native, in his eleventh semi-pro season after a stellar college career at Lackawanna College and Delaware State, stands just 132 yards shy of the national semipro rushing record. “I never thought that I would have played this long,“ Jackson-Bey said. “It’s a credit to the players that I have played with that has brought me to this point.” According to the Website www.semiprofootball.org, the record is currently held by Frank Yanik, who amassed 15,301 yards during his 12-year career with the Binghamton Jets and Scranton Eagles. “Over the past two or three years, my teammates have talked about the record,” Jackson-Bey said. “But I wouldn’t compromise winning a game just to break the record.” The Miners (2-0, 1-0 NAFL) rode a stiff defense that yielded just 190 yards of offense and pair of short touchdown runs by Jackson-Bey to a 13-7 road win against the South Central Yard Dawgs last Saturday. “South Central came into the game 2-0 and had a...

Article published 7/10/2007, www.wnep.com NEPA Miners Running Back Donnie Jackson-Bey currently has 15,169 yards and is 133 yards away from breaking the All-Time Minor League Rushing Record held by former Scranton Eagle Frank Yanik. Yanik played from 79-81 with the BC Jets and 82-92 with the Scranton Eagles. Donnie had 12 carries for 94 yards, 1 TD in a 44-14 victory vs. the Coal Crackers in the Anthracite Classic and 109 yards 2TDS on 29 carries in week one of the NAFL regular season vs. the Yard Dawgs in a 13-7 victory on the road. Donnie will go for the record 7:05PM this Saturday July 14th at Lake Lehman's Edward Edwards Stadium versus the Hudson County Stars....

Article published 7/8/2007, PA Homepage NEPA Miners win their first North American Football League game on Saturday night, beating the South Central Yard Dawgs 13-7. Donnie Jackson-Bey rushes for 109-yards and two touchdowns, closing in on the minor league football rushing record held by Frank Yannik. The Miners will play next Saturday against Reading at Lehman's Edwards Stadium. Kickoff is 7:00pm....

Article published 7/8/2007, The Times-Tribune STEELTON — Running back Donnie Jackson-Bey capped a pair of long drives with short touchdown runs, helping lift the Northeast Pennsylvania Miners to a 13-7 victory over the South Central Yard Dawgs in Saturday’s North American Football League debut. Jackson-Bey ran for 109 yards on 26 carries, pulling him within 123 yards of the semi-pro career rushing record of former Scranton Eagles great Frank Yanik. With 40 seconds left in the opening quarter, Jackson-Bey’s 1-yard run capped a 10-play, 80-yard march after South Central failed on a 41-yard field goal attempt. John Vitovsky’s extra point made it 7-0, but the Yard Dawgs tied it on the final play of the first half, a 42-yard bomb from Ross Einstein to Jermaine Thaxton. The Miners reclaimed the lead with two minutes left in the third when Jackson-Bey scored on a 3-yard run, ending a 12-play, 76-yard march. The defense limited South Central to 190 yards of total offense, made three sacks, two by Malcolm Singleton, and also had an interception. The Miners (1-0, 2-0) host the Hudson County Stars on Saturday at 7:05 at Lake-Lehman High School....

Article published 7/1/2007, The Times-Tribune The debut for the Northeast Pennsylvania Miners went off without a hitch. Scoring four touchdowns on plays of more than 50 yards, the Miners ripped Schuylkill County, 44-14, in the franchise’s first game, played at Scranton Memorial Stadium. Jovan Garcia scored the first touchdown with just over a minute left in the first quarter when he took a punt and raced 51 yards. John Vitovsky added the first of his five extra points and the Miners were never threatened. Matthew Pfancook made it 14-0 when he took a pass from J.P. Antosh and raced 77 yards to the end zone. Garcia’s second punt return went 58 yards to make it 21-0 three minutes before halftime, and the Miners added another score when Damon Saxon hauled in an 87-yard scoring strike from Antosh with 31 seconds left in the half. Donnie Jackson-Bey scored on a 16-yard run and David Blakeney added a 20-yard scoring jaunt. For Schuylkill County, Bill Hannon threw a pair of touchdown passes, 5 yards to Josh Shiko and 10 yards to Caesar Saunder....

Article published 06/29/2007, The Times-Tribune The region’s newest professional sports team takes to the field for the first time Saturday night as the NEPA Miners take on the Schuylkill County Coal Crackers in the inaugural Anthracite Classic at Scranton Memorial Stadium. The winner will take home the Coal Miners Cup trophy. The Miners, members of the North American Football League’s Pennsylvania Division, are coached by former Scranton Eagle mentor Dan LaMagna. The Coal Crackers, members of the Colonial Football Alliance, will also be making their season debut. The team posted a 6-5 record last season, losing to the Lehigh Valley Steelers, 13-0, in the first round of the CFA playoffs. Schuylkill County is coached by Tony Siminitus. Among the players to watch include another former Eagle, running back Donnie Jackson-Bey. Jackson-Bey, who ran for 1,337 yards last year for the Hudson Valley Saints, comes into the season with 14,966 career yards on the ground, just 336 short of the national semi-pro record currently held by Scranton’s Frank Yanik. Also on the offensive side of the ball is former King’s running back Damon Saxon. “Donnie and Damon really complement each other in our backfield,” LaMagna said. “Donnie likes to run people over while Damon will use his...

Article published 06/29/2007, Lackawanna County website The NEPA Miners 2007 Football season opens up this Saturday, June 30, with a 7:05 p.m. kickoff at Scranton Memorial Stadium. This game is the first annual “Anthracite Classic” versus the Schuykill County Coal Crackers which will be played for the Coal Miners Cup. This is a non-league game for the Miners who will open up NAFL action on the road on July 7th versus the South Central Yard Dawgs. NEPA Miners Running Back and former Scranton Eagle/Lackawanna College standout Donnie Jackson Bey is 336 yards away from minor league history. Come enjoy the action and a family night of fun with Buttons the Clown, the Miners Girls Entertainment Team and more. NEPA Miners 2007 Football Game Schedule Sat. June 30th NEPA Miners vs. Schuylkill County Coal Crackers “Anthracite Classic” Scranton Memorial Stadium - 7:05 p.m. Sat. July 7th NEPA Miners @ South Central Yard Dawgs Sat. July 14th NEPA Miners vs. Hudson County Stars Lake Lehman’s Edward Edwards Field - 7:05 p.m. Sat. July 21st NEPA Miners @ Central Penn Piranha Sat. July 28th NEPA Miners @ Lancaster Lightning Sat. August 4th NEPA Miners vs. Cumberland Valley Cardinals Scranton Memorial Stadium - 7:05 p.m. Sat. August 18th NEPA Miners vs. South Central Yard Dawgs Stadium: TBA Sat. August 25th NEPA Miners vs. Central Penn Piranha Lake Lehman’s...

Article published 06/27/2007, The REPUBLICAN & Herald CUMBOLA — You’ll have to excuse Fred Lutkus if he feels like throwing on a pair of shoulder pads and lacing up the football cleats Saturday. The 60-year-old from Minersville may feel like he’s taken a few gulps from the fountain of youth when the Schuylkill County Coal Crackers take the field for an exhibition game dubbed the Anthracite Classic against the NEPA Miners at 7 p.m. Saturday at Scranton Memorial Stadium. The NEPA Miners play in the North American Football League, so Saturday’s contest is just an exhibition, but the teams will compete for a prize — the Miner’s Trophy — and hope to do so every year. The Coal Crackers will open their regular season July 21 at the Southern Jersey Jaguars. A member of the original Coal Cracker franchise in 1969, Lutkus has joined the Colonial Football Alliance franchise as an offensive and defensive line coach for this season — its third since its revival after a 31-year hiatus. “Just watching these guys practice here (at Cumbola), going back to Saint Clair (to play) ... I might want to get the equipment on myself,” Lutkus said. “It’s like bringing back a part of the original me.” Lutkus isn’t...

by Don McGlynn, Weekender Correspondent Article published 6/23/2007, The NEPA Weekender After months of anticipation, the Northeastern Pennsylvania Miners, NEPA’s newest minor league football team, are ready to hit the field and will kick off their first season this Saturday at Scranton’s Memorial Stadium. While minor league football is nothing new to the area - the Scranton Eagles have been playing in the area for years - the special thing about the Miners is they belong to the North American Football League (NAFL), which will bring in a broader array of gird-iron talent to the area. “The NAFL is one of the largest minor league football leagues in the country. It’s a nationwide based league, as opposed to the Scranton Eagles which is more of local system, so the talent pool is much larger and tougher,” explained Miner’s head coach Dan Lamagna. “This league has become a feeding system into the Canadian and arena football leagues, and there have even been a few who have made it to tryouts with NFL teams. I think that this will be the start of raising the bar for football in the area. Much like what the Red Barons and Yankees have done for baseball, and the Penguins are...