As the second half of the regular season gets underway, both Palmerton and Northwestern will try to improve to 6-0 at home this Friday night.

PM West (3-2)

at Pleasant Valley (4-1)

Friday, Sept. 29, 7 p.m.

Storyline of the Week

: Pleasant Valley has a four-game winning streak on the line in a big game against Pocono Mountain West at home.

Quote

: “West is going to be a huge challenge. It’s definitely a step up in class from the last couple of weeks, nothing against any of our other opponents, but Pocono West is a really good squad. They’re hot, and have won a couple of games in a row. A lot of really good athletes, and they pose a huge threat to us. They’re very fast and spread you out. There’s things that teams that we’ve faced recently haven’t done. They have a really good passing game, and are big up front. They’re always tough on defense. It’s going to be a huge test and just a good game, and we’re excited to play. It’s one of those games that you look forward to playing, and we’re super excited. The kids are really excited for it, and there’s district playoff implications and championship possibilities on the line. It’s one of those reasons you play the game.” - Pleasant Valley head coach Blaec Saeger.

Panther Valley (2-3)

at Palisades (1-4)

Friday, Sept. 29, 7 p.m.

Storyline of the Week

: The Panthers hope to improve upon their fundamentals in last week’s 41-28 loss to 4-1 Minersville. Trailing 13-0 early in the game, the Panthers rallied behind sophomore quarterback Brody Breiner, whose arm and legs kept PV in the game until the final horn.

Quote

: “On offense, we moved the ball well and answered Minersville’s first few touchdowns. Against Palisades, we have to get better at tackling to get our defense off the field, which hurt us last week in giving up too many yards and too many points. We are becoming more balanced on offense. They have a good quarterback and running back. It’s a long ride and a tough place to play, so we have to be ready to go when we come off the bus.” – Panther Valley head coach Mark Lavine.

Salisbury (0-5)

at Northern Lehigh (2-3)

Friday, Sept. 29, 7 p.m.

Storyline of the Week

: The Bulldogs look to get back to their winning ways against the winless Falcons. Despite the lopsided loss to North Schuylkill a week ago, the ‘Dawgs hope to get their bite back and even their record.

Quote

: “We look at last week as a game that will pay dividends as we move into the rest of our schedule. We start five freshmen and sometimes in that game, it looked like men vs. boys, but not for a lack of effort on our part. Playing teams like North Schuylkill and Northwestern will make us better in the long run, which we hope leads us into the playoffs. This week, we need to get a quick start and take care of business. As usual, we use our run game to set up the pass, and we have designed some plays to get our young quarterback out of the pocket so he has better vision downfield. We expect Salisbury to have a heavy run game plan. They run the old Wing T offense, double tight, and will look to pull their guards and counter off the belly. Our linebackers, Jack Tosh, Bailey Smith, and Isaac Raber are experienced, and should stay home and make the correct reads before they go to the ball.” – Northern Lehigh head coach Joe Tout.

Saucon Valley (3-2)

at Northwestern (5-0)

Friday, Sept. 29, 7 p.m.

Storyline of the Week

: The Tigers played a near perfect game last week in a dominating win over Lehighton to remain unbeaten. Their potent offense scored touchdowns on their first six possessions, while the defense has now allowed one touchdown or fewer in four of their five victories.

Quote

: “I am a stickler for detail, and last week we clicked on all cylinders. We threw for about 70% completions and for four touchdowns. Devon Hildebrand caught four balls for over 100 yards and two TDs, and ran an interception back for another score. Dalton Clymer rushed for over 100 yards. Our challenge is to stay humble and hungry, and keep our focus on the game ahead. We have to be ready for Saucon’s multiple formations. They like to run wildcat from an unbalanced line with Jared Rohn, who’s been gaining 100 yards a game. They may be run heavy, but they like to take their shots down field and throw screens to pull our linebackers inside. They will probably load the box on our offense to take away our run, but we can counter with play-action passes and screen passes against their aggressive defense.” – Northwestern head coach Josh Snyder.

Blue Mountain (3-2)

at Lehighton (2-3)

Thursday, Sept. 28 7, p.m.

Storyline of the Week

: The Indians look to improve execution and rebound after a loss to undefeated Northwestern last week. Their task this week is no easier as the Eagles come to town.

Quote

: “Last week, we had some opportunities but failed to execute into points. We drove down to their two-yard line on the opening drive and didn’t score. It happened against Pottsville as well, and when we don’t score when we should, it kind of takes the air out of our tires. This week our opponent is no easier. They played Northwestern tough right until the end of the game. Not many weaknesses does Blue Mountain have. They play very physical, run the ball very well, and pass when they have to. Their defense flies around and they get a bunch of guys in on tackles. We have to start fast, hopefully score first, and keep the clock on our side by moving the chains. Turnovers and dropped passes have hurt us, too, and we need to make better decisions on both sides of the ball to defeat a solid opponent like this one.” – Lehighton head coach Tom McCarroll.

Pine Grove (1-4)

at Palmerton (5-0)

Friday, Sept. 29, 7 p.m.

Storyline of the Week

: Palmerton showed last week it’s not just a big-play offense, it’s also an offense that can execute the ground and pound game, and sustain long drives. The Bombers will look to continue dominating in the trenches this week against the Cardinals.

Quote

: “I think we proved last week that we can do a lot more on the offensive side of the ball than people thought. The continued development and success running back Ty Sander has had running the football adds another wrinkle to our run game and offense. As usual, we’re going to look to establish the run this week, which I think could really open up the passing game for us. Pine Grove is one of the bigger teams we will see this season, so we need to continue to be physical up front and fight to win the battle along the line of scrimmage.” – Palmerton head coach Chris Walkowiak.

Mahanoy Area (1-4)

at Marian (3-2)

Saturday, Sept. 30, 7 p.m.

Storyline of the Week

: Marian will face another rival this week as it takes on Mahanoy in a Saturday night matchup at Men of Marian Stadium. Some unfortunate news for the Colts; they will be without their talented running back Jayden Fermin for the rest of the season after he sustained a season-ending injury last week.

Quote

: “Last week was another big test for us against a rival in a very physical game. Michael Galatko made some big plays in that game to help us come away with the win, and I could probably name 10 other players that made big plays for us in that one. This week, it’s on to another rivalry game against a physical Mahanoy team that has some quick kids and playmakers. It will be another tough challenge for us, but as we were able to do last week, we just need to play another physical game and go out there and make plays.” – Marian head coach Stan Dakosty.

By Kyle Magda, Brad Hurley and Rich Strack.