Just three games into the season, Panther Valley has already matched its combined victory total of the past two years.

After back-to-back 1-9 campaigns, The Panthers are off to a 2-1 start.In its second year under head coach Lon Hazlet, Panther Valley has shown a dramatic improvement in all areas of the game. But nowhere is that improvement more obvious than on the offensive side of the ball.Through three games this season, Panther Valley has scored 116 points an average of 38.7 points a game. Those numbers would be impressive for any offense, but for a Panther squad that had struggled to put points on the board the last couple of seasons, the scoring spree has been a real eye opener.Two years ago, Panther Valley scored just 78 points the entire season. Last year, when it scored 130 points, PV didn't score its 116th point until the final game of the season.The obvious answer to why Panther Valley has shown so much improvement offensively is Richie Smith. Smith has carried the football 44 times for 483 yards and nine touchdowns so far this season. He has an eye-popping 10.98 yards per carry average and he leads the TIMES NEWS area in rushing yardage, rushing touchdowns, total TDs (10) and points scored (60).Hazlet has cited Smith's talent, work ethic, and leadership as a key to the Panthers' early-season success and It would be impossible to argue with the fact that no one had a bigger impact on Panther Valley's first two victories than the senior running back.But sometimes the obvious answer isn't the only answer.Because for as good as Smith has been, he has received plenty of help.The Panthers have been able to throw the ball efficiently enough to keep defenses honest. Quarterback Matt Levitt is 18-for-34 for 379 yards and six touchdowns this season. Kyle Ferryman has been the top receiver with seven catches for 205 yards and three scores."It's no secret that Richie makes our offense go," praised Hazlet. "But Matt's ability to throw the ball down the field has helped keep defenses honest."It's just not the skill players stepping up for Panther Valley, however. Any coach will tell you that a quarterback and a running back are only as good as the linemen in front of them and the Panther line has been a big part of the team's early success.Panther Valley returned four starters up front Mark Williams, Rian Shubeck, Noah Frey and Cody Heffelfinger. They are joined by freshman Dylan Moyer and by junior tight end Richard Nase."Our improvement up front can be traced directly to the committment our kids gave in the offseason," said Hazlet. "Our line isn't very big, but we're pretty strong. That wasn't the case last year. But the kids really dedicated themselves to getting in the weight room and working hard. They increased their strength and by doing that they increased their confidence."One other big difference for the Panthers' offense has been in their comfort level in Hazlet's system."We run a very diverse offense," Hazlet said. "We run one-back sets, two-back sets, multiple tight end formations, no tight end formations, we'll sometimes have three or four receivers on the field. We try to take what the defense gives us and we use multiple formations to try to get an advantage."Last year, with the new system and the new terminology, we weren't nearly as comfortable as we are now. The kids are light years ahead of where we were at this time last year. That comfort level has cut down on the mental mistakes."As happy as Hazlet is with his team's start, he knows there is a lot of football left."It's a long season. It's nice to have a couple of wins under our belts, but we can't be satisfied with that," said Hazlet. "We haven't accomplished anything yet. We haven't won anything yet. We need to keep working hard and keep improving."*******SCORING SPREE ... Panther Valley has scored 116 points through the first three weeks of the season. It has been 33 years since a Panther team opened the season with more points. The last time it happened was 1979 when Panther Valley scored 123 points (42, 47, 34) in its first three games.Panther Valley's strong offensive start was punctuated by Friday's 54-24 victory over Kutztown. The last time PV scored more points in a game was on Sept. 19, 1998 when it beat Jim Thorpe, 55-21.*******CALEB'S CATCHES ... Northern Lehigh's Caleb Johnson had a big offensive game in his team's 18-16 win over Saucon Valley on Friday night.Johnson rushed for 105 yards and also caught five passes for 129 yards and one touchdown.The 129 yards receiving are the most by a Bulldog since Kody Fedorcha had 144 yards on Sept. 9, 1995 against Southern Lehigh.*******AIR-RAID'ERS' ... In Friday's win over Shenandoah, Tamaqua's Nate Edmonds threw three TD passes to teammate Dustin Vandermartin.The last time a Raiders quarterback threw three touchdown passes in a game was Oct. 29, 2007 when Ryan Palsgrove accomplished the feat in a win over Minersville.The last time a Raider receiver caught three TD passes in a game was Sept. 11, 1992 when Bill Angst caught three from Geoff Kruczek in another victory over Minersville.*******TIGER BOMB ... In Saturday's win over Wilson, Northwestern's Frank Dangello connected with Dylan Snyder for an 84-yard touchdown pass.Current Tiger assistant coach Greg Mitchell tells us that the last time a Northwestern TD pass covered more yards happened way back in the Tigers' second year playing scholastic football. In a game against Marian on Nov. 14, 1966, Ray Hartman caught an 85-yard scoring pass from Danny Bachman.*******TO THE HOUSE ... Tamaqua's Dalton Nunemacher returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown on Friday against Shenandoah.The last Tamaqua kickoff return for a TD came on Oct. 9, 2009 when Jarred Muffley went 75 yards against North Schuylkill. The 95-yarder was the longest by a Raider since Josh Zukas also went 95 yards with a kickoff on Sept. 1, 2006 against Jim Thorpe.*******SUPER SMITH .... Richie Smith of Panther Valley had a night to remember on Friday against Kutztown when he scored seven touchdowns. Smith's seven TDs in a single game tied a District 11 record.Other D-11 players who have scored seven touchdowns in a game are:Komlan Lonergan - Allentown Central Catholic 1996; Rob Hauke - Allentown Central Catholic 2002; Russ Metzger - Nazareth 1928; Chuck Dibilio - Nazareth 2010; Eric Muldowney - Pottsville Nativity 1989; and Zach Barket - Schuylkill Haven 2008.In the win over Kutztown, Smith ran for six touchdowns and also scored one on a 31-yard interception return. Smith's "pick-six" was the first for a Panther player since Jake Dunn returned an interception 39 yards for a score on Sept. 25, 2009 against Jim Thorpe.