Unbeaten Tamaqua will look to start the second half of the season strong against Bangor on Friday night, which is also Homecoming for the Blue Raiders, while Norhern Lehigh will take a three-game win streak on the road to Notre Dame Green Pond.

Bangor (0-5)

at Tamaqua (5-0)

When: Friday, Sept. 27, 7 p.m.

Instant Replay

Tamaqua kept its foot on the gas to close out the first half of the regular season with a 49-7 win over Salisbury last Friday. The Blue Raiders rushed for over 300 yards, with quarterback Luke Kane piling up 101 and two TDs, while Bradley Whalen added 75 yards, Terrence McDowell rushed for 68 and a score, and Victor Schlosser carrying the ball for 53 yards and two scores. Kane also threw for 150 yards and a score, with Schlosser making five grabs for 147 yards and a TD. The Slaters have endured a tough start to the season, scoring seven points in each of their first five games, including a 49-7 loss to Blue Mountain last Friday. They have been outscored 191-35 on the year.

Storyline of the Week

The Raiders have done a tremendous job controlling the line of scrimmage this season. Not only did they put up over 450 yards of offense, they grounded the Falcons on defense, recording a total of nine sacks for 90 yards lost. Jacob Hehn had 2.5 sacks, while Tyler Koch added two. Hehn had eight total tackles, including 3.5 for loss, while Terrence McDowell had six tackles, Koch had five, four for loss, and Brady McCabe had four, three for loss.

Coach’s Corner

“We knew we had a good base of linemen coming back. We knew Declan (Coleman) was going to be a heck of a blocking tight end as well as a receiving tight end, so he kind of sets the edge for us a lot of the times. Damian Jazowski, he’s a kid that played for us in seventh and eighth grade. He didn’t play as a freshman. Came back out this year as a sophomore and he’s doing a heck of a job at tackle for us. So he’s a surprise for us at tackle. And Logan Pribila was another guy that wasn’t a returning starter, but stepped in and he’s playing the other tackle for us. So we knew there were two spots that we really had to kind of shore up up front. And I think those two guys have been doing a good job with that. And then obviously our center and two guards are kids that return for us, Malachi Stewart, Declan Franz and Luke Frohnheiser. We needed them to take a step this year because we knew they got experience last year, and I think those three guys took a step for us as well.” - Tamaqua head coach Sam Bonner.

Northern Lehigh (4-1)

at Notre Dame Green Pond (4-1)

When: Friday, Sept. 27, 7 p.m.

Instant Replay

Northern Lehigh exploded in the second half, outscoring Palmerton 29-0 to win big over the Bombers in an always-tough rivalry matchup last week, while Notre Dame took down an over-matched Catasauqua team. The Bulldogs have looked good for the past three weeks, and have become a more balanced team since Garrett Smoyer has been able to get back under center after a throwing injury. Smoyer is averaging close to 170 yards per game through the air, which pairs up nicely with the Dawgs rushing attack led by Grady Newhard, who rushed for 140 yards and three touchdowns last week. Newhard has rushed for 446 yards and seven touchdowns on the season. Northern Lehigh’s Chris Frame is also turning into a game-breaker, as he has 530 total yards and four touchdowns for the Bulldogs. Notre Dame is led by its quarterback in Matt Bodnar, who has already thrown for 1,750 yards, with 18 touchdowns and three interceptions. Wide receiver Alex Clark has been an explosive player on the outside, as he’s hauled in 19 catches for 391 yards and four touchdowns.

Storyline of the Week

Notre Dame’s only loss on the season came against a physical North Schuylkill team a few weeks ago. If Northern Lehigh can mirror that approach and keep the Notre Dame passing attack somewhat in check, the Bulldogs should be right in the mix in this one.

Coach’s Corner

“Smoyer threw the ball well for us again last week. We still do need to clean some things up from last week. But I like the adjustments we made in the second half. We’re coming into this week with what we think is a good game plan. We have to eliminate penalties, like offsides. We need to dictate the tempo, and we can’t turn the ball over. We know they’re going to be able to move the ball in the passing game. They invest too much time into their passing attack for them not to be able to do that. We just can’t let them break the big ones. They love the hitches and the quick-hitters, and then they take shots. We’re just going to look to slow down the tempo of the game and look to play physical and disciplined football.” - Northern Lehigh head coach Joe Tout.

Lehighton (2-3)

at Pottsville (2-3)

When: Friday, Sept. 27, 7 p.m.

Instant Replay

The Tribe couldn’t slow Northwestern’s offense in a 42-7 defeat last week. Starting quarterback Jayse Lawrence was sidelined with an injury, and his status this week will be a game-time decision. Backup quarterback Kyden Hauser threw for 48 yards, and Lukas Croizier ran for 36. For the season, Lawrence has thrown for 536 yards with eight touchdowns and one interception, and Croizier has run for 331 yards with three touchdowns. The Crimson Tide are coming off a 34-25 shootout loss to Southern Lehigh. Running back JuJu Bainbridge rambled for 209 yards and scored two touchdowns, one an 81-yard gallop, while Quarterback Andrew Allen threw for 156 yards with a touchdown.

Storyline of the Week

Lehighton needs to bounce back for the final stretch of the season, especially to stay in the district playoff hunt. Lawrence’s availability will be a key.

Coach’s Corner

“Last week’s game was an uphill battle playing a powerhouse like Northwestern Lehigh with a backup QB. Our kids battled, but ultimately, we made too many mistakes and the game snowballed. We’re putting that game behind us and moving onto the second half of the season. This Friday’s game is a crucial one in my opinion. It’s an opportunity for our players to establish where they fit in this division. Pottsville’s season has been similar to ours, and I think both teams want to play well, starting the back half of the season. The winner will use this as a spring board to finish the season strong.” – Lehighton head coach Tom McCarroll.

Marian (3-2)

at Minersville (3-2)

When: Friday, Sept. 27, 7 p.m.

Instant Replay

The Colts were plagued with untimely turnovers in their 26-7 homecoming loss to Mahanoy, which won its first game and broke a four-game losing streak. Rory Dixon ran for 114 yards against Mahanoy, and leads the area with 734 yards with seven touchdowns. Minersville is coming off a wild 72-52 loss to Schuylkill Haven. Battlin’ Miners’ quarterback Dante Carr accounted for all of their seven scores, running for four and throwing for three. Carr, who has been a one-man show all season, finished with 403 yards passing and 143 yards rushing.

Storyline of the Week

Marian appeared to have found its niche with consecutive impressive victories until last week. The Colts will need to play ball control with Dixon, and they will face a huge challenge to try and stabilize Carr.

Coach’s Corner

“Obviously disappointed in our performance on Saturday. We didn’t play a clean game, and Mahanoy took advantage of that. We left points on the board with two turnovers and two drives inside the 10-yard line that resulted in no points. Defensively, we needed to play assignment football against their midline option, and their big plays were the result of missed assignments on our end. We know this week will bring a different type of challenge against Minersville. Dante Carr is one of the best quarterbacks we will see; we need to control the tempo of the game on offense and keep their receivers in front of us to try and limit their chances downfield defensively. Open field tackling will be key.” – Marian head coach Billy O’Gurek.

Panther Valley (1-4)

at Tri-Valley (3-2)

When: Friday, Sept. 27, 7 p.m.

Instant Replay

After posting its first victory a week earlier and snapping a nine-game losing streak, Panther Valley couldn’t control Nativity’s 345-yard rushing attack and suffered a 60-0 drubbing Friday. The Green Wave also threw for 178 yards for a 523-yard overall night. Panther Valley was held to 54 yards of total offense, and fell behind 34-0 at the half. Brody Breiner is the Panthers’ dual threat, throwing for 224 yards and rushing for 259. Tri-Valley suffered a similar fate in its 42-7 loss to Williams Valley last week. The Bulldogs couldn’t corral the Vikings’ running game, which amassed 246 yards. Tri-Valley quarterback Blake Schwartz has thrown for 441 yards, while running back Cole Gemberling has a team-high 324 yards for the Bulldogs, who have dropped two straight after they began the year with three straight wins in which they outscored their opponents 102-16.

Storyline of the Week

The Panthers need to sustain drives and reignite their running game, as well as limit their mistakes on both sides of the ball. They will need to gain early momentum against Tri-Valley, which has struggled in the past two weeks and will be hungry to get back on track.

Coach’s Corner

“We were obviously disappointed with our game with Nativity last Friday. They were a very good team, but we need to continue to get better and get teams off the field on defense and put drives together on offense. We gave up three fourth-down conversions that we need to stop to stay in games with good teams. We have to clean up our mistakes and be more consistent in order to win games. Tri-Valley is always a solid team that plays fast and aggressive on defense, and likes to run the ball on offense, and they always play like a team that expects to win. We need to play fundamental defense - tackle well and get them off the field on offense. Our offense needs to sustain drives, and we need to get our running game going.” – Panther Valley head coach Mark Lavine.

Jim Thorpe (1-4)

at Southern Lehigh (4-1)

When: Friday, Sept. 27, 7 p.m.

Instant Replay

Simply put, Thorpe just needs to get some stops and put some points on the board. The Olympians are giving up 42 points per game, and averaging just 7.2 points per game on offense. JT does have some athletes on the outside in Justin Yescavage (322 receiving yards), Aaron Curran (221 receiving yards) and Josh Louk (380 total yards), but quarterback Cole Lazorick has been banged up and fighting through injuries. Southern Lehigh is coming in playing good football with recent wins over both North Schuylkill and Pottsville. The Spartans have scored 30-plus points in four of their games this season. They had 475 total yards against the Crimson Tide last week, with workhorse running back Sean Steckert running for 228 yards and three rushing touchdowns.

Storyline of the Week

Thorpe has to get off to a good start against the high-powered Southern Lehigh attack. The Olympians need big plays, but if they could get their run game going and take time off the clock, it would go a long way in making the game more competitive.

Coach’s Corner

“We’re preaching physicality every week. We did see some more physicality at practice this week, so we’re hoping that feeds over into the game this week. We have to be willing to take what they give us this week. We also have to play resilient football, take advantage of opportunities and make plays. Southern Lehigh is a very dynamic team. They have speed, and they are big up front. We just have to play more physical football, and also we need to find a way to establish our running game.” - Jim Thorpe head coach Mark Rosenberger.

Palmerton (0-5)

at Wilson (0-5)

When: Saturday, Sept. 28, 12 p.m.

Instant Replay

Palmerton once again hung in there last week, trailing just 22-14 against a good Northern Lehigh squad at the half. Jameson Trainer again went over the 100-yard mark, rushing for 129 yards and two touchdowns, while also throwing for 135 yards. Trainer is now up to 403 yards rushing and seven scores on the season. However, coverage breakdowns and giving up the big play came back to bite the Bombers again, as the Bulldogs pulled away in the second half for the convincing win. Wilson will be looking for its first win of the season as well on Saturday afternoon. The Warriors have been outscored 126-7 over the past three games.

Storyline of the Week

One constant for the Bombers this season has been their ability to run the football with Trainer. The battle in the trenches will be huge for the young Palmerton team as it looks to capture its first win of the season.

Coach’s Corner

“I think the big key this week is definitely the line of scrimmage. That’s a big key for us every week, but this week I think it could be the most important aspect for us. We need to come out and play physical, and establish physicality along the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball early in the game. Wilson has been able to do some good things at times, and it starts with their big and physical 230-pound back. You have to be able to meet him at the line of scrimmage. Again, it’s all about playing four quarters of complementary football. We did some good things last week, but then we fell into a pattern again of missing assignments. We need to continue to improve upon that and eliminate those mistakes.” - Palmerton head coach Chris Walkowiak.

Pleasant Valley (0-5)

at Nazareth (3-2)

When: Friday, Sept. 27, 7 p.m.

Instant replay

Pleasant Valley faced a tough East Stroudsburg South team last week, falling 54-14. PV running back Chris Ward had over 200 yards rushing for the Bears against ES South. Now, Pleasant Valley’s attention turns to Nazareth, who is coming off losses to both Freedom and Parkland after starting the season 3-0. Both teams will be hungry for a victory this week.

Storyline of the Week

Can the Bears crack into the win column after enduring a tough stretch in the schedule? Pleasant Valley’s first five opponents have a combined record of 20-5.

Coach’s Corner

“We did some good things, especially early on. It was the first time we’ve been in a competitive game for a while, down 20-7 at halftime. We made too many mistakes, and they’re an excellent team and wore us down. They just kept coming at us and we weren’t able to continue in the second half. There are a lot of positives we can take to move forward. It certainly does not get any easier. Nazareth has three of the best players in the area surrounded by a solid, previously state-ranked football team. There are certainly no favors on our schedule, but we’re working hard.” - Pleasant Valley head coach Blaec Saeger.

Capsules compiled by Brad Hurley, Jeff Moeller, Kyle Magda and Patrick Matsinko.