Panther Valley will look to earn its second-straight victory Friday night when it hosts Marian.

While the Panthers will look to continue their winning ways, both Tamaqua and Jim Thorpe will look to get back on track after suffering their first losses of the season a week ago. The Raiders travel to North Schuylkill, while the Olympians host Blue Mountain.

Marian at

Panther Valley

Friday, Oct. 4, 7 p.m.

Here’s what you need to know:

GREAT EIGHT

... Marian has won eight straight games in the series, outscoring Panther Valley 311-62 during that stretch. The Panthers’ last victory was a 24-21 triumph in 2010. “Panther Valley is a rival, and so it doesn’t matter what sport it is; both teams are going to be up and excited, fans will be excited. It’s their Homecoming this week, and they’re coming off a win, so they’re going to be extra jacked, so it’s going to be an exciting night,” said Marian head coach Pat Morgans.

HOME SWEET HOME

... Panther Valley will play three of its final four games at home. The Panthers host Mahanoy after Marian, and close out the regular season at Schuylkill Haven before returning home to face Minersville. The Colts, on the other hand, finish their season with three of their final four games on the road. “I think the focus has been much better,” said Panther Valley head coach Rick Jones. “I think, obviously, because it’s Marian, and plus they also got a win under their belt. So we’ve had a pretty solid week in terms of the focus and that. Hopefully, that translates into performance.”

FINDING A GROOVE

... The 14 points scored in last week’s loss to Minersville were Marian’s most since a 28-25 victory over Mahanoy Area in Week 8 last season. The Colts had scored just 12 points all year before last Friday. The 25 points surrendered by Marian also marked a season-low. Xavier Ocasio led the Colts with 96 yards rushing on 19 carries last week, including touchdown runs of 23 and eight yards. Luis Teron is Marian’s leading receiver with 18 catches for 227 yards. “We started to get some offense going there,” Morgans said of the game against Minersville. “We finally put some points on the board, and that’s a big plus. Obviously, coming out and holding them scoreless in the second half was nice also. But there were a lot of positives coming out of that game. We’re still not happy with a loss, but I think we got better last week, so it’s something to build on now,” said Morgans.

ONWARD AND UPWARD

... A victory Friday night would match Panther Valley’s win total from a year ago. The Panthers won three games in 2017, 2013 and 2012. They have not won more than three games in a season since 2009. Panther Valley exploded with 314 yards rushing last week, finishing with 380 yards of total offense. Elias Tavares and Eric Moyer combined for 215 rushing yards and three TDs in the win over Shenandoah. Shawn Hoben also caught a 17-yard touchdown pass from Ethan Reis. “They’re going to be tough to game plan against,” Morgans said. “They got the running game going last week, and they still have (Blake) White out there at receiver, and Hoben and (Lou) Clouser; they have a lot of weapons that they can go to, so there’s no one area that you can focus on. They’re a scary team. They have good athletes, and they’re very well coached, and they’re big up front, and the experience between White and Reis and Hoben there, and you add Tavares and Moyer stepping up, they’re a dangerous team right now. And they’re going to come in hyped up after a big win. It’s going to be a big game for us.”

D-FENCE

... Sophomore Mitchell Miller (three solo) and junior Owen Brady (five solo) led the Colts with seven total tackles last week. Senior Jared Spalti had five tackles, including three for a loss. In addition to his five tackles, Jared Wimmer also had an interception. Senior Nick Falls leads the team with 47 total tackles (21 solo) this season. Miller is second on the team with 40 tackles (20 solo), while Brady (38, 26) is third and Wimmer fourth (25, 16). Senior Nick Goff rounds out the top-five with 24 total tackles, 16 solo. “They’re like us, they have some weak spots that they try to hide, and I’m sure with the injuries and things that they’ve had, that they’re trying to find that consistency offensively. Plus, the schedule has been tough as well. I think both teams have to go out and focus and play. It should be a competitive experience for both teams,” said Jones.

Tamaqua at

North Schuylkill

Friday, Oct. 4, 7 p.m.

Here’s what you need to know:

MAKING WAVES

... Pottsville’s 34 points scored last Friday nearly matched the total (37) Tamaqua had allowed through the first five weeks of the season. The Raiders now face a North Schuylkill team that put up 41 points to knock Jim Thorpe from the ranks of the unbeatens last week. The Olympians had given up just seven points – all of which came in the season-opener – before that contest. Zach Chowansky led North Schuylkill with 286 yards rushing and four touchdowns against Jim Thorpe. “I think if you watch them over the last couple weeks, that they have the kids to do that,” Tamaqua head coach Sam Bonner said of North Schuylkill’s ground-and-pond attack. “I’ll take four, five, six, seven yards (on a carry), and then you break one. They’re that kind of team. They did that the second half of the Mount Carmel game, where they just kind of do their thing, and they’ve had success with that. I don’t see them changing that, especially the last couple weeks, with how they’ve played. That being said, (Jaden) Leiby is a good quarterback, so our defensive backs still have to expect the pass,” said Bonner.

TIGHT AT THE TOP

... North Schuylkill and Pottsville are the only teams left without a loss in Schuylkill League Division 1 play. The Raiders will be looking to knock off the Spartans like they did a year ago, 26-14, to get back into the race for the division crown. Pottsville plays North Schuylkill in the regular season finale. In addition to the league standings, Tamaqua and North Schuylkill are also the top two teams in the District 11 Class 3A Power Ratings. Notre Dame Green Pond (4-2), Salisbury (4-2), Pine Grove (5-1), Jim Thorpe (5-1) and Northern Lehigh (3-3) make up spots three-through-seven. “We’re looking for a big bounce back. We realize that last week was tough; we made some mistakes. We’ve made some corrections this week, and we know that North Schuylkill is not only a big division rival as far as our league, but we know that it also means a lot as far as district standings and moving on to that next level. So it’s a big game for us,” said Bonner.

TURN THE PAGE

... Tamaqua has not lost consecutive games since a four-week slide during the second half of the 2017 season.

AIRING IT OUT?

... North Schuylkill’s defense held Jim Thorpe to just 52 yards rushing a week ago. But the Olympians found success through the air, throwing for 244 yards on 8-of-13 passing. The Raiders have had one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the area in senior Brayden Knoblauch (51-of-75, 959 yards, 11 touchdowns, two interceptions), and one of the top big-play targets in wide receiver Matt Kistler (20 catches, 435 yards, eight touchdowns). Running back Nate Boyle, who carried the ball eight times for 105 yards and a touchdown, is also a threat to catch the ball. “I’m sure Coach (Wally) Hall probably emphasized that, and he probably wasn’t too happy with the way they covered the pass,” said Bonner. “So that’s something I’m sure he’s going to look at fixing. But we’re looking to do what we’ve been doing, which is run the ball as well as throw the ball, and do our play-action and mix it up like we always do, trying not to lean too heavy on one side or the other. Hopefully, we’ll get a feel for it, and find out what’s working for us. I think against Pottsville, we weren’t able to get into a rhythm of either running or throwing, so I think this week we have to try and find a rhythm as far as offense is concerned,” Bonner said.

Blue Mountain at

Jim Thorpe

Friday, Oct. 4, 7 p.m.

Here’s what you need to know:

TAKING CARE.

.. The Olympians need to do a better job of taking care of the football this week against Blue Mountain. Thorpe lost three fumbles and threw an interception last week against North Schuylkill in a 41-20 loss. The Olympians were down just a score late in the third quarter against the highly-touted Spartans, but turnovers kept them from mounting a serious attack in the fourth quarter. “We have to be better this week, just plain and simple. Two things we need to absolutely eliminate are the negative plays, and the turnovers,” said Olympians head coach Mark Rosenberger. “You’re never going to beat a good football team by turning the ball over, so we’ve really emphasized taking care of the football this week in practice.”

BACK ON TRACK

... Thorpe was coming into its game with the Spartans running the ball exceptionally well. The Olympians were averaging 291 yards per game on the ground coming into last week. North Schuylkill presented Thorpe with its biggest challenge to date, and the Olympians struggled to run the football, rushing for just 52 yards. JT feature back CJ Selby was held to just 41 yards on 19 carries, which was a far cry from the 11.61 yards-per-carry mark he held coming into the game. The Olympians need to be better up front this week against an always-stubborn Blue Mountain defense. “That’s one thing we did not do well last week at all was maintain our blocks. We need to stay on our blocks, and do a better job of blocking downfield, as well with our wide receivers,” said Rosenberger. “Everybody needs to come ready on Friday to play physical and get a hat on somebody.”

PASSING GAME IMPROVEMENT

... Thorpe has always been able to run the football, but Olympians quarterback Davier Calcano showed last week against a high-quality North Schuylkill defense that they can throw it as well. Calcano threw for almost 200 yards and two touchdowns a week ago, giving the athletic Thorpe offense the option to spread defenses out in the passing game. Calcano has thrown for 506 yards, with 10 touchdowns and just two interceptions. “I think last week was a real confidence boost for both Davier and our pass offense,” added Rosenberger. “Davier has played well all season long, and he’s done a good job of making the right throw and taking care of the ball.”

RUSHING DEFENSE

... The Olympians will need to do a much better job against the run this week after surrendering 423 yards rushing to North Schuylkill last week. Blue Mountain comes in with a very formidable rushing attack, with four players who can all run the football. Carter Thompson (312 yards), Eman Parker (294), Jason Dean (224) and Daniel Farrell (124) are all threats with the football in their hands.

Lehighton at Pottsville

Friday, Oct. 4, 7 p.m.

Here’s what you need to know:

PLAYMAKERS

... Pottsville had plenty of contributors in ending Tamaqua’s unbeaten start to the season with a 34-17 victory last Friday. Quarterback Damon Yost completed 17-of-24 passes for 242 yards, while Mason Barnes hauled in seven catches for 71 yards. Addison Mullins (three catches, 60 yards) and Kevin Schenk (three, 56) also had touchdown catches. The Tide also sustained drives on the ground. Bobby Walchak finished with 15 carries for 91 yards, and Kevin DiCello carried the ball 13 times for 85 yards. The Tide finished with 445 yards of total offense.

“They’re very senior-heavy; they have 20 seniors on their roster. They have a lot of experience coming back. They create, I would say, as much of a problem as anybody in our league,” said Lehighton head coach Tom McCarroll. “I’ve seen pretty much everybody on film at this point, and they may be, along with North Schuylkill, the most complete team, because they can run the ball, and then obviously they have two really good threats on the outside. When you have a 6-6 basketball player (Schenk) who is able to go up and get the ball, that’s an automatic mismatch because there’s not too many 6-6 kids in our league. And then you have Barnes, who is a very goos athlete, very savvy player on both sides of the ball. And they have a big O-line with a quarterback who can throw the ball and run the ball. They’re a very complete team.”

BACK AND FORTH

... The teams have traded wins and losses over the last three meetings. Pottsville prevailed 21-13 a year ago after Lehighton posted a 54-33 victory in 2017. The Tide came out on top 35-20 in 2016.

ROLL TIDE

... Since a 21-20 double overtime loss to Wyomissing in Week 2, Pottsville has won four straight, outscoring opponents 183 (45.75)-50 (12.5) during that stretch.

BACK ON TRACK?

.... A 36-0 loss to Blue Mountain last week snapped Lehighton’s two-game winning streak. The Indians posted a 40-6 victory over Marian, and recorded a 43-14 triumph over Panther Valley before last week’s setback against the Eagles. Lehighton quarterback Lucas Sangiuliano has completed 45-of-91 passes for 624 yards, and also rushed for 319 this season. Zack Hunsicker has caught 19 passes for 317 yards. “I think we do have a lot of playmakers; I think we have some really nice pieces. With some injuries, with some other things, things we’ve done in the past, haven’t worked for us this year. In the past, every year we tried to add a new wrinkle, and I feel like this year, for various reasons, we haven’t been able to execute those. ... When we played well against Panther Valley and Marian, it’s been when we really try to simplify things, and that’s kind of where we’re at right now. We have to figure out our players, and that’s the job of any coach. That’s really what we’re doing right now. Obviously, we have to take into account who we’re playing, but we still really have to try to identify what we are, and who we are as a team. Unfortunately, sometimes that changes from game-to-game, maybe even from quarter-to-quarter. But we’re really just trying to identify what our strengths and weaknesses are, and really play to those. And as a staff, we have to not take for granted some of the things we’ve done in the past and just do what’s best for us right now,” said McCarroll.

Catasauqua at

Palmerton

Friday, Oct. 4, 7 p.m.

Here’s what you need to know:

GETTING GOING

... For the Bombers to get back to winning football, their offense needs to get going. Palmerton’s offense has struggled since its first game of the season, where it scored 47 points. Since then, the Bombers have averaged just 13.6 points per game. Catasauqua is a team that could offer up a confidence boost for the Palmerton offense, as the Rough Riders are giving up 43.8 points per game on the season. “Right now, what we need to really focus on offensively is putting together clock-sustaining drives. We need to focus on moving the sticks,” said Palmerton head coach Chris Walkowiak. “If we can get some first downs, and gain some confidence, I think we can get back to playing explosive offensive football. The explosive plays just haven’t happened for us, but first it all starts with being able to move the ball consistently.”

KEYING ON THE RUSH

... The Bombers have struggled against the run this season, giving up 191.5 rushing yards per game. Palmerton will need to be solid against the run this week with Catasauqua being a run-first team that utilizes the Navy triple-option offense as its go-to offensive scheme. “Communication will be key this week, especially after we had some blown coverages a week ago that resulted in some big plays,” said Walkowiak. “We have to be disciplined, and know both our alignments and assignments, and then produce. We have to get better production up front, and as a whole on defense we need to execute and make plays.”

FORCING TURNOVERS

... Palmerton has forced just six turnovers on the season, while surrendering 12. “We have to start flying around the football and forcing some turnovers. That starts with getting pressure up front and being aggressive on the back end,” added Walkowiak.

Pleasant Valley at

ES North

Friday, Oct. 4, 7 p.m.

Here’s what you need to know:

NOT YET

... Entering Week 7, neither East Stroudsburg North, nor Pleasant Valley, have yet to experience the joys of winning. Both the Bears and Timberwolves are hungry for win No. 1.

WHAT TO EXPECT

... Pleasant Valley head football coach Blaec Saeger is quick to compare his opponent this week to another team it faced earlier this season. “They are extremely athletic,” Saeger said. “They put kids in space, and they can run very well. They remind me a lot of Dieruff, who we faced earlier in the year. We are expecting a hard fight.”

DIRTY WORK

... Saeger and his staff are hoping to limit the T-Wolves’ possessions, and stymie their chances of carrying out their game plan. “They run the ball a lot, and like to be able to control the clock. We’re hoping to win the dirty yards, and hopefully we can keep their offense off the field as much as possible,” he said.

HOW TO WIN

... The Bears have shown flashes of brilliance this season, yet can’t seem to put together a complete game. They’ll need to in order to nab their initial win this week. “We need to run well and pass well this week,” Saeger said. “We definitely cannot have a let down, and we need to do everything well in order to win.”

GETTING AT IT

... As coaches and teams take the field once per week, it’s the other five to six days that determine a team’s success. Saeger and company have been going at this season hard and have put in the hours to get the job done. “We have to continue to work and continue to improve with each passing day, and eventually we’ll get what we want,” he said.

Northern Lehigh

at Salisbury

Friday, Oct. 4, 7 p.m.

Here’s what you need to know:

LEARNING FROM THE PAST

... In Week 6, Northern Lehigh dropped its second game in a row to a tough Southern Lehigh team, 35-22. Bulldogs’ head coach Joe Tout says there are several positives to take away from the setback. “We played a very good first, third and fourth quarters last week,” he said. “Now, we need to put together a full game. I thought we played well defensively against a very good Southern offensive line.”

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

... With Salisbury (4-2) looming ahead, the coaching staff is wary of the Falcons’ abilities to switch things up. “This week, we will see the complete opposite in Salisbury,” he said. “They have the most team speed we will see this year; they give us quads and empty with a QB that will scramble, and they will adjust their routes. So that is our challenge this week.”

ALL ABOUT EXECUTION

... In Week 7, there are no more excuses, and mistakes cannot occur for stronger teams. Tout realizes how important it is to get the job done on the field. “Our focus will be making them earn everything. We cannot give up big pass plays or special teams plays,” he said. “We need to control the clock and the tempo of the game.”

GETTING THE KINKS OUT

... Against Southern Lehigh, a 21-0 halftime deficit hurt the Bulldogs’ chances. However, they responded well, and outscored their opponents in the second half to keep things close. Three turnovers also provided Northern Lehigh with some speed bumps, so they will be looking to correct those mistakes this week.

IN THE ATMOSPHERE

... With four games in the regular season remaining, the playoff picture is starting to take form. Both Northern Lehigh and Salisbury have realistic chances of getting there and making some noise. “They are a team that is talking about playoffs right now, so if we want the opportunity for an 11th game, we must bring a playoff intensity to this game,” Tout said.