It's Week Four of the high school football season and already there have been some pretty high profile match-ups. Friday night will feature yet another big time battle, specific to the Anthracite Football League.

Marian will travel to North Schuylkill in a showdown of unbeaten squads where one team will leave Fountain Springs with a leg up in the AFL Championship race.With that being said, the Colts and Spartans Week Four throwdown has earned the honor of being named Times News Game of the Week.The Colts have shown this season that they can be very explosive on both offense and defense. Head Coach Stan Dakosty mentioned in the preseason that the Colts were going to rely heavily on their speed and that's exactly what they've done. The Marian staff has done a great job week in and week out putting its speedsters in position to have success.Marian running back K.J. Snerr has been one of those dynamic guys getting the job done for the Colts. The sophomore is staying healthy and running with confidence, which you can see with the way he carries himself on the field. Snerr is responsible for 343 yards on just 40 carries. For those of you whose favorite subject in school wasn't math that comes to 8.58 yards per carry. He also has six rushing touchdowns on the season to go along with 103 receiving yards and a score. It's no coincidence the Colts are 3-0 and that Snerr has been on the field consistently for all three of those games."First off I'm happy for K.J. He worked hard this offseason and I just wanted people to see what kind of an impact player he could be," said Dakosty. "Every time he touches the ball he's a threat to turn it into a big play. He's also very multi-dimensional and we can also use him in the pass game if we want."Before the Spartans gave up 25 points in the second half to Lehighton they held their opponents to just six points in 10 quarters. That means rushing yards won't come easy for the Colts as the AFL's most prolific front four will be standing in their way. The Spartans' linemen are big, they're strong, and most importantly they're physical. Friday night will be the first true test for the Marian offensive line and if they can't open holes for Snerr and company it most certainly could be a long night for the Colts offense.Probably the most important "X's and O's" matchup of the night will be between the Marian front four and the offensive line of North Schuylkill. Marian has shown week in and week out that it has a ferocious speed rush off the edge and that its defensive tackles have been consistently plugging up the middle.The Spartans "O-line" has shown they've got one of the best units in all of District 11. Just the sheer size of their line is daunting enough without the added fact that they're skilled. North Schuylkill quarterback Bobby Grigas showed last week against a very physical Lehighton team that he's the real deal. He made big play after big play for the Spartans in week three and finished with 120 yards on the ground. He can also throw it and will look to get the ball to his top target 6-5 Tevin Murray."There's no denying the physicality and skill of their offensive line," said Dakosty. "It's a really good unit and we have to try to use our speed to counteract that. We have some fast, strong, and athletic guys on our defense, so it's important for our guys to make some plays on the defensive side of the ball come Friday night."The key for the Colts defense, which by the way is giving up just 6.3 points and 132 total yards per game, will be to get pressure on Grigas. It's a tall task, but if there is any team that has the ability to get pressure in the Spartans backfield this season it's Marian."It's important for us to get pressure, but we can't just pin our ears back and say 'go get the quarterback,'" said Dakosty. "We have to play smart disciplined football and stay in our lanes and try and create pressure that way. We don't want Grigas to be comfortable back there because he obviously showed when he's comfortable he can hurt you."The game plans are in and the stage is set for yet another coal region football clash. Can the Colts go into Fountain Springs and knock off league favorite North Schuylkill? That's the question that's on the minds of many around the area and you only have to wait one more day to get the answer.