Palmerton head football coach Chris Walkowaik found a unique, yet definitive way to describe his team’s home matchup with Tamaqua in the District 11 Class 3A playoffs Friday night.

“We know each other well,” said Walkowiak. “It’s like a chess match at this point. We have had a good look at each other, and we know each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

“Now it is a matter of making the right moves.”

Tamaqua head coach Sam Bonner also knows the gravity of the situation, and is confident his team will respond.

“We dug ourselves in a hole the last time we played them,” he said about the meeting between the teams in Week 9 of the regular season. “We fell behind 20-0, but did a good job coming back to tie the game, before Palmerton made a couple of big plays to pull away and get the win.”

In that game two weeks ago, Palmerton quarterback Matt Machalik had a 60-yard run for a touchdown with the score tied at 20-20, and later hit an 18-yard scoring strike that eventually led to a 36-20 victory.

Palmerton is the fourth seed in the bracket, while Tamaqua is the fifth.

Palmerton (6-4),which lost in the Class 2A championship game to Northern Lehigh a year ago, started the season with impressive victories over Lehighton and Catasauqua, but received an early-character test when they (IT) dropped a physical 47-40 decision at Palisades.

It was the Palisades loss that ironically generated some positive vibes.

“That game was a gut check for us at the time,” said Machalik, who holds six career team passing records, and has thrown for 2,207 yards, rushed for 1,107, and has a combined 47 touchdowns this season. Machalik also has 28 tackles behind leading tackler Emilio Gonzalez, who had 65 stops.

“Even though we lost, we came out of that game with a lot more confidence in ourselves,“ said Machalik. “They were very physical, and we found out what we really needed to improve on. I think we became a better team from that game.”

Machalik recognizes the familiarity factor of the encounter, and also the significance of the postseason ahead.

Daniel Lucykanish also has been a major contributor with his 42 receptions for 726 with 10 touchdowns, and his 302 yards rushing with four scores.

As a team, Palmerton has scored an average of 38.5 points per game, and allowed 31.4. They average 406.9 yards offensively, and permit 313.4.

“We’re looking at this game as having a 0-0 record,” stressed Machalik. “We’re just ready to line up against anybody at this point. We just have to come out and execute the best we can.”

Walkowiak also noted the Palisades game as playing a role in his team’s success, as well as their grit in the early going.

“We learned from the Palisades’ game,” he said. “People thought we overlooked them, but we didn’t. Palisades always has been a rivalry type of game for us.

“We started the season with 31 players, and we had some unfortunate injuries at the start of the season. Some bigger games didn’t go our way, but we kept working through everything.”

One thing that hasn’t changed for Palmerton - whether it has won or lost - has been the spectacular play of Machalik.

Walkowiak continues to be awed by his junior quarterback’s contributions.

“In two-and-a-half years, you can see how he had grown,” said Walkowiak. “He has made tremendous improvements. He sees the field better, and has stayed more in the pocket.

“When Matt gets a certain look, you know it can be good for us, and bad for the other team.”

Bonner hopes that isn’t the case. The Blue Raiders (4-6) ended their season with a solid 49-0 shutout over Panther Valley to clinch a playoff spot and snap a two-game losing streak.

Sophomore quarterback Luke Kane has thrown for 1,014 yards with 11 touchdowns with seven interceptions, while junior Connor Dillon has been the team’s main threat with 448 yards rushing with four scores, and 27 receptions for 570 yards with eight touchdowns.

Kane sees the keys to victory as balancing the offense, and maintaining Machalik. The Blue Raiders have averaged 25.7 points per game, and allowed 27.4 per contest. They gained an average of 256 yards a contest, and issued 313.

“I think they will play a lot more man, and we scored on a 55-yard screen pass last time,” said Kane. “I think they also will keep more linebackers in the box to try and shut down our run game. But I know our receivers can make plays, and we have a big running back like Curvey who can block well, and Damon Sell and Connor Dillon, who are playmakers.”

Bonner echoed the thoughts of his quarterback.

“We know what they will bring,” he said. “But we like our weapons as well. Machalik broke our backs last time. We can’t allow him to make big plays.

“But we’re looking forward to playing them again.”