Both No. 2 seeded Palmerton and No. 3 seeded North Schuylkill are coming off impressive wins in the District 11 3A quarterfinals last week.

The Bombers defense shut down a dynamic Jim Thorpe passing attack in a 37-7 win, and the Spartans offense exploded for a 55-15 victory over a Tamaqua squad that was playing good football down the stretch.

Palmerton (11-0) and North Schuylkill (9-2) will now square off Friday night in Palmerton with a district championship game berth on the line.

The semifinal game showdown will be a rematch of a regular-season contest. In the first meeting back on Oct. 13, the Bombers rolled to a 48-24 victory. In that game - much like it was last week against Jim Thorpe - the Bombers’ defense was very solid up front, allowing just 66 rushing yards.

Last week, Palmerton gave up just 33 rushing yards and 115 total yards, forcing four turnovers and coming up with five sacks.

“All year, the attention has been on our offense and how explosive it has been, but I think our defense has been consistent, and has been getting better every week,” said Palmerton coach Chris Walkowiak. “We have been really solid up front with our front four, and I don’t think it’s a secret that we like to bring pressure, which has helped the guys on the back-end make plays for us.

“Right now, I just think the defense is playing well. They are reading their keys and playing smart.”

Palmerton’s defense will need to continue that play this week against a Spartans offense that was balanced last week against Tamaqua.

While the Bombers did a nice job defending the run against North Schuylkill in their regular season meeting a few weeks ago, they did struggle defending the pass, surrendering 308 yards through the air and three touchdowns to Spartans’ quarterback Caden Mengel. High-speed wide receiver Joey Flail also had a big day, hauling in eight catches for 197 yards and two touchdowns, including touchdown catches of 78 and 34 yards.

The NS offense may look a little different this time around as Mengel left last week’s game with an injury and didn’t return, but backup Trevor Minalda - who started last season for the Spartans - came in and had a big night.

Don’t expect the North Schuylkill offense to miss a beat with Minalda, as he threw for 253 yards and two scores, and rushed for 105 yards and three touchdowns against the Raiders.

“I don’t think you’re ever going to totally stop a player the caliber of Flail. You just have to do your best to slow him down,” said Walkowiak. “They have play-makers that are going to make plays, but it’s how you respond to those plays that is the key. “We just have to continue to do what we do. Come out and work to establish physicality up front, and also create havoc and pressure.”

As Walkowiak noted, establishing physicality up front has been the key to the Bombers’ success this season, and that’s exactly what they were able to do against the Spartans the last time around.

Palmerton jumped out to a 16-0 lead in the first quarter, and then carried an eventual 32-17 advantage into the half. The Bombers got out to the fast start by running the football, with quarterback Matt Machalik and running back Ty Sander. Machalik finished with 240 yards on the ground and three touchdowns, while Sander finished with 87 rushing yards, as the Bombers totaled an impressive 351 yards on the ground.

“We need to once again start fast. That was a big key for us in the last game, and we were able to get a lead and then keep the lead throughout the game,” said Walkowiak. “We got the run game going early. Credit to offensive line, they were opening up holes and controlling the line of scrimmage. We need that exact same intensity and effort again this week.”

Just like the Spartans could potentially look a bit different offensively this week, that could also be the case on the defensive side of the ball, as they welcomed back linebacker Jaxson Chowansky and defensive end Keegan Curry against Tamaqua. Chowansky and Curry have been out multiple weeks due to injuries, and did not play against Palmerton the first time around.

“Offensively, we need to come out and play with physicality, execution and start fast. That has been our winning recipe,” said Walkowiak. “We also need to sustain drives and move the sticks.

“We always are looking to take what the defense gives us, and we are always looking to spread the ball around and distribute it to our play-makers.”