If you have two quarterbacks, you have none.

It’s a football axiom that has been around for a long time.

The idea behind the saying is that your team won’t play up to its full capabilities unless you have an established starter behind center taking all the reps.

But don’t try telling that to three Times News area teams that will be in playoff action this weekend.

Tamaqua, Palmerton and Pleasant Valley have all used two quarterbacks during the same game multiple times this season - and all three coaches have been pleased with the results.

After using Nate Wickersham at quarterback for almost every snap to start the season, Tamaqua began also giving Nate Gregoire some time under center the last few games.

“I really like the way our two-quarterback system has worked when we’ve gone to that,” said Tamaqua coach Sam Bonner. “Both guys do a great job running the offense.”

Palmerton started the season with Cole Serfass at quarterback. But like Tamaqua, the Bombers eventually went to a two-quarterback system, working in freshman Matt Machalik at the position.

“Cole and Matt both bring a unique set of talents and characteristics to the position, which benefits our offense and team,” said Palmerton coach Chris Walkowiak. “The system has worked well due the fact both players compete on a daily basis to get better, they coach each other up, and they and are very good friends on and off the field.”

Pleasant Valley is another program that started the season with a first string quarterback firmly in place, but eventually worked another player into the lineup.

“Robert Papaleo is our starting quarterback,” said Pleasant Valley coach Blaec Saeger. “But in certain packages, Jake Gethen does take some snaps.

“We started doing it about two weeks ago in different situations. Jake has been taking around 10 percent of the snaps.”

All three coaches said they like the options that having two quarterbacks opens up for their offenses.

At Tamaqua, Wickersham has rushed for 596 yards (7.01 yards per carry) and eight touchdowns, while passing for 261 yards (20-for-50) and three TDs. Gregoire has rushed the ball just a handful of times while passing for 73 yards (4-for-7) and two touchdowns.

“When Gregoire is at quarterback, we move Wickersham to running back and that gives us the ability to go to a power run game with three 200-pound plus guys,” said Bonner. “We have Wickersham, (Nate) Curvey and (Lucas) Schickram in our backfield, and they all run the ball with physicality.

“It just gives us a different look that defenses have to take into account.”

Serfass has rushed for 759 yards (7.09 yards per carry), while Machalik has added another 374 yards (6.56 yards per carry) on the ground for the Bombers. Both quarterbacks have also shown the ability to throw the ball, with Serfass compiling 187 yards and three TDs through the air and Machalik throwing for 439 yards and seven TDs.

“How we use them varies depending on many different things,” said Walkowiak. “But the constant factor is we have trust and confidence in both of them to get the job done at a high level.

“I think having both of them on the field at the same time (Serfass usually moves to running back when Machalik is at quarterback) also benefits us because they are constantly talking and communicating with one other on what the defense is doing, and how we need to attack it. I believe it adds an advantage for us since we can interchange them during a series or from play to play if need be.”

With Pleasant Valley only having played three games so far this season, Papaleo (273 yards rushing, 101 yards passing) and Gethen (120 yards passing) haven’t had a chance to put up numbers like some of the other local quarterbacks who have played four or five more games.

But both have been effective directing a Bears’ offense that has averaged nearly 24 points game this season.

“We have a set package that we use for schematic reasons where Gethen goes in for quarterback,” said Saeger. “It could happen for five snaps, it could happen for zero snaps, or it could happen for 25 snaps depending on how successful that package is on any given night.

“When we do that, Papaleo stays on the field. He is one of our stronger athletes, so it allows us to move him around and get him the ball at different positions. It also allows us to play to our strength since Gethen has his own skill set that he is very good at executing.”

The bottom line for all three coaches is that flexibility at the quarterback position has made their teams better - something that isn’t always a given when alternating players at the most important position on the field.

“The most important thing to me is both Cole (Serfass) and Matt (Machalik) are team players and will do whatever we need them to do for the success of the team,” said Walkowiak, echoing similar comments from both Bonner and Saeger about their quarterbacks.

It’s probably the main reason why all three offenses have proved that having two quarterbacks is definitely not like having none.

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TIED AT HALFTIME

... Jim Thorpe was tied with Nativity at halftime before pulling away in the second half for a 35-13 win.

The last time the Olympians were tied at the break and won by more than the 22-point margin they posted last Friday was Nov. 5, 1999 - also against Nativity. In that contest, the two teams were knotted 20-20 before Thorpe scored 24 unanswered points in the second half to gain a 44-20 victory.

How often are teams tied at the break? In the past 30 years, Thorpe has played 331 games and has been tied at halftime just 13 times - or 3.9% of the time. The Olympians are 7-6 in those games.

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PERLONI FOR THREE

... Palmerton’s Jon Perloni booted a 30-yard field goal during the fourth quarter of its win over Northern Lehigh last Friday.

The last time a Blue Bomber kicker nailed a field goal of 30 yards or more occurred on Oct. 17, 1997 (241 games ago) when Jarret Kuhfahl connected for a 31-yarder against Catasauqua in a 30-20 victory.

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SPEAKING OF PALMERTON

... The Bombers used a strong running game to help topple their rivals, collecting 338 yards on the ground.

Cole Serfass topped Palmerton with 154 yards, while Matt Machalik finished with 134. The last time two Bomber players had over 125 yards rushing in the same game came on Sept. 17, 2010 (108 games ago) when Alex Vignone (161) and Travis Wolfe (129) did it during a 36-0 victory over Salisbury.

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BULLDOG CONNECTION

... Northern Lehigh’s Dylan Smoyer completed 13 passes for 267 yards and four touchdowns during the Bulldogs game against Palmerton last Friday. Teammate Mike Repsher had six of those catches for 146 yards.

Since 1988 (when the Times News started running individual statistics), Smoyer’s passing yards and touchdowns are the most by a Bulldog in a single game. Chad Cederberg had the previous high of 225 yards on Oct. 31, 2014, while multiple quarterback had thrown for three scores. The school’s all-time record (thanks to District 11 statistician Duke Helm) is 336 yards by Gary Van Norman in 1968, and six TD passes by Van Norman (1968) and Don Rubright (twice in 1969).

As for Repsher, his 146 receiving yards are also the most by a Nolehi player since 1988, just edging out the 144 by Kody Fedorcha on Sept. 9, 1995. The last Bulldog player to have more is believed to be Craig Scheffler, who had 159 in a game during the 1980 season.

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LONG PANTHER PASS

... Panther Valley opened the scoring in last Friday’s game against Tri Valley when quarterback Mike Pascoe hit Lou Clouser with a 79-yard touchdown pass.

The last time the Panthers had a TD toss that long was Oct. 15, 2011 (91 games ago) when Mike Weaver threw scoring passes of 80 and 85 yards to Devon Dillard.