H.S SOCCER: Minersville’s Jordan Bowers nets 100th career goal in blowout win over Weatherly
· Yahoo Sports
For 25 years, Ian Mahal’s Minersville boys’ soccer program record of 101 career goals stood unbroken.
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However, all records are meant to be broken, and on Tuesday afternoon in Minersville, Battlin’ Miners star Jordan Bowers did just that.
In a 16-1 league victory over Weatherly, Bowers scored his 100th, 101st, and 102nd career goals. It was a surreal moment for the senior, who also plays football and basketball for Minersville.
“Absolutely not, no, no way,” he said when asked if he ever thought he would reach such a milestone. “I came into my career, I was just looking to have a really good time.”
While the 100th career goal milestone came up quickly for Bowers this season and he was aware of the possibility, he tried to keep it in the back of his mind as much as possible.
“I think when I first realized it was probably after the second game,” he noted. “I think I had a couple goals in the second game, but I just wanted to keep that in the back of my mind. And I didn’t really want to focus on that too much as I did winning games with our team.”
The Battlin’ Miners have been doing plenty of winning so far this season. Through 13 games, Minersville has compiled a 12-1 record this fall and has won six straight games, allowing just six goals while scoring 54 in the process.
“Every game, it’s like we’re playing the championship every game with the energy and effort that our teammates give,” Bowers said. “So just being able to have that brotherhood behind you is something very special.”
Also scoring for Minersville on Tuesday were Chase Zimerofsky, Jack Purcell, Liam Fegley, and Collin Radingo, who each scored a pair of goals, while Caden Zimerofsky, Dakota Dullard, Jonny Burgess, Pierce Eichenberg, and Landon Govern all added single tallies.
Govern contributed a pair of assists in the win, while Chase Zimerofsky, MacKayden Sinko, Cam Rogers, and Alejandro Richard each recorded assists. Robert McGrath had four saves in net for the Battlin’ Miners.
For Minersville, one of the most dominant teams in Schuylkill League soccer, overwhelming opponents consistently can present challenges of its own, such as preparing for stronger competition that the players will face later in the season.
“We try to stay poised,” Minersville coach Ed Burke said. “There’s a lot of times the teams that aren’t as strong, sometimes you could fall off of your game and out of good habits and play some bad habits and get sloppy. So I just tell the boys to play with integrity, play our game, and polish up every moment they get. But that is definitely something that you’ve got to worry about: slip-ups.”
Burke makes sure his team also takes advantage of opportunities such as Tuesday’s matchup against Weatherly.
“We try to have the starters out there doing their job and getting their reps in,” he said. “But like today was a good opportunity, like most of the second half, is to keep them rested. Soreness, injury, it can linger on. So we have them go out, do their job, stay focused, set a good example for the underclassmen to see good work ethic and habits. But we do try to find a balance so that they’re getting some extra rest in there for some tougher games up ahead.”
Minersville’s schedule will get tougher in the upcoming weeks, including games against Schuylkill Haven and North Schuylkill. Like the Battlin’ Miners, both the Hurricanes and Spartans have already locked up District XI playoff spots.
As the season continues for Minersville, the program will look to win its second straight District XI championship after claiming its first last fall. So what has led to the success of the Battlin’ Miners in recent years? Burke credits the leadership of his squad since he took over the program in 2024.
“Great leadership from the upperclassmen,” he said. “When I took over the program here, and these boys were, most of the seniors were sophomores, and I said, ‘Do you have any culture, or any habits, or any building blocks?’ And we had to put them in place.
“I told them, ‘Now I want you guys to carry that on; good habits create good habits.’ So that’s something I think that leadership has set the tone,” he continued. “The underclassmen that come in every year are now following in line with that. And that’s where the success has come in, I think. These boys are, they’re very serious about how they’re doing it.”
Minersville will be back in action on Thursday on the road when it takes on the Schuylkill Haven Hurricanes.