Jim Thorpe travels to Marian Friday night in a battle of two area teams, while Northern Lehigh and Northwestern will both be hosting special Thursday night contests.

Elsewhere, Lehighton, Panther Valley and Pleasant Valley are looking to pick up their first wins of the season, while Tamaqua tries to open the year 2-0.

Jim Thorpe at Marian

Friday, Aug. 30

Here’s what you need to know:

FIVE STRAIGHT

… The Olympians are going for five straight wins against the Colts dating back to 2013. Thorpe and Marian didn’t play in 2014 and 2015, and won’t play again for the foreseeable future after this season with the merger of the Schuylkill League and Colonial League, which will offer scheduling based on school size. The Colts kept it close in 2013 and 2016, losing by just a touchdown, but Thorpe has outscored them 83-0 over the past two seasons.

IN THE TRENCHES

… Thorpe has proven itself throughout head coach Mark Rosenberger’s career to be tough up front on both the offensive and defensive line. The Olympians strength in the trenches was on full display against Schuylkill Haven last week, holding the Hurricanes vaunted running back Kobe Brish to just 85 yards rushing, and the team to 133 yards on the ground. While on offense, Thorpe was able to run the ball effectively as well, rushing for 228 yards, with its top running back, CJ Selby, accounting for 182 yards on 29 carries.

“Bottom line for us, it’s always about winning the battle at the line of scrimmage,” said Rosenberger. “We need to continue to be physical on both the offensive and defensive line, and last week what I was pleased with is that our kids got even more physical as the game went on.”

COLTS RETURNING

… Marian had several key players that weren’t available last week, and it undoubtedly hurt the Colts, especially on the offensive side of the ball as they were only able to manage 105 yards of total offense and six points at Midd-West. Experienced, strong-armed quarterback Mason Miller returns as well as a few skill players who should have the Colts offense in better position this week.

“Having some of the older and more experienced kids returning should help us. We had six or seven kids last week that played in their first varsity action, so the speed of the game is new to them, we just need to keep getting better,” said Marian head coach Pat Morgans. “But I’m proud of all the kids that stepped up, and I though Matt Rehrig did a nice job for us at quarterback after being thrust into the starting role like that in such short notice. This week, we just need to stay balanced, and the key will be that we have to play more physical.”

MISSED OPPORTUNITIES

… The Olympians were in a defensive battle with Schuylkill Haven last week, winning 10-7, but there were certainly more opportunities to score that they weren’t able to execute or convert on. That’s something they’re looking to do better this week.

“We can’t afford to make those kind of mistakes, and that’s something we’ll need to get better at. We had a few dropped passes, penalties and turnovers in key situations, and sooner or later that will make an impact,” added Rosenberger.

Lehighton at Sch. Haven

Friday, Aug. 30

Here’s what you need to know:

BOUNCE BACK

... The Indians will be looking to rebound after last week’s 58-14 loss at Fleetwood. Lehighton last lost a season opener in 2012, falling to Marian 34-10. The Tribe opened that season with four straight losses, and finished the year 3-7. “I think our kids are doing what they need to do to get back on track. Friday didn’t leave a good taste in anybody’s mouth. I think our kids have had a pretty good approach, and I think they’re in the right mindset to bounce back,” said Indians’ head coach Tom McCarroll.

KEPT IN CHECK

... Jim Thorpe held Schuylkill Haven to 127 yards of total offense in a 10-7 victory last Friday. The Olympians stuffed Hurricanes’ running back Kobe Brish, who has 5,946 career rushing yards, limiting the senior to 86 yards on 15 carries a week ago. Brish did break off a 55-yard score in the first quarter that put Haven ahead 7-0. Brish will be looking to break out against a Lehighton defense that allowed 235 rushing yards and 503 total yards against Fleetwood. The Hurricanes were unable to generate any offense through the air, finishing with negative yardage (-1) passing. “I think that’s exactly what it’s going to be as far as what you see and what you think when you talk about Schuylkill Haven this year, is going to be Kobe Brish. And I’m pretty sure no matter who plays him, he’s going to have the same mentality. I think the job is going to be easier said than done, if you can contain him, because you’re not going to stop him” said McCarroll.

STALLING

... Four of Lehighton’s seven second-half possessions ended with turnovers against Fleetwood. One fumble and three interceptions saw the offense stall out in its attempt to rally from what was a 24-14 halftime deficit. “There were some positives ... there really were. In so many instances, on both sides of the ball, we were really close to making some big plays. We had a bunch of missed tackles, a couple of them at or near the line of scrimmage. And then we also, offensively, we had some guys that were open, we had some holes that we missed ... there were a handful of breakdowns, but from a coaching perspective, they are things that we can fix. I don’t think it was necessarily that they were that much more talented than us,” McCarroll said.

AIR IT OUT

... Senior quarterback Lucas Sangiuliano made his first start for the Indians last week, going 13-for-30 with 160 yards passing and three interceptions. “There were a few times where he really hung in the pocket, extended some plays. A couple of times, he was actually flushed a little bit, but kept his eyes downfield, dumped it off one or two times. He did some really nice things, especially for his first start,” said McCarroll.

RECENT HISTORY

... Schuylkill Haven topped Lehighton 35-34 last season, Before that, the teams had split their previous two meetings, with Lehighton winning in 2017 and the Hurricanes coming out on top in 2016.

Panther Valley at Hamburg

Friday, Aug. 30

Here’s what you need to know:

STREAK SNAPPED

... Saturday’s 14-12 loss to Columbia Montour Vo-Tech ended Panther Valley’s three-game winning streak in the series. The Panthers had won the previous three meetings by an average score of 34.7-15.7. Panther Valley last opened a season with back-to-back losses in 2015, falling to Schuylkill Haven and Marian in its first two games that year. “It was our first time out, and I think there is a lot of work to be done, obviously. I think the positive was that they hung in there, and they competed until the end. Obviously, we did not do some things as well as we would like, and we have a lot of work ahead of us. I think the big thing is that we’re still learning the program, and the system, and I think the mistakes that we made, a lot of it was on the mental side of it, and that we have to get better at. But we knew what we had when we were coming into it. We knew that we had to replace a lot of kids, and our numbers are up, so we just have to keep working harder,” said Panthers’ first-year head coach Rick Jones.

ROLLING

... Hamburg posted a 38-13 season-opening win over Halifax last Friday. Shaheed Warren rushed for 100 yards, scored a pair of touchdowns and a pair of two-point conversions for the Hawks. Warren rushed for 1,169 yards a year ago. The Hawks Wing-T grinded out 305 rushing yards, including 93 from sophomore Tristan Baer. Baer also returned a fumble for a touchdown. “I coached Chuck Kutz (Hamburg head coach), I coached with him ... they’re a well-coached team, they’re going to come right at us, like a lot of teams are going to do, and they’ll be a disciplined team, and we’re just going to have to play better,” said Jones.

SPREADING IT AROUND

... Panther Valley quarterback Ethan Reis finished with over 100 yards passing against CMVT. Blake White and Shawn Hoben were his favorite targets, as White finished with three catches for 64 yards and a touchdown, and Hoben hauled in three passes for 44 yards. “I think we’re going to need some of those senior kids, the skill kids, to make big plays for us. I think for them, it’s difficult for them right now, because this is the third system in four years that they’re learning, and they don’t know it yet. I think there was some hesitancy at times, but there certainly wasn’t a lack of effort, or lack of willingness to play hard. We’re just not there yet,” said Jones.

STANDING OUT

... “Our one defensive lineman, Joe Antonio Perilli, played well. He played well, and I think he was probably the most consistent player that we had up front defensively. There were guys that had moments where they did play well, and moments where they didn’t play well, and I think that’s the factor in learning the system, and being inconsistent because of maybe being a little hesitant at times. So that’s what we’re trying to focus on, and just trying to get better, because we have some tough teams ahead of us,” said Jones.

RECENT HISTORY

... Hamburg topped Panther Valley 34-22 last season. The Panthers prevailed 14-0 in 2017, while the Hawks posted a 34-14 victory in 2016.

Allen at Pleasant Valley

Friday, Aug. 30

Here’s what you need to know:

BOUNCING BEARS

... Following a Week 1 70-0 thrashing at the hands of Liberty, Pleasant Valley head coach Blaec Saeger knows how important it is for his squad to be able to come back from that hard loss. “We suffered a tough defeat last week, and we have to learn from it and put it behind us,” Saeger said. “I stressed to the team that we cannot dwell on last week, and we must look forward, work hard and improve.”

CANARY CAPABILITIES

... Saeger is concerned with Allen’s backfield and its potential to run rampant in contests. The scouting reports also show the Canaries’ defensive strength, as well. “They have two excellent running backs that we will need to contain,” he said. “Their defense is very fast and athletic, and their D-line is very physical.”

THE GOALS REMAIN THE SAME

... Even with the scoreless output in Week 1, fans should not count out this year’s Bears, as they are quite capable of producing. Against Liberty, there might not have been much offense on the scoreboard, but they did move the ball well at times against the perennial power Hurricanes.

READY, AIM, FIRE

... With Week 2 games looming ahead in the near future, Saeger and his staff have maintained the focus in training camp this week, and have the kids remaining optimistic about their team’s potential. “We had a very focused film Monday, and Tuesday was a great practice, very upbeat, with lots of energy. There’s no doubt in my mind that we put last week’s game behind us, and we can’t wait for another opportunity to play Friday,” the coach said.

Mahanoy Area at Tamaqua

Friday, Aug. 30

Here’s what you need to know:

NO SURPRISE

... The Raiders’ 40-0 shutout against Line Mountain was a result that’s become the norm for Tamaqua recently. The Raiders scored at least 40 points five times last season, and posted six shutouts, including five straight to start the season. Despite the dominance, Tamaqua head coach Sam Bonner knows the team still has plenty of work to do. “In a way, some of the mistakes that we made, it’s not always a bad thing — it shows that we have to get better, we have to improve. So we’ere working on that stuff. We had a tough Tuesday practice, we’re looking to build on it and hopefully we make some of those corrections and that we look a little more well-rounded, and show that we’re capable of doing two things this week,” Bonner said.

GOT THEIR NUMBER

... Tamaqua has defeated Mahanoy Area by an average score of 34.7 to 7 over the past three years. The two teams did not play in 2014 or 2015. Mahanoy posted a 53-28 victory in 2013. “They run that triple option offense, so it’s tough to prepare for. First off, you have to play very disciplined defense. And secondly, it’s hard to get a look at practice, because it’s not something that we normally run. So trying to duplicate it throughout the week at practice makes it pretty tough. But we know they have an experienced quarterback (senior Danny Lawrence) that makes plays for them, and they’ve always played us tough in the past. They’re big up front, so we have our work cut out for us, but we’re just taking it one week at a time. We’re still working on that balance offensively,” said Bonner.

RUNNING WILD

... Tri-Valley’s Chase Herb carried the ball 28 times for 165 yards against Mahanoy, while Jace Scheib picked up 96 yards and two scores on just 11 carries. Scheib also broke off a 73-yard run. The Bulldogs also found some success through the air, with Jonas McGrath going 6-for-11 for 61 yards and two scores. That’s an ominous sign for Mahanoy Area, which now faces a Tamaqua team that put up 397 yards of total offense in an efficient win against Line Mountain. Brayden Knoblauch led the way for the Raiders, completing 16-of-18 passes for a school-record 347 yards and three touchdown passes to Matt Kistler. Kistler finished with seven catches for a school-record 192 yards, while Nate Boyle added three rushing scores of 1, 4 and 2 yards, and 44 yards total on the ground.

CLAMP DOWN

... Not only did the Tamaqua defense pitch another shutout last week, but the Blue Flock also forced four fumbles. Ball security will be key if Mahanoy has any chance of keeping it close.

Catasauqua at N. Lehigh

Thursday, Aug. 29

Here’s what you need to know:

DISCIPLINED ‘DAWGS

... Coach Joe Tout and his staff are wary of Catasauqua’s tradition of the Navy Triple option offense that they run. “It is the only time in the regular season that we’ll see it,” Tout said. “It presents a challenge because we need to be extremely disciplined while playing against this offense, and each defensive player must execute their individual job.”

REALLY ROUGH RIDERS

... Catty’s defensive line returns plenty of talent and poses problems for any of their opponents this season. Tout is looking at this challenge as a potential key to the game’s outcome.

“They seem to be the strongest group on this team,” Tout said. “We must make sure we are physical and execute our blocking schemes on offense.”

HOUND HAPPENINGS

... In Week 1, Northern Lehigh had to come from behind in order to take down Wilson, 14-10. Fullback Matt Frame raced 72 yards for the game-winning score with under two minutes left in the contest. Meanwhile, QB Zach Moyer connected with Trevor Amorim for the ‘Dawgs’ other TD.

‘DAWG POUNDERS

... While the Catty defense is touted as strong, the Bulldog defenders are compiling some impressive numbers this season. In their initial game, they totaled three sacks and nine tackles for a loss against the Warriors.

ONE NIGHT EARLIER

... As part of a two-year agreement with Catasauqua, Northern Lehigh plays their foe in this second week of the season and decided to play tonight, instead of Friday. With school starting around this week, Labor Day plans for the weekend, and a chance to highlight the teams, Tout is looking forward to the Thursday night matchup.

Salisbury at Northwestern

Thursday, Aug. 29

Here’s what you need to know:

AIR WARS AND GROUND WARS

... In last week’s game, Northwestern and Notre Dame combined for 71 pass attempts. Salisbury, which downed Pen Argyl 25-16, put up a total of just 11 passes combined. Salisbury quarterback Trey Webber completed 9-of-10 attempts for 157 yards. Meanwhile, Salisbury ran the ball 20 times, but picked up just 49 yards. Salisbury scored one touchdown on a fumble return of 59 yards and another on an 85-yard punt return.

SHORT MEMORIES

... Coach Josh Snyder wasn’t happy about his team’s six turnovers last week in its loss to Notre Dame. Instead of harping on the issue, it was quickly addressed at practice and the team put the turnovers and the loss in the past and turned the page to this week’s game against Salisbury. Three of the turnovers were interceptions thrown by Bollinger, which equals his interception total from all of last season.

“I think that was atypical of how we play,” said Snyder of the turnovers. “If you look at the guys who turned the ball over, that’s not them. We had some guys who were banged up and didn’t practice much, and maybe that played a role in the turnovers, but we didn’t want it hanging around in the back of their minds every time they touched the football.”

STOP THAT FALCON

... Chad Parton had a big week against Pen Argyl, including a 59-yard return for a touchdown on a fumble recovery, an 85-yard punt return for a touchdown and then got into the end zone a third time on a 78-yard catch and run. Parton accounted for 105 yards from scrimmage, just over half of the 206 total offensive yards that the Falcons were able to gain.

ROARING TIGERS

... Senior Paul Huff had a nice first week for Northwestern, pulling in a team-high eight catches for 80 yards and returning four kickoffs for a total of 125 yards, including one for 52 yards. Fellow senior Dom Harding had two sacks for a total of 14 yards, and two other tackles for losses of 11 yards. On the night, Harding had seven solo tackles and one assist. Junior Wyatt Ledeboer had a pick-six of 40 yards in the game, and also added three solo tackles and three assists for the Tigers.