High school football season is just around the corner, but things won’t be exactly the same.

Opening night will mark the inaugural season of the Colonial and Schuylkill League crossover, which will shake things up locally.

It will be a chance for new rivalries and traditions to begin, and others to be renewed.

Some programs close in proximity that never had a chance to challenge each other in past years will get that opportunity now.

There are sure to be many interesting storylines to learn about as the new era of games begin.

Northern Lehigh, of the Colonial League, has a handful of exciting crossover games in 2021. The Bulldogs will open the season at Panther Valley.

Speaking of storylines, there are many ties between the Northern Lehigh coaching staff and the Panther Valley program. Bulldog head coach Joe Tout was a former Times News Athlete of the Year when he was a multisport standout at Panther Valley during his high school playing days. NL assistant coach Matt Davis is also a Panther Valley graduate and former star athlete with the Panthers. Davis also coached at his alma mater for several years. Greg Kosciolek is another Bulldog assistant who coached and played at Panther Valley.

“Being in the Colonial League (the last few years), I think what I’ve noticed is that the athletes might be a little bit better overall, but I think the Coal Region kids might be tougher,” said Davis when asked to compare the two leagues.

The Bulldogs also have Schuylkill powerhouse North Schuylkill on their schedule this year.

“When we go up there (to Ashland), it’s going to be a packed house. It’s going to be a vibe that these kids haven’t experienced at all,” said Davis, regarding the Spartans’ notorious electric home-field environment.

“I said to Joe (Tout), I don’t know if our kids have ever experienced what they will at North Schuylkill.”

Lehighton head coach Tom McCarroll coached in the Lehigh Valley before taking over as Lehighton head coach in 2011. His first year with the Tribe was the final year of the Mountain Valley Conference. He noticed that even when Lehighton traveled as far as Dingmans Ferry (East Stroudsburg North) to play, the traveling Lehighton fans often times outnumbered the home team’s support.

“What the Schuylkill League draws is a tribute to the communities - which is what separates our area from the rest of the region,” said McCarroll. “It’s hard to explain that to someone who is not familiar with the area.”

There should be no shortage of Colonial League and Schuylkill League fans at the gates in 2021 - especially for some long-awaited regional battles.

Despite being just seven miles apart in proximity, it’s been decades since Lehighton and Palmerton played any meaningful football against each other. That will change on Aug. 27, when the Blue Bombers host the Indians on opening night to start the crossover era with a bang.

“I think the local flavor in some of these games is going to definitely create excitement, and increase the gates,” said Palmerton head coach Chris Walkowiak. “The Lehighton game will rekindle an old rivalry from the Centennial League days - I think 1993 or 1994 was the last time they played before the league disbanded. I think there were one or two contingency games where the schools played since then, but it’s been a long time.”

Palmerton will play four-straight Schuylkill League opponents to start the season. Week No. 2 features another great storyline, as the Blue Bombers will travel to Jim Thorpe to battle their former scrimmage partner. Additionally, Walkowiak is a former Olympians’ assistant, who also teaches for the Jim Thorpe Area School District.

“This (year’s schedule) definitely brings some familiarity with it,” said Walkowiak. “Getting Lehighton, Jim Thorpe, Panther Valley, Marian Catholic - that’s just exciting to start the year. We also keep Northern Lehigh on the schedule.

“Of all of the schools from the Colonial League, nobody plays more crossover games against the Schuylkill League than us and Catasauqua. Our schedule is totally new this year, other than playing Catty and Northern Lehigh.”

Northwestern Lehigh is another area school that will have several new teams on the schedule. The Tigers will play Schuylkill League powers Pottsville, Blue Mountain, Tamaqua and Lehighton during the regular season.

“Schuylkill League schools - similar to what we have here at Northwestern Lehigh - all seem to have strong community support, and I am hopeful that tradition carries on in this cooperative,” said Northwestern Athletic Director Jason Zimmerman. “There is nothing like playing in front of a packed stadium on a fall Friday night. It gives you the chills.

“Most of all, I look forward to watching some good football, pitting similar size schools against each other, and hopefully reducing some of these lopsided games and that aren’t good for the sport, and certainly isn’t good for the kids. The intent of this conglomerate is to provide the traditionally competitive schools an opportunity to better prepare their teams for the postseason, and provide the programs who are trying to rebuild a better opportunity to complete that rebuilding process by pitting them against schools their size and leveling the playing field.”

The Tigers will travel straight up Route 309 to Tamaqua on opening night, which could be a Week 1 Game of the Week candidate.

“Although COVID did its best to take some of the buzz and excitement out of this new venture, it only managed to delay it a year, and I think our communities are in for a real treat,” said Zimmerman about the league crossover idea that was supposed to begin a year ago. “The Schuylkill League has a strong tradition of playing some tough football, and are always in the mix at the end of the season, while the Colonial League has equally had its share of success historically.”

There are plenty of new faces on everyone’s schedule, but some important rivalries will remain intact - such as the Palmerton-Northern Lehigh game.

As for an historic Schuylkill League rivalry that isn’t going anywhere, Jim Thorpe head coach Mark Rosenberger recalled many memorable games against Lehighton with the Route 209 Trophy on the line, which will continue through the crossover era.

“It’s the small communities who really seem to rally around their teams,” said Rosenberger. “We had games against Lehighton where we had 4, 5 or 8 thousand people at those games.”

Not all rivalries could be saved, however.

For example, it’s goodbye to the Marian Catholic and Jim Thorpe annual clash, which always brought a buzz to both programs, schools, and especially the stadiums on Friday nights.

“When you’re playing a rival like Lehighton or Marian, it’s a very emotionally ... a very positive feeling,” said Rosenberger, who was a former assistant coach at Marian. “It’s like energy running through your body.”

Overall, however, the advantages for both leagues and all schools involved far outweigh the negatives. Many storied programs from both leagues are set to begin new legacies, while also keeping many rivalries intact.

Heat acclimation week, scrimmages and opening night are right around the corner for one of the most anticipated high school football seasons in a long time.

(EDITOR’S NOTE ... See Justin Carlucci’s “Where We Live” Column in today’s paper for more on the excitement of high school football season).