The Times News area will feature two Thursday night games this week. Lehighton will visit Panther Valley, while Marian travels to Schuylkill Haven.

Lehighton at Panther Vy.

Thursday, Sept. 20 at 7 p.m.

Here’s what you need to know:

FOR A CAUSE

... The matchup is the annual Bo Tkach Foundation “Under the Helmet” game. The foundation is committed to its mission of creating awareness of mental health issues while providing essential funding for youth programs, scholarships and otherwise inaccessible mental health screening and treatment. “Well, for us, it’s less about the day of the game and more about what the game means to us,” said Panther Valley head coach Scott Price. “It’s to support The Bo Tkach Foundation and be able to play the game and then give them a cut of the proceeds. I know our Booster Club makes a donation to the foundation every year. And, I think for us, the staff, the kids, that’s half the game this week. The other half is obviously winning and performing well. For us though, it’s less about the day of the week and just what the game means on the larger picture or on the larger scale. And, at the end of the day, the game is secondary to us. We’re excited to just be a part of this tradition and make a good donation and help the foundation any way we can.”

LOOKING FOR SEVEN

... The Indians have won the last six meetings against the Panthers, outscoring PV by a 271-68 margin. “We need to be ready to play,” McCarroll said. “If our kids get caught looking at Panther Valley’s record or its last couple of games, and get lulled into a false sense of security, they’ll be in for a big surprise.”

AIR IT OUT

... Lehighton’s Chris Whiteman has thrown the most passes in the TN area (104), while Panther Valley quarterback Ethan Reis has thrown the second-most (60). Lehighton’s Zach Crum leads the TN area with 22 receptions, and Panther Valley’s Blake White ranks second with 16 catches. “Blake White obviously is the top guy there,” Price said. “A great kid. Athletic. He’s in the top three stat-wise for receivers in the area. He has got across the end zone a couple of times. Ethan Reis is another one. He’s a great kid. He’s a great athlete. I compare him more to a dual threat. I want to say he’s less of a pure QB and more of a kid that can hurt you in every different direction. I think that’s what sets him above a lot of other QBs. He can hurt you with his feet and his arm. But, him and Blake have had a great connection

FIRST TIMER

... During last week’s loss to Tamaqua, Panther Valley’s Shawn Hoben took his first-career varsity carries. He carried six times for 35 yards to lead the Panthers.

IMPROVEMENT

... McCarroll was satisfied with the improvement of his run defense during last week’s win against Marian. “We’ve been porous against the run during the first part of the season, but I thought we stepped up against Marian last week and played much better,” said McCarroll. “We are hoping to build on that this week and over the second half of the season.”

Marian at Sch. Haven

Thursday, Sept. 20 at 7 p.m.

Here’s what you need to know:

HURRICANE WARNING

… Marian starts its Schuylkill League Division 2 schedule this week against Schuylkill Haven, a team that has dominated small school football in the league the last several years. “We told the kids that this is the start of our second season, and that our goals are all still ahead of us,” said Marian head coach Patrick Morgans. “We can still win the division championship, we can still qualify for districts. Everything starts this week. It’s a huge game for us.”

DEFENSIVE STANDOUTS

… “Our run defense has been pretty steady during the first part of the season, and I think we did a nice job again last week against Lehighton,” Morgans said. Morgans mentioned sophomore Robert Sunder, junior Jared Spalti and senior Dylan Seibert as players who have been playing well defensively.

SPECIAL PERFORMANCES

… The Colts had a couple of big special team performances last week. Jacob McLaughlin, who also caught five passes for 78 yards, returned a second-quarter kickoff 90 yards for an apparent touchdown, but it was called back by a penalty deep in Lehighton territory. The Colts eventually got a Lucca Stroia field goal out of the possession, one of two field goals (33 and 27 yards) that he had in the game. Stroia was also solid with his kickoffs.

BANGED UP

… After losing its top returning offensive weapon in Seth Paluck a week before the season started, the Colts lost two other key offensive threats in Keith McCall (injured in the opener) and Matt Doherty (injured before the Lehighton game). McCall returned in a limited role against the Indians and should be a little closer to full strength this week. Doherty missed the game last week, and is questionable to play against Haven.

GETTING BETTER

… Talking about the Colts’ 0-4 start, Morgans said, “We are improving. I thought we had a pretty good first half a couple weeks ago against a very good North Schuylkill team, and we hung with Lehighton for three quarters last week. Good teams make their own breaks, and I feel like that’s what we need to get this turned around. We need to find a way to make some plays, and create some breaks that we can take advantage of. We haven’t had that happen for us yet. Hopefully, it starts this week.”

Midd-West at Jim Thorpe

Friday, Sept. 21 at 7 p.m.

Here’s what you need to know:

INAUGURAL SEASON

… This is the first season for the Midd-West Mustangs football program. The school did have a partnership with East Juniata, but that dissolved, so the school had to start its own program. The program is being funded by the NFL Kickstart Program and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Mustangs — though forming a team for the first time — are not a bunch of newcomers to the game when it comes to their roster. They already have a decisive win over Times News area squad Marian and recently defeated Shenandoah Valley 30-0.

PHYSICAL TEST

… As noted, this is the first official season for Midd-West. Even so, it bolsters size and physicality up front on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. This will be the most physical team Jim Thorpe has faced up to this point in the season where they’ve dominated the opposition in the trenches. Thorpe has yet to surrender a point and is averaging 52 points per game. CJ Selby has led the Olympians offense with 570 yards rushing on just 42 carries, averaging an impressive 13.57 yards per carry with 11 touchdowns. Thorpe has also been getting a substantial push up front night in and night out, averaging over 10 yards per carry on offense. It will be interesting to see how the Olympians handle their first physical challenge of the season. “This will be the most physical team we faced so far this season. They have some pretty big athletes at many different positions, especially up front. They come off the ball really well, so we need to be prepared for that,” said Thorpe head coach Mark Rosenberger. “We just need to continue to do what we do and set the tone physically from the opening kick.”

DISCIPLINED DEFENSE

… Midd-West likes to run the option game on the offensive side of the ball, meaning the Olympians will need to be disciplined in knowing their assignments. The Mustangs have some hard-charging runners in quarterback Marc Piccioni and fullback Trey Lauver. Kameron Kline is also a player to look out for, who is a versatile athlete and does a lot for the Mustangs offense. “On the defensive side of the ball, we need to make sure we play with discipline, read our keys and know our assignments,” said Rosenberger. “If we freelance too much, that’s when big plays can happen against the option. You have to be consistent and tackle well the whole ballgame.”

No. Lehigh at Saucon Vy.

Friday, Sept. 21 at 7 p.m.

Here’s what you need to know:

RUNNING WILD

... Saucon Valley (4-0) churned out 444 yards on the ground in last week’s 42-27 win over Salisbury. Ian Csicsek led the way, carrying the ball 25 times for 280 yards. Csicsek also scored four touchdowns and averaged 11.2 yards per carry. Csicsek has amassed 808 yards rushing on 99 carries this season and scored 12 touchdowns on the ground. He is averaging 202 yards per game. Quarterback Dante Mahaffey had nine carries for 102 yards while also adding 81 yards through the air. “Watching Saucon in multiple games, they start fast,” said Northern Lehigh head coach Joe Tout. “They have put up a bunch of first-quarter points and then teams have crept back into games with them. We have to be able to weather the storm and slow them down early. They are a senior-dominated team and have some of the best players in the league on their team ... So we have a huge challenge this week.”

CLEAN SHEET

... Northern Lehigh (3-1) did not have a fumble or a penalty in last week’s 14-3 win over Pen Argyl. The Bulldogs are the least penalized team in the area, committing only six for 49 yards through the first four weeks of the season. Northern Lehigh is fourth in turnover margin at -1. Saucon Valley forced three fumbles in last week’s win over Salisbury. “That was a good win for our team last week,” Tout said. “We won a game in which we didn’t play great. We did a lot of good things, but also made a bunch of mistakes that prevented us from scoring at least one more touchdown. I like the fact that we were able to win a game in which we didn’t play at our best, I think that will help build confidence in our team. We had no penalties, so that was a huge step forward and helped us win. We did clean up the fumbles. However, we did fumble once late and one of our lineman recovered the fumble. We had one interception, but it was a third down and we took a deep shot so it worked out like a punt. But overall, I was proud of how we found a way to win when we weren’t at our best.”

RECENT HISTORY

... Saucon Valley has won the last five meetings against Northern Lehigh by an average score of 37.8-13.4. The Panthers won last year’s contest 54-6. The Bulldogs most recent victory was an 18-16 triumph in 2012.

HIGH-POWERED

... Saucon Valley is averaging 36 points per game through the first four weeks of the season.

Northwestern at Bangor

Friday, Sept. 21 at 7 p.m.

Here’s what you need to know:

MIRROR IMAGES?

... Both the Slaters and Tigers look to run the ball, with passing somewhat of an afterthought. Both teams average around 15 passes per game with effective quarterbacks who don’t make many mistakes when they do put the ball in the air. Senior Joey Schrader has emerged with 332 yards on 50 carries this season for Bangor, just ahead of Garrett DeBoer’s 269 yards on 54 carries. Schrader also leads the team with four rushing touchdowns. For Northwestern, quarterback Deven Bollinger (421 yards, 87 carries) and running back Nick Henry (383 yards, 52 carries) have been impressive and have six 100-plus yardage games combined this season.

“We’re really very similar teams,” said Northwestern coach Josh Snyder. “We both like to run the ball and we both have a lot of players back from last year, so it’s going to be a battle. They’re a tough team and are well coached. When you look at the job that coach (Tom) Toth has done with them, it’s impressive.”

WILL HE OR WON’T HE?

... Henry missed last week’s game against Wilson with an undisclosed injury. The sophomore running back didn’t practice on Tuesday and will be a game-time decision for Snyder and the coaching staff. If he does play, it’s likely that his carries will be limited.

I REMEMBER YOU

... Bangor coach Tom Toth has taken the Slaters football program from a 1-9 record in 2015 to winning the Eastern Conference 4A championship last season with a 22-20 win over Northwestern. With a roster chock full of returning players, this season was set up to be a big one for Bangor, and they haven’t disappointed, going 3-1 through the first four weeks of the season. While Bangor beat the Tigers in the Eastern Conference championship, the Tigers took the regular season meeting by a score of 14-0 at Tiger Stadium.

SURPRISE

... While the play of the offensive line hasn’t really surprised Snyder, exactly how good they’ve been has been impressive. Line play may be where the Tigers have an advantage since Bangor lost a number of key linemen to graduation. Snyder points to the improved ground weapon that Bollinger has been as being another pleasant surprise on the year.

“They’ve [the offensive line] been even better than we had hoped, especially for being early in the season. That’s a key for us because we’ve looked to reestablish the running game, and we’ve been able to do that because of our line and because of the work our backs have put in this year,” Snyder said.

Palmerton at Pen Argyl

Saturday, Sept. 22 at 1:30 p.m.

Here’s what you need to know:

DOUBLE TROUBLE

… The Bombers will need to deal with the talented quarterback tandem of the Green Knights. Tadd Barr and Anderson Dear both are key components in Pen Argyl’s power spread offense. Barr is more of a runner, rushing for 239 yards, but he’s also thrown for 160 yards. Dear has thrown for 114 yards on the season. Antonio Reto leads the team in rushing with 243 yards. “They like to run the ball, but they will also spread it out, but our main goal is to stop the run game. The key will be to contain their two quarterbacks. They make the offense go, they’re both athletic and can hurt you, so what we need to do is generate more pressure in the backfield than what we’ve been doing.” – Palmerton head coach Chris Walkowiak.

ESTABLISHING THE RUN

… It would be surprising if Palmerton quarterback Lucas Heydt was back this week, so it looks like Aaron Stasko will continue to fill that void. Stasko and running back Andrew Sabo have formed quite the one-two punch in the zone read scheme. Stasko has rushed for 275 yards, while Sabo has accumulated 206 yards on the ground. Palmerton was able to control the clock last week using the rushing game against a high-powered Notre Dame Green Pond squad, despite coming up short. “I think we need to run the football and that will set everything else up for us. We have the athletes on the outside to be effective in the passing game, but our running game needs to set that up. We’ve showed at times we can be successful running the football, we just need to be more consistent.” – Walkowiak.

LOOKING FOR A WIN

… Palmerton is 0-4, but hasn’t looked like an 0-4 football team. The Bombers have had to face some stiff competition early on in Palisades, Southern Lehigh, Saucon Valley and Notre Dame Green Pond. The Bombers first four opponents are a combined 12-4. Palmerton will be looking for its first win of the year on the road versus the Green Knights, who have victories against Salisbury and Catasauqua, which are a combined 1-7.

Pleasant Valley at Dieruff

Saturday, Sept. 22 at 1:30 p.m.

Here’s what you need to know:

LOOKING FOR A BREAKTHROUGH

... Both Pleasant Valley and Dieruff enter the contest 0-4. The Bears are coming off a 56-0 loss to Emmaus, while the Huskies are trying to rebound from a 29-18 setback against Pocono Mountain East. The 18 points scored by Dieruff last were the most since a 54-6 season-opening loss to Bethlehem Catholic. Jayden Booth scored a touchdown on a fumble recovery for the Huskies only points in the game. “We’ve had a good week of practice so far. This week ... we looked good. We’re putting some things together; hopefully we can translate that into Saturday afternoon. They’re ready to go this week,” said Pleasant Valley head coach Matt Kosciolek.

SECOND-HALF SURGE

... After a difficult stretch to open the season, Kosciolek is hoping the Bears hit their stride moving into the second half of the year. “It definitely changes when you’re struggling like we are, because you have that opportunity; it’s still a young season. We’re four games in, so you have that opportunity when you’re 0-4 to kind of hit the reset button and say, ‘Look, we’re in this position now, we’re 0-4. But looking ahead, and looking at our schedule, all of these division teams we’re very familiar with. There’s no reason we can’t get on a roll going into the second half of the season, and make some things happen down the stretch. But first things first, we have to take care of our game on Saturday afternoon,” Kosciolek said.

BIG SHOES TO FILL

... Dieruff has had to replace quarterback Quidanie Vega-Cosme, who was the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference North Division Offensive Most Valuable Player last year. Vega-Cosme led the Huskies to a 3-7 mark during his senior year. Ejay Collazo opened the season under center.

NO NASAI

... Pleasant Valley’s leading rusher, Nasai Moon, did not record a carry in last week’s loss to Emmaus. Moon leads the team with 230 yards rushing on 36 carries. “He’s battling a banged-up elbow ... we didn’t want Nas getting dinged up in any way, shape or form. Also, looking to the back-half of the season, we need him; we need him healthy. So it’s one thing to have him out there at free safety where he can kind of protect himself a little bit. But when you’re carrying the football, and you got guys teeing-off on you ... it was a no-brainer for us to just not let him touch the ball on Friday night knowing that we have a second half of the season to worry about, and his health to worry about,” Kosciolek said.