Miners taking on powerful Piranha
by Mark Coons, Staff Writer
Article published 7/20/2007, The Times-Tribune
The Northeast Pennsylvania Miners, a team making a name for itself in the North American Football League, faces a formidable opponent Saturday night as they travel to Harrisburg to take on perennial power Central Penn Piranha in a NAFL Pennsylvania Division battle of unbeatens on City Island.
“This is our first big test,” Miners coach Dan LaMagna said. “We are looking forward to this game.”
The Piranha (3-0, 2-0 NAFL) are coached by Ron Kerr and have won five national championships in the past eight seasons. Central Penn has never lost a home game in its 12-year existence, extending its winning streak at “The Fish Tank” to 118 games with last week’s 48-0 victory over the Lancaster Lightning.
“Both teams are very similar, good running games and aggressive defenses,” LaMagna said.
The Miners’ defense has limited its opponents to just 21 points in its first three games, while the Piranha have yielded just 15 points and held Lancaster to negative total yardage offensively last week.
Saturday’s game will also feature two of semipro football’s all-time career rushing leaders. Donnie Jackson-Bey, who passed former Eagle standout Frank Yanik with 15,302 career yards in last week’s 37-0 victory over the Hudson County Stars, will battle Central Penn’s Emne’ko Sweeney, an eight-year veteran who has run for 6,605 yards, good for fourth all-time.
This season, Jackson-Bey has run for 337 yards and six touchdowns while Sweeney has gained 145 yards and three touchdowns.
“They have a lot of good athletes. Sweeney is a very good runner and (Maurice) Walker is also a quality back and return man,” LaMagna said. “Whoever makes the least amount of mistakes is going to win the game.”
