Pleasant Valley opens Week 7 action Thursday night at home against East Stroudsburg North.

Elsewhere, Northwestern will host Pottsville as the Tigers look to improve to 7-0, while Marian and Palmerton will also look to build on wins last week.

East Stroudsburg North (2-4)

at Pleasant Valley (0-6)

When: Thursday, Oct. 3, 7 p.m.

Instant replay

A brutal stretch of games for the Bears continued last week against Nazareth, which ended with a 60-7 loss to Nazareth. Pleasant Valley faces four Eastern Pennsylvania Conference Monroe Division, formerly EPC North, opponents to end the season, and it starts with East Stroudsburg North, which has won two games this season. North beat Allen in Week 3, and took care of Pocono Mountain West in Week 5.

Storyline of the Week

Can the Bears finally break into the win column starting with four weeks of EPC Monroe Division opponents?

Coach’s Corner

“Nazareth has a very talented football team, and we were not able to hang with their speed and athleticism. We did some things very well at times, but were unable to sustain our success. The rest of the season is all EPC North division opponents, and that should bring some renewed energy. East Stroudsburg North has the best team that they’ve had in years, and it will be a challenge. Our kids are excited to play, and it being senior night, will add some extra motivation.” - Pleasant Valley head coach Blaec Saeger.

Pottsville (3-3)

at Northwestern (6-0)

When: Friday, Oct. 4, 7 p.m.

Instant Replay

It was another week and another dominant win for Northwestern Lehigh last Friday. The Tigers were downright physical in a 42-7 victory over North Schuylkill, rushing for 426 yards, while holding the Spartans to just 169 total yards. Eli Zimmerman set a NW single-game rushing record with 273 yards and two touchdowns. Wide receiver Mason Bollinger also had a nice night with five catches for 97 yards and a touchdown. The Tigers face off with one of the more athletic and explosive teams in the Colonial-Schuylkill League in Pottsville this week. The Tide are all about utilizing their speed, and they have a lot of it. Ju Ju Bainbridge leads the way with 645 rushing yards and nine scores. Tsirell Curry is a dangerous weapon for Pottsville at receiver, as he has hauled in 22 catches for 554 yards and four touchdowns.

Storyline of the Week

The Tigers will face a team that can match them athletically in some spots, but it’s Northwestern’s blend of both physicality and athleticism that makes Northwestern so tough to beat. Look for another big night for them in the run game.

Coach’s Corner

“Our offensive line has been doing a tremendous job for us all year long. They have been able to create seams for our runners in every game. Last week felt like our best overall offensive performance. I just thought we got in a rhythm. Pottsville is a team with speed all over the field. This is the most athletic secondary we have seen to date, and then all of those guys play offense as well. They’re going to look to take shots on us and they’re going to challenge us, so I’m excited to see how we will respond to that.” - Northwestern head coach Josh Snyder

Schuylkill Haven (5-1)

at Marian (4-2)

When: Friday, Oct. 4, 7 p.m.

Instant Replay

Marian was able to control the clock behind Rory Dixon, who ran for 143 yards and battled through 12 injured players to gut out a 20-14 overtime victory over Minersville. The Colts’ defense also shut down quarterback Dante Carr, and limited the explosive Battlin’ Miners to 44 offensive plays to their 62. Dixon leads the area in rushing with 877 yards and has 10 touchdowns. Schuylkill Haven has a five-game winning streak in which it has averaged 60 points per game in the process, the latest a 38-30 victory over Williams Valley. The Hurricanes’ offense revolves around running back Niko Carestia, who rumbled for 333 yards with three touchdowns last week. In all, they had 386 yards of total offense, 383 of it on the ground.

Storyline of the Week

Marian has to carry the momentum from last week’s win, and the Colts will need to control the tempo to keep Schuylkill Haven’s explosive offense in check.

Coach’s Corner

“I couldn’t be more proud of our performance last week against Minersville. It was a program-wide win with so many contributing. Our coaches installed a great game plan, and our players executed it flawlessly. Defensively, our secondary did an outstanding job keeping their pass game in check. And on offense, we established the line of scrimmage, led by Aidan Milkovits, and were able to convert some key fourth-down passes to Michael Gelatko and Tyler Price to keep drives alive. We know our challenge this week will be tall with Schuylkill Haven coming to town. Niko Carestia is as explosive a player we will face all season behind their big offensive line. Our focus will be similar to last week: Control the tempo, earn first downs, and try to limit their opportunities on offense,” – Marian head coach Billy O’Gurek.

Palisades (1-5)

at Palmerton (1-5)

When: Friday, Oct. 4, 7 p.m.

Instant Replay

The Bombers came away with their first win of the season last week at Wilson. Quarterback Jameson Trainer was exceptional both through the air and on the ground. He rushed for 202 yards and a score, and threw for 198 yards and three touchdowns. Vincent Taglieri also had a breakout game for Palmerton with 118 receiving yards and two scores. Palisades got its lone win a few weeks ago in an upset over Pen Argyl. Jack Trickel threw for 124 yards and a touchdown in the 21-20 victory over the Green Knights.

Storyline of the Week

Turnovers and giving up big plays once again hurt the Bombers last week, but they were able to do just enough to get the win. Palmerton has to limit its mistakes against an athletic Palisades team.

Coach’s Corner

“We were finally able to get out to a two-touchdown lead in a game this season, which was big. We did some good things on offense and moved the ball. Jameson had a great game for us both passing and running. Still, we have to clean up the three-and-outs and the turnovers. Palisades is a team that has a lot of playmakers. So, we have to really focus on making them work for everything. We have to limit their big plays. And on defense, they’re going to fly around and make plays as well. So again, taking care of the football and winning the turnover battle is going to be key.” - Palmerton head coach Chris Walkowiak.

Wilson (0-6)

at Northern Lehigh (4-2)

When: Friday, Oct. 4, 7 p.m.

Instant Replay

Northern Lehigh’s three-game win streak came to an end with a 49-19 loss to Notre Dame Green Pond last Friday. Carmine Diaz showed his skillset in the win, catching eight passes for 161 yards and three touchdowns as Crusaders’ quarterback Matt Bodnar threw for 425 yards. Chris Frame finished with three grabs for 50 yards and a score, and also added nine carries for 37 yards for the Bulldogs. Grady Newhard carried the ball 18 times for 55 yards, while Garrett Smoyer completed nine passes to seven different receivers for 118 yards. Ayden Oswald finished with eight carries for 81 yards. The Warriors are coming off a 32-28 loss to Palmerton. Quarterback and Times News Football Player of the Week Jameson Trainer rushed for 202 yards and a score, and also threw for 198 yards and three touchdowns for the Bombers. Vincent Taglieri added 118 receiving yards and two scores in the win.

Storyline of the Week

Can Northern Lehigh bounce back against a Wilson team that is trying to snap 27-game losing streak over the past two-and-a-half-seasons? The Warriors have been outscored 271-77 this year.

Coach’s Corner

“We were disappointed that we were not more competitive last week. We are well aware that when we play a boundaryless school like Notre Dame, that is a tough matchup for us or any A or AA school. But in order for us to beat a team like that, we needed to convert our opportunities in the first half. We felt the score could have been 20-14 at halftime. We did feel like we kept a pretty good pace with them in the second half. But again, we want to be more competitive when playing boundaryless schools. We told our players lets put in the work this week and improve. That is what we are looking for this week is improvement and a win.” - Northern Lehigh head coach Joe Tout.

Blue Mountain (5-1)

at Lehighton (2-4)

When: Friday, Oct. 4, 7 p.m.

Instant Replay

Lehighton saw a winnable game slip away due to two interceptions and a blocked punt that went from a 7-3 deficit to a 21-3 defeat at Pottsville last week. Lukas Croizier ran for 102 yards to take him to 433 for the season. Jayse Lawrence threw for 171 yards, and Blake Roberts caught five passes for 74 yards. Blue Mountain is coming off a 63-13 rout of Palisades in which the Eagles had a commanding 49-7 halftime lead. Quarterback Brady Strause threw for 280 yards and five touchdowns against the Pirates, and has 1,110 passing yards for the year. Trent Stahley has run for 587 yards. The Eagles’ defense has allowed 62 points in six games.

Storyline of the Week

The Tribe will need to play ball control with Croizier and Lawrence to slow Blue Mountain’s offense. They will also need to avoid mistakes and play a physical game.

Coach’s Corner

“Last week’s game was disappointing because we played really well in the first half. We played really well in the second half in spots but when negative plays started, we did not respond well. Also, I have to do a better job of creating plays for us to score. As for this week, we have a great challenge. Blue Mountain is one of the better teams we play, and we cannot afford to make mistakes. If we do not match their physicality, it will be a long night. However, if we fight and battle for four quarters, we could create some problems for them,” – Lehighton head coach Tom McCarroll.

Catasauqua (3-3)

at Jim Thorpe (1-5)

When: Friday, Oct. 4, 7 p.m.

Instant Replay

The Olympians suffered their fifth loss in a row last week to a very good Southern Lehigh team. Thorpe was once again able to move the football, but turnovers stalled its drives. Quarterback Cole Lazorick was able to put up some decent numbers, throwing for two touchdowns. On the season, Lazorick has thrown for 964 yards. Justin Yescavage has been his top target, with 34 catches for 389 yards and a touchdown. Catasauqua started the season 3-0, but it has lost its last three games to Salisbury, Notre Dame Green Pond and Saucon Valley by a combined score of 168-56. Catty is a run-first team and is led by Jordan Bradshaw, who has over 350 rushing yards on the season. Keep an eye out for wide receiver Manny Bolmer as well, as he has 532 yards receiving to go along with eight receiving scores.

Storyline of the Week

Thorpe will look to continue moving the ball in the passing game, but must also try and establish the run. Turnovers have also hurt the Olympians this season.

Coach’s Corner

“I think we have been able to do some nice things offensively over the past few weeks, but there’s no doubt we need to be better in establishing our run game. Throwing the ball 40 times per game puts you in a tough position. Catty is a team that has very good athletes. They’re going to look to run the football and spread the ball around to their athletes. We need to play disciplined defensive football, and we have to focus on being a much better tackling football team.” - Jim Thorpe head coach Mark Rosenberger.

Williams Valley (5-1)

at Panther Valley (1-5)

When: Friday. Oct. 4, 7 p.m.

Instant Replay

Panther Valley found itself in a 35-0 halftime hole in part due to a blocked punt, as well as a kickoff and punt return for touchdowns in its 49-7 loss to Tri-Valley last week. The Panthers’ Brennan Kunkel ran for 106 yards. They held Tri-Valley to 241 yards and managed 179 yards of offense. However, the Panthers have been outscored 234-34 in six games. Williams Valley suffered its first defeat in a 38-30 loss to Schuylkill Haven. Brady Shomper threw for 180 yards with two touchdowns with two interceptions, and also ran for 114 yards with a touchdown. Schuylkill Haven’s Niko Carestia rumbled for 333 yards with three touchdowns against the Vikings.

Storyline of the Week

Panther Valley has been plagued with unforced errors and mistakes all season. The Panthers got their running game in gear last week, and it has to be a constant for the rest of the season. Panther Valley also can’t afford a slow start this week.

Coach’s Corner

“Last week, we made too many mistakes to play with a team as good as Tri-Valley. We gave up two special teams touchdowns and set up another with a blocked punt; that simply cannot happen and expect to win. I thought we ran the ball better last week, but we dug ourselves a hole and couldn’t get out. This week, we host a very good Williams Valley team, which has a strong, physical line and really good skill players. We need to not hurt ourselves with mistakes or penalties, and work on getting better each week.” – Panther Valley head coach Mark Lavine.

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