Schuylkill League Football Division 1 play opens this week with undefeated Tamaqua and one-loss Blue Mountain clashing to see who can set the tone early in league play. With both the Raiders and Eagles playing rivals outside the division in Week 10, these two always get the Division 1 schedule started a week earlier than the rest of their counterparts.

As the Raiders and Eagles get ready to face off in a few days and the rest of the division next week, it’s looking more and more like it’s going to be a wide-open race for the Division 1 crown. Heading into this season, the consensus was that Jim Thorpe (4-0) and Tamaqua (4-0) would be the favorites, with the Olympians returning their stout defensive line, and the Raiders bringing back a host of talented skill players at quarterback and running back.

Four weeks into the season, it’s apparent that there will be some other suitors vying for the top spot. North Schuylkill (4-0), Blue Mountain (3-1) and Pottsville (3-1) all have gotten off to impactful starts in 2018 and although Lehighton (2-2) is having to replace a large group of its playmakers from a season ago, you can never count out the Tribe.

There’s no denying the Olympians and Raiders have dominated the opposition to start the season — albeit against inferior competition — but the talent and ability is there. Neither team has surrendered a touchdown so far, and their offenses have been putting up points as well, with Thorpe averaging just over 50 points per game, while the Raiders are averaging 47.5 points per game.

“This is where we see the competition change and now you know the road is going to get tougher week in and week out. You really need to put together four quarters of really good football,” said Tamaqua head coach Sam Bonner. “You look at all the teams in our division, six good football teams, three undefeated, I think it’s a really good group. There’s not many leagues out there with five or six football teams with this talent level in the same division.”

Division 1 teams are a combined 20-4 out of the gate. North Schuylkill joins the Olympians and Raiders with no blemishes at 4-0. The Spartans beat a tough Loyalsock team in Week 1 and have been rolling ever since. Blue Mountain and Pottsville have one loss apiece, but both losses have come at the hands of stiff competition. The Eagles lost to perennial Berks County League powerhouse Wyomissing 28-16, while Pottsville lost to 6A Hazleton in Week 1.

At this point of the season, it looks like anybody’s division to win.

“Since the inception of Division 1, there has been some outstanding teams and outstanding football played. Just look around at all the good coaches we have in our league who make sure their team is prepared. It starts with that, and then we have some great athletes in the coal region,” said Jim Thorpe head coach Mark Rosenberger. “Once you get to division play, it’s a dogfight every week, I get a lot less sleep during those weeks, I know that much.”

After the Raiders and Eagles start the Division 1 schedule this week, next week begins the full slate of Division 1 play and there are some exciting matchups to already look forward to. Jim Thorpe will take on North Schuylkill, Tamaqua will face Pottsville and Lehighton will square off with Blue Mountain. Who will come away with victories in those games is anyone’s guess, but one thing that is for sure is that 2018 will be another supremely competitive season in Schuylkill League Football Division 1.

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SAFETY FIRST ... Tamaqua opened its scoring against Panther Valley last week when Bronson Strouse recorded a sack in the end zone for a safety.

The last time the Blue Raiders began a game with a 2-0 lead was Oct. 23, 2009 (92 games ago) when Grif Griffiths also tackled a PV player in the end zone. Unfortunately for the Blue Raiders, those were their only points in a 20-2 defeat.

Strouse’s sack wasn’t the only safety for Tamaqua in its 71-0 rout of the Panthers. The Blue Raiders recorded two other two-pointers for a grand total of three.

The last time a Times News area team had three safeties, not in a game but in a season, was 2001 when Lehighton totaled three.

How common are safeties? In the past 20 seasons, the nine Times News area teams have gained 75 safeties — an average of just 3.75 per year, or .42 per team per year. In those 20 years, Tamaqua had the most safeties with 11.

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KICKIN’ COLT ... Marian’s Lucca Stroia accounted for all of his team’s scoring last Friday against Lehighton in a 26-6 loss.

The Colts’ kicker booted a pair of field goals, one from 33 yards and another from 27.

In the past 30 years, Stroia is the 15th area player to kick more than one field game in a game. But, he is the only Marian player to accomplish that feat.

Before Friday, the last time a Colt kicker connected for a field goal of at least 30 yards was Oct. 26, 2001, when John Boyle hit from 33 yards out against Danville.

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COACHES CORNER ... Tamaqua’s huge win against Panther Valley last Friday allowed head coach Sam Bonner to reach 70 career victories.

That total allowed the 12-year mentor to become the school’s winningest football coach, passing the 69 wins accumulated by Dick Jones.

Among current area coaches, Bonner is third in wins. He trails Jim Thorpe’s Mark Rosenberger (132) and Northern Lehigh’s Joe Tout (78).

Of course, the three combined (280 wins) are still well short of the 310 recently retired Marian mentor Stan Dakosty posted during his tenure.

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SWARMIN’ TO THE END ZONE ... Jim Thorpe’s defense had a big say in a 62-0 victory over Kutztown last Friday.

The Olympians recorded three defensive scores in the win, as Dylan Dailey, CJ Selby, and Nate Rosahac all returned fumbles for touchdowns.

The last time Thorpe had multiple defensive scores in one game was Nov. 5, 2004 (144 games ago) when Baker and Malatak both returned fumbles to the house during a win against Lehighton.

Selby, meanwhile, also ran for a touchdown in the game. Over the past 20 years, Selby (who also accomplished the feat a year ago) is one of just six Olympians to reach the end zone on offense and defense in the same game. The others to do it include Mike Mulderig (2013), Eric Busocker (2007), Craig Zurn (2006), Jason Figura (2001 and 2002), and Allen Storms (2000).

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LACK OF POINTS ... In an era where high-scoring totals have become common, last Friday’s Northern Lehigh and Pen Argyl contest was the complete opposite.

The two teams combined for just 17 points, as the Bulldogs came away with a 14-3 victory.

The last time a Northern Lehigh contest finished with that few points was Sept. 8, 2006 (137 games ago) when the Bulldogs managed a narrow 10-7 win over Palisades.

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MANY POINTS ... Tamaqua didn’t have any trouble scoring in last week’s contest putting up 71 points.

The last time a Times News area team scored that many points in one game was Oct. 25, 1991, when Lehighton rolled to a 71-14 victory over Pocono Mountain.

The last time the Blue Raiders had that many points in a single contest was 76 against Nesquehoning in 1928.