With Halloween approaching, so is the end of the high school football season. With just three regular season games remaining, teams are jockeying for position not only for league titles, but for District 11 playoff spots.

The Northwestern Tigers (5-2) are in the middle of a string of five straight games against contending teams when they host Palmerton Friday night at Tiger Stadium. The Tigers have won two of those three key games so far and after Palmerton, have a trip to Northern Lehigh on the schedule for next weekend.Palmerton (4-3) comes in having had some of those tougher games interspersed among playing lesser opponents on their schedule. The Blue Bombers opened with three straight wins before falling to Palisades. That was followed by losses to Notre Dame and Southern Lehigh before they righted their ship last week with a 54-21 trouncing of Catasauqua.Bombers coach Chris Walkowiak knows that Northwestern is tough. But he's approaching them much the same way as his team has preparedfor any team. He has stressed the same things that his players have to do to come away with a win."Northwestern is typical Northwestern, they're a physical team, strong up front and they present matchup problems, so we'll have our hands full Friday night," said Walkowiak. "The key for us, not just against Northwestern, but against every team that we play, is to protect the football, execute offensively, play good, fundamental defense and create turnovers. It's the same thing that I would tell you any other week."Tigers' coach Josh Snyder is telling much the same story as his club fights for a spot in districts and the chance to repeat as D-11 AA Champions."We can't take any game for granted at thispoint, we need every win we can get," said Snyder. "Our guys prepare one week at a time and know that it all starts with controlling what they can control in the game; hanging on to the football, being smart and making plays."The two teams nearly faced each other in the district championship game last season, but Palmerton fell to North Schuylkill in the semis, erasing the potential showdown.Both coaches admit that they have to look to find a way to minimize the damage that the other team's top players can inflict. For Palmerton, the task is facing running back Harry Hall, who went over the 1,000 yard rushing mark for the third-straight season last week. Northwestern needs to deal with the tandem of quarterback Garrett Pershy and running back Mike Stasko. Pershy is fifth in the league in passing, while Stasko is third in the league in rushing, presenting a one-two punch on the ground and in the air."You don't stop Harry Hall, he's going to get his yardage and his carries, so you just try to contain him. Going against a big back like that, you just try to avoid the big play," said Walkowiak."With Palmerton, you can't just settle into a pass containment or a run containment, you have to be aware of both, because they have a big, physical line on both sides of the ball and that's going to be a key in winning the battle up front," said Northwestern's Snyder.Both teams have similar numbers both offensively and defensively. Northwestern is better in some areas, while Palmerton holds the edge in others - things like the play of the lines and special teams, where the Tigers do hold a decided edge. Walkowiak believes it's all about the fundamentals.Palmerton's coach said, "It's going to come down to which team can avoid mistakes, penalties and avoid turning the ball over."