Two weeks of the high school football regular season remain with so many questions still left to be answered, especially with the teams atop the Anthracite Football League.

Lehighton (8-0), Jim Thorpe (8-0), and Blue Mountain (7-1) are all still in the hunt for a District 11 AAA playoff berth as well as an AFL championship.This week however, offers up a matchup between two of those teams with the conclusion having a huge impact on the AFL championship picture and district playoff race.The week eight Times News Game of the Week is a good one and it will pit the undefeated Jim Thorpe Olympians on the road against the one-loss Blue Mountain Eagles.Football enthusiasts know that all good football teams are solid up front on the defensive and offensive line. The Olympians and Eagles boast two of the best in the AFL this season and have been gashing through the opposition by winning the battle in the trenches.That formula won't change this week for either club.Anybody that has watched Thorpe this season knows that they like to run the football and why not with a weapon like Robbie Heller in the backfield? The "Hellercopter" has been terrorizing opposing defenses, whirling his way to 1,245 yards and 18 touchdowns. For those of you wondering about the senior's nickname, it stems from his ability to always keep his feet moving and churning just like the blades of a helicopter. Heller's ability to do that is the reason why he's averaging a ridiculous 9.66 yards per carry.Heller is not the only weapon for Jim Thorpe; teammates Antonio Madera (340 yards), Dean Richards (235 yards), Justin St. Hill (141 yards), and Kevin Vitti (103 yards) have all come up with big plays as well. Overall, the Jim Thorpe offense is averaging 271 yards per game on the ground at 7.75 yards-per-carry."The success we've had or the recipe for our success has been our physicality up front," said Jim Thorpe head coach Mark Rosenberger. "We might not have the biggest guys, but we have strong and athletic guys in those spots and we've been able to use that to our advantage. Then of course when your playmakers are making guys miss and breaking tackles that's when it all comes together."Speaking of physical, the Blue Mountain football team could very well be the spokesperson for the meaning of the word. The Eagles are massive up front and have had the majority of their success on the ground this season too.Running backs Mike Kalyan (621 yards, 8 TDs) and Lucas Forbes (592 yards, 8TDs) are both tough and physical runners that tend to wear a team down as the game goes on. The Eagles rushing attack will bring a brand of physicality to the table that Jim Thorpe hasn't faced yet this season. The Eagles offense is averaging 230 yards-per-game rushing at 6.1 yards per carry."I think we had a physical test last week against North Schuylkill and we know we're going to get a physical bunch in Blue Mountain this week," said Rosenberger. "We always try to build off of our successes from the week prior and that's what we're going to try and do this week. The goal is to get better every week. A focus this week has been tackling. We need to be fundamentally sound in tackling the runner because their backs do not go down easy and we know we have to be ready to battle up front."Gaining rushing yardage hasn't been easy for any team that has faced the Eagles defense this season. Like the Olympians "D" (181 total yards of offense allowed per game), the Eagles have been able to generate constant pressure in the backfield. They've also been able to get pressure on the quarterback collecting 20 team sacks.This matchup could certainly come down to quarterback play as both defenses are stubborn against the run. That means, Jim Thorpe quarterback Dean Richards (387 yards passing) and Blue Mountain signal caller Mason Freed (580 yards passing) will be counted on to make some plays through the air."We've been efficient in the passing game when we've had to go there and you have to give credit to our quarterback Dean Richards and his receivers for that," said Rosenberger."As the fall weeks start to disappear, each game becomes more important to our area football teams. Fans in the AFL will be getting their fill of playoff-type games, while players will be competing in playoff-type atmospheres. There is a lot of exciting football still left to play and it starts this week with Jim Thorpe and Blue Mountain facing off at the "Eagles Nest."