The 4th of July holiday was a welcome break for all but now the NEPA Miners have to refocus and build on their pre-season win as they gear up for their RAFL debut. The Miners won last weekends rivalry game versus the Schuylkill County Coal Crackers 14-6, keeping the Coal Miners Trophy in Scranton for another year. The Miners Coaching Staff is emphasizing the need to take care of responsibilities as the team’s goals for 2008 are lofty and they feel like the team has something to prove after an early exit in the 2008 playoffs. The Miners roster looks stronger on paper than a year ago as many new faces are competing with team veterans. Coach LaMagna has a tough decision to make this week as the team is over its league roster limit and some players will be inactive for the first game. “The importance of practice and communication is not only critical for our team’s success, but also for the playing time of Miners players,” stated Coach LaMagna. The Miners are focusing on improved Special Teams play along with adjustments on both sides of the ball from film study. The Miners preparation this week shifts from the Coal Crackers to the Hudson Valley Cowboys as the Miners open up North East Division play Saturday night at Scranton Memorial Stadium. Tickets for this weekend’s game are for sale at the Mall at Steamtown or at the Miners online store. Fans can also get Miners merchandise at Kevin’s Wholesale in Scranton. The Lackawanna County Commissioners will be on hand for the coin toss to show their support for our hometown team. The Miners have two practices and a film study to improve; continue to grow together as the championship team they believe they are as game day is right around the corner. (A reminder to the players, coaches and staff, Tuesday is our check point for the Varsity Gold Fundraiser. All members will notify team staff how many cards they have sold, can turn in money and/or get more cards. The Miners discount card is a great deal for customers and a great benefit to the advancement of our organization. Keep up the good work and we look forward to seeing everyone at practice. WNEP TV will be attending practice.) GO MINERS!

This entry was posted on Monday, July 7, 2008 and is filed under Miners News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.