The regular season has arrived for area football teams, who will either be looking to strengthen their playoff push, or generate momentum heading into the offseason.

Jim Thorpe at Nativity

Friday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m.

Here’s what you need to know:

MISCUES

… Last week, the Olympians (5-2) weren’t able to come through with a “W” in the first game on their new turf due to a plethora of penalties on the offensive side of the ball, coupled with missed tackles on the defensive end. Thorpe committed 10 penalties in the game against Pottsville - five of them being false starts - while poor tackling resulted in three big plays for the Tide offense that ended in touchdowns.

“We haven’t been a consistent enough offense to make the mistakes we made last week and then be able to win the football game,” said Jim Thorpe head coach Mark Rosenberger. “We can’t put ourselves in negative situations with penalties, because as it showed last week, that will come back and hurt us. We have to get back to playing physical and disciplined football this week.”

GROUND GAME

… The Thorpe offense is at its best when it can run the football, which it struggled to do last week against Pottsville, rushing for just 23 yards on 20 carries. The Olympians will have an opportunity this week to see some success in the run game as Nativity (5-2) gave up 248 yards rushing and three touchdowns to Mahanoy Area quarterback Ben Terry in a 42-27 loss to the Bears two weeks ago.

KEY THE QUARTERBACK

… The Green Wave offense goes as their quarterback goes, and Cody Miller has been an impressive dual-threat signal caller throughout the season. Miller rushed for 95 yards, threw for 100 more, and returned one of his two interceptions for a touchdown in a 35-7 win over Schuylkill Haven last week. Miller has local ties as well, as he is the son of former Panther Valley standout wide receiver Brad Miller, who played collegiate football at West Point for the Army Black Knights. “Pressuring their quarterback will be the key for us. He’s a tremendous athlete that can hurt you with his arm and his legs, but when he’s dropping back to throw the football, we have to make him uncomfortable,” said Rosenberger. “That and dominating the interior of the line will be a key focus for us on the defensive side of the ball.”

POSTSEASON

… The Olympians are currently locked into the District 11 3A playoffs, and with a win, will solidify themselves as the No. 3 seed and a probable matchup with No. 2 seed Notre Dame Green Pond. Nativity is currently locked in as the No. 2 seed in the District 11 2A playoffs.

Williams Valley at Marian

Friday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m.

Here’s what you need to know:

DOESN’T GET ANY EASIER

… October hasn’t been too friendly to the Marian football team this season. And it didn’t get any better with a 25-0 setback to Minersville last week, its third straight loss this month. The Colts did close out September with their lone win of the season, a 24-7 victory over Shenandoah Valley. Colts’ head coach Stan Dakosty fully realizes that it doesn’t get any easier against Williams Valley this Friday night. “Basically, we’re young and our margin of error is really small,” Dakosty said. “But it is a work in progress, and we just try to keep that perspective. We know we got a great, great challenge this week. But we’re just trying to get better every day at practice.”

OH SO CLOSE

… Colts’ place-kicker Mike Baloga had a chance to spoil a Battlin’ Miners’ shutout a week ago by putting some points on the board for the locals. However, it was a matter of inches that ruined the opportunity for Baloga, as his 47-yard field goal attempt sailed just a bit wide. The bright spot is that Baloga has five extra points on the season.

TRIPLE THREAT

… Last Friday night, Williams Valley came from behind to score a 35-28 victory over Tri-Valley thanks to the emergence of the numbers collected by three Vikings. Senior quarterback Bryce Herb accounted for 96 yards through the air and three touchdown passes as part of a 5-for-18 performance. Senior Jesse Engle turned 13 carries into 109 yards and one touchdown, while wide receiver Jake Herman hauled in four catches for 79 yards and two TDs.

DEFENSIVE STRATEGY

… Dakosty chuckled a bit when asked for a defensive game plan against the Vikings’ offense, along with any possible way to slow them down. “Well, nobody has,” Dakosty snickered. “We’re still going to try to scheme things up and try to get our kids in place. I thought it was really interesting though ... when they moved their Engle kid (No. 12) to tailback in the second half against Tri-Valley. He just ran the heck out of the ball, and they won the ballgame. So, he’s a great player, whether he’s playing tight end, linebacker or tailback.”

Pleasant Valley at Stroudsburg

Friday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m.

Here’s what you need to know:

KEEP THE MOMENTUM GOING

… While the Bears’ offense had no problem putting up 43 points against the Timberwolves last week, it was the PV defense that helped pitch the shutout. It’s a trend that coach Blaec Saeger would like to see continue for another week. The Bears held ES North to a first down through four quarters of play, as well as negative 12 yards and seven fumbles. “We had a really, really good defensive Week 1 against Pocono Mountain West too, and we were trying to build off that again,” said Saeger. “And, Coach Brian Miller, our defensive coordinator, just does a fantastic job, and his entire defensive staff, putting together a great plan together, and our kids responded to it last week. We executed it perfectly. We’re just trying to keep the momentum going.”

STILL ROOM TO GROW

… A year ago, Robert Papaleo could be seen in the backfield as a running back. This season, Papaleo is now the team’s quarterback. It’s a role that Saeger believes Papaleo has accepted in the best of the team’s interest, and one that has played a key role in moving the PV offense forward. He currently leads the Bears with 185 yards rushing on 19 carries, while scoring a team best four touchdowns. Passing is an area that he can grow in, but it will take time. At the moment, he has completed one of five pass attempts for 77 yards and one interception. “When it comes to just tucking the ball, and running, and just being an athlete, he’s excellent at it,” said Saeger. “That’s where he’s natural. When it comes to learning to be a quarterback, a drop-back quarterback, or an option quarterback, he’s still learning. And honestly I’m excited to watch him continue to grow into the position.”

A NAME FOR THEMSELVES

… Saeger has been around high school football in the Poconos for a long-time, as he enters his second year with the Bears and previously had a 17-year stint with the East Stroudsburg North program. So, he knows what Mounties football is all about. “Stroudsburg is not a team that you can focus on one kid,” Saeger stressed. “They’re so well-rounded. They’re so well-coached. They’re just a machine up here with Pocono football. Taking a look at one kid ... you’re going to get beat by someone else. They have multiple kids year-in, and year-out, and this year is certainly no different.”

A LOOK AHEAD

… Currently, the Bears hold onto a 1-1 overall record. Yet, there is still a chance they can be involved with the District 11 Class 6A postseason. Facing a 3-1 Mounties’ program that currently sits as the No. 4 seed in 6A, the Bears control their own destiny. “If we’re lucky enough to beat Stroudsburg and somebody tells us we’re playing Nazareth or Parkland the next week, thrn we will go play them,” Saeger said. “We know we have Stroudsburg on the schedule, and we know we don’t like to look ahead, but when it’s the Bucket, we know it’s there. So, we have the Bucket on the 13th (of November). But, if we’re lucky enough to beat Stroudsburg, and we get that opportunity, then of course, we will take it. But, right now, it’s one day at a time.”

Pine Grove at Tamaqua

Friday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m.

Here’s what you need to know:

RETURNING TO THE FIELD

… Over the last two weeks, Pine Grove has been missing two of its key players, and it ended up the Cardinals suffered setbacks in both games, including a 28-20 loss to Lehighton a week ago. However, with the possibly of No. 3 Josh Leininger and No. 11 Dalton Geesey returning to the field this week, Blue Raiders’ coach Sam Bonner expects a whole different Cardinals’ team to appear Friday night. “Missing those two kids, it’s a different Pine Grove team that suffered losses the last two weeks,” Bonner said. “So, we went back and watched some film when they had those two guys on the field. With those two guys on the field, it kind of makes it a little different on how you approach the game this week.”

HOME SWEET HOME

… The Blue Raiders almost didn’t have a game last Friday night on the Hill. However, after a crazy week, with three different opponents arising along the way, the Blue Raiders capped it with a 30-14 non-league win over Colonial League opponent Pen Argyl. It was also good to snap a three-game losing streak in front of the Blue Raider faithful.

SPREADING THE WEALTH

… In the victory over Pen Argyl, it was the presence of three different Blue Raiders that helped lead the way. Nate Curvey, Nate Wickersham and Logan Hess all came through in the end, combining for 55 carries for a total of 286 yards rushing.

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED

… Five-foot, nine-inch, 250-pound Lucas Schickram made one huge transition this season. A year ago, Schickram was in the battle of the trenches on the front line for the Blue Raiders. This season, No. 46 can be seen lining up off the line, as he has taken on a new role and exceeded expectations with 20.13 yards average per catch. “Schick was our starting guard last year, and right now, he’s our leading receiver,” said Bonner of Schickram, who has a team-leading eight receptions and 161 yards. “And I bet anyone that doesn’t happen often on a football team. He goes from being one of our top offensive linemen to being our top receiver.”

ON THE DISTRICT HORIZON

… Bonner is aware of where his Blue Raiders sit in the District 11 Class 3A standings. The Blue Raiders have not qualified quite yet for districts, though they’re in good shape, sitting in the No. 4 spot with a 4-3 record. In Class 3A this season, the top four teams qualify for the postseason. “It’s kind of like this; it was one of those things where we want to continue to do good things so we can get into the playoffs now since its four out of the last five years we have got in the postseason,” Bonner added. “We want to continue straight into the postseason.”

Northwestern at Catasauqua

Friday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m.

Here’s what you need to know:

A DANGEROUS TEAM

... Catasauqua was winless coming into last week’s matchup with a stubborn Wilson team that was looking to reach the .500 mark this season after a win over Bangor the week before. Perhaps it was the Warriors who fell into a trap and were caught looking ahead to their game against Notre Dame of Green Pond this week. Catasauqua put up a season-high 41 points, just shy of the 48 it had scored in its first four games combined and beat Wilson 41-34. Combine that win with the fact that the meeting with the Tigers is its last game of the season, and Snyder believes the Rough Riders will come out strong.

“They just kept putting up points last week and in watching the video, they did a lot of nice things,” Tigers’ head coach Josh Snyder said. “They’ve got a new coaching staff, and they’ve kind of gone back to basics and the guys played hard for them. We got to see some earlier game video, and you can see how they’ve gotten better each week.”

IS THERE A METEOROLOGIST IN THE HOUSE?

... It’s easy to forget that not every school in the area has switched their natural grass fields over to turf. One of the natural grass fields is Alumni Field, the home of the Roughies. That could become a definite issue when one considers that Friday will likely be the third straight day of rain, which could turn the field into a field of mud. Keep in mind too, that the Tigers haven’t played a game on grass all season.

CATTY KIDS

... Northwestern has a young team, but the Catasauqua roster makes the Tigers look like a bunch of grizzled veterans. Catty relies on a freshman quarterback and running back to keep their offense moving. Running back Hunter Reitz averages just under five yards per carry as the team’s leading rusher, with freshman quarterback Nasir McLean completing just under 50% of his passes this season for 444 total yards.

PLAYOFF BOUND

... Not one to look ahead, Snyder doesn’t spend a lot of time running through playoff scenarios for districts. Coming into the weekend, the Tigers (5-1) are atop the rankings in 4A football, but it’s by the slightest of margins over Pottsville (5-1). Northwestern is playing a 1-4 team from a lower classification, while Pottsville plays Blue Mountain (4-3), who is also a 4A team. Lurking below Pottsville are Central Catholic (3-2) and Bethlehem Catholic (3-2), who play each other. District rankings are based on a formula that takes strength of schedule into consideration and awards teams for wins over schools in higher classifications. The 4A classification will have eight teams in the playoffs, with the top two teams being guaranteed home games in the first two rounds.

THE GAME PLAN

... For its part, Northwestern will look to do much the same as they have done the past couple of weeks. Against both Salisbury and Saucon Valley, Snyder inserted some different packages and rotated players through a couple of positions, primarily at cornerback and slot receiver because of the injury to Justin Rodda, who won’t be available again this week. “Some of the things that we’ve done have created some openings for us,” Snyder explained. “We’ll keep mixing and matching and giving guys opportunities because it’s worked for us. We won’t have Justin [Rodda] again this week, so we’ll have guys play different roles for us on both sides of the ball.”

Lehighton at North Schuylkill

Friday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m.

Here’s what you need to know

BACK ON TRACK

... After a couple of one - sided losses, the Tribe (3-4) regrouped last week with a solid win over Pine Grove. This week they face the undefeated Spartans (5-0), who haven’t played in three weeks due to COVID reasons.

GROUND GAME FOUND

... Coach Tom McCarroll has been looking for more balance in his offense that had been tilted more to the passing game, and he got it last week in the form of running back JJ McDowell, who rushed for 253 yards and three touchdowns.

“It’s been a point of emphasis for us to establish the running game,” said McCarroll. “JJ had some big runs against Pine Grove, and we really needed it.”

PHYSICAL PLAY

... The Tribe must prepare for a rough-and-tough battle against the Spartans. Led by quarterback Jake Hall, bruising back Josh Chowansky, and a bevy of solid receivers, North Schuylkill can score on long drives and on explosive plays. “They have very good athletes, and they’re good at what they do,” said McCarroll. “When they have been tested, it’s been against teams that have matched their physical style of play.”

The Tribe will have to be ready right from the opening whistle. McCarroll hopes his team has turned the corner and gotten past what he calls their Achilles heel: slow starts and then not being able to answer an opponent’s score with one of their own. He’d prefer a low-scoring affair against the high - powered Spartans. Consistency in offensive play, along with taking care of the ball, will be keys in order for the Tribe to gain an upset.

PLAYOFF PICTURE

... Currently, Lehighton sits in seventh place for the District 11 Class 4A playoff seedings, ahead of Wilson and Bangor.

Tri-Valley at Panther Valley

Friday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m.

Here’s what you need to know

BUILDING BLOCK

... Last week, the Panthers defeated Shenandoah for their second win of the season. Paced by the running of Louis Clouser (238 yards and three TDs), the Black and Gold piled up nearly 400 yards of offense.

“D” UP

... Despite the one-sided victory, the Panthers left points on the field and had two touchdowns called back. “We stopped ourselves on several drives with penalties,” said Jones. “We need to be more disciplined than we were and not react to some things that our opponent might be doing to get us off our game.”

THE TASK AT HAND

... Tri Valley (3-1) likes to run the football, especially with Chase Herb, who averages 170 yards a game and has scored 12 touchdowns this season. “They’re very aggressive and come right at you,” said Jones. “Their backs are big loads who run between the tackles. We need to be more physical on defense.” According to Jones, the Bulldogs are very active on defense and get a lot of hats to the ball carrier each play. “We’ll have to be very efficient on offense. They’re not real big up front, so we should be able to move the ball.”

PLAYOFFS

... While nothing is certain yet, the Panthers, currently seventh among nine teams in the District 11 Class 2A power ratings, could be making a postseason appearance. “A multiplicity of things can still happen to change the seedings, but as of now, we might be playing Palisades or Northern Lehigh,” said Jones. “To our kids, it doesn’t matter who they play. They’re just happy to have another game. That says something about the great attitude they’ve had all season long. They want to keep playing football.”

Brad Hurley, Chuck Hixson, Rich Strack and TJ Engle contributed to this story.