On Friday, Stroudsburg was defeated by Emmaus, 42-7.
It marks the Mountaineers’ worst loss since they were destroyed by Northampton back in 2022, losing by 45 points.
After the first quarter, Stroudsburg was already trailing by 21 points to Emmaus. The quarter also left some head-scratching play calls on fourth down, deciding to run a fake punt twice. The Mountaineers failed to convert each time giving Emmaus prime position to score their touchdowns.
Stroudsburg head coach, Jim Miller, states, “On the first drive, that was a miscommunication…It was open, we had linemen downfield. If we would have caught it, it was going to come back anyway.”
Miller explained that they liked the fake punt concept against Emmaus based on film and punt coverage in their three previous games. When talking about the second failed attempt, Miller said there was a lack of communication due to an injury suffered by TE Keegan Munch, ‘27. With the backup in, the communication lacked and there was no play call on the field, leading to the mistake.
The missed fake punt attempts were the highlight of an ugly game for Stroudsburg, whose only points would come off a fake punt in the second quarter by Kamari Coleman, ‘25.
Stroudsburg was also unable to stop the run, with the majority of Emmaus’ touchdowns coming on the ground. Miller stated, “Their offense line and d(efensive)-line were big and they could move.” He further explained that a major problem was “proper alignment” on defense and “getting on guys and more physical” on offense.
The Mountaineers now prepare for 0-4 Pocono Mountain East this Friday. When reflecting on how to improve for the game, Miller said, “We have to get better. Our secondary coverages are not good right now…Offensively we have to be aggressive and go after them.”
Stroudsburg will be back on their home turf Friday before hitting the road for a tough matchup against Easton.
