Northwestern comes into Friday night’s game 3-5 on the season, while Northern Lehigh stands at 0-8.

Here’s the thing; nobody cares about the records, at least for this week.

This is the game that will be a standout win for one of the two teams because of the rivalry that the two have with each other.

The Tigers are currently in control of their own destiny for the Eastern Conference postseason, but Northern Lehigh isn’t really concerned about being the team that hurts their standing for the playoffs. They just want a win.

“We really haven’t talked about that at all,” admitted Bulldogs coach Joe Tout. “It’s just the win that we’re after and whatever goes along with it for them isn’t an issue.”

Tout has been impressed with the way that his players have handled the struggles this week and pointed out that they’ve been in some close games. He cited several red zone opportunities last week against Salisbury that his players just couldn’t cash in on, but it wasn’t for a lack of effort.

“The problem has been consistency,” noted Tout. “We get rolling and then we turn the ball over or have a penalty and we’re done. Last week, we created a couple of turnovers, but then couldn’t take advantage of them and wound up losing. If we find some consistency, these last two games are winnable for us.”

Northwestern has turned things around after a tough start to the season, and coach Josh Snyder believes that his team also has an opportunity to win their final two games and finish the season at 5-5, which would be an impressive accomplishment after an 0-3 start to the season.

The Tigers have found some success with their wildcat formation, which has helped their ground game the past couple of weeks. Phil Dangello ran the formation well in a win over Bangor two weeks ago, but missed last week with an ankle injury, though freshman Nick Henry stepped in and executed the game plan well, complimenting the play of quarterback Deven Bollinger.

“We really did play well last week and had a chance to win that game even down to our last drive, so that gives us some confidence,” said Snyder. “I would say that we’ve got some momentum coming into the last couple of weeks, so if we keep that going it could be a good way to finish the season for us.”

Bo and Brett’s Mountain Road Rumble as the game is called also serves to raise awareness and funds for the Bo Tkach and Brett Snyder families and foundations. Bo Tkach, whose father Jim coached at both Pen Argyl and Northern Lehigh, started the Angel34 Foundation after his son Bo committed suicide after a battle with depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Brett Snyder, the older brother of Tigers coach Josh Snyder, and a former Northwestern running back has battled ALS since being diagnosed in 2003.

“It’s a special game and our kids always look forward to the game and look forward to the rivalry and being a part of this,” said Tout. “I think they realize the history and that makes playing this game that much more special.”

“The bottom line,” explained Josh Snyder. “Is that these two teams know each other well and the competition against each other is strong, but a lot of these kids could even wind up playing on the same college team and having connections down the road. When it’s over, we shake hands and go back to those common things that make the two programs special.”