"Panther Valley football is back."

It's a phrase that has been echoing throughout the valley over the past few weeks. The excitement and the energy surrounding the Panthers' program has been displayed by head coach Scott Price, the players, and the Panther faithful-all for good reason.The Panthers are off to their first 2-0 start since 2008, and they are looking to get back to the postseason for the first time since 2009.Panther Valley's opponent this week in Jim Thorpe hails from Schuylkill League Football Division 1, and is a program that is no stranger to 2-0 starts. The Olympians are also excited about their start to the 2017 campaign.Jim Thorpe (2-0) took care of business against Schuylkill Haven and Marian in the first two weeks of the season. Two backyard rivals, in an early season undefeated matchup, with postseason hopes on the line, is certainly good enough to be the named this week's Times News Game of the Week.There's little doubt that the Panthers are coming into their game against the Olympians with confidence, but Thorpe has undoubtedly had the upper hand in this rivalry as of late. Thorpe has won the last four against the Panthers, outscoring them 144-50, while averaging 36 points per game. The last time Panther Valley defeated Thorpe was in 2012, when it won a high-scoring affair, 49-48.However, this year's Panther defense looks to be more stingy than in the past, albeit against lesser competition in Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech and Hamburg.Nevertheless, the Panthers have been solid on the defensive side of the football. So far this season, Panther Valley has surrendered just one score and 196 yards of total offense."Our defense is doing a lot of good things, and I think statistically we are one of the best defenses in the league right now," said Price. "Our defensive approach has been to get as many guys around the football as we can, really fly to the ball, and that's something we've been able to do."As for the Olympians, Thorpe has simply dominated the opposition throughout the first two weeks of play.JT's defense has given up just 106 rushing yards so far at a stubborn 1.4 yards-per-carry."Our defensive line has just done a great job controlling the line of scrimmage over the past two weeks," said Jim Thorpe head coach Mark Rosenberger. "Really, the front seven has been very good and very physical. We've also been able to generate pressure on the quarterback, which is always key. Dylan Dailey had two sacks last week, Collin Jacobs had two sacks last week, we just have to continue to play with focus and intensity and keep getting better."Both defenses will have their hands full on Friday night as there is no shortage of playmakers on either side.Look for Price to try and establish the run with quarterback Hunter Kennedy and running backs Tanner Kennedy and Hunter Kerestes. Jon Hafer can also be used as a weapon in the backfield on runs to the outside. "We're not looking to do anything different or special this week," Price said. "We just want to continue to play with focus, I have the utmost confidence in all my guys," said Price. "We're going to look to get our athletes the ball and pound the football, and grind as much as we can, that's the way we want to play."The Olympians can run the ball with veteran running back Justin St. Hill and sophomore C.J. Selby. But last week, senior quarterback Nick Rosahac showed another dimension of the offense, throwing for 207 yards and two touchdowns."I think our passing game is gaining confidence," said Rosenberger. "Nick looked really good last week, and our offensive line did a good job of protecting him, allowing him to throw the ball downfield."